Biography of
Luangpor Dhammajayo
Born to Restore Harmony
Phrarajbhavanavisudh (Luangpor Dhammajayo) was born Chaiyaboon Suthipol on Saturday, April 22, 1944, the first night of the waxing moon in the 6th month of the Lunar Calendar at 6 p.m. He grew up in a small house located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, a sub-district of Ban Paeng, in the district of Promburi, within the Province of Singhburi. His father, Janyong Suthipol, worked as an engineer at the Industrial Factory Department for the Ministry of Industry, and his mother was Juree Suthipol.
This led to the recollection of a dream his mother once had in Phichit Province, where they lived before moving to Singburi. While pregnant, she dreamt of a holy Buddha image of Pichit, called 'Luangpor Petch' that the people revered. He presented her a beautiful child and said,
"This boy is a very special child. Please take excellent care of him. He will be a refuge for the people in the future."
Later, she dreamt of receiving a beautiful Buddha image, and she cleaned and polished it until it was even shinier. While polishing the statue, it became a bright glow that radiated across the whole city, making it bright with boundless radiance.
Her dreams brought happiness to everyone in the family, especially her husband Janyong, who intended to support his first child in attaining maximum progress and prosperity, so that he could be a role model to everyone.
The day Chaiyaboon was born, an auspicious event occurred. All his relatives, who were angry and had never visited each other for a long time, were restored to family harmony by the birth of their first nephew.
The baby boy's birth was an auspicious event for harmony, like rain falling on dry and cracked ground, restoring it to a smooth surface.
A Childhood Life Moving forward
like the Current of Water
Since his father was a government employee who had to relocate to different provinces regularly, Chaiyaboon was raised by his mother and cousins. Because he had to move periodically, his father, concerned about the boy's education and future, registered his son in the first grade of Talapatsuksa School, a boarding school at Sao-Shingsha in Bangkok.
This was a good fortune for this young student. The owner of the boarding school that he attended, who was of royal blood, had no children of his own. He loved the boy very much and asked his father if he could adopt him as his heir. Since Chaiyaboon was the only and beloved son of the family, his father declined the offer. However, the owner still loved him and always brought him to the Sra Pratum Palace. This allowed him to learn royalty's customs from that time forward. It also allowed him to join the school owner in making merit with monks regularly. This was the start of the boy's interest in Dhamma.
In 1950, his father received an order to relocate to Phetchaburi. Chaiyaboon had to be separated from the school owner since he was transferring to Aroonpradit School for the fourth grade. After living with his father for over a year, he moved to Sarasit Pithayalai School, a famous school in Banpong District, Rajchaburi Province. His father allowed him to stay with a kindhearted and generous teacher, Samarn Sang-Aroon, until he completed the ninth grade.
When he was thirteen, Chaiyaboon passed the competitive entrance examination to enroll in the tenth grade at Suankularb Wittayalai School in Bangkok. He was one of one hundred fifty students who passed the test from a pool of five hundred candidates. Since he was on his own most of the time, he learned how to economize and save. Therefore, this experience trained him to be vigorous, confident and responsible. He differed from other boys who grew up in wealthy families.
His childhood experiences prepared him for his important future tasks, and after long hard work, he finally reached his dream.
His Big Childhood Dreams
Chaiyaboon's Utmost Dedication to Attaining Knowledge of the World and the Start of Attaining Knowledge of Buddhism. Young Chaiyaboon was eager to acquire knowledge and was happy spending his free time gaining more knowledge at bookstands or at the markets where a variety of books could be found. He liked spending time in and around Khlong Lod and Sanam Luang, unlike other teenagers his age who only wanted to have fun all day. He could always be found wearing a t-shirt with his favorite shorts, and reading books from various bookstands.
If he found books on Dhamma, he would read them repeatedly. The more he read, the more he refined his thoughts to better understand the world's suffering. He read the biographies of important people repeatedly so that he was able to memorize all their names and contributions accurately. These prompted questions in his mind: Why were we born? What is the goal of life? These questions were too advanced for someone his age. He wrote his thoughts in a journal thirteen:
"If I were to pursue secular interests, I would want to attain the highest objective. If I were to pursue religious interests, I would like to reach the utmost Dhamma and disseminate Buddhism to the whole world." Who could have imagined that a young man's dream would come true? Because, in the present day, this person has become a revered Abbot who has brought radiance from the sun of peace through meditation and shone it across the world to peace lovers everywhere.
The Search for the Answers of Life
While attending Suankularb Wittayalai School, he had a chance to listen to Dhamma lectures from many scholars, which inspired him and his friends to establish a Buddhist Youth Society. Wherever there were Dhamma lectures, as far away as Lan Asoke at Mahathat Temple or other places, he always attended.
As he became a teenager, his appetite to learn more Dhamma increased. Whenever he had free time, he would steal away to tranquil places to contemplate the questions in his mind.
