Dhammakaya Movement

The Dhammakaya tradition or Dhammakaya movement (sometimes spelled Thammakaai) 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 (''Vijja Dhammakaya''), 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, which was notably criticized in the 1990s as an alleged contradiction of the Buddhist doctrine of ''anattā'' (not-self).

The Dhammakaya tradition is seen by its followers as a form of Buddhist revivalism pioneered by Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro. Buddhist Studies scholars have described aspects of its practices as having characteristics of religious apologetics, and Buddhist modernism. Features of the tradition include teaching meditation in a group, teaching meditation simultaneously to monastics and lay people, and an emphasis on lifelong ordination.

Nomenclature

''Dhammakaya Tradition'' refers to a modern Buddhist tradition that has emerged in Thailand, but is based on older ''Yogavacara'', c.q. Tantric Theravada teachings, which have survived the 19th and 20th century modernisation of Thai Buddhism. ''Dhammakaya'' means 'Dhamma body', referring to an "inner Buddha nature," which its practitioners aim to realize through meditation.

According to the anthropologist and Asian studies scholar Edwin Zehner, the term Dhammakaya (also spelled Thammakai) has four contextual meanings, though all four are "written and pronounced exactly alike":
* In the first sense, it refers to the doctrinal concept of "dharma-body" as found in Pali and Sanskrit texts.
* Second, it means the "inner dharma-body" that is a goal of the Dhammakaya meditation practitioner.
* Third, it refers to all the meditation centers and teachers who preach a Dhammakaya meditation style in Thailand.
* Fourth, it refers to Wat Phra Dhammakaya and its associated institutions – the largest temple in the Dhammakaya Tradition.

The term Dhammakaya, states Zehner, has close affinities to the Mahayana Buddhism concept of ''Dharmakaya'' (spiritual essence of the Buddha), and the word appears in many early Pali and Sanskrit texts, where its early meaning was "the collection of the dhamma". However, the Dhammakaya Tradition's conception of the "Dhammakaya" doctrine is different from the definition found in the Pali-English dictionary of the Pali Text Society, states Zehner.

Scholars are not in agreement on the name of the Dhammakaya tradition. Some scholars use ''Dhammakaya Tradition'', while others use the term ''Dhammakaya temples,'' or ''Dhammakaya Movement''. Newell states the term ''Dhammakaya Movement'' has been confusingly used by various scholars. Some scholars use the term Dhammakaya movement interchangeably with Wat Phra Dhammakaya – the tradition's largest temple. She considers this problematic because this terminology has been used "without distinguishing between the various temples practising dhammakaya meditation and Wat Dhammakaya itself... There are considerable differences in style, practice and structure of all the temples". She prefers to use the term ''Dhammakaya temples''.

She is quoted on this by Religious Studies scholar Justin McDaniel, but he nevertheless uses ''Dhammakaya Movement'' without distinguishing between the various temples and Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Buddhist Studies scholars Kate Crosby and Phibul Choompolpaisal, on the other hand, speak of a "network" of Dhammakaya temples.

History

Yogavacara origins

Scholars have theorized that the Dhammakaya Tradition has its roots in the Yogavacara tradition (also known as Southern Esoteric Buddhism; not to be confused with the Yogacara School in Mahayana Buddhism), which thrived in pre-modern, pre-colonial times. This ancestry would be related to , the former residence of (early 19th century), "the heir to the teaching of Ayutthaya meditation masters," and the temple where Luang Pu Sodh used to practice before he went on to develop Dhammakaya meditation.

According to theologian Rory Mackenzie, Yogavacara ideas are the most likely influence on Dhammakaya meditation system, though this is not definitely proven. According to Buddhist Studies scholar Catherine Newell, "there is no doubt that Dhammakaya meditation is based upon the broader yogavacara tradition." She presents evidence of the borrowing of Luang Pu Sodh's Dhammakaya system from Somdet Suk's system of meditation. She and Asian studies scholar Phibul Choompolpaisal believe a Yogavacara origin to be most likely. If this would be the case, the tradition's meditation method would be an exoteric

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