Wat Phra Dhammakaya

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Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Khlong Luang District, 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. Buildings were kept to a minimum and emphasized finesse, easy maintenance, cleanliness and durability. The foundation stone for the main chapel laid by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on behalf of H.M. the King in December 1977 marked the official foundation of the centre as a temple - Wat Phra Dhammakaya.

The Main Chapel was completed in 1982 and the ceremony for the allocation of the chapel boundary (sima) was held three years later.

While the temple was under construction, the Dhammadayada ordination scheme gave training to hundreds of university students, a steadily increasing number of whom swelled the number of residents in the temple community, numbering 3,000 monks, novices, laymen and laywomen in the present day. At the same time, congregations on Sundays and major religious festivals reached 20,000, necessitating the construction of Dhammakaya International assembly Hall, presently the centre for ceremonies.

Although recognizing the importance of constructing buildings, the temple has always placed special emphasis upon training devotees. Thus, during more than twenty years since the foundation of the temple, activities at Wat Phra Dhammakaya have attracted devotees not just from Bangkok, but from all over Thailand and countries abroad.

The use of modern technology to present traditional teachings in a way that responds to the needs of those in contemporary society. Since the outset of the Dhammakaya tradition, the inner peace of meditation has reflected an aspiration to cultivate peace in the world at large. It has Dhammakaya Foundation been obvious that the work involved requires more than just a temple organized by monks. For this reason, the temple has grown together with its supporting organization, the to facilitate a broader base of activities by the public and participation by lay members of the congregation.

[edit] Activities

Presently, activities include meditation teaching and retreats, scriptual education and research, youth training, school orientations, social services, and environmental conservation. Activities for devotees always emphasize working upon oneself through the practice s of charity, self-descipline and meditation.

With the expansion of the temple to one thousand acres (4 km²) in 1985, Wat Phra Dhammakaya stands on the threshold of the development of the World Dhammakaya Centre - a resource to serve the needs of the international community.

[edit] Criticism and Controversy

Wat Phra Dhammakaya has experienced its share of controversy. In 1999[1][2] and again in 2002[3][4] the abbot, Dhammachayo, was arrested on charges ranging from fraud and embezzlement to corruption. Promenint social critic Sulak Sivaraksa criticizes Abbot Dhammachayo for promoting greed by emphasizing donations to the temple as a way to make merit.[5]

Abbot Dhammachayo is not referred to by the common title for monks, "Phra" because he has been expelled from the monastic sangha by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand and the Sangha Council.^{[citation needed]} To use this title would run foul of Thailand's laws against impersonating a monk.

“

I don't understand that. The letter written by the Supreme Patriarch never reached me. It was mentioned only in the newspapers.Phra Dhammachayo said.[6]

”

Apologies to Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Phrarajbhavanavisudh(Phra Dhammachayo) were published in full after the Thai newspapers and DMC.TV channels concerned were successfully sued for slander in the period 2003-4.The apologies from mass media for examples Siamrat Newspaper1[7] Siamrat Newspaper2 [8] Bangkokbiznews(Krungthepthurakit Newspaper) [9] Matichon Newspaper [10] Bangkokbiznews2(Krungthepthurakit Newspaper) [11]

• Note that none of the apologies from the media stated that Phra Dhammachayo was innocent. However, all apologies were settled to clear the legal issue of improper headlines and use of images by media.*

Nevertheless, the controversy is still on[12], whether the re-appointment of Dhammachayo is virtue because the prosecutor clearly stated in the embezzlement charge withdrawal that Phra Dhammachayo did embezzle from Wat Phra Dhammakaya, amounted to 36,677,000 Baht(approximately 1 US million dollars), and there are 2 more charges against Phra Dhammachayo for embezzling another 940,000,000 Baht ( 26 US million dollars), from Wat Phra Dhammakaya, in the process.

Hence, the demand by the Supreme Patriarch is still in effect[13], that Phra Dhammachayo has to be expelled from the monastic sangha because he committed the gravest transgression of the rules by embezzling from Wat Phra Dhammakaya since 1999. Although the embezzlement has been returned to Wat Phra Dhammakaya in 2006, the guilt of embezzlement has never been disappeared according to the Tripitaka, Buddha's teaching.

On 2006 Thailand Office of National Buddhism was declared Phrarajbhavanavisudh(Abbot Phra Dhammachayo ) is clear from the prosecution, because Phra Dhammachayo has made an agreement with the prosecutor to return all the embezzlement to Wat Phra Dhammakaya, and the prosecutor would withdrawn an embezzlement charge against him, who now is re-holding the abbot position of Wat Phra Dhammakaya.[14]