Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen

Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
Shown within Bangkok
Basic information
Geographic coordinates	13°43′19″N 100°28′14″E / 13.721956°N 100.470483°E / 13.721956; 100.470483
Affiliation	Buddhism
Country	Thailand

Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (Thai: วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ, rtgs: Wat Paknam Phasicharoen) 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 Movement. It is a large temple which is quite popular and well-supported by a prosperous community of high social class.

Wat Paknam was established in the Ayutthaya period. The temple became widely known because 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, Somdet Chuang Varapuñño became the new abbot. 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onward, when his appointment as Supreme Patriarch (acting head of the Thai monastic community) was stalled and finally withdrawn, due to reasons generally interpreted as political.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.

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 chis (nuns). One of its mae chis, 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". The stupa has made the temple a popular attraction for international tourists.