MILLENARIANISM AND A NEW THAI BUDDHIST
MOVEMENT (White Dhammakaya
Vs Black Dhammakaya)
Rory
Mackenzie (International Christian College, Glasgow)
From:
MJBS – The Mahachulalongkorn Journal of Buddhist Studies –
Volume 1, 2008
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is based on an 800 acre
site in the province
and
a highly skilled meditator. This group of meditators
under the tutelage of Khun Yai Chan
moved to Pathumthani in 1971 and started the Dhammakaya Foundation. Wat
Phra
Dhammakaya was opened six years later and Phra Dhammachayo was
appointed as the
abbot. Currently the temple has branches
in 23 countries outside Thailand. Around 5,000 members attend the
temple on a
Millenarianism,
as a religious phenomenon, is the belief that the end of the world is
at hand,
and a new just order will replace it. “The more exclusive the concern
with the
end itself, the more such belief shades off toward the catastrophic,
the more
exclusive the concern with the New World, the nearer it approaches the
utopian”
(Skek, 1987:521)
A
millenarian movement in Thai is referred to as a phu mi bun movement.
Phu mi bun
means ‘person with merit', and followers of such
a person view their leader as a holy
person. This person may be identified by a demonstration of miraculous
acts
which benefits a few individuals. In this case, such a person is
referred to as
phu wiset meaning “a person with extraordinary powers.”
Keyes
points out that such a person will gain a reputation of
will
be known as phu mi bun. If such leadership is on-hand during a time of
perceived crisis, then the phu mi bun will be looked to for deliverance.
Thailand has had several phu mi bun movements.
Perhaps the best known one occurred at the beginning of the twentieth
century
in NE Thailand, and is referred to in English as “the Holy Men’s
rebellion”. It would be wrong, however,
to think that millenarian movements were restricted to the rural poor
in the
past. The Hupphasawan movement which reached its zenith in terms of
popularity
in the late 1970's “drew a considerable
degree of its support from among some of the most privileged and
powerful
sections of Thai society'' (Jackson,
1988:134). This movement was founded by a Sino-Thai spirit medium,
Suchart
Kosonkittiwong. Suchart, born in 1943 and brought up in a poor family
in
Bangkok, had a basic education and spent some time in the army as a
conscript.
On leaving the army, Suchart became a healer and sold magical cures
from his
house in Thonburi, just across the Chao Phraya river from Bangkok. He
claimed
that he had been selected by the spirit world to act as a medium for
three
deceased monks who are highly regarded in Thailand .”Suchart saw
himself as a
material focus of a supernatural power whose mission was to ' save
Thailand,
and the world, from the moral degeneration and suffering which
communism had
given rise to (Jackson, 1988:140).
Just
as the marginalised in NE Thailand had aligned themselves with a phu mi
bun and
looked forward to deliverance from danger and better things to come, so
those
in the urban context, who felt their positions (economically and/or
politically) were under threat from communism, sought help from Suchart.
The
perceived threat of communism was very real in Thailand, and the focus
of the
nation was resisting it. Cambodia, (bordering on Thailand), broke off
diplomatic relations with Thailand in 1959. North Vietnam and the
People's
Republic of China began to support anti-government insurgency in
Thailand
(Wyatt, 1984:287) and by 1962, the Voice of the People of Thailand was
broadcasting from South China. The communist Party of Thailand (CPT)
was
particularly strong in NE Thailand and, in the late 1960's, it linked
up with a
number of Islamic Socialist groups in the southern part of the country
and also
“among Meo/Hmong andYao groups in the north, and among the Karen
settlements in
the west along the Burmese border'' (Phongpaichit and
Baker,1995:295).TheAmerican
Aware
of the mounting tension communism was bringing, Suchart commenced the
building
of a religious centre in 1970. lt was named
''The Religious State of the Vale of Heaven'' (Thai Muang Anjak Hupphasawan). Located in Ratburi Province,
approximately two hours drive south-west of Bangkok, it functioned as
an
international federation of religions and organised pan-religious
opposition to
the spread of communism. The inter-religious aspect of the movement was
represented by statues of the Buddha, Jesus, Mary, Shiva and Kuan Im
(Chinese,
Guan Yin). The centre attracted the Supreme Patriarch and senior Roman
Catholic
clergy on the occasion of an exhibition on Christianity, Buddhism and
peace.
