List of Dhammakaya branches

Last updated

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.

Contents

Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen

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]

Asia

Japan

Wat Paknam Japan

Oceania

New Zealand

Wat Paknam New Zealand

North America

Ohio

Wat Paknam America

Michigan

Wat Paknam Michigan [4]

Pennsylvania

Wat Mongkoltepmunee [5]

Wat Phra Dhammakaya

Wat Phra Dhammakaya (Thai : วัดพระธรรมกาย; RTGS:Wat Phra Thammakai; IPA:  [wát pʰráʔ tʰam.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]

Europe

Austria

  • Wat Buddha Austria
  • Wat Buddha Vienna

Belgium

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Benelux

Denmark

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Denmark
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Korsor Lystskov

France

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Bordeaux
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Paris
  • Wat Bouddha Toulouse

Germany

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Bavaria [7]
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Berlin
  • Wat Buddha Hamburg
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Frankfurt
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Schwarzwald
  • Wat Buddha Heilbronn
  • Wat Buddha Nordrhein Westfalen

Italy

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Italy

Malta

  • Wat Buddha Malta

Netherlands

Norway

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Norway

Sweden

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Boras
  • Wat Buddha Stockholm [8]

Switzerland

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Switzerland

United Kingdom

Canada

United States

Massachusetts

  • Dhammakaya Meditation Center Boston

California

  • Dhammakaya International Meditation Center, Azusa [11]
  • Dhammakaya Meditation Center Silicon Valley

Florida

  • Palm Beach Meditation Center
  • Florida Meditation Center

Illinois

  • Meditation Center of Chicago [11]

Georgia

  • Georgia Meditation Center [11]

Minnesota

  • Minnesota Meditation Center

Kansas

  • Dhammakaya International Meditation Center Kansas

New Jersey

  • Dhammakaya International Meditation Center of New Jersey [11]

Oregon

  • Oregon Meditation Center

Washington

  • Seattle Meditation Center [11]

Texas

  • Meditation Center of Texas

Washington D.C.

  • Meditation Center of D.C.

Tennessee

  • Dhammakaya Meditation Center Tennessee

Denver

  • Dhammakaya International Meditation Center Denver

Asia

Brunei

  • Brunei Meditation Center

People's Republic of China

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Kowloon
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Hong Kong
  • Dhammakaya Coordination Center Shanghai China
  • Kunming Dhammakaya Co-ordination Center
  • Beijing Meditation Center

Indonesia

  • Meditation Center of Indonesia

Japan

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Ibaraki
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Kanagawa
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Nagano
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Osaka
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Saitama
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Tokyo
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Tochigi
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Yamanashi
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Aichi
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Gunma
  • Thai Bukkyo Meisou Center

Malaysia

  • Dhammakaya Meditation Association of Selangor
  • Dhammakaya Meditation Center of Penang

Mongolia

  • Dhammakaya Meditation Center of Mongolia

Nepal

  • Dhammakaya Meditation Center of Nepal

The Philippines

  • The Middle Way Meditation Institute

Singapore

  • Dhammakaya Centre Singapore

South Korea

  • Wat Bhavana Yangju

Taiwan

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Taipei
  • Wat Bhavana Taizhong[ sic ]
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Taoyuan
  • Dhammakaya International Meditation Center of Gaoxiong[ sic ] (Taiwan)

Oceania

Australia

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Brisbane
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Melbourne
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya WA
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Sydney
  • Dhammakaya Meditation Centre, Albury

New Zealand

  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Dunedin
  • Wat Phra Dhammakaya Auckland
  • Wellington Meditation Centre

Solomon Islands

  • Solomon Islands Meditation Center

Africa and Middle East

South Africa

  • The Johannesburg Meditation Center

Bahrain

  • Bahrain Meditation Center

Oman

  • Oman Meditation Center

United Arab Emirates

  • Dubai Meditation Centre (United Arab Emirates)

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Supreme Patriarch of Thailand

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 Overview of the role of Buddhism in Thailand

Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school, which is followed by 95 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 as well as 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 heritage. Thai Buddhism also shares many similarities with Sri Lankan Buddhism. Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Laos are countries with Theravada Buddhist majorities

The Dhammakaya tradition or Dhammakaya movement, sometimes spelled as Thammakaai 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 Thai nun and co-founder of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, a Thai Buddhist temple

Chandra Khonnokyoong, 19 January 1909 – 10 September 2000) 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 Thai monk and deputy abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya

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 Thai Buddhist temple, origin of Dhammakaya Movement and represented in Supreme Sangha Council

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 Thai Buddhist temple

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 Maha Nikaya 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".

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Dhammakaya meditation Thai Buddhist meditation method

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Wat Type of Buddhist and Hindu temple

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Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro Thai Buddhist monk and founder of the Dhammakaya meditation school

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Songdhammakalyani Monastery

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 Thai Buddhist monk

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.

Voramai Kabilsingh, also known by her monastic name Ta Tao Fa Tzu (Chinese: 大道法師; pinyin: Dàdào Fǎshī, was born Lamai Kabilsingh, was the first modern Thai bhikkhuni. She founded Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the first modern monastery in Thailand for bhikkhuni and was the mother of Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the current abbess of Songdhammakalyani Monastery.

Mano Laohavanich Thailand politician

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.

History of Wat Phra Dhammakaya History of a Thai Buddhist temple

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.

References

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