Offered A Job - Dhammakaya

[srathwell]

I attended a meditation retreat in December that is connected with the Dhammakaya temple outside of Bangkok. A week after the retreat, one of the staff offered me an informal 3 month job teaching English to a monk at the temple. He is 34 and wants to improve his confidence in speaking English. She said accommodation and food would be taken care of, as I would live at the temple, and would be paid a small salary. I don't really care about the money, if it extends my travels for a few more weeks, that's perfect.

Background info- I am a 20 year old traveler, have two years of university but no degree or TESOL certificate, and trying to decide whether to take the job or not. It sounds legitimate, and I am impressed by the temples vision for world peace, but there are things I don't like, such as allegations that the head abbot was embezzling funds, not sure if that is true or not.

retreat- www.meditationthai.org

temple/community- www.dhammakaya.net

Visa- is what I'm worried about, I would have to get a work permit+visa to avoid working illegally on a tourist visa. I have already had an extended 90 day stay here in Thailand, if I left the country for a month and came back, could I get another?

I'm trying to decide whether to take the job now, leaving for Cambodia in a few days but will be back in February, and they said the job would be waiting. After moving around a lot, I would enjoy spending 3 months settled down in one place, practicing meditation and exercise. I have heard good and bad things about the temple... any help or advice is appreciated

[Scott]

You have a lot of questions and hopefully posters will be able to help you out. I suggest you take a look in the visa section of the forum for more specific information on visas. You may want to take a look at the Buddhism forum as well.

The visa section is here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-visas-r...permits-f1.html

The Buddhism section is here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Buddhism-f42.html

[thailandfaq]

You have a lot of questions and hopefully posters will be able to help you out. I suggest you take a look in the visa section of the forum for more specific information on visas. You may want to take a look at the Buddhism forum as well.

The visa section is here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-visas-r...permits-f1.html

The Buddhism section is here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Buddhism-f42.html

I would advise you to go to speak to the Western Monk Jayintoh Bhikkhu (Joshua) - he will be able to hook you up with who you should speak to - he is a very compassionate and helpful monk and if there are any ways of easing your way to do the teaching assistance then he will know what to do

He is in the enclave allotted to foreign Monks at Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani.

Just ask around for Luang Pee Josh, or Jayintoh Bhikkhu, or Joshua

[caf]

And do some independent research on Dhammakaya

[camerata]

It sounds legitimate, and I am impressed by the temples vision for world peace, but there are things I don't like, such as allegations that the head abbot was embezzling funds, not sure if that is true or not.

Visa- is what I'm worried about, I would have to get a work permit+visa to avoid working illegally on a tourist visa. I have already had an extended 90 day stay here in Thailand, if I left the country for a month and came back, could I get another

If your main concern is staying in Thailand another 3 months, I wouldn't worry about the temple's reputation. It isn't going to affect you. Ask the person offering you the job if they are willing to do the right thing and offer to get the work permit for you. If they aren't, look into the possibility of getting a non-immigrant visa outside Thailand. The chances of you getting caught teaching English in a temple are very low.

IMO, the "vision of world peace" is just an excuse to expand their proselytizing overseas in the manner of Soka Gakkai. The tradition in Theravada Buddhism is not to proselytize, although there doesn't seem to be any scriptural basis for it.

[simon43]

..The chances of you getting caught teaching English in a temple are very low

Perhaps so, but he would be breaking the law by working without a work permit, and I find it strange that a supposed center of Buddhist teaching would be asking him to break the law.

Additionally...

What Caf said

Simon

[camerata]

Perhaps so, but he would be breaking the law by working without a work permit, and I find it strange that a supposed center of Buddhist teaching would be asking him to break the law.

Not really (if they are indeed asking him to break the law). Some Thai organizations feel that the rules don't apply to them and/or they are too powerful to be messed with. Many years ago a friend of mine was offered a job teaching English in some military or naval cadet academy and they took the attitude a work permit simply wasn't necessary. It wouldn't surprise me if the Dhammakaya people simply didn't think this through. I've also had friends who came here for 6-month internships with major companies and never got a work permit, presumably because an internship wasn't considered "real" work.

[thailandfaq]

Perhaps so, but he would be breaking the law by working without a work permit, and I find it strange that a supposed center of Buddhist teaching would be asking him to break the law.

Not really (if they are indeed asking him to break the law). Some Thai organizations feel that the rules don't apply to them and/or they are too powerful to be messed with. Many years ago a friend of mine was offered a job teaching English in some military or naval cadet academy and they took the attitude a work permit simply wasn't necessary. It wouldn't surprise me if the Dhammakaya people simply didn't think this through. I've also had friends who came here for 6-month internships with major companies and never got a work permit, presumably because an internship wasn't considered "real" work.

As we all know its not what you know its who you know here.. and also how much you pay for the job to get done.

As to Dammakayas reputation.. less said the better, but a place is not the people in it. One thing i do know is that some very compassionate people liv in or attend the place, despite the fact that it is pretty much a moneymaking institution - there are sometimes good people in bad places and bad people in good places (as well as the other possible permutations). What matters is what your heart and your common sense/wisdom (if you have any) tells you about the people you are associating with. So long as you perfect your own practise in the way you see fit then where you do it is not important.

The enviroment is a lot more peaceful and free of possible influences which may arouse the defilements than a lot of more authentic Thai Buddhist temples where monks will be asking you for cigarettes, money and all sorts of stuff.

I dont approve of Dammakaya temple but i must admit it keeps the correct enviroment as far as behaviour and practise goes.

But yes, once i attended the place and saw the amulet stall and noticed that the cheapest amulet was 5000 baht for a tiny cement amulet made only a year or two before.. I asked "and what about the poor people? dont you have anything for those? they said that that was the cheapest one they had.

The most expensive one was 80 thousand baht

The monk i mentioned in the previous comment i made here in this post is one of the most diligent monks i know (and i know a lot) and his compassion and generosity is immense, his understanding of the practise is also great and he takes the good things of the place and filters them out for the benefit of his practise. The other things he just overlooks and doesnt concern himself or worry about them, as they are just mental disturbances of the 5 nivarana (doubt is an obstacle to your progress and meditation).

No place is perfect,and that goes for Dammakaya too - but they do resist corruption of the precepts a lot more than other places.

Maybe that is why they need so much money. They also donate a lot to other temples and foundations which although this might be alleged to be self promotion for publicity reasons it is still meritorious

[hammered]

Research the place for yourself and see if it is a place you want to work in. Oh and working without a work permit is not a good idea.

[Martian]

Don't be fooled.

1. To be safe, any activity other than being a tourist requires a work permit, even volunteering or jumping up on stage to play guitar for a band. Yes, it's an extreme, but illegal all the same.

2. Temples are notorious for being hideouts for very shady characters. This isn't directed at the life-long dedicated monks etc, but rather many of the rank and file monks. Many are there because they are making merit for something they have done wrong or they are just outright hiding from the authorities or other people. So, be careful with those around you in the Temples, they might not be just what you think they are.

Regards