For more than five decades, the firm aspiration of the founding community has shaped Wat Phra Dhammakaya into more than a religious place for ceremonies. It was intended to be a “school of morality” that creates peace for the world by building a temple that is clean, peaceful, shaded, and suitable for meditation practice; by training monks to be complete in discipline and conduct as teachers of morality; and by cultivating people to become good.

Looking back to Magha Puja Day in B.E. 2513, amid vast rice fields with no large trees or buildings, Luang Por Dhammajayo, who at that time had been ordained for only one rains retreat, together with Khun Yai Chand Khonnokyoong at the age of 61 and their disciples, joined together to dig the first clod of earth to establish the Buddhist Meditation Center, later known as Wat Phra Dhammakaya, on 196 rai of donated land, even though they had only 3,200 baht in funds at the time.

During the first phase of construction, the community faced severe hardship, including lack of funds and difficult living conditions. Yet those obstacles forged a way of working that emphasized utmost economy and greatest benefit. Every building, from the Catummaharajika Pavilion and the Dhammakaya Assembly Hall to the Maha Ratana Vihara Cloister, was built according to necessity to accommodate the waves of people who came to practice meditation, increasing from hundreds to millions, while holding to the principle “most economical, highest benefit, and permanently durable” so that this sacred place would become an enduring moral legacy.

today Wat Phra Dhammakaya has become a graceful Buddhist sanctuary and a spiritual center for seekers of Dhamma around the world. Every grain of soil, every structure, and every merit-making activity did not arise from one person alone, but from the sweat and faith of monks, novices, and lay devotees of every generation, all determined to carry on Dhammakaya knowledge and plant Dhamma in people’s hearts. It welcomes everyone to experience peace and learn the lessons of Dhammakaya knowledge together through the concept: “Build the temple to be a true temple, build monks to be true monks, and build people to be good people.”

A simple question that invites everyone passing by to pause and reflect, while the world moves rapidly forward and most people live like travelers in a hurry to pursue success, perhaps neglecting to stop and ask what they are truly seeking.

This question is like the starting point of an important journey that Wat Phra Dhammakaya has tried to pass on through time, from the day the empty rice fields of Khlong Sam were transformed into a sacred place through faith, led by Khun Yai Chand Khonnokyoong and Luang Por Dhammajayo in B.E. 2512, to build a temple as a school of morality and a spiritual center ready to welcome seekers of merit from every corner of the world to search together for the true meaning of life.

From this foundation of faith, prepare to encounter the coming journey to discover the truth of life at the southern side of the Maha Ratana Vihara Cloister, around cloister numbers 2 and 3. This area will be created as a contemporary center for learning Dhammakaya knowledge under the concept “Following the Path of Dhamma Toward the Discovery of the Truth of Life,” to cultivate right view in the hearts of people around the world and sustainably create good people for society. This place is therefore more than an exhibition. It is a journey back to inner peace, where you can discover for yourself the answer your heart has long been seeking.

The waiting hall helps everyone adjust their mood and “stop” in meditation, allowing the mind to become still, because “stopping is the key to success.” Through Interactive Sensor technology that detects movement, you are invited to become still, preparing yourself to learn and attain the Dhamma within.

Beneath the vast grounds and many structures, if we look deeply into the essence, we find that everything was built according to practical necessity, based on the principle “most economical, highest benefit, and permanently durable.” This story is conveyed through Projection Mapping onto a large model of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, creating basic understanding before entering the exhibition.

Get to know the three great masters: Phra Mongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro), Luang Pu Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, the discoverer of Dhammakaya Knowledge; Khun Yai Chand Khonnokyoong, the preserver of Dhammakaya Knowledge; and Luang Por Dhammajayo, the successor of Dhammakaya Knowledge, through a film that takes everyone on the Dhammakaya journey together.

From the past until today, every grain of soil, every structure, every merit-making activity, and every good thing that has arisen at Wat Phra Dhammakaya is not the work of any one person. It is the work of monks, novices, and lay devotees of every generation, who have overcome many storms together again and again, as revealed through historic images many people have never seen and important exhibits that reflect the story of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in each era.

The stories of the final 10 lives of the Lord Buddha, the miracle of his birth, and his great perseverance in ascetic practice are presented through light, sound, and media displays surrounding the exhibition hall.

Experience the power of the Buddha’s enlightenment through 7D technology that takes everyone across dimensions into the event of the Buddha’s liberation, and join together to “stop” and meditate, exploring inner peace amid a sacred atmosphere to discover the light within everyone.

Hell and heaven are real, and they are universal truths that everyone should study. Experience the splendor of celestial mansions and the terrifying nature of the lower realms through realistic recreations of hell and heaven using 360-degree VDO Projection Mapping with light and sound around the hall. It is like a mirror reflecting the results of actions, helping create correct right view and true peace, guiding everyone’s mind to become still on the path of goodness.

Transform the inspiration received from searching for the truth of life into motivation to do good for other travelers who seek the truth of life. Through Interactive technology, everyone can become part of heaven.

to join performances for Children’s Day and the Buddhist Art Exhibition. Open to performers aged 12–35 and backstage team members aged 12 and above.

Selected applicants will join free training courses, including:

They will also train through real work both onstage and backstage, with the opportunity to perform in the Children’s Day event.

Applications open from: 22 April 2026 onward Apply online: https://forms.gle/i2rd1CdFPbNYXMSz6 Apply in person: Pillar N29, every first Sunday of the month, 11.30 a.m.–2.00 p.m. For more information: P’Mook 061-592-8964 P’Cook 095-324-9256