Phrathepyanmahamuni

Phrathepyanmahamuni
(Chaiyabun Dhammajayo)
Religion Buddhism
School Theravada, Maha Nikaya
Lineage Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
Dharma names Dhammajayo
Personal
Nationality Thai
Born (1944-04-22) 22 April 1944
Sing Buri Province
Senior posting
Based in Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Pathumthani, Thailand
Title Abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Religious career
Teacher Phramonkolthepmuni, Chandra Khonnokyoong
Website Biography of Phrathepyanmahamuni - Dhammakaya Foundation

Phrathepyanmahamuni (Thai: พระเทพญาณมหามุนี) is the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Thailand and the president of the Dhammakaya Foundation. He is commonly referred to by his monastic name Dhammajayo. Phrathepyanmahmuni was the honorific royal name received in 2011. He is well-known as teacher of Dhammakaya meditation.

Childhood

He was born Chaiyabun Sutthiphon on 22 April 1944 to Janyong Sutthiphon (his father) and Juri Sutthiphon (his mother).[1]:20 When he was learning at the secondary school Suankularb Wittayalai, the owner of the school would bring Chaiyabun regularly to the Sra Pratum Palace, where he would meet with monks. This sparked his interest in Buddhism from a young age.[1]:24-25[2]:48 After finishing his secondary education, he was enrolled in the Faculty of Economics of Kasetsart University.

While in college, Phrathepyanmahmuni started visiting the temple Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen. It was here that he first met the nun Chandra Khonnokyoong, Phramongkholthepmuni's main student when he was still alive.[3] Konnokyoong was able to answer Phrathepyanmahmuni's profound questions, which made him curious. Under Khonnokyoong's supervision, Phrathepyanmahmuni attained a deep understanding of Buddhism.[1]:32-37

Phrathepyanmahmuni got to know many fellow students both in Kasetsart University and in other universities who were interested in practicing meditation, and encouraged them to join him in learning meditation with Konnokyoong. One of these early acquaintances later became a Buddhist monk and Phrathepyanmahmuni's assistant in the endeavor to establish a meditation center: Phadet Phongsawat, now known as Phrarajbhavanajahn, the vice-abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya.

Ordination

After his graduation from Kasetsart University with a bachelor degree in Economics, Phrathepyanmahmuni was ordained at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen on 27 August 1969, and received the monastic name Dhammajayo.[1]:44 Since the first years Dhammajayo ordained, he started teaching Dhammakaya meditation together with Konnokyoong. In the beginning, the meditation courses were carried in a small house called 'Ban Thammaprasit' within the compound of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen. Because of the popularity of both teachers, they considered it more appropriate to start a new temple by themselves. On 23 February 1970, Konnokyoong, Phrathepyanmahmuni and their students moved to a plot of donated land in Pathum Thani Province. They transformed the site into a wooded parkland with a system of canals. The site was later named Wat Phra Dhammakaya.[1]:48

Teaching and recognition

Phrathepyanmahamuni has influenced millions of people within Thailand and worldwide through his modern approach of teaching Phramonkholthepmuni's Dhammakaya meditation, for which he is mostly known. He has, however, also set up the Dhammakaya Open University in Azusa, California in 2003 to offer degree courses in Buddhist studies. He has encouraged people to quit drinking and smoking through a nationwide program. The World Health Organization (WHO) presented a World No Tobacco Day Award to Phrathepyanmahamuni in recognition for the achievement of this program on 31 May 2004.[1]:181[4]

Phrathepyanmahamuni is known for his modern style of temple management.[5] He emphasizes youth activities, by encouraging youth to participate in various community and social services in Buddhist temples and elsewhere. Hundreds of people participate in various activities annually. These programs have been in existence since the 1980s and a total of nearly five million people have participated in such activities, of which tens of thousands have ordained as monks.

