<P> In 2006 the Attorney - General withdrew the charges against Luang Por Dhammajayo, stating that there was insufficient reason to pursue the case any further . Luang Por Dhammajayo's position as an abbot was subsequently restored . When Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was in power, the temple was often accused of having close ties to him, influencing his policies and eventually causing him to stop the lawsuits against the temple . The temple denied any political relationship . Scholars and political commentators were not in agreement as to whether the temple is related to PM Thaksin and the Red Shirts political group, and if so, to what extent . Some major supporters of the temple were also publicly known to be members of the Yellow Shirts political group, PM Thaksin's political opposition . </P> <P> From 2008 onward, the temple extended its youth activities to include a training course in Buddhist practice known as V - star, and a yearly national day of Buddhist activities . One year later, Wat Phra Dhammakaya expanded its temporary ordination program by making it nationwide . In this program, the participants were trained in thousands of temples spread over Thailand, but ordained simultaneously at Wat Phra Dhammakaya . As part of the ordination programs, Wat Phra Dhammakaya started to organize pilgrimages passing important places in the life of Luang Pu Sodh . The pilgrimages stirred up resentment however, because it was very noticeable, allegedly caused traffic jams, and a debate started as to whether it was going against tradition . Eventually, the temple stopped the pilgrimages . Despite the resistance, as of 2010, Wat Phra Dhammakaya was the fastest growing temple of Thailand . </P> <P> The temple came under heavy scrutiny again after the 2014 coup d'état . Following the coup, the military junta set up the National Reform Council, with a religious committee seeking to make several changes in the Thai Sangha . These changes were led by former senator Paiboon Nititawan (th), then monk and former infantryman Phra Suwit Dhiradhammo (th) (known under his activist name Phra Buddha Issara), and former Wat Phra Dhammakaya monk Mano Laohavanich . Phra Suwit objected to the nomination of Somdet Chuang Varapuñño, the monk who ordained Luang Por Dhammajayo, as the next Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, and successfully held a petition to stop it . </P> <P> In 2015 the temple was implicated in the Klongchan Credit Union controversy when 11.37 billion baht was taken out of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative (KCUC) via unauthorized checks, of which a portion totaling more than a billion baht was found to have been given to Wat Phra Dhammakaya via donations . Spokespeople of Wat Phra Dhammakaya said that Luang Por Dhammajayo was not aware that the donations were illegally obtained . Despite an informal agreement between the temple and the credit union that had settled the situation, Luang Por Dhammajayo was summoned to acknowledge the charges of ill - gotten gains and conspiring to money - laundering at the offices of the DSI . The temple requested the DSI to let him acknowledge his charges at the temple due to his deep vein thrombosis, a request the DSI refused . When Luang Por Dhammajayo failed to appear at the DSI office to acknowledge his charges authorities launched several failed raids of the temple to search for the honorary abbot and laid hundreds of additional charges on the temple . The standoff has been described as the only major demonstration against the junta since the coup, a rare sight for a ruling junta that has silenced most opposition since seizing power . </P>

Golden peace pagoda of the theravada sect of buddhism is located