Why were we born?
Where do we go after we die?
Do merit and demerit exist?
He read and studied Buddhist texts that said that knowing only the Lord Buddha's Dhamma is not enough. It is like having only one eye. One will be only an expert in Dhamma knowledge, but whatever benefits may be gained by that is never known because it is never put into practice. Then, more questions will remain.
He regularly gazed at the vast sky as if trying to find the answers to the questions that resided deep in his mind. He differed from other people his age who were only interested in having fun, thoughts of the future and wealth, having a life partner, or other distractions. But in the determined eyes of a young boy, behind those dark glasses, he was resolute and continued his pursuit of finding answers. He continuously researched various books and sought the knowledge of many well-known scholars.
Sparks of Answers
Then, one day, he came across a book titled "Dhammakaya." This book was written in the format of a sermon by The Great Master Phramongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro) or Luang Pu Wat Paknam. There was one particular quote: "If one wants to follow in the right path of Buddhism, one has to practice until one gains complete comprehension and understanding."
The word "Dhammakaya" appealed to him. The Great Master said, "Dhammakaya is the Buddha." He even referenced a Pali term from the Tripitika:
"Dhammakayo aham itipi," (Pali)
to confirm that the Buddha is the Dhammakaya.
At the end of this book, it confirmed that Wat Paknam could teach until attaining complete comprehension and understanding. This statement delighted him because he knew he had found the right path.
Later, he read an article in "Vipassana Bantuengsarn" that spoke about the advances in meditation of Khun Mae Acariya Chandra, an expert in the Dhammakaya Meditation. She was a nun who was a disciple of Phramongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro), Luang Pu Wat Paknam. This propelled Chaiyaboon to want to learn meditation at the temple. From then on, he planned to go to Wat Paknam to study the Dhammakaya Meditation..
The Search for a Teacher
In 1963, at nineteen, he was preparing to take the entrance examination for university-level studies. The young man decided to go to Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen to meet Khun Mae Acariya Chandra and study the Dhammakaya Meditation. When he arrived at the temple, he asked different people, "Does anyone know Khun Mae Acariya Chandra?" but no one knew. They told him:
"There is no Khun Mae Acariya Chandra. There is only a Teacher Chandra." This made him think that these were two different persons. Since he couldn't find her, he concentrated on the entrance exam. He passed the exam and was accepted at Kasetsart University.
In the first semester, he was very focused on his studies. Later, at the end of the first semester, his thoughts of meeting Khun Mae Acariya Chandra resurfaced. So, he decided to go back to Wat Paknam again in October 1963, but was still unsuccessful in locating her. Later, someone suggested that, if he wanted to learn to meditate seriously, he should learn from a senior monk who would be glad to teach the Dhammakaya Meditation Technique.
After practicing meditation for a while, he discovered, from a fellow meditator of the same age, that Khun Mae Acariya Chandra was Teacher Chandra. So, he was taken to meet Teacher Chandra. Finally, they both had the opportunity to meet one another.
Discovering a teacher who illuminated Him
the Path to Peace
Khun Yay (Khun Mae Acariya Chandra) was fifty-three years old when he first met her. She looked like an ordinary nun, who was very thin but whose eyes were brilliant and bright, a sign of someone with extreme knowledge. She was firm, strong, powerful, and brimming with kindness.
Although uneducated or literate, she could answer deep Dhamma questions clearly and profoundly. Her profound answers brightened people's minds, made them stop and think, and removed them from the strong influences of the world' ways.
On their first meeting, the young man believed he had found the teacher he had been searching for for such a long time. Therefore, he requested, with confidence in her, to be her student. Later, Khun Yay told him,
"You are the one whose birth Luangpor Wat Paknam asked me to request during the World War period."
This statement was unclear to him, but Khun Yay's words were accurate since he was born during World War II. From then on, Chaiyaboon felt confident that he had chosen the right teacher because the knowledge he received from Khun Yay enabled him to address and settle everything he once questioned. This also inspired him to spread the peace found in Buddhism, to the whole world. This helped make the big dream that he had when he was a child come to fruition. If the young man had doubts or questions, he would ask Khun Yay. She could answer everything, above and beyond his expectations, which raised his spirits even higher. This encouraged him to spread Buddhist teachings and bring peace and harmony to the world.
Understanding Life's Goal
On the first day of meditation practice with Khun Yay,, the new student asked the question: "Khun Yay, do heaven and hell exist?" Khun Yay simply answered, "Yes, they both exist. Heaven and hell are real. I've been there when I went to help my father. My father went to hell because he drank alcohol daily and would get drunk. I requested the Dhammakaya's help to bring my father into heaven. Would you like to go there? I will teach you, and we can go there together."
