จากหนังสือ : อะไร... ที่ทำให้ต้องเปลี่ยนใจ
I... thought of coming to burn down the temple.
I had talked to some big generals about,
"Why did you let the Dhammakaya temple got this big?"
I had talked to some big generals about,
"Why did you let the Dhammakaya temple got this big?"
I'm one person that hated the temple. I didn't like the Dhammakaya temple so bad that I wanted to burn down the temple. At the point that I have my part in the government, I've been inculcated about loving the kingdom, religion (Buddhism), and the King into my blood. I had thought that the Dhammakaya temple is breaking the religion, and that it's a growing company, unstoppable. Why they built so many things? I was at the point that I talked to some big generals, "sir, why did you let the Dhammakaya temple got this big?"
"Why did you let them got away with it?" That general answered, "It’s a hard thing to say, because a lot of big generals go to that temple." At that time I was so radical, that I told all 16 groups of the army's students and the commander battalions class and commanded them not to come to this temple.
But then, the person that I love most, my wife, goes to this temple like crazy. So I collected all the news in the newspaper about bad things about the temple to let her see, and I asked, "what would you choose between the temple and me?” My wife answered that she would choose the temple no matter what happen. So we dated our divorcing, but then at last, she said she believe that the temple will teach the children to be a good person. "Do it for the kids, meditate at least just once." I thought that if the temple's teachings aren't any good, than I wouldn't follow it, I wouldn't let myself be brainwashed. Because I don't want us to fight anymore and most important I would do it for the kids. The results are very staring. After my teen-ager boys started to meditate and go to the Dhammakaya temple, they've changed so much. They are good like a new person that I felt so proud of them. After then, I started to open my mind, but I still thought that I ought to find the truth about this temple.
At first, I tried to catch them on everything, until I dig out the starting point of the temple. After I studied, meditate, listen to the preaching, with my wife answering my questions, and watching the temple's TV show, made me got the chance to hear the teaching of this temple. At least I have found that this temple didn’t teach any bad things like a lot of people have said. Then I've started to understand why they had to build this temple so big. At the starting, it was a small temple in Pathoom Tanee, which at that time it was such a barren. They had a meditating pavilion that can take in 400 people max., but after that, people started to come to this temple until there's no more space left. People that came to the temple had to sit in the sun, or in the raining season they'll be all wet. So the temple needs to expand the land and build some more pavilions.
Because when they come to the temple we can't just kick them out! Now, hundreds of thousands of people still come to this temple. When there's a ceremony, the temple's 2,000 rai (1 rai ~ 1,600 m2) seems too small, and the parking lot is not enough. I think that if you all come to see it, you would all think that 2,000 rai is too small... After I had studied more about Buddhism, it made me found out that...
The Great Temple Chetawan that Anata Bhindhika Trillionaire built for the Lord Buddha. It's worth about 540 million Kahapana, or about 100 billion bath. The Lord Buddha stayed there over 20 years, which if we study the teaching we'll find out that the Lord Buddha thought the monks to be unambitious, section, and simple. He had taught in the view of training themselves in being an easy person to take care of. If they give food, no matter what kind, just act easy in eating it. Not just that, there’s a command that no monks should build an over size dwelling.
But in a view of building a big temple to get as much people to come and listen to the preaching, he admired and agreed on the idea. Aside from the Chetawan temple, there’re more, example: the Puparam temple that lady Weesakha built to give as a great temple which worth over 10 billion! , because he want it to be useful in spreading the Buddhism.
If he didn’t allow that over 2,500 years ago, then there wouldn’t be any Buddhism until now, no prove of any temples left, which I think that if we say that the Dhammakaya temple is too big, I’d say the temple is still too small if we compared it to the temples in the Lord Buddha’s time. When I see it that way I started to understand.
The reason that the temple built the Maha Dhammakaya Cetiya with 1 million Buddha’s statues is to let everyone have their parts in owning it. When we feel like one of the owner, we’ll feel attached to the Lord Buddha and his teaching, we would help taking care of it, and come to meditate. When the building of the cetiya is over, it will be the cetiya of the Buddhism from all over the world. Every body would be the owner together. It would be the treasure of the kingdom that all other nations would be amazed by it. Which the temple can’t sell it. If they really do sell it… Who would buy a cetiya??
Today, if we ask, what is the tradition of Buddhism? Islamism has Meggha, they are forbidden to drink, and they have to la-maht 5 times a day. Christianity has Vatican City, they went to church every Sunday, and they have duty to share their salaries to administer their religion. Buddhism has no rules to force us. What is there to be proud of the “religion of the kingdom”? Besides the not following the religion’s precept (Sela), Buddhist these days even tries to stop the temple from expanding by attacking it.
I think that it’s weird
We should reconsider some things out…!!
*I apologize to Pradetch Prakhun Luang Phor and the monks that I had doubted and said some bad things about. Please, forgive me for those.
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