วันพุธที่ 10 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2559

Q&A : Facts about Credit Union and Wat Phra Dhammakaya.

Credit Union and Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Facts about Wat Phra Dhammakaya




1.    Question: Does Wat Phra Dhammakaya have anything to do with the alleged Klongchan Credit Union embezzlement case involving Mr.Supachai Srisupak-aksorn?

 🔊Answer:Wat Phra Dhammakaya has nothing to do with the alleged embezzlement case involving Mr. Supachai. When the controversy became known to Wat Phra Dhammakaya (the Temple), the Temple questioned Mr. Supachai as to the source of his donated money. Mr. Supachai informed that this money came from a loan he had taken from the Credit Union but that said loan had been repaid to the Credit Union in full by him. He advised that it was done appropriately in accordance with the Credit Union’s protocol as is reflected in the Credit union’s annual audit and that he had formally reported this transaction to the general meeting of the Credit Union.


2. Mr. Supuchai’s donations amounted to several hundred million Baht; was the Temple not suspicious of where the money was derived from?   

🔊Answer: Although the donations from Mr. Supachai were substantial, he was not the biggest benefactor of the Temple. There have been many donors who have contributed far greater sums of money to the Temple than Mr. Supachai. Due to the ever-increasing number of people who came from all over the world—exceeding one million individuals—to participate in religious events organized by the Temple, the Temple constantly found itself having to invest large sums of money to build facilities to accommodate these people. Mr. Supachai had expressed his wishes in helping the Temple financially. He informed the Temple that he had engaged in many business endeavors that have generated substantial profits for him. The Temple had no reason to question him. 

3. What was this money being used for?

🔊Answer: Proceeds from donations have been used in accordance with the wishes or specified intentions of donors. There are a great number of visitors coming to practice meditation at the Temple, often exceeding one million in number, during major Buddhist events. It was necessary for the Temple to provide sufficient facility to accommodate this many people. These accommodations call for a great deal of financial resources.
           
4. Why did Wat Phra Dhammakaya return Bht.684,000,000 donated by Mr. Supachai?

🔊Answer: The Temple received donations from the public openly and in good faith. These donations were put to good use following the wishes of donors. By law, the Temple had no right to use donations from the public to compensate the Credit Union. When the controversy occurred, the Supporters of the Temple were of the opinion that if the Temple allowed the controversy to persist, or to defend the case, it would affect the reputation of the Temple as well as jeopardize the financial wellbeing of the Credit Union’s members. For this reason, these Supporters had decided to organize a group to raise funds to relieve the distress of the affected Credit Union’s members. These funds were given to the Credit Union under the condition that, any time in the future, if the case against Mr. Supachai is determined that he had indeed borrowed this money from the Credit Union and has repaid the Credit Union in full as he had declared to the public, that the Credit Union will refund this money to the said Supporters of Wat Phra Dhammakaya.   

5. What is the current situation between the Credit Union and Wat Phra Dhammakaya?

🔊Answer: The Credit Union has written a letter of appreciation to the Supporters of Wat Phra Dhammakaya thanking them for their generosity in relieving the distress of the Credit Union and its members. All affected members of the Credit Union have been compensated in full even though, by law, the Temple was not required to do so because the donations have been received openly and in good faith. Proceeds from these donations were put to good use and in accordance with the wishes of donors to construct facilities to fulfill the needs of the public. There was no violation of any laws or ethics. Mr. Supachai has, in fact, donated money to several other charitable organizations including Buddhist temples and schools. None of these organizations had returned the donations given by Mr. Supachai. It was due to the kindness and compassion of the Supporters of Wat Phra Dhammakaya who took the initiative to provide reliefs for the members of the Credit Union. The situation between the Credit Union and Wat Phra Dhammakaya ended in good will and understanding. On March 26, 2015, the Temple testified to DSI as witness that it had no knowledge whatsoever of Mr. Supachai’s alleged embezzlement from the Credit Union.

6. Some scholars expressed their views that donations to the Temple should be more open and transparent than what they currently are, that all donors should disclose their sources of income. What is Wat Phra Dhammakaya’s view on this?

🔊Answer: Most charitable organizations rely on financial contributions from donors for their existence. It is inappropriate as well as insulting to question donors where the money for their donations came from.  

7. What is your view on the belief that “the more you donate, the more merit you will receive, and the better your afterlife conditions will become?”

🔊Answer: In making donations, the Buddha said that, even if the amount of donation may be small, but if the donor has a great deal of faith, the merit will be immense. Also, the money for donation must be derived through honest means in order for the merit to be abundant.


“One should make charitable contribution up to the full limits of one’s faith 
without causing distress to oneself and others."
Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya Wat Phra Dhammakaya

ไม่มีความคิดเห็น: