"We wear the same clothes so we're all equal" Also "June bought the front seats"

I love this reporter so much. He is always so respectful of other cultures and you can tell he sees these people as actual people and not a story to exploit.

Never trust any so call holy person who wears designer sunglasses.

All I can focus on is how the temple in the background of the ceremony looks like a UFO.

Reporter: I'm hoping to blend in with the crowd. Reporter in the crowd: *only tall white guy in a 50 mile radius*

pretty much every reporter i've seen on this channel has been extremely kind and respectful to the people they're interviewing, but especially this reporter. i really appreciate how he doesn't get snarky with the people and stays polite even if he 110% disagrees. keep up the good work y'all!

This is the Worst nirvana gig ever ... wtf literally no decent guitar riffs.

That poor man. You can see the pain and the sadness in his eyes. Too many people have been lost to false prophets and promises.

I guess Buddhism isn't immune from the "prosperity gospel" poison.

"Well believe me, I have a mole." Dang chills, man.

What the professor said is true. Buddhism promotes giving, but only to the extent that is reasonable to one's capability. Giving includes monetary donation, but it shouldn't be the main thing. The main thing is to improve oneself to be a better person by being less susceptible to greed, anger and delusions. This is a lifetime process. It looks like the abbot had cleverly deceived the followers by focusing on monetary donations. The path to Nirvana cannot be reached by monetary donations alone, one must practise the path to purity.

The irony is crazy! Donate to not be poor in the next life, but your draining your funds in this life...

What is with cult leaders and bad sunglasses choices

Ah, so Thailand's own version of Scientology. Rich people more than welcome!

I understand that for Theravada Buddhists, letting go of the things that hold you to this existence is part of the path to enlightenment (see: money, sex, anger, power, etc.). However, why can't this sect's followers see that building grandiose temples is just as bad, being that it's also a form of attachment?

The church is a business. Religions are form of businesses

Buddhism has been turned into a money making tool in many countries. I live in Vietnam, just next to Thailand. Many of the once humble but "highly spiritual" temples here are been reconstructed to look like some kind of castles. Of course they are built from a massive amount of donation and have always had "big hands" like corporates or people from the government that give them even more money, which is actual money laundering under the cover of "donation". Their monks, who always advice people to give away and live a humble life, live a wealthy life, wear Cartier and eat in 5 star restaurants. So I'm not even surprised to watch this documentary. I've visited Thailand and always knew that behind all of these massive, wealthy temples, there's something more to tell. It's all messed up nowadays.

they aren’t following Buddhism, they’re just doing business.

So basically it's the old "prosperity gospel" but within buddhism. Come spend money to get even more money in our premium spiritual casino!

Not exactly what the Buddha envisioned from his teachings. 🤦‍♂️

Very far from true buddhism. Scam

"I donated my husband" Ok...

There’s a ‘branch’ in Azusa, CA. I went as a kid, forced by my aunts and uncles. My parents saw it as a cult, but was later converted. They use to try and recruit. Telling us to bring our friends. This temple does not care for its people they just care about money. My grandmother gave this place all her money in order for them to purchase a mansion. My grandmother was a refugee. She sold her land from her homeland. She did not receive any government benefits until later on in life. They convinced her to donate. She donated everything. The temple use to sell pendants based on how much you donated. The followers would always try and up one another basically using these Chinatown pendants as a flex item to show how much they donated. The temple didn’t care that she didn’t have an income. They just said to donate everything. In Asian culture, when your parents get older, the kids take of their elders. They knew they’d be able to get more money out of my grandmother through her kids. They took the money and turned the mansion into this goudy joke. They prey on the followers saying the more you donate the better your life will be. Asked my family if their life has been better, they all respond with ‘no, because we haven’t donated enough.’ Red flags everywhere. Stay away. 17:30 is what happened to my grandmother and my family.

I could already tell from the thumbnail which cult (yes, cult) he's talking about. They are notorious in Thailand for essentially doing shit like "selling" positions in heaven, as in, donate x amount of money to get to y level of heaven. It's obvious to anyone outside the mega cult the absolutely ridiculous nature of their teachings, religious or otherwise.