Phrathepyanmahamuni's has expanded his activities of Dhamma teaching to many countries abroad: as of 2010, 57 worldwide Dhammakaya centers had been opened.[2]:150-153 He has also set up a satellite channel called Dhammakaya Media Channel with Buddhist teachings and guided meditations, in four languages.[6] In 2013, in commemoration of year 2550 of the Buddhist Era, the World Buddhist Sangha Youth (WBSY) presented the Universal Peace Award to Phrathepyanmahamuni, in recognition of his work in disseminating Buddhism for more than 30 years.[1]:185 Many other awards have been given to Phrathepyanmahamuni by Buddhist organizations worldwide.[7]

Controversies

In 1999[8][9] and again in 2002[10] Phrathepyanmahmuni was accused of fraud and embezzlement by the media and later the government. Widespread negative media coverage at this time was symptomatic of Phrathepyanmahamuni being made a scapegoat by the Thai media to draw attention away from "the serious problems" in the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.[11] Several main newspapers apologized in 2001[12][13][14] and 2003[15] for slandering Phrathepyanmahamuni for wide-ranging accusations which all turned out to have no basis in truth. Considering the accusations being made, the Supreme Sangha Council declared that Wat Phra Dhammakaya had not broken any serious offenses against monastic discipline (Vinaya), but the Council did give several practical directions on how to remedy the situation.[16] In 2006, The Thai National Office for Buddhism cleared Phrathepyanmahamuni of all accusations when he agreed to offer all the funds to the name of the temple.[17] He was subsequently restored to the position of abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. In an interview held in 1999, Phrathepyanmahamuni said he understood the government's anxiety about Buddhist movements with large gatherings, but still felt perplexed about the controversies.[9]

In a press conference on 29 October 2015, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which has been described as the Thai counterpart of the FBI,[18] stated its investigators had found that Supachai Srisuppa-aksorn, ex-chairman of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUK), had fraudulently authorised 878 cheques worth 11.37 billion baht for Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Phrathepyanmahamuni, and the Maharattana Ubasika Chan Khonnokyoong Foundation, amongst others. Monks related to these groups and entities showed they had received cheques from the credit union in 21 instances between 5 March 2009 and 15 Feb 2011.[19][20][21]

However, the cheques were given to Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Phrathepyanmahamuni in the form of donations. While Phrathepyanmahamuni has admitted to receiving the money, he was not aware that the donations were illegaly obtained.[22] There were no reasons for suspicion because Srisuppa-aksorn told the temple he ran several successful businesses.[23] Moreover, the donations were received in public, not in secret. Once the donations were revealed to be linked to embezzlement accusations, supporters of the temple raised the 674 million baht linked to Wat Phra Dhammakaya to donate to the KCUC to keep it from becoming insolvent. The credit union then dropped all complaints and issued a letter of appreciation to the temple, after which the court dropped the case. Regardless, the DSI is still pursuing legal action against the temple and the money raised by supporters to return to KCUC is still being held by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (a government agency) at this time.[22][24] The DSI has submitted the case to public prosecutors to decide whether to file charges.[19][21][25]

The DSI itself has seen its political neutrality questioned however, even by leading people within the department itself.[26] One high-ranking investigator left the DSI saying "(...) sometimes some things are not right. As a soldier, I feel the need to act honestly and to uphold my principles".[27]

Royal Titles

Phrathepyanmahamuni is the third royal title bestowed on him by the Thai Royal Family in recognition of his contribution to the work of Buddhism in Thailand. The dates and titles of his promotions within the royal monastic order are as follows:[28][29][30]

Monastic title Date of Award
Phrasudharmayanathera 1991
Phrarajbhavanavisudh 1996
Phrathepyanmahamuni 2011

