StoneSoup Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Check out this photo-essay about Dhammakaya Buddhism in Thailand: Link 'Reminds me of North Korean spectacles. Flasher - what is your take on this movement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizardKing Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Great photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous God Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 If you search the archives you'll pics I did there about 6 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that looks like a UFO has landed. Dhammakaya is a Buddhist sect that sort of reminds me of the Jimmy Swaggart and Kim Bakker kind of evangelicals. Dhammakaya gets slammed for its apparent emphasis on money - that somehow the more you give, the more merit you make. It is certainly a far cry from what the Buddha taught, but then most Christian denominations have strayed so far from Jesus's teachings that they hardly deserve the name Christian any more. Dhammakaya is a fascinating sect however - fascinating in trying to figure out what is going on in its members' minds. The Buddhist Sangha in Thailand despises Dhammakhaya and would love to shut it down, but in reality Buddhism has many sects and branches. No reason to single out Dhammakaya when the Amithaba Buddhists are just as strange - and they are here too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozpharlap Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Once they stray from the normal religious teaching path are they then just simply a sect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 A "sect" in western usage generally means a group that is outside the norm, sort of non-mainstream. It doesn't mean it is bad, just considered sort of odd. I suppose it is more of a value judgement by non-members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozpharlap Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Agreed, however I did not cast any dispersion as to whether those organizations raised herein were good or bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dumsoda Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 LOL To coin an Aussie phrase..... Sitting on the fence....just puts splinters up your arse... 5555555 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 A "sect" in western usage generally means a group that is outside the norm, sort of non-mainstream. It doesn't mean it is bad, just considered sort of odd. I suppose it is more of a value judgement by non-members. Yep, the negative meaning of "sect" is especially a Christian thing. In medieval times the pope preferred to kill anybody (sectarian) who did not follow the catholic teachings by the book (Cathar, e.g.). Buddhists seem to be much more relaxed in regard to this matter. Buddhist sects coexist more or less peacefully since hundreds of years. By the way in Japan every citizen belongs _at least_ to two different religious groups: They marry Shintoist and are being buried by Buddhists. Hard to understand for a Christian... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Except that Tibetan Guddhism had its warrior monks, just as the Chin ese had Shaolin monks kicking the crap out of everybody. If that isn't a contradiction of Buddhism, I don't know what is. The Last Warrior Monk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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