The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
What’s behind conflict at sprawling Thai temple
It’s more than eight times bigger than Vatican City and twice the size of Cambodia’s ancient Angkor Wat, making it quite possibly the world’s biggest religious complex.
BANGKOK >> It’s more than eight times bigger than Vatican City and twice the size of Cambodia’s ancient Angkor Wat, making it quite possibly the world’s biggest religious complex. Yet few non-Buddhists have heard of Wat Dhammakaya, a sprawling, extravagant temple compound north of Bangkok that has been at the center of a high-profile power struggle between monks and Thailand’s ruling military.
A gilded golden dome glimmers at the compound’s center, appearing to hover UFO-like over meditation grounds large enough to accommodate a million Dhammakaya devotees hailing from more than 30 countries. Its 15-story globe-shaped office, called the “U.N. of Buddhism” by followers, features an assembly hall to convene thousands of Buddhists.
For nearly a month, the temple was under siege by more than 3,000 troops and police officers. Police had sought to arrest the temple’s abbot, Luang Por Dhammajayo, who’s wanted on money-laundering charges. It’s a complicated case involving money and politics, and observers say its outcome could shape the future of Thailand.
WHAT MAKES DHAMMAKAYA DIFFERENT
Dhammakaya’s prosely- tizing, executed with private-sector efficiency, is unusual for a Buddhist sect. It runs meditation centers from Belgium to Bahrain, Singapore to the Solomon Islands, and broadcasted its own 24-hour TV channel (with an in-house animation studio) until authorities shut it down in December.
Critics say Dhammakaya interprets Buddhismin unorthodox ways. Instead of focusing on detachment from worldly suffering, Dhammakaya teachings are infused with talk of a cosmic battle between light and dark, urging supporters to bring others into the fold to bring about world peace.
One gated 120-acre compound is reserved for up to 400 “advanced meditators,” complete with exercise machines, golf carts fromJapan and round-theclock CCTV security. Only senior monks are allowed into another walled area.
Dhammakaya sees worldly activity as crucial for its divine mission, and has drawn a strong following among middleclass people who had trouble connecting with traditional Buddhism.
“When I go, it’s preaching, preaching, preaching — I feel bored,” said Dhammakaya devotee Manoj Hemprommaraj. At Dhammakaya, he said, “I’m only a normal person, ( but) I feel I have a target, I can help, I can teach. I feel that life is 200 percent.”
For the temple, donations equal merit. Temple donation boxes feature signs that read “Entrance to Heaven.” Dhammakaya says that over the years it has received hundreds of millions of dollars from a million people.
Critics allege the temple scams ordinary people to build plush pads for corrupt monks. Stories abound in Thailand of friends and relatives asked to donate their life savings to cement their ties to the temple. During the raid, pictures of exercise and massage rooms, golf carts and minimalist glass-andsteel condos were splashed across Thai media. Local papers claim the temple cost 350 billion baht ($10 billion) to construct, a figure that Dhammakaya disputes.
“It’s big, but it’s plain and functional,” said Dhammakaya spokesperson Phra Pasura Dantamano. “It looks exorbitant because of the number of people who are coming.”
WHY DHAMMAKAYA IS INVOLVED IN A POLITICAL STRUGGLE
Thailand’s ruling military junta says it’s targeting the temple for a simple reason: fraud. One of Dhammajayo’s followers, the head of a credit union, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for embezzling money, 1.4 billion baht (about $40million) of which was donated to the temple, police said. Dhammajayo was charged with money-laundering and receiving stolen property.
The sect says Dhammajayo did not know the money was tainted.