ATM machines at the temple?!

"modern Buddhism for modern times" meanwhile they got flag from the time of the roman empire. yeah no, that is not modern times, you need some sick neon signs.

"I am God..." - Surely no God in Buddhism?

Imagine how much money she makes by selling uniforms to all those followers.

It's quite smart for the leader to disappear- he's not a visible person to the followers, merely a myth, a whisper, an idea. It helps him achieve the goal of being God-like by becoming something intangible to the followers (even if people sorta know where he is).

i thought this was about nirvana the band

It’s the Jim Jones sunglasses for me lmao

TBH tho, "money-obsessed cult" are a good way to describe a lot of religious organizations

Best reporting I've seen in decades. No condescension and very little in the way of personal feelings on the part of the journalist. Everyone who has a stake in the situation gets a fair shake, the chance to tell their side. Thanks for a great job done.

When I was in Thailand, the local dealer actually lived with the Monks, in a temple. He would offer all the tourists "things" on a daily. Madness.

Meanwhile the church is exempt from paying taxes while they pass around "donation bowls".

The Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Joel Osteen, Jim Jones. etc..of Buddhism???

The guy who lost his wife to the cult I feel sorry for him.

Coming out with so many videos lately thank you so much!! My favorite channel

Fantastic. Cult leaders, Intrigue, corruption and love - the reporters brother, Louis Theroux would give this a thumbs up too!

The Doctor reminded me of Varys from Game of Thrones. “How do you know he’s there?” “Oh believe me.” (I have little birds.)

Watching this a realising my mum belongs to this sect... Time to get her out.

Great video as always 😊💕

With COVID going on I wouldn't feel so safe around all those people.

Every episode is so interesting, Really good work guys!

So many hungry and deserving people that those donations could help 😥

It’s amazes me people fall for such bull

When I lived in Bangkok , one day they shut down a major road in sapaan Mai and monks were walking in a big parade and people were throwing flower petals at their feet. I’d never seen this before so I asked an old man ‘what’s going on here?’ And he said ‘they’re blocking the damn traffic that’s what’s going on!’ I was so shocked because Thai people were very respectful to monks and then I asked my mother-in-law and she explained that it was a new group of monks and many people disliked the way they interpreted Buddhism and thought the were fake monks. It’s a real shame and the other two groups of Buddhist in Thailand should come out and say that they don’t recognize this group as Buddhists before they ruin Buddhism in the eyes of the lay followers.

There’s a Buddhist temple near where I work. I’ve driven by it countless times. Super beautiful building with really unique architecture for middle TN.

Giving donation meaning reduce selfishness in current life or even at that moment of giving. It is not suppose to get rich in next life or show off or expecting good karma in return. If selfishness is not reduced or even becomes more selfish, then stop the donation. Choose other ways like meditation, study Buddhism, volunteer works and so on.

7:11 completely unrelated but his dude speaks extremely eloquently and seems very intelligent Edit: also shouldn't you guys have blurred his face? He's saying a lot of things against a large, powerful and financially influential organisation, bit worried for the dude

Prey of the temple not just temples it appeals to every religious org with establishments. Feeding off of hard earned money of good people.

How anyone can be so blind.... Not able to understand

I really thank you for all of your content, for the respect of each culture and the great investigative content. 🙏✌️❤️

In Buddhism beliefs, accusing a monk embezzling money from the Sangha without any reasonable doubt is the worst karma one can obtain in any life time. Therefore, for those people to accuse the Abbot such wrongdoings, their story must have at least half the truth in it.

Tbh that last shot before the credits looks very much like a Nazi ceremony. I think it’s the banners, they look very similar to the ones the Nazis used

Please post more episodes!! :)

Tell me those flags, the night parades and the thousand years thing don’t sound familiar...

I feel so bad for that 65 yr old guy breaks my heart ! And yes evil cult like Scientology !

