Dhammakaya temple
The
Dhammakaya tradition in our era started in 1916 when the Great Abbot of
Wat Paknam (Phra Monkolthepmuni)
strove with a determination to
the degree he was prepared to devote his entire life, to rediscovering through
meditation the knowledge known to the Buddhas. Meditation, previously
considered nothing more than a mental exercise or spiritual austerity, became
popular through this master’s dedication to teaching and research in the
Dhammakaya tradition he has discovered.
The
Great Abbot’s most gifted disciple was a nun Khun Yay Ubasika Chandra
Khonnokyoong. Wat Phra Dhammakaya was founded
by Khun Yay in 1970 after the Great Abbot’s death when her own dwelling at Wat
Paknam in Bangkok became too small to accommodate all those coming to study
meditation there.
Khun
Yay and her students led by Ven. Dhammajayo Bhikkhu and Ven. Dattajivo Bhikkhu wanted to
see the continual growth of the Dhammakaya Tradition and established the temple
with vision of a sanctuary for peaceful spiritual practice a refuge in the
midst of a turbulent world. The temple was to be a centre for international
meditation study. The temple was established
on Magha Puja Day, 20 February 1970, on an eighty-acre 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 simplicity, 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 by the official
foundation of the center 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 program
gave training to hundreds of university students, a steadily increasing number
of whom swelled the number of residents in the temple community to 1,470 monks
and 443 novices, 161 laymen and 650 laywomen at the present. At the same time
congregations on Sundays and major religious festivals have been known to reach
100,000 necessitating the construction of the Sapha Dhammakaya Hall, planned as
the centre for ceremonies.
Although recoginizing the importance of constructing buildings, the temple has
always placed special emphasis upon training devotes. Thus, in the 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. There are seventeen Dhammakaya Centres with
sixty domestic groups and eleven Centres abroad.
The
use of modern technology presents 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 mediation has reflected an aspiration
to cultivate peace in the world at large. It has 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 Dhammakaya
Foundation to facilitate a broader base of activities for the public and
participation by lay members of the congregation. Activities are organized at
Wat Phra Dhammakaya by the Dhammakaya Foundation. Activities in the present
time include mediation teaching and retreats, scriptural education and
research, youth training, school orientations, social services, and environmental
conservation. Activities for devotees always emphasize working upon oneself
through the practices of charity, self discipline and meditation.
With
the expansion of the temple to one thousand acres in 1985, Wat Phra Dhammakaya
stands on the threshold of the development of the World Dhammakaya Center as a
resource to serve the needs of the international community.
23/2 Mu 7, Khlong Sam, Khlong Luang
Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Tel. +(66-2) 831-1000
+(66-2) 524-0257 to 63
Fax. +(66-2) 524-0270 to 1
