Thai Court Spares Founder Of Dhammakaya

[sabaijai]

Thai court spares founder of Dhammakaya

Aug 23, 2006

Bangkok, Thailand -- The prosecution has withdrawn an embezzlement charge against Phra Dhammachayo, former abbot of Wat Dharmakaya temple, and his close disciple following the return of the embezzled assets.

Late in 1999, the prosecution charged the former abbot, 62, and Thavorn Phromthavorn, 57, with embezzling about 36 million baht in cash belonging to the temple in Pathum Thani.

The money was used to buy two plots of land, covering over 900 rai, in tambon Nong Phra of Wang Sai Phun district in Phichit. Mr Thavorn was registered as the owner of the plots.

The entire amount embezzled stood at 959.3 million baht and the money spent on the two plots was part of it.

The abbot was also charged with distorting Buddhist teachings and causing conflicts among monks.

However, Winyu Winyakul, executive director of the office of criminal litigation, requested the withdrawal of the case in court on Monday. The request reasoned that the former abbot and his follower contributed to proper Buddhist teachings and supported religious activities involving both state and private sector projects.

In addition, he said, they had returned all the 959.3 million baht cash and land suspected of being misappropriated from the temple.

The return of assets is in line with the Supreme Patriarch's directive that monks must hand their assets generated during their monkhood to their temples.

The prosecution stated that the suit stood to create a bigger rift between the clergy and laymen had it been pursued. It felt that it would be best to withdraw the case for the sake of unity in society.

The court approved the withdrawal yesterday.

The withdrawal also effectively annuls the prosecution's investigation concerning suspected embezzlement of the temple's 930 million baht by the former abbot and his followers and suspected forgery of documents by his disciples.

Athapol Yaisawang, spokesman of the Office of the Attorney-General, said yesterday the case could be withdrawn as long as the court had not delivered a verdict.

There have been similar withdrawals of criminal lawsuits for violations of the national forest reserve act and lawsuits against rebels and terrorists, he said.

Outspoken monk Phra Phayom Kalayano, abbot of Wat Suan Kaew temple in Nonthaburi, said it is difficult to act against Wat Dharmakaya because its followers include influential and prominent people.

If the prosecution had gone all the way with the case, it could have provoked the temple's followers into violent responses, he said.

The government also used Wat Dharmakaya as the venue for a recent gathering of local administrators from across the country, the monk noted.

He said the withdrawal was not beyond his expectation. ''With the let-off, the temple may now get the impression that the law was on its side, and it could do whatever it wanted.

''From now on, if religious offenders have influential support in court, it will be difficult for them to lose the case,'' said the abbot.

Source: Buddhist Channel

[sabaijai]

Prosecutors let monk off the hook

by Sanitsuda Ekachai, Aug 24, 2006

Bangkok, Thailand -- It did not come as a surprise. Despite serious allegations of embezzlement and distortion of Theravada Buddhist teachings, few believed the justice system could bring down Phra Dhammachayo, whose followers include many powerful politicians in the government.

The public prosecution's decision to drop the criminal charges against the wealthy and influential abbot of Wat Dhammakaya on Tuesday has confirmed such scepticism, which inevitably puts the credibility of the judicial system into question.

Both stealing and distortion of Buddhism are serious violations of the monks' code of conduct. Had the court case been allowed to run its course and had Phra Dhammachayo been ruled guilty, he would have been disrobed and imprisoned. Without the charismatic leader at the centre of the cult-like temple, Wat Dhammakaya would have gone down with him.

But according to the public prosecutors, continuing the court case would create serious divisiveness within the clergy and among Buddhists both in and outside the country. A far-fetched claim, to say the least.

To back up their case, the prosecutors claimed that Phra Dhammachayo and Wat Dhammakaya have now turned over a new leaf. To start with, the abbot has returned land and money worth nearly 960 million baht to his temple. As to his teachings that contradict the Lord Buddha's on Non-Self, the prosecutors cited support for Dhammakaya from the Ecclesiastical Council and official authorities to guarantee that Dhammakaya teachings are now true to Buddhism.

Moreover, Dhammakaya is highly praised for financially supporting the religious activities of the clergy and the government as well as for using high-technology to effectively promote Thai Buddhism overseas.

Since it is common knowledge that Dhammakaya has strong ties with politicians and senior monks, these guarantees cannot ease public suspicions of political interference in the Dhammakaya court cases.

We must not forget that the Supreme Patriarch has already ruled that Dhammakaya has distorted Buddhism and created serious rifts in the clergy, a serious crime in monastic circles that demands heavy punishment.

The Supreme Patriarch also requested Phra Dhammachayo to return money and land to the temple. But he had stubbornly refused, until the prosecutors told us otherwise just this Tuesday.

Obviously fearful of looking disrespectful to the Supreme Patriarch, the prosecutors took pains to explain away their move to free Dhammachayo as well as to choose the right timing to do so. The timing could not be more perfect.

The Dhammakaya court case has been dragging on for so long that most people have lost interest. The press is currently too busy with heated politics of the day to bother with old news. The public is emotionally exhausted with political divisiveness caused by our Dear Leader to take up another controversy. The ailing Supreme Patriarch has long been hospitalised. For Dhammachayo's supporters who are politicians in power, time is also running out. Now that they are losing their grip, they know they must act before it is too late.

It must be noted that the prosecutors did not say that Phra Dhammachayo is not guilty. Instead, by saying he has returned what is not his and is now teaching according to the Buddhist canon, they have conveyed that the wrongdoings did take place, but that he has repented.

If that were the case, is it right for the prosecutors to drop the charges when a ruling was so near? Since this case involves the core teachings of Buddhism, is it right for the prosecutors to use the unfinished court case to whitewash Dhammakaya? If it turns out that Dhammakaya teachings remain much the same, the prosecutors would not only be accused of interrupting the judicial process, but also of undermining Theravada Buddhism. The prosecutors insist that at this political juncture, the country needs social harmony more than ever, so continuing the Dhammakaya case would not serve the public benefit. The question is, by cutting short the legal process, whose benefit does it serve?

Source: Buddhist Channel

[chownah]

For me that most important issue here is whether any gov't should have the right to even comment on whether a religious teaching is correct of not.....to me this is a scary precedent and only invites more gov't meddling in areas where I feel the gov't does not belong.

[Laulen]

What a long-dragged out case this has been. I was in Thailand in 1999 and remember the sensationalism surrounding the whole of this Pathum Thani Wat's activities.

It is certainly very 'media savvy' and uses the latest of technology to promote Buddhism around the country and the world.

Only yesterday, I attended a Kathina Ceremony at their UK temple, near Woking, Surrey; it is inside a former Christian church building.

I have to say that this saga with the former Abbot does not seem to have affected the support of this UK temple. In fact, there are now plans to seek a northern England Dhammakaya temple, possibly in or near Manchester.

Edited October 9, 2006 by Laulen