Many must have been surprised to see them getting their noses stuck in politics, taking to the streets like a flood of Thaksin supporters. But who knows, perhaps some of the protesters in this movement are taking generous donations from some former disgruntled politicians hoping to create even more national turmoil.

On the other hand, it is no great surprise - monks have been involved in politics for donkey's years. In the good-old days in the countryside, some revered ones respected for their worldly advice, would inform their followers on the best choice for village headman in the local election. Maybe the wannabe village headman, while perhaps not slipping cash under the table, might have made a handsome contribution to the donation box. Of course, many villagers believe anything that comes from the mouth of their favourite robed one, and especially some old abbot who spends his days reading the daily newspapers and drinking green tea down at the local corner shop.

I am a little sad that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in exile as I used to, with coffee in hand, always look forward to reading up on his latest method of using Buddhism to bolster his support. Take his ripping rally at Wat Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani last year, when he invited tens of thousands of people to take part in a wonder of a performance at this very controversial temple - a wise move, especially when this place boasts a few hundred thousand followers. What organisers there were thinking when they allowed this political fiasco to be held in their "flying-saucer" arena beats me! Or perhaps they had come across a passage in some ancient scripture that nobody else had ever discovered that read, "It is a duty of the holy one to afford a political leader the opportunity to voice his ambitions in the shadow of the Lord Buddha".

While Thaksin was notorious for his multimillion-dollar money-making schemes, the land's temples have been involved in raking in wads of cash for decades. Now one of the most tried and tested ways of managing to fill one's revered bank book is the production and sale of supposedly miracle-making amulets. Have a monk say a prayer, spray on a bit of holy water and - abracadabra - you instantly find out that a deceased relative you've never heard of has left you Bt10 million in his will! A police officer concerned about the dangers of the job can visit a monk and ask for an amulet with such power that even if the officer is shot at point-blank range, the amulet, with its stunning powers, will send the bullet back in the opposite direction. For such heavenly protection, however, a nice donation of a few thousand baht is deeply appreciated.

The recent sensational story of the miracle "get-rich-quick" Jatukham Rammathep amulets is a fine example of a highly successful holy-business venture. The amulets grew in popularity following the death of the 106-year-old respected police officer who helped create them. This amulet (not even Buddhist!) is being produced by the hundreds of thousands all over the country.

The business being conducted by temples has become so lucrative that just last week the tax department decided to make investigations into whether or not to tax the holy producers and their billion-baht industry!

Another great technique a lot of monks use to rake in stacks of cash is by predicting the lucky government lottery numbers of the fortnight. Pay a donation to some business-minded monks and - hocus-pocus style with the use of some tea leaves, holy water and a magical Buddha image - they'll be able to conjure up the winning number. Should you be successful, they'll be expecting you to give them some of the prize money. Some of these monks just can't go wrong - predict a two-digit number for two or three draws and it's almost guaranteed that you're going to fluke it once. Should the lucky-number monk fluke it twice in a row, then he's in for the jackpot after villagers inform some national Thai language newspaper and scores of wannabe winners arrive by the truckload from all over the country. Of course, such heavenly forecasting doesn't come free and a donation of Bt20 from each player is much appreciated.

Many monks, especially in rural areas, really take advantage of some folks' beliefs. Some families are poor enough as it is, barely getting by, and yet temples are advising them to "give donations" and "make merit" to secure a better lot in the next life. When it comes to giving alms to the monks, the people are taught that if they wish to have plenty to eat in the next life, then it is mandatory to give plenty of food to the monks in this one. So, while the folk are busy dishing up steamed fish and roasted lobster for the monks, they themselves make do with a boiled egg on rice.

In fact, in the countryside many monks don't just eat better than the local villagers, they also earn more money. While a poor farmer has to slave away all day long for a measly Bt100, the local monk is getting paid Bt200 for every wedding, funeral and new-house party he attends, chants and sleeps through. Actually not a bad job! After work in the morning, he is then free to sit around all day, play computer games, go window-shopping in town or read comic books. Then in the evening after a bout of chanting he can lay back and watch a couple of counterfeit DVD movies. Besides the absence of women, much of the monks' daily routines aren't really that much different from our weekend ones upcountry.

In the Thai press, it is guaranteed that there will be at least one juicy story a week of some scandalous goings-on in one the nation's temples, and last week was no exception. With evidence in the form of a handful of photos, it was found that a temple fair in Samut Sakhon was the setting for some saucy stripteases, where the dancers whipped of their undergarments and exposed their private parts.

In fact, temple fairs have for ages been putting on naughty shows of girls bopping away in three-inch skirts and see-through spaghetti tops. The Culture Ministry throws a fit and the girls and event organisers get themselves in trouble. As for the head monks behind the scenes however, they are let off scot-free and left to happily count the profits made.

The current state of organised religion in Thailand is pretty much in shambles and these protesting holy ones are just making it worse. What is needed is a complete revamp from top to bottom.

The education authorities have to take the first step and introduce the young to the essence of the pure practice of Buddhism and not repeat boring tales of Buddhist legends, which put the kids to sleep. Next, monks found to be corrupt ought to be immediately dismissed from the monkhood and brought to justice. As for temples that have been caught scamming their followers, they need to be closed down, just as any old dodgy back-alley company would be.

Stephen Cleary

Suphan Buri

Stephen Cleary is the co-founder of www.thai-blogs.com.