It was a clear and direct answer that was completely different from any answers he had heard before. This indicated Khun Yay's confidence in her experience and what she knew and saw. This is because Khun Yay had meditated in the Meditation Workshop with other nuns and monks when the Great Master, Luang Pu Wat Paknam, was still alive. Luang Pu Wat Paknam selected these monks and nuns because they had a remarkable concentration in meditation. At that time, Khun Yay meditated with determination for six hours during the day and six hours at night. She had superb results from her meditation experiences, and Luang Pu Wat Paknam extolled her among other meditators: "Daughter Chandra is the best. She is second to none."
After meditating with Khun Yay for a short time, young student Chaiyaboon discovered the answers to the questions he had sought for so long: "Why were we born, and what is the true goal of life?" The results from meditation provided the answers that "we were born to pursue perfection, and Nibbana is the highest goal of everyone's life."
Perseverance in Meditation Practice
until True Peace is Obtained
He had to dedicate his life to studying Dhamma to grasp and understand the answers thoroughly. His daily life revolved entirely around meditation. Every day at 6 a.m., he would trek from Kasetsart University to Wat Paknam, which required him to take three different buses. Whether he sat or stood on the bus, he always closed his eyes and meditated until he reached Wat Paknam around 8 a.m. He would then see Khun Yay to continue the next lesson on meditation practice until 8 p.m. He returned to Kasetsart University at around 10 p.m.
Even during the early morning hours, at 3 a.m. when most of his friends slept, Chaiyaboon would wake up to meditate because of favorable silence, and his body had just enough rest. He would meditate in an area where none of his friends would see him. But, sometimes, his friends would wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. When they saw him covered under a blanket, they would be startled. As they knew that he was meditating, they did not make fun of him or tell anyone. Once his friends became more familiar with this, he invited those he was closest to to meditate with Khun Yay at Wat Paknam. Later, as his group of friends grew, his senior and junior friends followed him to the temple.
When it comes to studying at the university, an educated graduate tends to believe that well-rounded study needs to combine worldly knowledge and Dhamma knowledge. Worldly knowledge is necessary to help one earn a living. Dhamma knowledge instructs the mind to be virtuous and to ease any doubt about the secrets of life, such as, "Where do we go after we die? Do heaven and hell exist? How do we prove it?" This profound knowledge was not taught at any university but derived from the Lord Buddha's wisdom. This caused Chaiyaboon to lean towards the study of Dhamma more than studies in the classroom. Even on the day he had an examination in the morning, he would take the bus to meditate in the afternoon. He did this regularly until he graduated.
With a determined attitude towards meditation and his respect for his teacher's teachings, young Chaiyaboon excelled in his progression when it came to meditation. This pleased Khun Yay greatly. Even people who practiced meditation with Khun Yay before acknowledged his proficiency. Hence, Khun Yay was comfortable in allowing him to lead the meditation for patrons and supporters. Once he meditated deeply and attained inner peace, his confidence in the knowledge found in Buddhism continued to increase. He saw that the fruits of meditation could release human beings from suffering. He had indisputably answered the many unresolved questions he had in his mind.
Moving Towards the Saffron Robe
Later, young Chaiyaboon realized that knowledge of the world could not truly keep humankind from suffering or attaining true happiness; only the wisdom derived from meditation could help. He then decided to ask Khun Yay for permission to become ordained as a monk. Khun Yay refused his request for the ordination and urged him to finish his degree first. She reasoned,
"You have to be knowledgeable in the world and be a scholar in Dhamma, too, so that you will benefit Buddhism once you have been ordained. You can't be dependent only on Buddhism."
He respectfully followed her recommendation. Through his recollection of Khun Yay's benevolence for the kindness she bestowed with the teachings of Dhamma, along with an act to demonstrate his gratitude, on Khun Yay's birthday in 1968, Chaiyaboon wanted to present a gift to her by making a vow of truthfulness and to remain celibate for the remainder of his life. This was considered the most precious gift because, for the person who wishes to advance consistently in his meditation, it is essential to have the highest degree of purity and chastity and remove all the burdens of the life of a householder. Khun Yay was pleased with his incredible determination. She felt she hadn't wasted her efforts devoting herself to teaching and mentoring him.
In April of 1969, Chaiyaboon graduated with a Bachelor's degree with a major in Agricultural Economics. After receiving his degree, he immediately informed his father of his desire to ordain for life in the Buddhist monkhood. It took considerable time before his father accepted and rejoiced in his son's willingness to ordain since he kept his promise of completing his college education before becoming ordained. His mother also rejoiced in his ordination with great joy and delight when he asked for her permission to ordain, so that he could extend the livelihood of Buddhism. August 27, 1969, a full moon day on the ninth month of the lunar calendar, was an auspicious day as Mr. Chaiyaboon Suthipol donned the saffron robe and became a monk, as he had wished, at the chapel of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen. The Most Venerable Phrathepwarawaetee (currently, Somdejphra- maharatchamangkalajahn, Abbot of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, Thailand was his preceptor, Venerable Phrakrupipatdham- makanee was his senior examining monk (Kamavacacariya) at the ordination, and Venerable Phravicheankawee was his junior examining monk (Anusavanacariya). He received the monastic title
"Dhammajayo," which means "The victor through Dhamma."
