Bangkok wants a new “clean” abbot for the Phra Dhammakaya temple
The current abbot has been accused of embezzlement and illegal construction. The authorities have tried repeatedly to arrest him, but without success. The National Office of Buddhism wants an outsider picked as the temple’s new spiritual guide.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The Government of Thailand has asked Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Thailand’s largest Buddhist temple (Wat), to pick a new monk as its abbot.
The temple’s former leader, Phra Dhammajayo, is wanted in connection with the embezzlement of about 1.4 billion baht (40 million dollars) and unauthorised construction.
After a three-week siege of the temple, police pulled back after failing to find the fugitive abbot. However, a warrant for his arrest has been issued after he repeatedly failed to appear in court, ostensibly on health grounds.
Pongporn Pramsaneh, director of the National Office of Buddhism, has called for an election to pick a new monk as the temple’s new spiritual guide, someone not affiliated with it. "The monk-in-chief should be someone society can rely on for unbiased action and judgment," Pongporn said.
The temple's acting abbot is Dhammajayo’s deputy, Phra Dattajivo, but police last week said they were investigating him as well for using temple money in stock trading. The temple said the charge was "fake news" and that none of its money had gone into stocks.
Traditionalist Buddhists accuse the temple of commercialism, despite its claim that it is just as committed to Theravada Buddhism as they are and its money is only to do good works.
The Dhammakaya temple is nearly ten times the size of Vatican City, and dwarfs Thailand's other temples in wealth as well as size. It claims millions of followers, but still represents only a small minority of Thai Buddhists.
In recent months, law enforcement tried several times to enter the temple to arrest Phra Dhammakaya.
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