The
movement had its critics. Anun Senakhan, “gate keeper” of traditional
Thai
beliefs and practices, referred to Suchartas phi bun (Jackson,
1988:138). This
play on similarly sounding words means Suchart is accused of being a
ghost
(Thai phi) rather than “a person of
merit '' ! As the movement gained protection from influential people,
Suchart
became more extreme in his predictions:
He predicted that Thailand would become the focus of the world 's ideological rivalry, would be invaded simultaneously by the Vietnamese, the Chinese, andthe US, and would be the flashpoint for a nuclear war. The catastrophe would occur in 1982 unless people supported his movement of spiritual opposition. Suchart announced that only he and the King could engineer the salvation of Thailand. The government were no more than a “ flock of sparrows” while he and the King were equivalent phu mi bun (Men of Merit) who had the sole responsibility to lead the spiritual crusade against communism. He advised the King to abdicate and join him in his crusade (Phongpachit and Baker, 1995:318).
At
the end of 1981, police raided the Ratburi centre. Suchart escaped but
was
caught some six years later. He was given a one year prison sentence
and later
released on bail. Just as the millenarian movement in the NE region in
1902 was
brought to an end by the establishment, so the Huppasawan movement was
declared
to be unacceptable by the establishment. It may well be that religious
and
political leaders were prepared to support, or even ignore some aspects
of the
Huppasawan movement in its earlier days because of its anti-communist
position.
The call, however, for the king to abdicate and co-lead the nation with
the
Huppasawan founder was an extremely sensitive issue. To make public
such vision
suggests either madness, or a very strong power base with support in the quotes upper echelons of society/government.
Jackson(1988:164) Buddhist critic Krajang Nanthapho:
The
activities of Huppasawan received increasing coverage until those with
secular
and religious power in the country began suspecting that the movement
was no
longer an instrument of their own policies as they had previously
thought. This
was especially the case when Suchart became a famous person eclipsing
even the
leading figures in the government ,.. The movement was destroyed
because it
grew large beyond all bounds, to the point that people at the level of
government could not control it.
The
appeal of Huppasawan was to middle and upper class Thai who were, to
some
extent, not wielding as much political power as they would have wished.
These
people believed they would lose wealth and/or status should communism
become a
strong force within the nation. The movement provided a supernatural
hope and
legitimisation of opposition to communism in the name of well accepted
Buddhist
folk religion outside the Sangha, the official i expression of Buddhism.
Wat
Phra Dhammakaya, in a similarway to Huppasawan, offers a myth of a
supernatural
force located outside the Thai Sangha, which offers protection to
wealth and
prestige. Wat Phra Dhammakaya remains within the Sangha, yet within the
movement there is a particular understanding of their function as White
Dhammakaya overcoming Mara as well as Phra Dhammajayo's role as being
an
Avatara and part of the original White Dhammakaya. This suggests g that
Wat
Phra Dhammakaya is a millenarian movement, and Phra Dhammajayo fulfills
the
role of a phu mi bun to the membership.
I
was informed by Dr Feungfusakul, who completed doctoral research into
the
movement in 1993, that Phra Metanando, a leading monk at Wat Phra
Dhammakaya
who left over what he considered to be the excessive pressure placed on
members
to donate funds to the movement, divulged the following information ,
to her:
Within the movement it is said that Phra Dhammajayo is an Awatarn
(Thai) or
Avatara (Pali). Indeed, Phra Dhammajayo's followers “believe him to be
a
messiah and a reincarnation of the Buddha (Bangkok Post 21.12.98).
Prior to the
creation of this world realm there was emptiness, but also Dhammakaya|.
There
exists a dualism within Dhammakaya of good and evil, this being
referred to as
fai cow (white party) and fai dam (black party). There was a war
between both
parties which resulted in the White Dhammakaya creating a new world.