Later on, Luangpor Dhammajayo reflected on ordination: "Ordaining as a Buddhist monk is not an easy task; just simply donning a saffron robe is not enough. One must train oneself to take 227 precepts and the daily routine of a monk's life, per monastic disciplines. If one wishes to attain full fruition fromthe merit accrued from ordaining, one must be able to be a refuge for Buddhism, not just taking refuge in Buddhism. Such solid principles are not so easily come by; one must study and train oneself to realize the significance of the Lord Buddha's teachings. Based on the aforementioned quotation, if one truly grasps the concept of Luangpor Dhammajayo's words, one will have the willpower to dedicate one's life to Buddhism. His sole purpose in becoming a monk was to spread the teachings of Lord Buddha all over the world. His ordination was a great example that allowed many followers to come and ordain as he did, and this tradition continues to this day.
Transforming the Paddy Field
into a Sacred Land
In his new life as a monk, Luangpor Dhammajayo was disciplined in the monastic codes of conduct and studied hard in the Lord Buddha's Teachings. During all this, he also regularly gave sermons to laypeople at 'Ban Dhammaprasit' (Meditation Centre in Wat Paknam) instead of Khun Yay. Until 'Ban Dhammaprasit' became so overcrowded that people had to sit in the street to be able to listen to his sermons, it was now time for the community to relocate to a more expansive area. It was up to Luangpor Dhammajayo's team, which consisted of extraordinary young men and women with a comprehensive knowledge of the world and the perseverance to complete any given task.
Magha Puja Day, February 23, 1970 (2513 B.E.), was the groundbreaking day for constructing Wat Phra Dhammakaya. The construction budget was only 3,200 baht and 80 acres of land, which Khun Ying Prayad Phaetayapongsa-Visudhadhi- bodi donated. The team helped each other build the temple, giving all their effort, working hard to their utmost capability, and willing to devote their life to Buddhism's benefit. They even economized their daily expenses by consuming simple food, which was only necessary for energy and not pleasure. Nevertheless, their hearts were still filled with encouragement that they would achieve the goal despite not being able to see any solutions at that time. One of the main problems throughout the construction was raising the necessary funds. About the construction of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Luangpor Dhammajayo stated, "With all the necessities that have been donated to the temple, laypeople have paid homage to the Triple Gems and then made a resolution prayer powered by the merit of having made these donations. Therefore, we must make full use of all necessities given. For this reason, all the construction of Wat Phra Dhammakaya has been done to withstand the test of time.
Its simplicity in design was to ensure low-cost maintenance and yet is still able to keep its refined elegance. These buildings are symbols of Buddhism for people to come and pay homage to. The chapel is an example of this simple, economical elegance. It is one of the most used buildings at Wat Phra Dhammakaya.
For instance, the concrete used to construct the chapel was not ordinary. The best sand had to be selected from the dunes on the coastline and transported up the Chao Phraya River via barges. The concrete itself also had to be of the best quality. Once the mix was available, it had to undergo rigorous testing to ensure long-lasting quality, and only when the specialist team had given its approval did the construction continue.
Even with the chapel's outer wall, the gravel used had to be selected by hand. It had to be the whitest and purest and similar in size to a grain of rice. At that time, the supporters and locals were so impressed with the attention to detail that they chipped in and helped select the gravel with their hands.
From the past until today
Wat Phra Dhammakaya today has gone through a long time for four decades with the determination to spread Buddhism for lasting peace for humanity.
Back in the day, the land on which Wat Phra Dhammakaya was founded was just a rice field stretching as far as the eye could see, glistening with the sun's flames. There were no trees, big or small, nor any permanent objects. At night, there were only dazzling stars filling the sky.
On Magha Puja Day, February 20, 1970, a group of people who believed in Buddhism consisting of Venerable Dhammajayo, at that time he had only been ordained for one year, and the Masternun Kun Yay Achan Maharattana Upasika Chan Nonyung (aged 61) and disciples had joined together to dig the first lump of soil to build the Buddhist Center for Dhamma Practice. It was built on the land donated by Khunying Prayat M.D. Phongsa Wisutthathibodi, the now-known area of 196 Rai (Buddhachak Dhamma Practice Center, received Wisungkhamsima and later changed its name to "Wat Phra Dhammakaya" on April 29, 1981) according to the concept of
"Building a temple to a true temple,
to ordain monks to be true monks
and teach people to be good people"
