Wat Phra Dhammakaya Dunedin

วัดพระธรรมกายดันนีดิน ประเทศนิวซีแลนด์

Background

Wat Phra Dhammakaya Dunedin was founded upon the great vision and initiatives of the Most Venerable Dhammajayo Bhikkhu, the abbot of the Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani, Thailand. It was his intention to share the wisdom of the Lord Buddha and the practice of the Dhammakaya meditation, first taught by the Most Venerable Phra Mongkol Thep Muni (Sodh Candasaro), to help everyone find the true inner peace within.

In 1997, the Sangha (Buddhist monks) traveled to the regions of Oceania from the Dhammakaya temple in Thailand led by Phra Palad Sudham Sudhammo (Now: Phra Sudhamma Yanvidesa, Vi.), the Sangha first arrived in Sydney, Australia, before journeying to the North and South Island (Auckland and Dunedin respectively) and also to other parts of the Pacific Islands such as the Solomon Islands.

On 22 July 2006, Phra Palad Sudham Sudhammo, together with the Sangha, were invited to travel from Auckland to Dunedin by a group of approximately twenty laypeople. Although these lay people were Thai, Chinese, and Cambodian, they united to warmly welcome the Sangha, offered them meals, and meditated together. At that home, the lay people also installed the Dhammakaya temple’s satellite packages to watch the Buddhist television program (formerly known as DMC) broadcasted from the Dhammakaya temple in Thailand. The presence of the Most Venerable Dhammajayo on the television screen was the first beacon of light in the hearts of lay people in Dunedin. The television program allowed these lay people to practice and experience the Dhamma from the Most Venerable Dhammajayo.

The missions of the Sangha were to share the Buddhist teachings with the locals and to introduce them to the Dhammakaya meditation practice. These principles and teachings were subsequently integrated into New Zealand’s education system a decade later. The 60th Dhammachai Education Foundation collaborated with the University of Otago in Dunedin. The University of Otago Academic Board granted Buddhist Studies to be part of the study program on a master's degree course on the 27th of June 2007.

Phra Palad Sudham Sudhammo and the Sangha continued to travel from the Orewa Meditation Centre to Dunedin on various Buddhist duties since then. The installation of the Dhamma’s satellite packages to their homes has continued. Not only Thai people that welcomed the program but also Cambodian, Chinese, and New Zealand families have enjoyed the broadcast. The support that the Sangha received was impressive. This might be because Dunedin has been lacking Theravada Buddhist monks about 10 years after the Cambodian temple was dismissed.

The temporary meditation center had its official opening on the 7th of September 2006, which coincided with the day of the Enlightenment of the Great master day of Phra Mongkol Thep Muni. There were 50 laypeople, consisting of Thai, Chinese, Cambodian, and New Zealanders, who came to the opening ceremony. From that day on, different monks from the Orewa Meditation Centre traveled to the temporary Dunedin Meditation Centre on regular rotations.

The first Buddha Puja (or Bucha-Kaophra ceremony) was held on the 1st October 2006 at the temporary Dunedin Meditation Centre. The ceremony was carried out at the same time as the ceremony broadcasted from Thailand. There were 60 participants who gathered to offer the Off-seasons Robes as fundings for the permanent Dunedin Meditation Centre. Soon later, with the financial support of the Vimoottanonta family and the laypeople of Dunedin, there were necessary adequate funds for a deposit of a property. The location was convenient for most, as it was only five minutes away by driving from the city.

The permanent Dunedin Meditation Centre then held its new opening ceremony on 21 January 2007 in commemoration of Master Nun Chanda Khonnokyoong’s Birthday. The Dunedin Meditation Centre was initially located on 10 Barnes Drive but later needed to relocate to 33 Barnes Drive, Caversham due to the overwhelming member of temple-goers. The Dunedin Meditation Centre thus changed its official name to "Wat Phra Dhammakaya Dunedin".