Wat Dhammakaya

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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Kumara
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by Kumara »

As I learnt, effort has already been made to target children directly through TV shows. The strategy seems to be to create a mental association of "good" and "fun" with Dhammakaya. There may be other intended subliminal messages, such as Dhammakaya monks can read minds, etc. Ignorant parents have their children watch them thinking that it's just about morality.
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suriyopama
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by suriyopama »

A page of the Thai blogger Richard Barrow that was respectfully talking about the fact that one picture of the dhanmmakai was photoshoped has ben banned by the Thai Government. It is a pity to see how the government is protecting a brainwashing cult conducted by megalomaniacs.

http://www.richardbarrow.com/2013/07/my ... ou-to-see/

BTW. The photoshoped picture can be seen here: http://2bangkok.com/forum/showthread.ph ... tion/page8
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Mr Man
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by Mr Man »

So the picture was photoshoped to discredit Dhammakaya. Richard exposed this and subsequently the page, where Richard exposed the discrediting, was blocked from being viewed in Thailand?

That doesn't seem like the government protecting Dhammakaya to me.
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Kumara
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by Kumara »

Mr Man wrote:So the picture was photoshoped to discredit Dhammakaya. Richard exposed this and subsequently the page, where Richard exposed the discrediting, was blocked from being viewed in Thailand?

That doesn't seem like the government protecting Dhammakaya to me.
I wondered about that photo too when I saw it, though I must say that it's so well photoshopped that I didn't suspect it a fake.

Like it's said in the post and comments, the person/people who decided to blocked probably didn't read the post.
dagon
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by dagon »

Mr Man wrote:So the picture was photoshoped to discredit Dhammakaya. Richard exposed this and subsequently the page, where Richard exposed the discrediting, was blocked from being viewed in Thailand?

That doesn't seem like the government protecting Dhammakaya to me.
The department of education may well be working with them – but many in Thailand would tell you that may not be very helpful. That does not mean that the rest of the public service is on the same agenda. Some may oppose them other may not want to see a situation where any Buddhist monks are degraded. If the establishment starts to see Dhammakaya as a threat then I suspect they will act.

I am not that worried for my adopted kids cause they get taught Dhamma by their uncle – a monk in the forest tradition.

regards
paul
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Viscid
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by Viscid »

This is a very interesting thread, and I'm grateful for the Thais that have had direct experiences with Dhammakaya for posting about them.

Though I am fairly ignorant of Dhammakaya myself, from what I've read it seems as though they're being portrayed as a cult a little too viciously. As of yet, I've yet to read of much demonstrable harm caused by the organization... Yes, their teachings seem to be ridiculous, and the organization more focused on fundraising than wisdom-- but to label it a 'dangerous cult' belittles the risk of becoming involved with truly dangerous, manipulative cults. Dhammakaya seems to be on par with a lot of other large, zealous religious organizations in their exploitiveness.
"What holds attention determines action." - William James
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Kumara
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by Kumara »

Viscid wrote:Though I am fairly ignorant of Dhammakaya myself, from what I've read it seems as though they're being portrayed as a cult a little too viciously. As of yet, I've yet to read of much demonstrable harm caused by the organization... Yes, their teachings seem to be ridiculous, and the organization more focused on fundraising than wisdom-- but to label it a 'dangerous cult' belittles the risk of becoming involved with truly dangerous, manipulative cults. Dhammakaya seems to be on par with a lot of other large, zealous religious organizations in their exploitiveness.
For many years, I didn't think much of it too, except for the fact of its founder's rather queer idea of meditation and (Dhammakaya) attainments. Since some months ago, I realise that I had underestimated its harm.

For a group to qualify as a destructive cult, Robert Jay Lifton listed 3 criteria:
  1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship
  2. A process of "coercive persuasion"
  3. Exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie (economic, sexual, etc)
As I understand its working now, I regard Dhammakaya as fulfilling all of the above. I suppose unless you hear about the manipulation that goes on there from people who was involved enough with it (and of course had come out of it), you're not likely to comprehend its harmfulness, and its potential for future harm.
Last edited by Kumara on Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
jameswang
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by jameswang »

Fascinating subject! With all the wealth they are harvesting from followers, what do you all thing they are trying to achieve?
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Kumara
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by Kumara »

jameswang wrote:Fascinating subject! With all the wealth they are harvesting from followers, what do you all thing they are trying to achieve?
Want to join the group and find out?
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bazzaman
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by bazzaman »

