Dear Graham,GrahamR wrote:Dear friends,
Is anyone familiar with Wat Dhammakaya in Thailand or it's off shoots worldwide, including either of the two in the UK, I noticed it also has DMC TV, which looks quite interesting.
I have heard mixed reports about the temple and it's web site appears to be, well eh, rather comercial.
Does anyone have a first hand opinion please?
With metta,
Graham
AVOID them!
I'm a Thai. I've seen their activities for years. I know people who attended them. I know followers who have turned away. They are huge number of reports and stories that will sadden real Buddhists. They run a commercial establishment under the cloak of Buddhism, distorting the teachings for money and political power. They want to dominate all the Wats in Thailand, starting with those located in prime city areas to large estates in the provinces, by slapping these Wats with substantial financial aids, both for the establishments and the abbots. They have very rich supporters, our exiled criminal ex-premier Thaksin is one of them. But I can't tell you who is its number one backer because I might be put into jail.
The marketing ploys they used to lure donations are many. They use young, handsome monks to sit upfront so the rich widows and housewives who have paid to be in the front rows can drool over the monks. They have taught followers to "reserve" places in the six heavenly planes depending on the levels of donations. This is not only a lie, but it also induced donations with Tanha, which can lead followers to be reborn crippled. The abbot have conned many followers by channeling donations for temple expansion into his personal accounts, therefore, falling short of his promise to start construction by the committed date. They teach that Nibbana is a physical place where individuals may meet the Buddhas and Arahants.
Wat Dhammakaya is a hellish place in my opinion. It's infiltrating into every aspects of Thai Buddhism. Like the Thaksin regime where money are used to corrupt people, Wat Dhammakaya is following in the same foot steps.