Those are some impressive rallies. I'd like to know what the Dharmakaya's goals/intentions are, and what makes them distinct from other Buddhist movements around the world other than their big rallies?

Also, there is a history of populist Buddhist fanatics around the world such as the Ikko Ikki in Japan. Despite the fact that Buddhism calls for moderation and reason, there is also a radically populist component to Buddhist theology. I suppose it is similar to Christianity in regards to the ease with which one can simplify its message and make your abridged version of it universally available to the masses, with a few simple marketing tricks (such as having a megachurch or, in this case, a megastupa, with telearhants leading charismatic worship on television.)

These rallies do appear to look quite spectacular, however I too would like to understand the intentions of the Dharmakaya's as well, a quick scan over its website suggests its main interests are to facilitate the practice and education of meditation, which i personally beileve to be a good thing. I object to FP's suggestion that is organization is a cult, what kind of journalism is that...? As far as ive seen and know from scanning through all the 23 images and reading the short excerpts show no cult like behaviour.... it is an east asian tradition to meditate around fellow practitioners. Also done in mass like we see definetly does not give RON GLUCKMAN any room to prove any connection between this and nuremberg rallies...... such an accusation is ludicrous, and i hope other readers can see that as well...

The question I want to know is....
Why is such beautiful pagentry frowned upon and suggested to be cult like behaviour compared to, of all things, the nuremberg rallies.... these men, women are not praising ideological nationalists propaganda... rather accepting people from all walks of life and all nations to participate in mediation... of all things... please FP... you should be ashamed.

This looks like a good thing. The author is not familiar enough with large, Asian spiritual gatherings. (He won't easily find these in Beijing).

I work in India and thousands (sometimes millions) of people gather to meditate, improve their lives and the lives of others and connect with the Divine. This isn't cult behavior.

And the vows the monks are taking sound like the basic Buddhist precepts which are centuries old: Abstain from killing; Abstain from taking that which is not given, from sexual misconduct, from false speech, from alcohol/intoxicants.

These are good rules for living not signs of a cult.

I'd much rather see large Buddhist rallies than the proscriptive evangelical monotheism of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions. I'm wary of any large agglomeration of people, but this seems comparatively innocuous. Let's hope they stay that way.

The choice of words in the title and captions for an otherwise magnificent collection of photographs is very unfortunate. The Dhammakaya tradition unlike many western Christian evangelical movements is not contaminated by the kind of proselytizing that has historically caused death and destruction of millions of humans.

Apart from guiding individuals motivated to follow the path of Buddha Dharma, the Dhammakaya movement also runs many hospices and champions efforts to lighten the burdens of human suffering in many communities across the world.

Once again the editors of FP disappoint many of its avid readers by allowing such uninformed characterization to be published.

Wow!
Great job Luke Duggleby. Reminds me of Leni Riefenstahl!
I was born in a Burma and I always thought Buddhism was more of an individualistic religion with an ascetic lifestyle. Quite shocking for me to see this almost-robotic buddhist monks in formation like well-disciplined soldiers. I hope Buddhism doesn't degenerate into some kind of mass-movement (or even mass-hypnosis). An ideal Buddhist, in my opinion, is a hermit, who meditates alone (like Buddha did) to reach some form of personal enlightenment. Well maybe that's why I never became a true Buddhist!

yellow journalism?

Mr RON GLUCKMAN should actually argue his reasoning for labelling meditation on a scale such as this a cult and not a positive peace loving phenomenon that majority on here see it as. I feel this man would have nothing to base his arguement on... other than the fact that the word "cult" naturally draws attention.

Before you people go off half-cocked, read the WHOLE article. The Nuremberg reference wasn't dreamed up by FP.

"Mano Mettanando Laohavanich, a renowned Buddhist scholar who was once among the top Dhammakaya leaders, heading its entire American operations, has become a rabid critic since leaving the temple. He called Dhammakaya's rapid growth and mass ceremonies 'power trips' inspired by the head abbot's fascination with the Muslim hajj gatherings and Nazi parades." (p. 20)

Obviously, there is something to the reference.

That said, so what? The Nazis used spectacle, so do Gothic cathedrals, so do football games. Mass rallies aim to make people feel part of something transcendent.
The question is always, To what end?

Buddhists, like Christians, reach out to share what they regard as their gift. Pseudo-intellectuals, blathering on about all the wickedness done "in the name of Christianity," don't understand that Christianity was coöpted for centuries by barbarians, who were dragged kicking and screaming by the teachings of Jesus finally to practice what they professed. (And no, you can't say this about Muslims. Islamic terrorists indeed practice their religion.)

