ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 19, 2012
Esoteric Teaching of Wat Phra Dhammakāya
Mano Mettanando Laohavanich
Pridi Banomyong International College,
Thammasat University
Thailand’s controversial Wat Phra Dhammakāya has grown exponentially. In just three decades, it has come to have millions of followers in and outside of Thailand and over forty branches overseas. The esoteric teaching of meditation taught by the leaders of the community has inspired thousands of young men and women from various universities to sacrifice their lives to serve their Master, something that has never been seen before in Thailand or elsewhere in the Theravāda world. What is the nature of this esoteric teaching? Why is it so appealing to these young minds? These questions are discussed and analyzed by the author, who was one of Wat Phra Dhammakāya’s founding members.
Fascinating! Congratulations to the author on his bravery and honesty in addressing this issue. It is amazing what we are able to believe. Excellent reporting!
Very interesting article. It was very engaging to read.
Fascinating idea. But most evidence is subjective, non-assessable or obviously imprecise. The author has mistaken even the very basic data that can easily be drawn from online sources with a single search, let alone the non-assessable data. His lack of concern for the accuracy of information being presented to readers has thus considerably undermined the article’s academic value and made it sound rather fictitious.
Well written indeed, but he lacks supporting references for most of his claims. It also seems more biased than objectively academic. Someone wrote a rebuttal to this piece that I think brings up some good points about the paper. http://www.dhammakayauncovered.com/opinion-1/2016/5/18/the-esoteric-teachings-of-mano-lemon-laohavanich-a-laypersons-comments