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Trading Sex for Karma in Thailand: an Analysis of the Reciprocal Relationship Between Buddhist Monastics and Thai Prostitutes

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Trading Sex for Karma in Thailand: an Analysis of the Reciprocal Relationship Between Buddhist Monastics and Thai Prostitutes Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Honors Theses Lee Honors College 4-23-2002 Trading Sex for Karma in Thailand: An Analysis of the Reciprocal Relationship Between Buddhist Monastics and Thai Prostitutes Amy Proskow Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Proskow, Amy, "Trading Sex for Karma in Thailand: An Analysis of the Reciprocal Relationship Between Buddhist Monastics and Thai Prostitutes" (2002). Honors Theses. 1887. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/1887 This Honors Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Honors College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE CARL AND WINIFRED LEE HONORS COLLEGE CERTIFICATE OF ORAL EXAMINATION Amy Proskow, having been admitted to the Carl and Winifred Lee Honors College in Winter 1999 successfully presented the Lee Honors College Thesis on April 23, 2002. The title of the paper is: "Trading Sex for Karma in Thailand: An Analysis of the Reciprocal Relationship Between Buddhist Monastics and Thai Prostitutes" Dr. Gregory Howard, Sociology Department yjx^-^M iJMj Dr. Susanne Mrozik, Comparative Religion^Department Dr. Vyacheslav Karpov^^Sociology Department Trading Sex for Karma in Thailand: An Analysis ofthe Reciprocal Relationship Between Buddhist Monastics and Thai Prostitutes Amy Proskow Lee Honors College Thesis April 12, 2002 Thesis Committee: Dr. Greg Howard, Chairperson, Department ofSociology Dr. Suzanne Mrozik, Department ofComparative Religion Dr. Vyacheslav Karpov, Department ofSociology Amy Proskow 1 Introductions Religions are often the foundations ofsocieties. A person's religion helps guide his/her behaviors, thoughts, goals and priorities. Religious beliefs are often those beliefs that are adhered to most strongly; they hold incredible power over the believer and the non-believer alike. In many societies around the world, religion is used as a form ofsocial control, and it is often the primary force behind governmental policies and social opinions and expressions. Examining social processes within a religious context allows us to analyze certain societies and their patterns ofinteractions in a very deep and detailed manner. A particular society or culture cannot be truly understood without examining the religious beliefs, duties and practices that guide the functions ofthat society. Thailand is no exception to this rule. With an official national religion ofTheravada Buddhism, the daily lives ofThai citizens, government officials and religious leaders are continually being passed through a Buddhist filter. When examining certain societal problems in Thailand, then, it is helpful to conduct such analyses through a Theravada Buddhist lens. Prostitution can be examined in such a way. Prostitution in Thailand is often seen as an epidemic that is having horrific effects on the young Thai women who enter the sex industry each year. Before any solutions to this epidemic can be offered, though, a thorough understanding ofprostitution, within the Thai cultural context and within the Buddhist context, must be attempted. Based on a thorough analysis ofprostitution in Thailand, within the cultural and religious contexts ofthe region, two main points can be emphasized in establishing the impacts ofThai culture and Thai Buddhism on prostitution in the country. First, there has recently been a mass migration ofwomen from rural, northern Thailand to large, urban centers like Bangkok in order to find employment in the thriving sex industry. Second, there exists a sort ofreciprocal relationship between Buddhist monks and Thai prostitutes. This relationship is evident in that the monks seem to condone the practice ofprostitution, though it is viewed as an "immoral," demerit-earning behavior, when they accept prostitutes' gifts with no mind toward encouraging them to choose an alternative profession. These prostitutes, ofcourse, are making such donations to the monks in order to make merit, which will consequently improve their karma. This examination begins with an assessment ofThailand: the national economy, migration patterns and a history ofprostitution in the country. Following is an analysis ofthe various views ofprostitution, including citizens' views, governmental opinions and a comparison ofpremodern and modern views ofprostitutes. After covering these various positions, the importance ofthe Buddhist concepts ofkarma and merit-making are considered. The impacts of these concepts on the daily lives ofThai citizens and how they