Wat What? Wat

I did promise more info about the Wat. Wat, is a common SE Asian term for temple... and likely one of the more common venues for Theravada Buddhism in your area. Typically home to one or more monks/bhikkus/bhantes/ajahns... chances are you'll find help for your practice there. With a little help from the internet (namely buddhanet's directory) I found a local Wat back in my early twenties... after reading various books, and practicing on my own, I felt the need to incorporate a teacher in my practice, and it seemed the logical place to start. Sure enough, I was fortunate enough to find my teacher, Prah Ajahn Suriyan, there. A disciple of Luang Ta Maha Boowa (a very popular master of the Thai Forest Tradition) Ajahn Suriyan is the gentle type... and at the time of our meeting had an extremely limited grasp of the English language, which oddly enough didn't pose as much of a challenge as you might think... in fact, it may have even been an asset... as many of my questions were met with a simple knowing smile... encouraging me to seek answers from within. Through patience, compassion and tons of metta (and a little help from pocket translators, and ESL efforts from yours truly), the Wat and Ajahn Suriyan have been the most import factors to my practice (aside from the Buddha/Dhamma, of course). He and other monks from the wat fostered my interest in Buddhism and meditation... offering retreats, instruction, countless Dhamma books/tapes, opportunity for ordination into the sangha, tools (such as the mala I use today)... and most importantly, a sterling example in behavior, and in practice. Ajahn Suriyan is now abbot of Wat Buddhasamakidham (www.watbsd.com) in southeast Columbus, Ohio. Where he and two other monks (another Thai, and a Tibetan Lama), serve the local community.