Is Dhammakaya a Cult, a Sect, or Just Another Temple? (2.12)
The Bangkok Podcast26 Joulu 2016

Is Dhammakaya a Cult, a Sect, or Just Another Temple? (2.12)

We're super happy to welcome back a popular guest from season 1 of the Bangkok Podcast - our veritable friend Phra Pandit. As a long-time monk in Thailand and noted lecturer on dhamma, Buddhism, meditation, and deep thought, Pandit is a great source if insight and information.

(Direct download .mp3)

On this show we (well, Greg, as Evo is traveling) will talk with Pandit about what happens when a particular Buddhist temple becomes really big. So big, in fact, that the government wants to shut it down. In this case it's the Dhammakaya temple, which has millions of devotees all over Thailand and is led by a rather controversial monk. As of the date of this post, police have been camped outside the temple for several weeks as deadline after deadline for the surrender of the head monk have come and gone and nothing's happened. It's kind of like the world's most boring standoff...but something's got to give eventually. Pandit gets into some details on the political machinations behind the target on the temple's back, as well as why the stakes are so high for the temple's head abbot, the magic ingredient that lets a temple go from being popular to a nationwide social phenomenon - and just how many people does Dhammakaya's 'flying saucer' meditation area hold, anyway? (Hint: a lot. Check out the picture of the saucer area below). Don't forget to leave a comment or tweet to us – @BkkGreg or @EvoTerra!

Jaksot(561)

Western Weddings vs Thai Weddings: Which is More Fun? [S7.E75]

Western Weddings vs Thai Weddings: Which is More Fun? [S7.E75]

Greg and Ed discuss a fascinating question: Are Thai weddings or American weddings more fun? The question was raised after Greg attended the wedding of friend of the podcast Daniel Fraser. As everyone...

17 Kesä 202527min

Thai Tourism: Is the Downward Trend Here to Stay? [S7.E74]

Thai Tourism: Is the Downward Trend Here to Stay? [S7.E74]

Greg and Ed discuss the recent troubling decrease in overall Thai tourism numbers. In general, since COVID, the Thai tourism industry has bounced back quite well, and projections were that 2025 number...

10 Kesä 202531min

Stolen English: A Few Words That Thai Has Fully Thai-ified [S7.E73]

Stolen English: A Few Words That Thai Has Fully Thai-ified [S7.E73]

Greg and Ed tackle a frustrating aspect of learning Thai - borrowed English words that are pronounced according to the rules normally applied to native Thai words. Ed makes clear they are not just tal...

3 Kesä 202545min

Making Thai Subtitles: Culture, Slang & Curse Words [S7.E72] (Classic ReCast)

Making Thai Subtitles: Culture, Slang & Curse Words [S7.E72] (Classic ReCast)

In this month's Classic Recast, Greg interviews Palm, a professional translator of English to Thai, but in a very specific context: subtitles for film and television. Palm begins by explaining that sh...

27 Touko 202537min

Are Int'l School Fees a Scam? Stu Jay Raj Crunches the Numbers [S7.E71]

Are Int'l School Fees a Scam? Stu Jay Raj Crunches the Numbers [S7.E71]

After his latest video dropped and generated a lot of buzz, Greg and Ed interview Stu Jay Raj, the podcast's Thai language expert, but this time Stu explains his new video and website discussing the c...

20 Touko 202558min

A Few Western Staples Thai Cuisine Refuses to Embrace [S7.E70]

A Few Western Staples Thai Cuisine Refuses to Embrace [S7.E70]

Thai cuisine is remarkably good at adopting flavors and ingredients into its fold, but there are some that just have not made the cut. In a city where you can find almost any type of food from around ...

13 Touko 202537min

Phra Pandit Joins to Discuss the Mixing of Monks and Politics [S7.E69]

Phra Pandit Joins to Discuss the Mixing of Monks and Politics [S7.E69]

Greg interviews Phra Pandit about Buddhist monks and politics. Greg begins by framing the issue around the recent tumultuous nature of politics around the world. Could Buddhist calmness provide an an...

6 Touko 202549min

Gotcha! Ten Situations When the Score is Bangkok 1, You 0 [S7.E68] (Classic Recast)

Gotcha! Ten Situations When the Score is Bangkok 1, You 0 [S7.E68] (Classic Recast)

Bangkok's a big city that's got her own rules. You can try to fight them, but in the end, in certain situations, no matter how much you beg and plead, Bangkok wins, and you lose. Greg and Ed discuss t...

29 Huhti 202543min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
sita
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
i-dont-like-mondays
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
uutiscast
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
rss-nikotellen
kolme-kaannekohtaa
rss-murhan-anatomia
mamma-mia
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
aikalisa
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-haudattu
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
mystista
loukussa