This was,
in time, destroyed by the Black Dhammakaya. The White Dhammakaya in
time
created a new world where everything was perfect. This was eventually
spoiled
by the
This
myth indicates that the ultimate goal is the overcoming of the Black
Dhammakaya
by the White Dhammakaya, which is viewed as a holy task. A lay member
of Wat
Phra Dhammakàya informed me that Phra Dhammajayo's purpose was
'to destroy the
factory ' of the black guy (Black Buddha) through Dhammakaya meditation
(Mackenzie, 2007:62). The success of the White Dbammakaya means
humankind will
move beyond its deluded state, both individually and collectively, and
behave
in an enlightened manner. Wat Phra Dhammakaya seeks the transcending of
delusion through the practice of Dhammakaya meditation. If a critical
mass of meditators
can be achieved, then the deluding and destructive forces of Black Dhammakaya may be halted. If a
sufficient number of meditators practise higher meditation (Vijja
Dhammakaya)
and focus the generated power on the Black Dhammakaya, then evil will
be
destroyed. The more Dhammakaya meditation is practised, the easier
non-practitioners will find it to discover Dhammakaya meditation (the
“lost
kernel'' of Buddhism). This will have the effect of people being more
contented
and behaving in a more enlightened manner.
Phra
Nicholas compared the mission of Wat Phra Dhammakàya to the film
The Matrix.
This film focuses on Thomas Anderson (who is given the name Neo) and
his quest
to know the truth of a the ''Matrix.'' Neo is told that he cannot be
told what
the ''Matrix'' is: ''you have to see it for yourself.'' As Neo begins
his
search under Morpheus (captain of a hovercraft crewed by those who have
been
freed from the simulated reality that is the ''Matrix''):
(his)
world recedes revealing a horrifying and unbelievable truth-he is
cocooned in a
pod with billions of other people whose brains are all connected to a
computer
programme called the ''Matrix.'' lt was
designed to fool humans into believing that they exist in the world as
it was
in 1999.The year is in fact nearer 2099 and the world is powered by
machines
powered by human l energy (Archer et al., 2001:5). Once Neo is rescued
by
Morpheus from the ''Matrix,'' he very quickly develops certain powers
and joins
the fight to release mankind from the delusion that they believe to be
reality.Morpheus and his followers' ability to fight the ''Matrix''
lies in an
electro- magnetic pulse that disables electric systems. The similarity
between
Wat Phra Dhammakàya and the fight against the ''Matrix'' is
obvious to many
temple members familiar with the film. Wat Phra Dhammakaya led by Phra
Dhammajayo (an Avatar) is involved in ' trying to help people break
free from their
delusion by practising Dhammakaya meditation. The power/vibrations
generated by
high level Dhammak|ya meditation may be used to neutralise the ,
deluding
influence of the Black Dhammakaya.
The
responsible task of facilitating people to see through their delusion,
and
opposing the BlackDhammakaya is clearly a motivation to work hard; it
is also
said to create a sense of apprehension within the membership at Wat
Phra
Dhammakaya. One reason, (there may well be other reasons) for members
remaining
within the movement is the desire to be saved from the final
''showdown''
between the White and Black Dhammakaya.
Indeed, Feungfusakul is reported
as saying that many Wat Phra Dhammakaya devotees believe their
movement
is their ''last train to world salvation which makes them all the more
ready to
sacrifice themselves (work hard and I contribute financially) to
conquer the
Devil' '' (Ekachai, 1998:9).
The
extent to which members believe that Phra Dhammajayo is an Avatar is unclear. Phibul Choompolpaisal informed me
that it is not an insider's understanding.
I have come to the position that members have different
''instincts''
and seek different experiences at the temple. Some members especially
appreciate the logic and relevance of the Dhamma talks, others draw
much from
the effect the stupa and other images have on them, others place a
special
value on meeting their friends and clearly many have a very strong
focus on
meditation. I have also met members who look to experience the
miraculous at
the temple and find it hard to believe that they would not believe that
their
leader is an Avatara. Thus, it may be said that there are many insider
understandings as people participate in the life of the temple in
different
ways.
