Within the Thai Forest Tradition, a small number of monasteries have come to serve as emblematic gateways for practitioners around the world. At the heart of this network in Thailand stand Wat Pah Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat in Ubon Ratchathani province. Wat Pah Pong, founded by Ajahn Chah, functions as the mother monastery for a large constellation of branch monasteries and hermitages. Wat Pah Nanachat, sometimes called the International Forest Monastery, was established specifically to accommodate non‑Thai monastics and has become a primary point of contact for those approaching the tradition from abroad. Together, these two monasteries embody the classical forest training while also making it accessible to an international audience.

Beyond these central Thai monasteries, several other communities have become widely recognized as expressions of the same meditative current in different cultural settings. In the West, Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England, founded by Ajahn Sumedho, and Cittaviveka (Chithurst Buddhist Monastery), also in England, stand as early and influential Western monasteries in this lineage. In North America, Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in California has become a key center, offering the forest training in a Western context. These monasteries preserve the contemplative rigor of the Thai Forest Tradition while translating its forms and teachings into environments far removed from the original forests of Northeast Thailand.

Other monasteries and hermitages, though perhaps less institutionally central, are nonetheless well known among practitioners and seekers. Wat Marp Jan in Thailand is often associated with this living stream of practice and is frequently visited by international laypeople. Wat Tam Wua Forest Monastery in Mae Hong Son province has become popular among those seeking meditation retreats in a forest setting. Wat Metta in California, founded by Ajahn Amaro, also reflects the spread of this tradition into Western soil. Through these places, the Thai Forest emphasis on direct meditative experience, simplicity, and disciplined monastic life has quietly taken root in many corners of the world.

Taken together, these monasteries and hermitages form a kind of contemplative map for those drawn to the Thai Forest approach. Each community reflects a shared commitment to meditative depth and renunciant training, yet each also reveals how the tradition adapts to differing cultures and languages without losing its core. For many practitioners, contact with one of these monasteries—whether in rural Thailand or in a Western country—serves as a living introduction to the ethos of the forest: seclusion, mindfulness, and a direct, experiential engagement with the Dhamma.