Luang Por Dhammajayo

Luang Por Dhammajayo is the honorary abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Thailand. The temple and its foundation are part of the Dhammakaya Movement. Phrathepyanmahmuni is the honorific royal name that Luang Por Dhammajayo received in 2011. He is currently the most well-known teacher of Dhammakaya meditation.
Luang Por Dhammajayo was the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in the period since its founding until 1999, and again from 2006 until December 2016. Luang Por Dhammajayo was promoted to honorary abbot on December 8, 2016, by the Ecclesiastical Provincial Chief of Pathum Thani due to illness, with Phravidesbhavanajarn taking his place as acting abbot. He has been subject to heavy criticism and some government response. Despite these controversies, he continues to be "probably the most politically, economically, educationally and socially engaged of monks in the modern period" (McDaniel).

Luang Por Dhammajayo was born in Sing Buri Province with the lay name Chaiyabun Sutthiphon on 22 April 1944, to Janyong Sutthiphon (his father) and Juri Sutthiphon (his mother).:20 His parents were Lao Song and Thai-Chinese, and separated when he was young. Chaiyabun was raised by his father, who was an engineer working for a government agency.:33 Due to a sensitivity for sunlight, Chaiyabun had to wear sunglasses from a young age.

In Wat Phra Dhammakaya's publications, Chaiyabun is described as a courageous child, who would often play dangerous games with fellow friends. It is also described he sometimes had predictive visions.:33 Whilst studying at Suankularb Wittayalai, the owner of the school would bring Chaiyabun regularly to the Sra Prathum Palace, where he would meet with monks. This sparked his interest in Buddhism from a young age. He set up a Buddhist Youth Society together with his fellow students.:24–7 :48 Chaiyabun developed a strong interest in reading, especially in books on Buddhist practice and biographies of leading people in the world, both religious and political.:33 He came across a book with teachings from Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro and a magazine about the maechi Chandra Khonnokyoong.

In 1963, while he enrolled in the Faculty of Economics of Kasetsart University, he started visiting Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen. It was here that he first met Maechi Chandra, Luang Pu Sodh's main student when he was still alive. Maechi Chandra was able to answer Chaiyabun's profound questions, which made him curious to find out more, through the practice of meditation. Under Maechi Chandra's supervision, Chaiyabun attained a deeper understanding of Buddhism.:32–7

Chaiyabun 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 Maechi Chandra.:111 One of these early acquaintances later became a Buddhist monk and Luang Por Dhammajayos's assistant in the endeavor to establish a meditation center: Phadet Phongsawat, since ordaining known as Luang Por Dattajivo, the vice-abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. At the time when Chaiyabun met Phadet, Phadet was involved in practice of black magic (Thai: ไสยศาสตร์), and would often hold public demonstrations for his fellow students. In Wat Phra Dhammakaya's biographies it is told that every time Chaiyabun joined to watch one of Phadet's demonstrations, the magic would not work. Phadet therefore become curious about Chaiyabun. When Phadet persuaded Chaiyabun to drink alcohol on a student's party, Chaiyabun refused, citing his adherence to the five Buddhist precepts. To test Chaiyabun, Phadet then decided to bring him to his black magic teacher. However, even the teacher could not use his powers in Chaiyabun's presence, which convinced Phadet to learn more about Dhammakaya meditation from Chaiyabun. This was a turning point, and from that moment on he has always been Chaiyabun's student and assistant.:33:40–1

During his university years, Chaiyabun wanted to stop his studies to ordain as a monk instead. Maechi Chandra and Chaiyabun's father persuaded him to finish his degree though, arguing that Chaiyabun could do more benefit to society if he was both knowledgeable in mundane matters and spiritual matters. During his university years, he took a vow of lifelong celibacy as a birtday's gift for Maechi Chandra. This was an inspiration for many other of Maechi Chandra's students, many of which took vows in the following years.:35 After his graduation from Kasetsart University with a bachelor's degree in economics, he was ordained at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen on 27 August 1969, and received the monastic name "Dhammajayo", meaning 'The victor through Dhamma'. In 1969, a university degree in Thailand was a guarantee someone would get a good position in society, which made Chaiyabun's decision to ordain instead stand out.

