Wat Pah Nanachat

About

Wat Pah Nanachat — 'International Forest Monastery' — lies in the forests of northeast Thailand, roughly fifteen kilometres outside Ubon Ratchathani. The monastery was established in 1975 by the renowned forest master Ajahn Chah as a training ground for monastics from outside Thailand, conducted within the disciplines of the Thai Forest Tradition.

Resident monks, novices, and postulants gather here from many nations, and the working language of the community is English. The first abbot was Ajahn Sumedho, an American bhikkhu trained under Ajahn Chah at Wat Nong Pah Pong — the motherhouse from which Wat Pah Nanachat descends. From this small forest seed an international family of branch monasteries has taken root under the collective name of the Forest Sangha.

Daily life follows the rhythms set by Ajahn Chah's lineage: a 3am rising, predawn chanting and meditation in the main sala, the alms round at sunrise, a single morning meal, work practice, Dhamma reflections, and evening communal practice. Both anapanasati and the cultivation of samatha and vipassana as inseparable aspects of practice are honoured, while strict observance of the Vinaya remains the defining feature of monastic life.

Lay guests dress modestly in white, observe the eight precepts, and join the community in every part of the daily schedule.

History

The monastery emerged in response to a wave of interest from the West — particularly from the United Kingdom — in the Thai forest Theravada tradition. Ajahn Chah founded the new community in 1975 to allow non-Thais to train in his lineage without the language barrier they faced at the Thai-speaking Wat Nong Pah Pong.

Ajahn Sumedho served as its first abbot from 1975 to 1977 before leaving to establish branch monasteries in Britain, eventually founding Amaravati near London. He was succeeded by Ajahn Pabhakaro, Ajahn Jagaro, Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Jayasaro, Ajahn Nyanadhammo, and from 2007 onward by Ajahn Kevali, who has fostered a more communal monastic life.