re: "A light touch needed" (BP, Editorial, May 14, 2020)
Dear editor,
It is hard to see how any Thai institution that respects the wise teachings of the Buddha could oppose a call to "search for the truth" (Bangkok Post, Editorial, May 14, 2020).
The life of the Buddha as he went from prince, to ascetic, to enlightenment exemplifies the need to continually seek out the truth, even when it might be uncomfortable or contradict traditional prejudices.
The Buddha's teachings explicitly stress the importance of right understanding in all things, with none so unspeakable that the truth should be rejected in favour of ignorance. And as the Buddha's Kalama Sutta bluntly tells us, neither tradition nor authority, not even of monks, certainly not state officials, is any guarantee of truth, but that we must earnestly seek informed understanding by critically assessing, and reassessing in the light of new information, the sources available to us.
The efforts of the Progressive Movement would seem to align well with the wholesome precepts of Buddhism. Surely official Thai institutions can comport themselves to similarly respect fundamental principles of Buddhist teaching?
Felix Qui
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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.
The text as edited was published in PostBag on May 15, 2020, under the title "Home truths needed" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1918484/home-truths-needed
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