Once ordained, he started teaching Dhammakaya meditation together with Maechi Chandra. In the beginning, the meditation courses were carried in a small house called 'Ban Thammaprasit' in the Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen compound. Because of the popularity of both teachers, they considered it more appropriate to start a new temple by themselves. On 23 February 1970, Maechi Chandra, Luang Por Dhammajayo 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.:48

Luang Por Dhammajayo is mostly known for his teachings with regard to Dhammakaya meditation. In his approach of propagating Buddhism he has emphasized a return to a purer Buddhism, as it had been in the past. He has also opposed protective magic and prognostication as reflecting that Buddhism is deteriorating. LP Dhammajayo is known for his modern style of temple management and iconography.

Many followers in the temple believe that the projects he launches are a product of his visions in meditation.:34

In 1994, LP Dhammajayo received an honorary degree of the Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University.:123–4 In 2013, in commemoration of year 2550 of the Buddhist Era, the World Buddhist Sangha Youth (WBSY) presented the Universal Peace Award to LP Dhammajayo at their third WBSY meeting, in recognition of his work in disseminating Buddhism for more than thirty years. Other awards that have been given to LP Dhammajayo are the Phuttha-khunupakan award from the House of Representatives in recognition for having provided benefit to Buddhism (2009), a World Buddhist Leader Award from the National Office of Buddhism (2014) and a Symbol of Peace Award from the International Buddha Education Institute (2016).

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:

Previously, in 1999 and again in 2002 Luang Por Dhammajayo was accused of fraud and embezzling from Wat Phra Dhammakaya by the Thai media and later by some government departments when donations of land were found in his name. Wat Phra Dhammakaya denied the accusations stating that it was the intention of the donors to give the land to the abbot and not the temple, and that it was not against any laws for monks to own land. Widespread negative media coverage at this time was symptomatic of Luang Por Dhammajayo being made a scapegoat by the Thai media to draw attention away from "serious problems" in the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. In 2006, The Thai National Office for Buddhism cleared LP Dhammajayo of all accusations when he agreed to offer all of the disputed lands to the temple. He was subsequently restored to the position of abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. In an interview held in 1999, LP Dhammajayo said he understood the government's anxiety about Buddhist movements with large gatherings, but still felt perplexed about the controversies.

In a press conference on 29 October 2015, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Thai counterpart of the FBI, stated that its investigators had found that Supachai Srisuppa-aksorn, ex-chairman of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC), had fraudulently authorised 878 cheques worth 11.37 billion baht to various individuals and organisations, in which a portion totaling more than a billion baht was traced to 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 on 21 occasions between 5 March 2009 and 15 February 2011 in the form of donations. Luang Por Dhammajayo admitted to receiving the donations but stated he did not know where the money came from since they were received publicly. After it was revealed the donations were linked to an embezzlement scandal, Dhammakaya followers raised the equivalent of the funds to return to the victim credit union, which then dropped the charges.

The DSI is still pursuing legal action against the temple and the money raised by supporters to return to KCUC was still being held by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) (a government agency), as of April 2016.

• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2006) Pearls of Inner Wisdom: Reflections on Buddhism, Peace, Life and Meditation (Patumthani: Dhammakaya Foundation) ISBN 978-974-947830-1
• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2007) Pearls of Inner Wisdom: Reflections on Buddhism, Peace, Life and Meditation (Singapore: Tawandhamma Foundation)] ISBN 978-981-05-8521-1
• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2007) Tomorrow the World Will Change: A Practice for all Humanity (Singapore: Tawandhamma Foundation) ISBN 978-981-05-7757-5
• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2008) Journey to Joy: The Simple Path Towards a Happy Life (Singapore: Tawandhamma Foundation) ISBN 978-981-05-9637-8
• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2008) Lovely Love (Singapore: Tawandhamma Foundation) ISBN 978-981-08-0044-4
• Monica Oien (2009) Buddha Knows: An Interview With Abbot Dhammajayo On Buddhism (Patumthani: Tawandhamma Foundation)
• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2011) At Last You Win (Patumthani: Dhammakaya Foundation) ISBN 978-616-7200-15-6
• Luang Por Dhammajayo (2014) Beyond Wisdom (Patumthani: Dhammakaya Foundation) ISBN 978-616-7200-53-8

• Tawandhamma Foundation (2007) The Sun of Peace (Bangkok: New Witek) ISBN 978-974-88547-9-3
• John Hoskin and Robert Sheridan (2010) World Peace Lies Within: One Man's Vision (Bangkok: Mark Standen Publishing) ISBN 978-616-7200-040