Dhammakaya Movement
Encyclopedia
Origins
It was founded by the Thai meditation master Phramongkolthepmuni(1885–1959) - a celebrated meditation master and the late abbot of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, ThonburiThonburi
Thon Buri is an area of modern Bangkok. It was capital of Thailand from 1767 to 1782, during the reign of King Taksin, after the previous capital Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese. It is located on the opposite bank of Chao Phraya River to Bangkok...
. The movement is primarily represented today by its non-profit foundation, the Dhammakaya Foundation, and the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand.
Identifying features
This meditation school formally belongs to the ancient Maha NikayaMaha Nikaya
"Maha Nikaya" refers to one of the two principal sects of modern Thai Buddhism. The other principle sect is Dhammayuttika Nikaya...
tradition of Thai Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
Buddhism., being correctly regarded as revivalist
Revivalist
Revivalist may refer to:* An individual who is involved in a movement of Christian revival* Revivalist artist - a performer dedicated to reviving a musical or cultural form from an earlier era* Revivalism...
rather than a new movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
or a fundamentalist movement. It supposedly has many doctrinal elements to distinguish it from conventional Theravāda Buddhism and in some respects resembles schools of Mahāyāna
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
Buddhism, has not been taken as heterodox by most Buddhists in the country. The Dhammakāya school of meditation is marked by its literal interpretation of Buddhist technical terms, (including the term dhammakāya
Dharmakaya
The Dharmakāya is a central idea in Mahayana Buddhism forming part of the Trikaya doctrine that was possibly first expounded in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā prajñā-pāramitā , composed in the 1st century BCE...
) in their physical meaning, as described by Phramongkolthepmuni. Many sermons of Phramongkolthepmuni himself can be traced back to some schools of meditation in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
preserved only in ancient meditation manuals.
Personalities
One factor which catalyzes this Foundation is the personality of Phramongkolthepmuni (1884–1959) . The account of his attaining dhammakāya in 1916 through his willingness to lay down his life evoked the image of 'self-sacrifice' in the minds of his disciples.Dhammakaya Foundation
The Dhammakāya Foundation was founded in 1916 in Thailand by Phra Monkolthepmuni, the abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok is a very large wat with a sizeable population of monks and nuns. Many foreigners have stayed at this temple over the years....
. Following the death of Phra Monkolthepmuni, the Foundation's work was continued by his disciple, Khun Yay Mahā Ratana Upāsikā Chandra Khonnokyoong
Chandra Khonnokyoong
Chandra Khonnokyoong was a Thai Theravada Buddhist nun who founded the Wat Phra Dhammakaya organization. Her full title was Khun Yay Mahā Ratana Upāsikā Chandra Khonnokyoong...
, a Buddhist mae chi. In 1970, a temple, called Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a Buddhist temple in Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani Province north of Bangkok, Thailand.- Origins :It was established on Magha Puja Day, 20 February 1970, on an eighty-acre plot of land donated by Lady Prayat Phaetayapongsa-visudhathibodi by a group led by the monk...
, was constructed as a home for the movement. Located in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani Province, the temple was intended to become an international center for the study of meditation.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Wat
A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...
) in Khlong Luang District
Amphoe Khlong Luang
Khlong Luang is a district in Pathum Thani Province, central Thailand.-History:Originally, the area was part of the Bang Wai district, controlled by Mueang Thanyaburi. In the Ayutthaya era, this area was lowland deep forest...
, Pathum Thani Province north of Bangkok, Thailand. It was established on Magha Puja Day, 20 February 1970, on an eighty-acre (320,000 m²) plot of land donated by Lady Prayat Phaetayapongsa-visudhathibodi. The site, sixteen kilometres north of Bangkok International Airport, was originally called 'Soon Buddacakk-patipatthamm'. From acidic paddy fields, a woodland was created: a parkland for meditators. The foundation stone for the main chapel laid by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the second daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thais commonly refer to her as Phra Thep, meaning "princess angel." Because her title in Thai is the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, she is informally referred...
on behalf of H.M. the King in December 1977 marked the official foundation of the centre as a temple—Wat Phra Dhammakaya. The movement produced a CDROM of the Pali Buddhist Scriptures in cooperation with the Pali Text Society
Pali Text Society
The Pali Text Society was founded in 1881 by T.W. Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pali texts".Pali is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism is preserved...
in 1995 and by the year 2000 its monastic students were the most successful Pali students in Thailand.