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tawandhamma Foundation (2007) The Sun of Peace (Bangkok: New Witek)
  2. 1 2 Dhammakaya Foundation (2010) World Peace Lies Within (Bangkok: Mark Standen Publishing)
  3. ↑ Dhammakaya Foundation, International Department (1998). The Life and Times of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam. (Bangkok: Dhammakaya Foundation), p.106
  4. ↑ "WHO - List of World No Tobacco Day awardees - 2004". WHO World Health Organization. World Health Organization. 2004. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  5. ↑ Na Songkhla, N. (1994). Thai Buddhism Today: Crisis? in: Buddhism Into the Year 2000. Khlong Luang, Patumthani: Dhammakaya Foundation. pp. 115–116. ISBN 9748920933.
  6. ↑ "Dhamma Meditation Peace Buddha กฎแห่งกรรม การนั่งสมาธิ สันติภาพ พระพุทธเจ้า". Dhamma Research for Environment Foundation. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  7. ↑ "Recognitions Dhammakaya Foundation". The Dhammakaya Foundation - Dhammakaya Foundation. Dhammakaya Foundation. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  8. ↑ Asiaweek 17 September 1999
  9. 1 2 David Liebhold (1999) Trouble in Nirvana: Facing charges over his controversial methods, a Thai abbot sparks debate over Buddhism's future Time Asia 28 July 1999
  10. ↑ Yasmin Lee Arpon (2002) Scandals Threaten Thai Monks' Future SEAPA 11 July 2002
  11. ↑ Julian Gearing (1999) Buddhist Scapegoat?: One Thai abbot is taken to task, but the whole system is to blame Asiaweek 30 December 1999
  12. ↑ "หนังสือพิมพ์สยามรัฐประกาศขอขมา กรณีวัดพระธรรมกาย". Siamrat. 2001-09-16. Retrieved 2016-05-01 – via www.dhammakaya.net.
  13. ↑ Naphaket, Sakda (2001-10-03). "นิตยสารสยามรัฐสัปดาหวิจารณ์ประกาศขอขมา กรณีวัดพระธรรมกาย". Siamrat Sapdavichan, 52/17691 (Siamrat). Retrieved 2016-05-01 – via www.dhammakaya.net.
  14. ↑ "หนังสือพิมพ์สยามรัฐประกาศขอขมาพระราชภาวนาวิสุทธิ์". Siamrat, 52/17710 (Siamrat). 2001-10-22. Retrieved 2016-05-01 – via www.dhammakaya.net.
  15. ↑ Sisuwan, Suchat (2003-07-19). "หนังสือพิมพ์มติชนประกาศขอขมา กรณีวัดพระธรรมกาย". Matichon 26/9262-9263 (Matichon Publishing Group). Retrieved 2016-05-01 – via www.dhammakaya.net.
  16. ↑ Udomsi, Sawaeng (2000). "รายงานการพิจารณาดำเนินการ กรณีวัดพระธรรมกาย ตามมติมหาเถรสมาคม ครั้งที่ ๓๒/๒๕๔๑" [Report of Evaluation of the Treatment of the Case Wat Phra Dhammakaya -- Verdict of the Supreme Sangha Council 32/2541 B.E.]. วิเคราะห์นิคหกรรม ธรรมกาย [Analysis of Disciplinary Transactions of Dhammakaya] (in Thai). Bangkok. pp. 81–85. ISBN 974-7078-11-2.
  17. ↑ "Thailand | Thai court spares founder of Dhammakaya". Buddhist Channel. 2006-08-23. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  18. ↑ "Law enforcement agency tries to shake off shackles". Bangkok Post. 10 May 2009.
  19. 1 2 Thamnukasetchai, Piyanuch (30 October 2015). "DSI to charge abbot of Wat Dhammakaya". The Nation. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "Dhammachayo likely to be charged". Bangkok Post. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Thai abbot to be probed over massive donations". AisaOne. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  22. 1 2 http://www.dhammakayauncovered.com/home/2016/4/21/a-perspective-on-the-klongchan-credit-union-cooperative-case
  23. ↑ "ฟังทนาย "พระธัมมชโย" แจงคดีร้อน - Spring News". ข่าวจริง สปริงนิวส์ « ทันเหตุการณ์ เห็นอนาคต. Spring News Corporation Co., Ltd. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  24. ↑ http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/942713/co-op-seeks-urgent-b10bn-rehab-loan
  25. ↑ Laohong, King-Oua (30 October 2015). "Temple abbot 'key player' in KCUC scandal". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  26. ↑ "Thai special investigation team must politically freed: senior official". People's Daily Online. Xinhua. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  27. ↑ Laohong, King-oua (1 September 2012). "Famed crime fighter bows out". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  28. ↑ Announcement of Prime Minister's Office Concerning the Offering of Monastic Titles (ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานสัญญาบัตรตั้งสมณศักดิ์) (PDF). The Royal Gazette (ราชกิจจานุเบกษา) Special Issue Vol.108, Ch. 213. 1991-12-06. p. 7.
  29. ↑ Announcement of Prime Minister's Office Concerning the Offering of Monastic Titles (ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานสัญญาบัตรตั้งสมณศักดิ์) (PDF). The Royal Gazette (ราชกิจจานุเบกษา) Special Issue Vol.113, Ch. 23b. 1996-12-05. p. 20.
  30. ↑ Announcement of Prime Minister's Office Concerning the Offering of Monastic Titles (ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานสัญญาบัตรตั้งสมณศักดิ์) (PDF). The Royal Gazette (ราชกิจจานุเบกษา) Special Issue Vol.129, Ch. 6b (The Secretariat of the Cabinet). 2011-02-15. p. 2.

Publications

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External links

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