The Dhammayatra Project is the great walking pilgrimage of monks that welcomes the New Year at Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Held in the New Year season, the pilgrimage carries monks on foot from one province to the next, offering alms, and it is associated with the teaching of Luang Pu Wat Paknam.
When does the Dhammayatra Project take place?
The pilgrimage takes place in the New Year season, usually in January. The exact route and dates are arranged year by year with the participating temples, so visitors should confirm the current schedule with the temple before travelling.
Because the route changes, the important thing to understand is the shape of the event rather than a fixed calendar date. The monks walk, they accept alms from the public, and they arrive at Wat Phra Dhammakaya to complete the journey.
What a walking pilgrimage involves
Walking in Dhammayatra is a deliberate discipline. Monks travel without motorised transport, in a group that moves together, and they follow a route agreed in advance with every temple they pass through.
Walkers rest and eat at the monasteries along the way, which means the route is a chain of hospitality rather than a march from start to finish. Laypeople join by offering food, by helping at the overnight stops, or simply by coming out to give alms when the group passes.
Alms-giving, lantern lighting and robe offerings
Alms-giving is the core of the event. People place food into the monks’ alms bowls as the group passes, and the offering is made with both hands and with the three refuges in mind.
Alongside the alms, the project is associated with two further acts of generosity. Lantern lighting is offered so that the new year begins in light rather than in darkness, and robe offerings are dedicated to the walking monks for the duration of the route.
Why the Dhammayatra is linked to Luang Pu Wat Paknam
The Dhammayatra tradition is associated with Luang Pu Wat Paknam, who encouraged the practice of welcoming a new year through walking and alms rather than through celebration alone. He argued that beginning the year in motion, in the company of monks and with an open hand, sets a different tone for the months ahead.
That teaching is the reason the project is held at Wat Phra Dhammakaya and why it is timed to the New Year.
How to join — on site
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is at Khlong Sam, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120. Visitors who wish to offer alms when the group arrives should be at the designated area early, and should prepare food that can be handed over quickly so that the monks are not delayed.
Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes before entering the ordination hall and the Cetiya. If you would like to help along the route rather than only at the temple, contact the Dhammayatra organisers in advance, as volunteers are assigned to specific overnight stops.
How to join online
Live coverage is shared through the temple’s Line OA “@dhammakaya” account and the official Facebook page, and is also broadcast by the DMC channel. Online participants commonly dedicate merit, follow the route as it progresses, and join in the lantern lighting at the temple.
Preparing for the day
- Confirm the current route with the organisers, as it changes each year.
- Prepare simple food that can be offered quickly to the alms bowls.
- Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered.
- Contact ahead if you wish to volunteer along the route.
Plan your merit-making all year
The Dhammayatra Project is one of many merit-making events at the temple. See the Dhammakaya Merit Calendar to plan your year of dana, sila, and bhavana.
References
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