With space for more than a 100,000 people to meditate, the Dhammakaya sect’s temple complex is larger than life -- and it encourages its followers to be the same.
Critics accuse the Dhammakaya movement of exploiting its followers and Buddhism to make money.
The headquarters at Wat Dhammakaya, with its signature UFO-shaped temple dome and donation rooms equipped with ATMs, occupies an area nearly 10 times larger than the Vatican.
The movement, which also operates television stations and websites, has established some 90 branches in 35 countries since 1970.
“People who go to the temple come from different backgrounds. Some are poor, some rich, so when everyone wears a uniform then everyone is equal,” said Joom, one of the sect’s followers.
Its founder, Abbot Dhammajayo, has been in hiding since evading arrest in 2017 over allegations the sect had laundered $ 45 million of stolen money.
He denies the charges and his followers claim the sect is an international force for good that’s updating Buddhism for the modern world.
Inside the world of mega-donors
Joom was born into a poor family and came to Bangkok at 14 with nothing, but says her fortunes changed when she began donating to the sect.
Unlike other Buddhist movements, the Dhammakaya teaches that generous donations will bring wealth in this life as well as in a future life.
“I have even donated my husband,” Joom said, explaining the couple separated so that he could become a resident monk to bring them both “spiritual benefits”.
Joom now has her own clothing business - and estimates her total donations to the sect to be close to $2 million.
“The Abbot says people who are born poor have ‘stingy karma’ from a previous life,” said Joom.
“If in this life you are tight-fisted and not making donations, then in the next life you’ll be even poorer.”
The Dhammakaya Movement also claims to have revived a meditation technique lost since the time of the Buddha, a big part of its appeal to stressed professionals.
Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that good acts like this will improve their next lives until they escape the endless cycle of rebirth and achieve Nirvana.
Sect leavers say Abbot “fond” of Hitler’
However, critics of the group have been vocal and even Thailand’s ruling military junta says it’s targeting the temple for a simple reason: fraud.
Dr Mano was a leading member of the sect and one of the Abbot’s closest disciples before leaving after 20 years.
“He tried to reveal to me he is God with a capital G,” he said.
Although he is adamant that the followers “are good people, moral-minded” he insists that they are unaware of how the sect spent their money.
“They never declare [their accounts],” he said.
“They keep secrets all the time from the beginning until now.”
He claims not all the money has gone into the pristine buildings on the compound and says the Abbot had fascinations with Hitler.
“Well he told me that Hitler was a good guy,” he said
“The abbot was very fond of Adolf Hilter, you see. He’s his icon. Hitler started with zero.”
The Abbot Dhammachayo and the sect deny all of Doctor Mano’s allegations.
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