Present-day Western seekers will probably not find much of interest in the DMC... being put off by the regimented “group-think” aspects, as well as the bizarre, and suspect, meditation claims.
But, in the middle of the last century, when farangs were first venturing to Thailand in search of teaching, there was, as yet, no mega-church-like organisation to put them off. There was just Wat Paknam and its abbot, Chao Khum Mongkol Thepmuni, who had a good reputation.
In this history ot The English Sangha Trust:
http://www.buddhanet.net/filelib/pdf/honourfathers.zip
there are records of some such encounters.
The Venerable Kapilavaddho became the first European to be ordained as a bhikkhu in Thailand (page 34), and, according to the written testimonial of the famous abbot, “... completing his training on attaining the highest ‘Dhammakaya’ state in nine months. The only national other than a Thai ever to have accomplished this.”(page 36). He then returned to the U.K. to aid in the establishment of the English Sangha Trust. He taught the “Wat Paknam” method of meditation at first, but later seemed to abandon it for the Mahasi method. There follows (page 38) a brief description of the method, and some speculation (page 43) as to the reason for the switch of methods.
In any case, there are no further reports of the method being taken up and developed to a noticeable extent in the U.K.
Bhikkhu Kapilavakkho retired from the Sangha in 1957, his position taken over by Ven. Pannavadho, who, in turn, was replaced by Ven. Anandabodhi (page 52), who had also studied at Wat Paknam.
Ven. Anandabodhi later became Namgyal Rinpoche, and did teach the method, amongst others. It was referred to as the “16 Buddha body” meditation, probably derived from the book published in English by Wat Paknam “Samma Samadhi”, which contained illustrations of the 16 bodies to be visualised. But after circa 1973, there was not much mention of the method in his group.
Around that time, Tibetan Buddhism was gaining popularity in the West; and it might be possible that the Wat Paknam method, which combines mantra and visualisation, suffered by comparison to the vast array of Vajrayana methods utilising the same two tools. But that’s just speculation on my part.
I hope the pdf might be of historical interest to some.
Atāṇo loko anabhissaro...

Yena yena hi maññanti tato taṃ hoti aññathā,
jameswang
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by jameswang »

Kumara wrote:
jameswang wrote:Fascinating subject! With all the wealth they are harvesting from followers, what do you all thing they are trying to achieve?
Want to join the group and find out?
Err... I'll pass. Thanks for the offer. :-)

Anyway, it looks like a religious cult with commercial elements: paying for gain in the next life. But maybe the real worry is its political element.
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lyndon taylor
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by lyndon taylor »

The pope is offering indulgences for following his speech on twitter, does that make catholicism a cult, seems one of the main reasons these folk are being called a cult is because some of their beliefs and meditation practices differ from "standard" Therevada" this same logic would instantly label Mahayana, and even all other religions a cult. Do people coming out of Dhammakaya label it a cult, or is it people that have never attended a dhammakaya temple calling it a cult, its quite one thing to disagree with an order, even label it heretical, but calling it a cult needs some serious evidence, and I've heard a lot of stories about actual cults, and I'm not hearing those same stories here, not to say it isn't a cult, I'm just not hearing enough evidence.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
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suriyopama
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by suriyopama »

lyndon taylor wrote: I'm just not hearing enough evidence.
For a substantial donation, they offer a guided trip to the Crystal Palace in the heaven where Steve Jobs is reincarnated as a mid-level angel


http://www.dmc.tv/pages/en/Where-is-Ste ... art-1.html

http://asiancorrespondent.com/87995/tha ... teve-jobs/

Image

:jumping: :rofl:
Last edited by suriyopama on Wed Jul 31, 2013 12:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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lyndon taylor
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by lyndon taylor »

An ex friend of mine, very poor friend, not entirely honest claimed on facebook he scored Ecstasy for Steve Jobs and Steve Jobs provided the cocaine, somehow I don't think this Jobs guy is an angel, his business practices certainly involved breaking the 2nd and 5th precepts IMHO
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
dagon
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Re: Wat Dhammakaya

Post by dagon »

interesting article offered without additional comments
http://blog.scientologyrecovery.com/how ... ys-itself/

Metta
paul
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