In fact, there is a theory that Christianity arose from Buddhist missionaries known to have been in Palestine at the time of Christ.

If Dhammakaya is indeed what it seems -- evangelical Buddhism -- then I say, More power to it! The world sorely needs what the Buddha and Jesus offer.

Before you people go off half-cocked, read the WHOLE article. The Nuremberg reference wasn't dreamed up by FP.

"Mano Mettanando Laohavanich, a renowned Buddhist scholar who was once among the top Dhammakaya leaders, heading its entire American operations, has become a rabid critic since leaving the temple. He called Dhammakaya's rapid growth and mass ceremonies 'power trips' inspired by the head abbot's fascination with the Muslim hajj gatherings and Nazi parades." (p. 20)

Obviously, there is something to the reference.

That said, so what? The Nazis used spectacle, so do Gothic cathedrals, so do football games. Mass rallies aim to make people feel part of something transcendent.
The question is always, To what end?

Buddhists, like Christians, reach out to share what they regard as their gift. Pseudo-intellectuals, blathering on about all the wickedness done "in the name of Christianity," don't understand that Christianity was coöpted for centuries by barbarians, who were dragged kicking and screaming by the teachings of Jesus finally to practice what they professed. (And no, you can't say this about Muslims. Islamic terrorists indeed practice their religion.)

In fact, there is a theory that Christianity arose from Buddhist missionaries known to have been in Palestine at the time of Christ.

If Dhammakaya is indeed what it seems -- evangelical Buddhism -- then I say, More power to it! The world sorely needs what the Buddha and Jesus offer.

"Cult-like"?

Is it a cult or isn't it? If it is a cult, say so. If it isn't, don't defame its members with cheap weasel-words.

What's next? Describing the Roman Catholic Church as "pedophile-like" or Scientology as "unhinged-esque"?

Your publication shouldn't tar a group and its members unless you are willing to stand fore-square behind your allegations.

To do otherwise is not very "journalist-like."

-- MrJM

This is a very puzzling and perhaps biased article. What's wrong with Dhammakaya? This is a religious group with many followers. Why is that a problem? There's nothing here that indicates a problem.

I am no expert, tho I understand the alarm at crowds of uniformly dressed persons. Separation of the sexes is not a good sign, nor is any nationalistic aspect appealing.

I am a practicing Buddhist. There are so many kinds, just like Judeo-Christian-Muslim "families" The one I practice does not have a central deity, tho I am sure many consider it so. Most of the writings of the originator are Medieval, and should be read with an understanding of a different experience.

I appreciated some of the level-headed comments here, and am proud of the emotional health that some of my Buddhist fellow practitioners have earned, as evidenced here.

The editorial writing seems inflammatory to me. It is no shock that there is organized Buddhism in Thailand. One could substitute Vatican, or C of E, or plenty of other "Billion Dollar Edifices" As to corruption, L. Gelli is still alive and kicking (tho not Sindona), Berlusconi also. In the States, Abramowitz, Pat Robertson and his African diamond mines, the Moons and their gun company, and I believe the list goes on.

Unity of mind and group meditation are not necessarily evil developments: world harmony is a provocative phrase, inciting bitter replies and historical citations of betrayal. Mostly so, but depends who's entrenched.

Still, the balance between moderating meditative practice as a commonality and a vent to gratification of immediate desires has been a hard one to achieve, but it is a possible evolution through enlightened negotiation.

As the Dalai Llama said, "But I could be wrong..."

I find myself appalled at the personal attacks heaped upon the author of this article. Perhaps some of my fellow readers would do well to consult a dictionary on the meaning of the word "cult" or better yet, attend one of these gatherings themselves. As outspoken as DKJACK might be, there is truth in what he says. I think it's safe to assume that the author calls it a cult and references the Nuremberg rallies because it is a gathering of numerous people who venerate an ideal, and in this respect the two are analogous. Having been there on multiple occasions, I can assure you that the people at Wat Phra Dhammakaya are not the type to commit acts of war, nor are they religious extremists.

To me, it is fascinating to see such a kind of peaceful religous combat - a kind of fight different from that in Sri Lanka and some other regions.

Instead of trying to protect its religion by military or political force as has been done in some countries, the Dhammakaya does it in a completely different way - simply gathering people to meditate together and join religious activities, most of which have a long term effect to improve those people's life and behaviour. I think the positivity of its leader's vision and method is rather impressive!

