page_title: Dhammakaya tradition
section_title: Characterisation
hierarchical_section_title: Dhammakaya tradition / Ecclesiastical characterisation and organisation / Characterisation
caption_attribution_description: English: The stupa at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
context_page_description: The Dhammakaya tradition or Dhammakaya movement, sometimes spelled as Thammakaai movement, is a Thai Buddhist tradition founded by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro in the early 20th century. It is associated with several temples descended from Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok.
  The tradition is distinguished from other Thai Buddhist traditions by its teachings on the Buddhist concept of Dhammakaya and the practice of Dhammakaya meditation, a method which scholars have connected to the Yogavacara tradition, which predates the 19th-century reform of Thai Buddhism. The Dhammakaya tradition is known for its teaching that there is a "true self" connected with Nirvana, a belief that is rejected by the majority of the Thai Theravada community, who have criticized this as contradicting the Buddhist doctrine of anatta.
  The Dhammakaya tradition is seen by its followers as a form of Buddhist revivalism pioneered by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro. Some Buddhist Studies scholars have called aspects of its practices as having some "millenarian, fundamentalist" characteristics. According to theologian Rory Mackenzie, the term "fundamentalist" may be misleading given the progressive nature of the tradition.
context_section_description: The Dhammakaya tradition's practitioners state they find its teachings efficacious and transformative.
  As part of a survey of fundamentalistic movements around the globe, Donald Swearer has termed the Dhammakaya tradition as "fundamentalistic" in orientation. By "fundamentalism" he is referring to the emerging tendencies in Theravada communities of Thailand and Sri Lanka where a "religiously grounded communal identity" is asserted along with an activist role of the laity. This tendency includes an apologetic, modernistic reinterpretation and reassertion of doctrines and practices, one that is combined with a "uniquely aggressive, critical, negative and absolutist" character. According to Mackenzie, the tradition's practices are akin to a "prosperity movement" with some "millenarian, fundamentalist" characteristics. Yet, the tradition does not quite resonate with the "fundamentalist" classification, states Mackenzie. The term can be misleading because of tradition's size, commitment to meditation and its progressive nature.
  Other scholars describe the Dhammakaya tradition as a revivalist movement. Whether the tradition is a new movement is a matter of debate; Wat Phra Dhammakaya, for one, has specifically said that they do not want to start a new monastic fraternity (nikaya). Central to the tradition is the Dhammakaya meditation practice, which the tradition considers the method through which the Buddha became enlightened, a method which was forgotten but has been revived by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro. This method is called Vijja Dhammakaya.
  Several scholars, states Martin Seeger, have described the disputes and relationship between the mainstream Thai Sangha and the Dhammakaya tradition as reflecting "intolerance and undermining freedom of religion". According to Seeger, the teachings and practices of the Dhammakaya tradition temples deviate from the Theravāda tradition, and the different interpretations of Buddhist canonical texts have triggered a heated debate in the Thai media and in the Sangha Council, a smear campaign and the purging of "religious others". Of these, Wat Phra Dhammakaya—the most influential in this regard—has been accused by Payutto of "distorting Buddhist ideas, insulting Buddha's teachings", and showing "disrespect to the Pali canon". Besides Payutto, other critics have included a number of "Thai scholars, academics, monks and social critics". Payutto has been criticized in return by a number of Thai academics and news commentators for being "narrow-minded", "attached to scriptures", "dogmatist" and a "purist". Also, Thai columnist Sopon Pornchokchai has accused Payutto of performing sloppy research.
caption: The stupa at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
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