This is a listing of international branches connected to the major temples of the Dhammakaya tradition, a Thai Buddhist tradition founded in the early 20th century by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro.
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (Thai : วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ, RTGS: Wat Paknam Phasicharoen) is a royal wat ('temple') located in Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok, at the Chao Phraya River. The temple underwent a major change after Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro became abbot, from a temple with only thirteen monks that was nearly abandoned, to a prosperous center of education and meditation practice with five hundred monks (the highest in Thailand at the time) and hundreds of mae chi. [1] It is a large and popular temple, and is the origin of the Dhammakaya tradition.
Below is a list of international branches belonging to Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen. [2] [3]
Wat Paknam Japan
Wat Paknam New Zealand
Wat Paknam America
Wat Paknam Michigan [4]
Wat Mongkoltepmunee [5]
Wat Phra Dhammakaya (Thai : วัดพระธรรมกาย; RTGS:Wat Phra Thammakai; IPA: [wátpʰráʔtʰam.má.kaːj] ) is a Buddhist temple ( wat ) in Khlong Luang District, in the peri-urban Pathum Thani Province north of Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 1970 by the maechi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong and monk Luang Por Dhammajayo. It is the best-known and the fastest growing temple of the Dhammakaya tradition. The temple emphasizes the revival of traditional Buddhist values, doing so through modern methods and technology.
Below is a list of international branches belonging to Wat Phra Dhammakaya. [6]
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.
Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school, which is followed by roughly 93.4 percent of the population. Thailand has the second largest Buddhist population in the world, after China, with approximately 64 million Buddhists. Buddhism in Thailand has also become integrated with folk religion (Bon), Hinduism from millennia of Indian influence, and Chinese religions from the large Thai Chinese population. Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritages. Thai Buddhism also shares many similarities with Sri Lankan Buddhism. Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Laos are countries with Theravada Buddhist majorities.
Wat Suthat Thepwararam is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok. Construction was begun by King Rama I in 1807. In the beginning, it was initially called "Wat Maha Sutthawat" (วัดมหาสุทธาวาส) and was located in a combretum grove. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King Rama II who helped carve the wooden doors, but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Rama III in 1847 or 1848. This temple contains the Buddha image Phra Sri Sakyamuni which have been moved from Sukhothai Province. At the lower terrace of the base, there are 28 Chinese pagodas which symbolize the 28 Buddhas born on this earth. Wat Suthat also contains Phra Buddha Trilokachet in the ubosot and Phra Buddha Setthamuni in the sala kan parian.
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.
Chandra Khonnokyoong was a Thai Maechi (nun) who founded Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Religious studies scholar Rachelle Scott has described her as "the most influential female meditation teacher in Thailand". Her own students call her Khun Yay Achan Mahā-ratana Upasika Chandra Khonnokyoong, an honorific name meaning "grandmother-master-great-gem devotee". Although illiterate, she was widely respected for her experience in meditation, which is rare for a maechi. She managed to attract many well-educated students, despite her rural background and illiteracy. Some scholars have raised the example of Maechi Chandra to indicate that the position of women in Thai Buddhism may be more complex than was previously thought.
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.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Khlong Luang district, in the Pathum Thani province north of Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 1970 by the maechi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong and Luang Por Dhammajayo. It is the best-known and the fastest growing temple of the Dhammakaya tradition. This tradition, teaching Dhammakaya meditation, was started by the meditation master Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro in the early 20th century. Wat Phra Dhammakaya is one of the temples that emerged from this tradition and is part of the Mahā Nikāya fraternity. The temple is legally represented by the Dhammakaya Foundation. It aims to adapt traditional Buddhist values in modern society, doing so through modern technology and marketing methods. The temple has faced controversy and a government crackdown. Wat Phra Dhammakaya plays a leading role in Thai Buddhism, with theologian Edward Irons describing it as "the face of modern Thai Buddhism".
Wat Phra Dhammakaya Manchester, also known in English as the North-West Centre for Buddhist Meditation, is a Thai Buddhist temple in Salford, England. Established on 8 February 2004 in a converted curtain-rail factory, it was the first Thai Buddhist temple in the northwest of England.
Dhammakaya meditation is a method of Buddhist Meditation developed and taught by the Thai meditation teacher Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro (1885–1959). In Thailand, it is known as Vijjā dhammakāya, which translates as 'knowledge of the dhamma-body'. The Dhammakāya Meditation method is considered one of the most prominent in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia. It has been described as a revival of both "samatha" (tranquility) and "vipassanā" (insight) meditation practices in Thailand.
P. A. Payutto, also known by his current monastic title, Somdet Phra Buddhaghosacariya, is a well-known Thai Buddhist monk, an intellectual, and a prolific writer.
The Dhammakaya Tradition is one distinctive tradition of Thai Buddhism that has had a pioneering role in establishing Buddhist practice in England since 1954.
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.
Songdhammakalyani Monastery is a temple and monastery of Bhikkhuni in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. It was founded in 1960 by Ven. Ta Tao Fa Tzu, the first modern Thai woman to ordain as a bhikkhuni. The monastery was originally known as Wat Songdhammakalyani ."
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.
Mano Laohavanich is a Thai politician, former professor of Buddhism at Thammasat University, and former Buddhist monk. He is most famous for his public statements against Wat Phra Dhammakaya, the largest Buddhist temple in 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.
Wat Paknam Japan is the largest Thai Buddhist temple ('Wat') in Japan, located in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture. It was founded in 1998 as a branch temple of Wat Paknam, a temple in Thailand, to serve as a spiritual center for residents of Thai descent.