I think it is almost impossible for the average Westerner not to feel intimidated by large groups. It is surely due to the J-C Ethic of the Sanctity (and axiomatic importance) of the "Individual" as the basic human unit, as blithely assumed to be the only possible. Add to that the basic assumption that human nature is sort of "Evil". Individualism both exacerbates and facilitates abuses of political power. You don't find western leaders ever committing suicide if they have failed their group, and you never will. Luckily , Science is on the right track. See "superorganisms". We'll figure it out eventually.

nd flailing about.
Oh, and about religious proscriptives mentioned above, as far as I can tell after twenty-five or so years studying Buddhism I get the impression that there is no such thing as proscriptives nor prescriptives therein--remember karma? Each ego must work it out alone. So if this is not the case with this group, then there is cause to think in terms like cult and political power. And remember Sri Lanka, where Buddhists so-called have engaged in warfare for years. Still, remember karma as a concept and a constituent of practice.

The photos are informative. As a lapsed practitioner of sitting meditation a la Tibet I squirm when I see images of people standing barefoot on concrete--a minor point when cultural differentials are considered (I am a so-called Westerner.) Well, ahem, whoa. Perhaps Albert Speer, Hitler's architect and designer of the Nuremburg rally spectacle, was influenced by Asian imagery of such masses of people. Perhaps it is a human universal. Theories abound.
Each of us has a set of values and opinions that are, in part, culture-bound. I prefer small groups of meditators in comfort clothes in a cozy meditation room with minimal distractions, or a hermit's hut. And I will not shave my head. And a bit of red wine never hurt anyone. Yet, let them go at it. Better this than guns and flailing about.
Still, the photos make me uneasy; it is the potential of a mass of people all doing exactly the same thing, whatever the intention (Western individualism and a child of the sixties speaking.) I am not impressed and parades leave me cold (but the photographer is to be commended.)

Did I mention theory of mind?

this author is a genius and he probably doesn't even know it.

he's managed to weave two great old tropes into one great projection.

first, the old thing of westerners being scared of large groups of asians. there's a bunch of old hollywood movies that play on this theme - billions of faceless, robotic asians in perfect sync out to get our lone white hero. there's one i saw, which i can't remember, with like a million-member buddhist cult trying to destroy america or something. that movie has some staying power. you know most americans were freaked out by the chinese open ceremonies. because when people do the same thing, it's a cult, you know?

secondly, orientalism. these dudes in thailand, they are exotic, you know, their religion is a cult. if they're not shopping at a mall or spending hours in their cars driving to work alone, it's a cult!

so the author masterfully ties orientalism and american fears but in total projection.

what's he projecting? well, he thinks multi-million dollar religious organizations are cults? that anything evangelical is a cult? that anything global is a cult? that secrecy is cultish? that any spectacle is a cult?

wait this dude must really hate the catholic church. and jerry robertson.

but we've all seen pictures of the vatican and you can't go after the hero of the american right, plus it's not very scary, so not many people will click. therefore, fp won't make as many 1/10000 pennies per click. better to use some far off religion. shit, call it a cult! that'll really get people to come over to gawk at these weird fuckers and their weird cult religions that have nothing important to say spiritually.
those weirdos in a far off place wasting their lives in cults, gaining nothing from it, preparing to burn in one hot christian hell for eternity. if only everyone where american, then we'd have real religion and peace.

looks pretty though

click click click

ka-ching!

at least the photographer took a couple minutes away from exploiting thai girls to capture these weirdo-cult-following morons.

Anyone who has ever participated in a group meditation session or even something like a yoga class which utilizes chanting will understand it simply feels nice to be part of a bigger whole, especially when all that is being promoted is inner peace for either the individual or greater humanity (which is the goal of Buddhism as I understand it - enlightenment for humanity at large). There's a connectivity of spirit/soul which most Westerners lack from their daily lives, which may be why they are scared of it.

Personally I feel more freaked out seeing the huge evangelical gatherings in the US, than I do seeing monks and others gathering peacefully. It's kind of hard to knock Buddhism when the general goals are dropping the ego in favour of peace, compassion, and enlightenment not just for self, but for everyone/thing.

inspite of history, i truly believe in the (possibility?) peaceful co-existence of ALL living things. paranoids and power crazed, control freaks aside.

Buddism always advice calmness. I worked in India long time ago and millions of people gather to meditate, enhance their lives and connect with the Absolute. This isn't cult behavior but called oyun or a way to freedom for them.

I still call my buddist friends time to time.