The Success of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma Propagation Program in the Age of Globalization

Abstract

This is a research on the success of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma propagation program in the age of globalization with the purposes to 1) study the success of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma propagation program in the age of globalization, 2) analyze the factors contributing to this success, and 3) propose a model of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma propagation in the age of globalization. This research was conducted by mixed methods. The qualitative research employed the in-depth interviews of 29 key informants which selected by purposive sampling who played important roles in organizing and managing the programs at Wat Phradhammakaya. The quantitative research was employed 376 samples using Taro Yamane's formula. The samples were selected by stratified sampling and simple random sampling from the people who were trained in the program from eight provinces. The research tool was a questionnaires. The data were analyzed by analytic induction and statistical analysis, namely percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

The research findings were as followed:

1) The success of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma propagation program in the age of globalization reflects achievement in four areas which are (1) in respect of Dhamma, the program customizes basic core teachings to be able to be used in people's daily life and also uses the language that is easily to understand, (2) in respect of personnel, it integrates current knowledge of human resource management and core Buddhist tenets with basic training principles, i.e., the three core virtues and the five-room theory, as guideline for the training program, (3) in respect of Buddhist ceremony, it preserves Buddhist cultural activities for future generations, and (4) in respect of religious structures, the program's priority has been focused on having facilities that are sturdy, durable, inexpensive and most beneficial.

2) The core Dhamma used in the training, combined with administrative management of the program, and the faith of the participants are elements that contribute to the success of Wat Phra dhammakaya's Dhamma propagation program in the age of globalization.

3) The model of success of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma dissemination program in the age of globalization was achieved by emphasizing core tenets in Buddhism such as moral development (sila), mental development (bhavana), and wisdom (panya) as guideline for the training. The success indicates the leadership of the Abbot's in conceiving the program and the working team's ability in converting it into another important program of the temple.

1) The success of Wat Phradhammakaya's Dhamma propagation program in the age of globalization reflects achievement in four areas which are (1) in