influence the actions ofyoung prostitutes are assessed. Finally, the lives ofBuddhist monks are examined. The primary emphasis ofthis last section is the reciprocal relationship that seems to exist between Buddhist monks and prostitutes in Thailand. Thailand: An Introduction Thailand is commonly referred to as the sex capital ofAsia due to the overwhelming number ofstrip clubs, sex shows, prostitution and various other forms ofsexually explicit entertainment found primarily in and near the nation's capital ofBangkok. Although politicians and scholars in various countries across the globe commonly criticize the sex industry in Thailand, the economic success ofBangkok's red light district remains untouched. Many scholars believe that the industry's boom stems largely from the thousands ofU.S. soldiers on R&R leave who visited Bangkok during the Vietnam War. This influx ofsoldiers into the region brought attention to the city and to its sex industry, promoting future tourism and attracting rural women to the city for work. Others emphasize the status ofThai women in society and certain Thai Buddhist principles as also contributing to the major growth ofthe country's "sex capital." Regardless ofone's beliefs as to how the industry began and as to how it maintains its success, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding ofThailand's sex industry in order to fully understand the nation's diverse culture and society. Because Thailand has gained worldwide recognition for its sexual services industry, many scholars have attempted to trace the historical development ofthe nation's sex sector. According to Boonchalaksi and Guest (1998), prostitution has maintained a close relationship with economic development throughout Thailand's long history (p. 130). As far back as the fourteenth century, prostitution was not only legal but was also taxed by the Thai government (Boonchalaksi & Guest, 1998, p.130). For several centuries, "prostitute houses" were primarily located in the Chinese community in the capital ofAyuddhya (Boonchalaksi & Guest, 1998, p. 130). Beginning in the late eighteenth century, Chinese migration into Thailand increased, primarily among Chinese males. Prostitution flourished in Thailand as a result ofthis male migration into the country and was centrally located around Sampeng, a Chinese district of Bangkok (Boonchalaksi & Guest, 1998, p.130). As foreigners from various countries began migrating to the country and developing their own communities in later years, prostitution expanded further, tailoring itselfto the cultures and preferences ofthe respective communities/districts: "...as a community ofEuropeans grew in the Bang-rak area, it attracted prostitutes who often adopted foreign names in order to identify with their clients" (Boonchalaksi & Guest, 1998, p. 130). While Thailand is known for its prostitution and other sexually explicit entertainment, Bangkok is a major center ofthe sexual services industry. Bangkok is a bustling city, the business center ofThailand. Phongpaichit and Baker (1998) summarize the state ofthe city: "Factories ring the outskirts. Commuters clog the roads. High-rise office towers crown the centre. The city has the buzz ofHong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Shanghai - the sound ofAsia making money" (p.10). Between 1985 and 1995, the population in Bangkok expanded to an incredible nine million people, whereas in 1970 there were only three million people in the city (Phongpaichit & Baker, 1998). While tourists are often sold on the excitement ofBangkok, in recent years the city's conditions have worsened. Because ofthe large number ofrural migrants who seek work in Bangkok, the slums in the city have increased as well. By 1990, there were 1,404 slum settlements in the greater Bangkok area, which housed over 1.2 million people (Phongpaichit & Baker, 1998, p.133). As a result, living conditions for many ofBangkok's residents are quite poor. One migrant commented: "The city is full ofmosquitoes, the water reeks ofchlorine, and it's hot" (Phongpaichit & Baker, 1998, p.134). Thus, it seems that although Thailand, and especially Bangkok, experienced an economic boom during the 1980s and early 1990s, that boom quickly ended and life in the city today is not as promising as it was several years ago. It is important to note, however, that the rampant poverty experienced in the city today is not simply the result ofthe end ofThailand's economic boom in the 1990s. Rather, the booming economy that began during the 1980s lured villagers to the city who lived in tightly packed spaces and extreme poverty in the slums they occupied. Thus, the poverty conditions that many city-dwellers experience actually began during the 1980s as a result ofthe success ofThailand's economy. Prostitution in Thailand
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