Richard
Shek (1987:526) notes that millenarian movements go through phases: “an
expansive phase during which believers move out to a ripening world and
an
astringent phase during which they pull in toward a holy refuge” This
statement
resonates with Wat Phra Dhammakaya's short history. In the early years
of the
movement, their fund raising and recruitment was high profile as white
clothed
members went door-to-door on housing estates.
Media
criticism and eventual legal and monastic investigations curtailed the
movement's activities, causing them to “pull in to a holy refuge”. This
experience, as well as the movement's loss of initial vitality has
brought
about lower profile methods of ' operating.
Millenarians
tend to believe that a new day will soon dawn for them, millenarianism
“is
distinguished from other eschatological belief systems in that the
millennium
is believed to be imminent'' (Keyes, 1977:283). This was clearly the
case with
the NE Thailand and Huppasawan movements. Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a
curious mix
of millenarian and prosperity movements. The element of the immediate
is
inherent in experiencing the benefits of meditation and alms-giving.
Yet the
movement is increasingly concerned with pursuing its long term
mission-the
spreading of the practice of Dhammakaya
meditation. As this is practised, humankind will be released from the
delusion
which prevents it from seeingthe truth.
Wat
Phra Dhammakàya is viewed by members as the centre for this
global mission.
In
response to the question ''May Wat Phra Dhammakaya be considered a
millenarian
movement?” Phra Nicholas responded ''it
is Wat Phra Dhammakaya's practice to emphasise the tradition, not the
leader.
In more recent times, with the intense pressure placed on the movement
by the
media, Phra Dhammajayo has become very high profile.”
Phra Nicholas went on to point out that the
movement pays great honour to the Dhammakaya
model meditation and the masters of the tradition. He cited
Luang Phaw
Sot who ''rediscovered'' Dhammakaya meditation and Khun Yai Chan who
trained
Phra Dhammajayo and Phra Dattajeewo, the two leaders of the movement.
Lineage,
then, is seen as a particularly important concept within Wat Phra Dhammakaya. In some other traditions,
when a high profile leader passed away, the movement went into decline,
as it
focused on a person rather than a tradition and/or lineage.
Phra
Nicholas cited the example of the temple at Suan Mokh (South Thailand)
which
was built up through the scholarship and teaching of Buddhadasa
(1906-1993) and
went into decline when Buddhadasa passed away. This, in his opinion,
was the
result of the Thai practice of following a strong leader who is
perceived to
have merit. Phra Dhammajayo expresses his confidence in the ability of
the
movement to continue after his death, ''If
I die, the system here has already been put in place. If I pass
away,
the temple can carry on with its mission. Nobody worries about that''
(Gearing
17.9.99).
It
is true that lineage is important to Wat Phra Dhammakayà, and
that the movement
will continue when Phra Dhammachayo dies. This, however, does not
weaken the
argument for Wat Phra Dhammakaya being classified as a millenarian
movement.
Economic
instability brings anxieties, just as the activities of the Communist
Party of
Thailand did, for example, diminished earning power and ability to
control
situations. Wat Phra Dhammakaya members
believe that their giving to the temple, and practice of Dhammakaya
meditation
will help ensure their prosperity and status.
Just
as there was the possibility of a physical conflict with Communist
Conclusion
The
myth regarding an ultimate ''showdown'' between White and
Black Dhammakaya, and Phra Dhammajayo being
an Avatara and part of the original white Dhammakaya
party indicate a millenarian mindset. What is
unclear is the extent of acceptance of this myth a among Wat Phra
Dhammakaya
members. How many is ''many Wat Phra Dhammakaya devotees believe their
movement
is their last train to world salvation” ? (Ekachai, 1998:9). Monastics
at the
temple and informed lay people usually (and understandably) do not wish
to
discuss the nature of this spiritual conflict with outsiders. While
lineage is
important to Wat Phra Dhammakya, this does not alter the faith of many
members
who believe in Phra : Dhammachayo's ability to ensure their continuing
prosperity , and ultimate deliverance from the destructive forces of
the Black
Dhammakaya.
Notes
1.
Wat
is the Thai word for a Buddhist temple.
2.
Khun Yai Chan passed away
in 1999 aged 91. Her official title is now Khun Mahàratana
Upasika Chandra
Khonnokyoong.