'No resolution' issued on abbot Phra Dhammachayo

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'No resolution' issued on abbot
PAKAMARD JAICHALARD
THE NATION



Sangha Supreme CouncIl's Phanom contradIcts earlIer report that body ruled In favour of Dhammachayo

BANGKOK: -- THE SANGHA Supreme Council did not issue a resolution on the Dhammakaya Temple's abbot Phra Dhammachayo at its meeting last Friday, according to SSC secretary general Phanom Sonsill.

Phanom's comments appear to contradict what SSC spokesperson Phra Phrom Methi said after the Friday meeting.

Phra Phrom Methi was quoted as stating that the SSC had passed a resolution in favour of Phra Dhammachayo.

"I was present at the SSC meeting on Friday and did not see it issue any resolution on Phra Dhammachayo," Phanom said yesterday.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said that Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam was looking into the matter.

Recent news reports stated that the SSC had ruled Phra Dhammachayo did not commit a grave sin warranting his defrocking.

Phanom, who also heads the National Office of Buddhism (NOB), said at the Friday meeting SSC secretariat director Somkiet Thongsree only presented the explanation on the council's 2006 resolution related to the Dhammakaya Temple.

"He submitted this explanation to National Reform Council's (NRC) committee on the reform for the protection of Buddhism, and presented it to the SSC meeting only for acknowledgement," Phanom said.

He added that the SSC would report the facts to PM's Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana. Suwaphan oversees the NOB.

In response to the backlash, particularly on social media, the NRC committee's chairman Paiboon Nititawan yesterday said he disagreed with the SSC resolution that failed to conclude Phra Dhammachayo was no longer a monk.

He was referring to the resolution passed in 2006 as well as the |resolution he believed was passed last Friday.

The resolutions went against a 1999 resolution, he said.

He said the 1999 resolution supported the then-Supreme Patriarch's written statement that could be insinuated to mean Phra Dhammachayo had lost his monkhood for embezzlement because he failed to immediately return the embezzled properties to their rightful owners.

Also, the Paiboon-chaired committee yesterday summoned the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to provide information on the case in which the Dhammakaya Temple, Phra Dhammachayo and related persons took more than Bt829million in donations from Credit Union's former manager Supachai Srisuppaaksorn.

Supachai was accused of embezzling more than Bt12billion from the credit union.

"We need to check the financial flow," Paiboon said.

He said his committee believed the Amlo should confiscate the money channelled from the credit union so that victims of the embezzlement could at least get some money back.

Paiboon added that his committee would meet with representatives of the National Legislative Assembly, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), and the SSC next Tuesday.

He said his committee wanted the DSI to explain why it decided not to pursue a case against Phra Dhammachayo over the embezzlement related to the credit union.

Paiboon said his committee had no intention as yet to act on a request by the Or Noi Temple's abbot, Phra Buddha Isara, tto investigate SSC assets.

"But we will definitely work on the guidelines on the overall management of temple properties," Paiboon said.

Phra Buddha Isara yesterday met with Paiboon and various other parties.

He lodged a complaint with the prime minister via PM's Office Minister Panadda Disakul, seeking an examination on the assets of all SSC members, the Dhammakaya Temple and Phra Dhammachayo.

His seven requests included a demand that the spending of the Council and the temple be scrutinised thoroughly.

He claimed he had learnt some monks had travelled by chartered flights to Las Vegas, the United States, Italy and France for observation trips.

"I want to know what kind of observation they did in those countries," he said.

He also said the prosecutors' decision to not indict Dhammachayo should be reviewed by the Department of Special Investigation urgently.

Panadda told reporters he would forward Phra Buddha Isara's complaint to the prime minister.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/No-resolution-issued-on-abbot-30254728.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-24

[Somtamnication]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

[Chang_paarp]

Back flip with pike.

Busy trying to save face.

[Robby nz]

It would seem from other reports that multi million baht checks were written in the name of Phra Dhammachayo and one of his deputies as well as the temple after they knew about the embezzlement and they knowingly accepted these checks.

Now it looks like the supreme council is backtracking somewhat after being called out.

Things could get messy for the council and the huge temple with branches in many countries.

Of course calling something a religion means it is tax free in most if not all countries and when you are selling something that is only going to happen in a next life you can never be proved to have sold a dud.

[englishoak]

If caught out just deny it

Ahh well at least Thainess is proving consistent in all walks of life here

[harada]

Back flip with pike.

Busy trying to save face.

Now to find a few scapegoats.

[rametindallas]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

My monk has been to India twice, Bangkok twice, Dallas twice, London, Manchester, and Cambodia; all in the last twelve months. He has magnets from nearly every travel destination you would want to go to. The monks in Thailand have been off-limits so long that their corruption is rampant and so common that they have lost touch and see nothing wrong. For them, it is normal. I would like to see the whole system shaken up and the corrupt made to find a real job but, from the way the police officer in the photo is behaving, I don't expect much.

[khaowong1]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

In my 7 years in the monk hood, I have noticed a big difference in the temples. Some temples have automobiles for the abbot's use, loaned to them from wealthy donors, and some temples, the abbots themselves own the auto's. I was never convinced that the abbots could own their own vehicles, but I was such a junior monk, my questions and objections didn't mean squat.

I also know first hand that the Dhammakaya Buddhist temple has branch's all over the world. I know first hand that there is one in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. I've been there. I asked why there. I was told by the abbot there, that there were numerous Thai's living and working in Las Vegas and the temple was there for them. In the several trips to this temple, I was living in a temple in Phoenix Arizona at the time, I never saw much participation by the Thai people's there. Maybe I missed the huge crowds, maybe not. Just making some observations here, not making any accusations.

[cookee68]

Of course they wont do anything, they are scared that they might come back as a rat if they rock the boat, the things you can achieve through religion is amazing

[billd766]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

In the local temples around here monks travel either in the back of a farmers pickup truck or one temple ahs an old minibus that was donated and a local drives them around.

It says more for forest monks and Buddhism than ANY city temple.

[h90]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

In the local temples around here monks travel either in the back of a farmers pickup truck or one temple ahs an old minibus that was donated and a local drives them around.

It says more for forest monks and Buddhism than ANY city temple.

There are tons of stories about monks and temples do dubious things...and temples with own kitchen that orders pork and fat monks doesn't seem very traditional to me.....As well as the monks in Panthip placa who buys the latest graphic cards for their computer....

[khaowong1]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

In the local temples around here monks travel either in the back of a farmers pickup truck or one temple ahs an old minibus that was donated and a local drives them around.

It says more for forest monks and Buddhism than ANY city temple.

There are tons of stories about monks and temples do dubious things...and temples with own kitchen that orders pork and fat monks doesn't seem very traditional to me.....As well as the monks in Panthip placa who buys the latest graphic cards for their computer....

Almost all temples have their own kitchen.. Which is used for when someone outside comes in to cook for the monks or cook for the temple workers there.. It's not uncommon now to see monks with i-phones, ipads, laptop computers. Although most forest temples still prohibit their use.

[ikke]

Our local monk has a Mercedes. 'nuff said.

My monk has been to India twice, Bangkok twice, Dallas twice, London, Manchester, and Cambodia; all in the last twelve months. He has magnets from nearly every travel destination you would want to go to. The monks in Thailand have been off-limits so long that their corruption is rampant and so common that they have lost touch and see nothing wrong. For them, it is normal. I would like to see the whole system shaken up and the corrupt made to find a real job but, from the way the police officer in the photo is behaving, I don't expect much.

"your monk" are you a pimp ?