Public accusations of 1999-2002
The Dhammakāya Foundation has been subject to its share of controversy. In 1999 and again in 2002, leaders of the organization were accused of charges ranging from fraud and embezzlement to corruption. At that time social critic Sulak SivaraksaSulak Sivaraksa
Sulak Sivaraksa [] is founder and director of the Thai NGO “Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation”, named after two authorities on Thai culture, Sathirakoses and Nagapradeepa...
has criticized the Dhammakaya Movement for promoting greed by emphasizing donations to the temple as a way to make merit. Widespread negative media coverage a this time was symptomatic of the movement being made the scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
for commercial malpractice in the Thai Buddhist temple community in the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
In 2006 The Thai National Office for Buddhism cleared the Dhammakaya Foundation and Phrarajbhavanavisudh of all accusations when Phrarajbhavanavisudh agreed to return all the allegedly embezzled funds to name of his temple. Phrarajbhavanavisudh was subsequently restored to the position of abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya.
Present
Under the leadership of president PhrarajbhavanavisudhPhrarajbhavanavisudh
Phrarajabhavanavisudh is the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Thailand and the president of the Dhammakaya Foundation.-Childhood:He was born Chaibul Sutthipol on the 22 April 1944 to Janyong Sutthipol and Juree Sutthipol At Suan Kularb School, Bangkok, Thailand, Chaibul during his adolescence,...
(Luang Phaw Dhammajayo, b.1944), the image of the Dhammakāya Foundation has made a recovery, and in 2004-5 had received further recognition for its contribution to world peace from organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Thai Senate, and several peoples' associations in the South of Thailand. The Dhammakaya Movement continues to influence millions of people in Thailand and worldwide to practice Dhammakaya meditation
Dhammakaya meditation
Dhammakaya meditation is an approach to Buddhist meditation revived in the early 1900s and practiced by several million people all over the world...
. The movement has set up Dhammakaya Open University
Dhammakaya Open University
Dhammakaya Open University is an unaccredited Theravada Buddhist school offering instruction by distance-learning. Founded in 2003, it is based in Azusa, California but distributes its courses internationally via liaison centres at branches of the Dhammakaya Foundation. It offers courses in...
in Azusa, California
Azusa, California
Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"...
in 2003 to offer degree courses in Buddhist studies. It has also encouraged Thais to quit drinking
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
and smoking
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
through the activities of Anti-Drinking and Anti-Smoking program. World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) presented the 2004 World No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative...
Award for this work on 31 May 2004 http://www.dhammakaya.or.th/recognitions/award_WHO.php
The movement has expanded branches to over eighteen countries worldwide and is promoted via a Buddhist satellite network or Dhamma Media Channel (DMC.TV
DMC.TV
DMC.TV is a Thai cable television channel concerned with Buddhism. Its main taglines are "the secrets of life revealed" and "the only one channel" ....
) with a 24 hour-a-day Dharma and meditation teachings broadcast to the audience worldwide.
Accusations that the Thai Government had financed activities at Wat Phra Dhammakaya were made in a letter by Sulak Sivalaksa on 10 May 2010 but the government gave a press release on 12 May 2010 to show these accusations were unfounded
Further reading
- McCargo, Duncan (1999) ‘The politics of Buddhism in Southeast Asia’, in Jeff Haynes (ed.), Religion, globalization and the political culture in the Third World, Basingstoke: Macmillan, pp. 213–39.
- Rahonyi, Reka (1996) Wat Phra Dhammakaya: "A Refuge in the Midst of a Turbulent World" - Analysis of a Contemporary Thai Buddhist Movement, Senior Thesis, Harvard University
External links
- Phra Dhammakaya Temple Controversy Bangkok Post/December 21, 1998
- "Thai monk defies arrest" BBC News, August 24, 1999
- "Trouble in Nirvana" by David Liebhold, Time Asia, June 28, 1999
- "Most Serene of Sects Creates Uproar in Buddhism" by Seth Mydans, Pathum Thani Journal, August 13, 1999
- Article on the Dismissal of the case against Dhammakaya
- Another Article on the Dismissal of the case against Dhammakaya