I do not know the reporter and his work group but in all the videos they are always very professional and with a high quality of content. I love this channel

So we are just gonna ignore that a man ( the husband ) was donated 🤔 now thats big pimpin

Isn't this pretty much every religion? Have you seen how rich some "pastors" are Edit: I mean in terms of making money, Dhammakaya took it to the extreme, the way it's set up is like casino or chuck e cheese but instead of games, it is meditation.

Dhamakaya is business.​Well​ organized.​Not, the​ real Budbism.

Thanks for documentary.

Abbot "DiMaggio", sounded like an Italian Mafia boss, and there he was, laundering stolen cash, wore sunglasses like the Mafia Godfather and hard to find..

Never stop making videos Marcel

A threat to Buddhism, the sect must be eradicated

the guy where his wife pics were cut out of the album :(

The abbot's name sounds like an Italian mafioso 😂

It's written "Path to heaven" On the donation box,, just wow

This is so western that it actually hurts to see Buddhist Hindu people going in this direction. Please stop. Be it Nirvana or Moksha is upon individual actions not on some temple or sect to give you that liberation

I hope this channel gets the attention it deserves soon

I think the vinaya, the rule of conduct that the Buddha left for his disciples) says that monks aren’t even allowed to touch money.

That ending scene looked like a shot from a dystopian movie. Scary it is.

Better title will get more views, but amazing reportage

Jehovah's Witness but make it Buddhist.

Poor june, wonder what the gate keepers will say when she shows them her proud medals and paperwork.

20:22 "In this country, money can buy anything". That is in all countries. Money can buy most things in all Countries.

🐼 Big Bear Hugs from a 67 yr old grandma in Kirby, Texas, USA 🐼..

1:03 there is a child on his IPad during the prayers lol

Finally a new upload

£300,000?!? I’m sorry, I get how a cult works, but if you’re my spouse and you’ve seen how hard I’ve worked day in and day out for that money and you give it away like that, we’re on bad terms FOR LIFE

"Well believe me... *stares into the distance* ...i have a mole... *puts on mask* ... so drive on"

Scam.

No difference from been called and been told you have won $1 million!

I pray may Buddha eliminate the ignorance from this word.

I live in the Dominican Republic and I'm interested in your episode ''Dominican Republic: Evil in Paradise'', I want to spread awareness about the problem of child prostitution we have, but I need a version with Spanish subtitles or a way to download the video to add them myself. Please reach to me, it would be a great help if the people who have to watch that video the most can actually understand what they are saying. I think it should be an option for all this documentaries to be sub in the language of the country you are talking about, if you want to promote real change. Sorry for posting on an unrelated video, I don't know how else to contact you guys.

There are so many of such people in India bringing out these supposedly "special /long lost" techniques and starting massive cults.

Watching from Nagaland give thumbs up like

This is such old news. Spent my teenage years at this temple in the U.S. These accusations against the abbot started about 8 years ago.

Very good video thanks

I could listen to Marcel’s voice forever

Damn now that I see this. I dont think i can go back home and see my uncles and aunts. They literally go to this temple and worship him... I didn't think it was that bad. I thought it was just another rich temple.

I saw the banners with the eagles wings that look exactly like Nazi banners from WWII. Suddenly makes sense.

Bruh thats the scariest thing to happen in relationship.

It's him again! 😊😊 More power!

People were critical to the ways of obtaining donation. But the essense of the Dhammakaya is the precious meditation method of attaining the 'direct experience' of Jhana and Wisdom through the samatha and Vipassana stages. It is a precious tradition derived from the lost tradition of esoteric Theravada. As a Buddhist who study serenity and insight meditation, vijja Dhammakaya method is very precious.

As a Buddhist this hurts 😢

Anyone who has any decent background in Buddhism knows that monks are not allowed to touch money. There are 227 precepts observed by a monk. The 10th is not to touch gold, silver, or currency.

Once a religion is asking it’s believers to “Donate” sure. But, if they say you’ll be blessed and live a higher life if you donate, that is no religion, that is a CULT. Donation is a means of helping, not to use as means of taking advantage of the false delusion of “self fulfillment.”

I'm that kid who's playing with his phone in the beginning 🤤