Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Buddhist temple in Khlong Sam, Thailand
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a Buddhist temple in Khlong Sam made up of a central dome structure and sprawling buildings surrounded by groomed gardens. The complex includes several meditation halls, ceremony plazas, and pathways that wind through lawns and artificial ponds.
The temple was founded in 1970 by Phramonkolthepmuni to create a site for meditation and Buddhist teaching outside traditional monasteries. The complex grew over the following decades as followers came seeking a new form of Buddhist practice.
The temple takes its name from the meditation method taught here, which practitioners follow in group sessions while wearing white and sitting in orderly rows across its open plazas. This form of devotion becomes visible during public ceremonies, when thousands of people meditate together and create a quiet atmosphere across the grounds.
Joining meditation sessions or ceremonies requires white clothing, which can be borrowed on site if you arrive without it. The grounds are large and you should bring comfortable shoes, as many areas are reached only on foot.
The dome is covered with one million small Buddha statues arranged in geometric patterns that shimmer gold in the sunlight. This arrangement becomes especially clear from the air and reveals the symmetry of the entire complex.
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