Thongsuk Samdaengpan
| Type | Buddhist Tradition |
|---|---|
| School | Theravada, Maha Nikaya |
| Founded | c. 1916; Thailand |
| Founder | Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro |
| Teachings | Dhammakaya Meditation |
| Notable Temples |
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram |
| Notable People |
Luang Por Dhammajayo Luang Por Dattajivo Luang Por Sermchai Jayamangalo Chandra Khonnokyoong |
The Dhammakaya Movement or Dhammakaya tradition is a Thai Buddhist tradition which was started by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro in the early 20th century. It is connected to several temples which refer back to Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok for their ancestry. The movement practices Dhammakaya meditation (Vijja Dhammakaya), a form of meditation which scholars have linked to the Yogavacara tradition. Central to the movement is the idea that Dhammakaya meditation was the method through which the Buddha became enlightened, a method which was forgotten but has been revived by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro.
The tradition stands out from other Thai Buddhist traditions for its teachings on the Buddhist concept of Dhammakaya, its emphasis on meditation for laypeople, its active style of propagating meditation, and its focus on reviving traditional Buddhist values. The movement opposes traditional magical rituals, superstition, fortune telling, and other folk religious practices. Features of the tradition include teaching meditation in a group, teaching meditation during ceremonies, teaching meditation simultaneously to monastics and lay people, teaching one main meditation method, and an emphasis on lifelong ordination.
Scholars have theorized that the Dhammakaya movement has its roots in the Yogavacara tradition (also known as tantric Theravada). The movement was started by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro in the early twentieth century. The movement is connected to several temples which refer back to Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok for their ancestry. Luang Por Dhammajayo and Luang Por Dattajivo, the current abbot and vice-abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, were students of maechi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong. She in turn was a student of Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro, the meditation master who developed Dhammakaya meditation and the abbot of Wat Paknam. Other temples, such as Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram, also have their roots in Wat Paknam. After discovering the Dhammakaya meditation approach, Luang Pu Sodh first taught it to others at Wat Bangpla, Bang Len District, Nakhon Pathom. When Luang Pu Sodh was given his first position as abbot at Wat Paknam, Dhammakaya meditation has been associated with this temple ever since. Since 1959, Dhammakaya meditation has been taught by Luang Pu Sodh's students at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Wat Luang Por Sodh Dhammakayaram, and at Wat Rajorasaram, as well as the respective branches of these temples. Apart from these major temples, there are also several other centers that practice in the tradition of Luang Pu Sodh.
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