sonictravels wrote:Hello,
Does anyone have any information about Wat Tha Ma O? I cannot locate a website which may suggest it wouldn't be easy to ordain there as an english speaker..
Thanks
http://www.wattamaoh.com/home/index.php
I spent a week at Wat Tammahoh. It's Burmese, not Thai. I asked about ordination and they said it wouldn't be a problem. The Ajahn is very old (if he's still alive) and doesn't speak English, but the head monk does quite well.
The main function of Wat Tamaoh is to teach Pali to monks getting ready to take the state Pali exams. Most of the monks I saw there were young Burmese kids. It's a nice place, kinda small and in the suburbs of Lampang. The morning pindabat isn't hard, and it's a quiet neighborhood. I was there about 4 years ago, and they didn't have Internet access at that time. They do have a library with a limited, but interesting, selection of English books.
If I ordain a second time, Wat Tamaoh tops my (current) list of places to go. After you have settled in and learned how to behave as a monk, you can get permission to spend
vassa at forest monasteries, if that's your inclination. If I were to go back, I'd ordain there and then go to the International Buddhist College in Sanklaburi for Ph.D studies.
The wat has English and Thai language classes for the young monks, too. As of four years ago, a Thai woman taught them both languages. If I were to ordain there, I'd volunteer to teach English to the other monks. The young ones are mostly very poor refugees who ordained as a means to get an education, food, shelter, etc. They're well supported by the local Thais, and the wat has a very good reputation. When I was trying to find it, all I had to say was "Wat Tamaoh" and everybody I talked to quickly pointed me in the right direction.
Best of luck!