Phra Buddha Issara is a monk with a mission. From his Buddhist temple near Bangkok he is calling for a radical overhaul of Thai Buddhism, fearing millions of dollars in temple donations and a rapidly modernizing nation are corrupting monks.
Surrounded by verdant green rice fields at Wat Or Noi temple, Issara said he wants better oversight of temple finances and to shake up the fossilized structure of Thai Buddhism.
"Buddhism in Thailand is a poisoned fruit. The highest level of the Buddhist religion has turned out to be the devious one," he told Reuters in an interview.