Wat Buddhapadipa or the Buddhapadipa Temple is a Thai Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, London. The temple is under Thai royal patronage.
The Supreme Patriarch of Thailand or Sangharaja is the head of the order of Buddhist monks in Thailand. His full title is Somdet Phra Saṅgharāja Sakalamahāsaṅghapariṇāyaka.
Phra Pathommachedi or Phra Pathom Chedi is a Buddhist stupa in Thailand. The stupa is located in the Wat Phra Pathommachedi Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (Thai: วัดพระปฐมเจดีย์ราชวรมหาวิหาร), a temple in the town center of Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. Phra Pathommachedi is one of the tallest stupas in the world. The top of its spire reaches 120.45 meters, with the base circumference of 235.50 meters.
Ajahn Sumedho is an American Buddhist monk. He was ordained in 1967, and was instrumental in establishing Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand and the Cittaviveka and Amaravati monasteries in England. One of the most senior Western representatives of the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravāda Buddhism, Sumedho is considered a seminal figure in the transmission of the Buddha's teachings to the West.
The Dhammakaya tradition or Dhammakaya movement is a Thai Buddhist tradition founded by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro in the early 20th century. It is associated with several temples descended from Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok.
Luang Por Dattajivo, also known by his birth name Phadet Phongsawat and former ecclesiastical title Phrarajbhavanajahn, is a Thai Buddhist monk. He is the former deputy-abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and the vice-president of the Dhammakaya Foundation, and was the observing abbot of the temple from 1999 until 2006, and again from 2011 until 2016. As of December 2016, he was still widely considered the de facto abbot. He met Mae chi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong and Luang Por Dhammajayo in his student years, and they have been his teachers throughout his life.
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen is a royal wat ('temple') located in Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok, at the Chao Phraya River. It is part of the Maha Nikaya fraternity and is the origin of the Dhammakaya tradition. It is a large and popular temple, supported by prosperous community members.
A wat is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro, also known as Phramongkolthepmuni, was a Thai Buddhist monk who served as the abbot of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen from 1916 until his death in 1959. He founded the Thai Dhammakāya school in the early 20th century. As the former abbot of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, he is often called Luang Pu Wat Paknam, meaning 'the Venerable Father of Wat Paknam'. He became a well-known meditation master during the interbellum and the Second World War, and played a significant role in developing Thai Buddhism during that period. He is considered by the Dhammakaya tradition to have rediscovered Vijja Dhammakaya, a meditation method believed to have been used by the Buddha himself. Since the 2000s, some scholars have pointed out that Luang Pu Sodh also played an important role in introducing Theravāda Buddhism in the West, a point previously overlooked.
Luang Por Dhammajayo, also known by the lay name Chaiyabun Suddhipol, is a Thai Buddhist monk. He was the abbot of the Buddhist temple Wat Phra Dhammakaya, the post he held until 1999 and again from 2006 to December 2011. In December 2016, he was given the post of honorary abbot of the temple. He is a student of the nun (maechi) Chandra Khonnokyoong, and is the most well-known teacher of Dhammakaya meditation. He has been subject to criticism and government response. However, he continues to be a spiritual leader that has significant influence in Thai society. Luang Por Dhammajayo's approach to Buddhism seeks to combine the ascetic and meditative life with modern personal ethics and social prosperity.
A Thai Buddha amulet, often referred to academically as a "votive tablet", is a type of Thai Buddhist blessed item. It is used to raise funds to help a temple's operations. A Thai Buddhist monk will give an amulet to Buddhists as a "gift" after they donate money or offerings to the temple. The amulets are then no longer considered a "gift" but a "tool" to enhance luck in different aspects of life. Local people also use amulets to improve their marriage, wealth, health, love, and relationships.
Ecclesiastical peerages have traditionally been given to ordained members of the Thai sangha, the community of the Buddhist monks of Thailand.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a Buddhist temple in Thailand. It was founded in 1970 by the maechi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong and Luang Por Dhammajayo. The temple's founding has roots in the Dhammakaya tradition founded by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in the early 20th century. Wat Phra Dhammakaya is known for its modern dissemination methods and use of technology.
The 2017–2020 Thai temple fraud investigations are a series of investigations by the Thai junta of the alleged abuse of governmental subsidies by government officers and Buddhist temples. The investigations started in 2017, and culminated in the controversial May 2018 arrest of five monks with leading positions in the Thai monastic community. The investigations have been described as unprecedented and as a critical blow to the faith of Thai Buddhist devotees. They have been subject to criticism and political speculation. In July 2018, the crisis was cited by the junta to amend laws, with the result that the monastic community could no longer choose their own leading council members, but these were to be chosen by the Thai King, and possibly the ruling NCPO.
San Chaopho Suea (Sao Chingcha) (Thai: ศาลเจ้าพ่อเสือ (เสาชิงช้า)) or San Chaopho Suea Phra Nakhon (ศาลเจ้าพ่อเสือพระนคร), usually shortened to San Chaopho Suea (ศาลเจ้าพ่อเสือ; simplified Chinese: 打恼路玄天上帝庙; traditional Chinese: 打惱路玄天上帝廟; pinyin: Dǎ nǎo lù xuán tiān shàngdì miào; commonly known in English as Tiger God Shrine) is a Chinese joss house located at 468 Tanao Road, San Chaopho Suea Sub-district, Phra Nakhon District in the old town Bangkok (Rattanakosin Island) near Sao Chingcha (Giant Swing) and Wat Mahannapharam with features the Southern Chinese architectural style. It is the shrine of Chaopho Suea (เจ้าพ่อเสือ; lit: Tiger God), according to the ancient Chinese belief and it is one of the most respected Chinese shrines in Bangkok and Thailand alike Wat Mangkon Kamalawat in Chinatown, especially during the Chinese New Year.
Wat Chanasongkhram Ratchaworamahawiharn, usually shortened to Wat Chana Songkhram, is a second-class royal monastery in Chana Songkram Sub-district, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, within area of Bang Lamphu opposite to Khaosan Road and next to Rambuttri Road.
Wat Rakhangkhositaram Woramahaviharn or usually shortened to Wat Rakhangkhositaram (วัดระฆังโฆสิตาราม), familiarly known as Wat Rakhang (วัดระฆัง) is a second-class royal monastery in Bangkok, Thailand. It's located at 250/1 Arun Amarin Road, Siri Rat Subdistrict, Bangkok Noi District, Thonburi side on the west bank of Chao Phraya River near Siriraj Hospital, Wang Lang Market and Ban Khamin Junction.
Niramon Ounprom is an army officer, member of the Thai royal court, and a former Thai nurse. She was named concubine and a long-time mistress of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, who granted her several military ranks and positions, including the noble name of Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi. After Prince Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne as King Rama X, he appointed her as his Royal Noble Consort, giving her the noble title of Chao Khun PhraSineenat Bilaskalayani in July 2019. She is the first woman to hold the title of a royal concubine of the King of Thailand in almost a century as the previous monarch was monogamous.
Princess Uthaikanya Bhanubandhu is a Princess of Thailand, a daughter of Nibandh Bhanubongs, Prince Bhanubongs Biriyadej and one of his wife Mom Phayao Bhanubandhu na Ayudhya. She is officially styled as "Her Serene Highness Princess Uthaikanya Bhanubandhu". She is a member of the Bhanubandhu collateral branch of the Chakri dynasty, the Royal Family of Thailand.
