That quality, perhaps, was the ultimate prerequisite for a religious leader who controversially preached that all the trouble of the world stemmed from the attachment to "me" and "mine". Therefore, when he said his religion was for the willing souls, that you never have to fight for him, that you don't even have to believe him, he meant every word.

How would he have reacted to the campaign by Thais calling themselves his followers to make Buddhism their state religion? Taking his philosophy to the extreme, he couldn't be disappointed. He couldn't proclaim, "Stop messing up my teachings you fools", because that would bring his extraordinary concept of selflessness into question. This doesn't mean he wouldn't have cared. He would have loved for his doctrines to be followed by as many as possible, but that would have been out of pure compassion. In Buddhism, less is more, and "more" is the sole cause of all problems.

What would enshrining Buddhism in the charter as the national religion achieve? In other words, what "more" would Thai Buddhists get from upgrading the country from a de facto Buddhist Kingdom to an official one? And is it worth the risk of confrontation and, most importantly, would it not defeat the real purpose of the religion?

Buddhism has spared itself from dark politics and violence, and this is no fluke. It's a religion that pays the utmost respect to the freedom of the human mind. Faith cannot be imposed upon anyone or legalised, and non-believers are simply non-believers as far as Lord Buddha was concerned. He taught us to follow the "middle path" in our lives, and he surely observed it in disseminating his dharma. No blood was spilled and no lives taken to make people "do good". Peace and simplicity have marked the way Buddhism has travelled the earth in search of the faithful.

This is the worst possible time to alter that. Of course, the rally by those who plan to push for Buddhism to be made the national religion could yet be peaceful, but many risks are there. The deep South is burning, and other parts of the country are smouldering from the political crisis. The situation cries out for Buddhists to do what they are supposed to - douse the fires with the religion's characteristic empathy and tolerance, not fuel them with controversial and potentially provocative moves and demands.

The intended "march" will breach Buddha's key principles. Political ambitions seem to be behind the apparent goal of those rallying, the failure to consider major risks attached to the rally reflects a lack of compassion, and the whole campaign has "Me", "Myself", and "My religion" written all over it. Buddhism doesn't force its way through. It's a network of streams that twists and turns in quest of eager minds. In some places, they dry up on the way. In others, they grow into rivers.

Nothing undermines a faith like misguided faithful. The Thai "river" is overflowing with the ignorant or, simply, the fraudulent. Many monks have become popular promoting human beings' greedy nature by doing things like providing lottery tips. Others have made fortunes for themselves by practically preaching that people can buy their way into heaven. One leading sect all but tells its followers that the chance of them spending the next life in paradise depends on the amount they donate to its temple. The desire to get hold of amulets with supposed miraculous abilities has created a Bt30 billion industry and led to brawls and a stampede that killed one woman.

How many of those involved in these travesties are among the advocates of making Buddhism the state religion remains to be seen. What's certain is the campaign will move ahead relentlessly, especially after getting explicit support from the Council for National Security, and it soon may become a political issue, with everything to gain, and to lose.

The task for Thai Buddhists is simply to understand their own religion, and promote it in a way that doesn't breach its core principles in the process. If we want to take Lord Buddha seriously, we have to learn to let go. He would not want us, or anybody else, to lay claim to his discoveries or knowledge, nor would he want us to rely blindly on symbols, rites or rituals. The "middle path" calls for the avoidance of extremism, but to be true to him, as he was to all of humanity, there can be no compromise regarding his religion's essence.

"I have stopped, but you haven't," is one of Lord Buddha's most popular statements. Those attending the planned rally that purportedly seeks to promote his teachings will instead be walking further away from him.

Tulsathit Taptim