Thai Buddhist monk wants to clean up his country’s religious institutions

Phra Buddha Issara walks inside his garden at Wat Ornoi in Nakhon Pathom. From his Buddhist temple near Bangkok, he is calling for a radical overhaul of Thai Buddhism. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

By Anna Fifield-April 29

NAKHON PATHOM, Thailand — Think Buddhist monk, and bodyguards and bomb threats probably don’t spring to mind. But that’s exactly what Phra Buddha Issara is dealing with as he mounts a campaign to overhaul Thailand’s religious institutions.

Thai Buddhist Monk Wants to Clean Up His Country’s Religious Institutions by Thavam Ratna