Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (, ) is a royal wat ('temple') located in Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok, at the Chao Phraya River. It is part of the Maha Nikaya fraternity and is the origin of the Dhammakaya tradition. It is a large and popular temple, supported by prosperous community members.
Wat Paknam was established in 1610, during the Ayutthaya period, and received support from Thai kings until the late nineteenth century. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the temple had become nearly abandoned and had fallen into disrepair. The temple underwent a major revival and became widely known under the leadership of the meditation master Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro, who was abbot there in the first half of the twentieth century. Seven years after Luang Pu's death, became the new abbot until his death in 2021. Somdet Chuang made international headlines from 2015 onward, when his appointment as Supreme Patriarch (acting head of the Thai monastic community) was stalled and finally withdrawn, due to reasons generally interpreted as political. This has led to heated debate and protests in Thailand. As part of this process, Somdet Chuang and his assistant were accused of tax fraud. It turned out that there was not sufficient reason to charge Somdet Chuang, however. As for the charges remaining against his assistant, the latter was later acquitted due to lack of evidence, two days after Somdet Chuang's nomination as Patriarch was withdrawn.
Wat Paknam is known for its charity and a nationwide project to propagate the five precepts in Thai society. The temple is popular among mae chi (nuns). One of its mae chi, Mae chi Chandra Khonnokyoong, went on to establish another temple which later became widely known: Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Wat Paknam has an international presence and has a long history of activities and contact with Buddhists from other countries. In 2012, Somdet Chuang finished building a huge stupa at the temple, named "Maharatchamongkhon", complete with interior Buddhist art. In 2021, construction was completed of a large bronze Buddha image, placed in front of the stupa. The stupa and the statue has made the temple a popular attraction for international tourists.
History
Pre-modern times (1610–1915) Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen is a royal wat ('temple') located in Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok, at the Chao Phraya River. Wat Paknam was established in 1610, during the Ayutthaya period. Records indicate that King Suriyenthrathibodi (1703–1709) called the temple "Wat Prasat Suan Sawan"(; literally: 'temple of the heavenly garden palace'). However, the name "Wat Paknam" and "Wat Paknam at the river Bang Luang" () appear in historical documents of palace administration from 1780 onward. Paknam simply means 'lock in canal', which refers to the position of the temple. The temple was renovated at least three times, during the periods of King Taksin, Rama III, and King Chulalongkorn (eighteenth–early twentieth century). However, during the period of King Rama VI (1881–1925), the temple had greatly deteriorated and had no abbot.
Revival by Luang Pu Sodh (1916–59) In 1916, senior monk Somdet Puean assigned Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro (1884–1959) as abbot. Luang Pu Sodh was known for his charisma and outspokenness. The temple underwent a major change after he became the abbot, from a temple with only thirteen monks that was in disrepair, to a prosperous center of education and meditation practice with five hundred monks (the highest in Thailand at the time) and hundreds of mae chi. The temple became well known through Luang Pu Sodh's meditation method. Apart from teaching meditation, Luang Pu Sodh also built a school for Pali studies in 1950, which became a leading institute of the country. Luang Pu Sodh has had a lasting impact on the temple, as his teachings and guided meditations are still sold at the temple today and his promotion of Buddhist scholarship has still continued. In the time of Luang Pu Sodh, the temple became popular with and well-supported by a prosperous community of high social class, mostly from the Bangkok area. To compensate for the lack of local supporters, and at the same time dealing with the problem of local delinquent children causing trouble for the temple, Luang Pu Sodh set up a free primary school. Later, when the Thai government set up schooling all over the country, Luang Pu Sodh had the government take over the school.
Luang Pu Sodh died in 1959, and his body has been kept in a coffin. The coffin is still a major point of attraction for the temple. His remains have not been cremated, because of the large number of people still visiting the temple to pay their respects. Monastics at the temple still hold memorial ceremonies on a regular basis.