Due to the temple's early activities having a large number of students joining and students in the 1970s tending to be leftist, for a brief period Wat Phra Dhammakaya was accused of supporting the Communist insurgency in Thailand. Although originally intended as a satellite meditation center of Wat Paknam, the center eventually became an official temple in 1977. The temple was originally called "Wat Voranee Dhammakayaram", but was renamed "Wat Phra Dhammakaya" in 1982. Wat Phra Dhammakaya gained great popularity during the 1980s (during the Asian economic boom). The temple emphasized values of prosperity, modernity and personal development, which made it attractive for the middle class, especially during times of quick cultural and social changes. During this period the temple became more involved in social activities, such as promoting blood donations, and began organized Buddhist training programs for both the private and public sector. By the mid-1980s, the temple was attracting up to fifty thousand people on major ceremonies. Wat Phra Dhammakaya started expanding the temple grounds significantly starting in 1984. In the 1980s and 1990s the temple became known for promoting Buddhist education and scholarship and also began building up relationships with Buddhist organizations outside of Thailand, with Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan declaring each other sister temples in 1994. In 1992, the temple started to found its first branch centers, in the United States, Japan and Taiwan. First clash with government (1997–2000) In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis the temple came under heavy criticism following the miracle controversy, when the temple claimed that a miracle was witnessed at their meditation event where the sun disappeared and a golden statue or a crystal was appeared in the sky. It also reported miraculous occurrences in the lives of its supporters. Wat Phra Dhammakaya was also seen to have right-wing sympathies for its links to some government and military officials. The main criticism was that the temple was using fundraising methods that did not fit in with Buddhism and the temple had become too capitalistic. Although many of these methods and teachings were not unique to Wat Phra Dhammakaya, the criticism came at a moment when the temple had become very noticeable due to its size, its high-profile supporters, and due to the project of building the Dhammakaya Cetiya at the time, which required a lot of funds. All of this occurred against the