Dhammachayo’s leadership traits evident early on
Post Today has presented another side to Phra Dhammachayo which is little known among the public except for a handful of trusted aides, including Dr Mano Laohavanich, a former monk at Wat Dhammakaya, who parted company with the temple abbot in 1998 after he could no longer tolerate his alleged misconduct.
In an exclusive interview with Post Today, Dr Mano provided some insights about the abbot of Wat Dhammakaya based on his close relationship with the monk dating back when both were classmates at Suan Kularb College. The following are excerpts:
As a student at Suan Kularb College, Phra Dhammachayo was an avid reader and his favourite place was the pavement book stalls at Sanam Luang where he could read books for free because he had no money to buy books. His favourites were autobiographies of important people in history.
“One day while studying at Mathayom 4, Phra Dhammachayo stumbled on a book about a nun, Khunyai Chan, who miraculously defused bombs. He went to see the nun at Wat Paknam where both meditated together and became close to the point that the nun supported his education up to university level where he enrolled at Kasetsart University’s economics faculty.”
Phra Dhammachayo’s leadership qualities started to shine when he was a cheerleader at Kasetsart University. “Because he had the knack of controlling thousands of people who listened to him,” he said. He was to apply this same trick to entice his followers at Wat Dhammakaya.
At Kasetsart University, Phra Dhammachayo was instrumental in a student protest demanding the expulsion of former rector, MC Chakkraphand Pensiri Chakkraphand. “He came wearing underpants, shouting at the rector to see him.”
Phra Dhammachayo’s idol was Adolf Hitler, because both were born in April — Hitler on April 21 and the monk on April 22. Hitler built up Nazism starting from German youth and, likewise, Phra Dhammachayo expanded the Dhammakaya sect by indoctrinating Thai youth.
Phra Dhammachayo thought doing business was merely a way to gain fame. Dr Mano quoted the monk as telling him he didn’t aspire to be a Supreme Patriarch but to conquer the world.
Wat Dhammakaya is Thailand’s biggest multinational organisation with 200 branches worldwide.
Dr Mano said he was told by Phra Dhammachayo in 1990 that his personal fortune was five times bigger than that of the temple and the Dhammakaya Foundation, then estimated at 10 billion baht.
There were two kitchens at the temple with one exclusively for Phra Dhammachayo, because he prefers health food.
The monk loved to look good, used body lotions and cosmetics and had a facial massage three times a day with expensive facial cream. A woman changed his bedsheets every day, and he wakes any time he likes. He didn’t go out to receive alms like other monks.
The monk is also a gifted sculptor and loves sculpting women’s bodies, he said.