One-Day Camp at Wat Lao Buddha Khanti
Saturday, February 21, 2026 | 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Schedule (may be subject to change)
We're thrilled to announce an extraordinary year of teachings, as we warmly welcome Buddhist masters and practitioners from diverse traditions to share their wisdom, compassion, and unique practices with our community.
Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan
Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan is the abbot of Wat Lao Buddha Khanti in Snellville, Georgia, where he serves the Lao Buddhist community and the wider public through teachings, ceremonies, and compassionate care. Known for his humility and dedication to peace, he offers guidance rooted in the Theravada tradition and lived experience.
Ven. Maha Dam has also supported interfaith and peacebuilding efforts beyond the temple. He was an original participant in the Walk for Peace, joining when the pilgrimage began in Fort Worth, Texas, and later welcoming the Walk to his temple during its journey to Washington, D.C. His resilience and generosity—especially during his recovery from a serious accident during the pilgrimage—embody the very meaning of his temple’s name, Khanti (Pāli), which refers to patient endurance, forbearance, and gentle strength—qualities at the heart of Buddhist practice.
Venerable Priya Sraman
Venerable Priya Sraman currently serves as the Buddhist Chaplain at Emory University, where he supports Emory's diverse Buddhist and mindfulness communities through weekly gatherings, pastoral care, educational programs, and interfaith engagement as part of the university's multifaith chaplaincy team. Before coming to Emory, he spent four years as the Buddhist Chaplain at Tufts University, offering spiritual care, leading Dharma practice groups, and collaborating with local monastics to bring teachings to campus. An ordained Theravada bhikkhu who has lived and practiced across South and Southeast Asia, Ven. Priya brings a rare blend of classical training and contemporary insight. We are grateful to have him guiding our community once again-this Janurary alongside his brother, Venerable Sajalmegh.
Venerable Sister Pearl (Viên Thanh Châu)
Venerable Sister Pearl was ordained in 2019 at Đại Đăng Monastery in San Diego, California, by her root teacher, Venerable TN. Như Đức, abbess of Viên Chiếu Monastery in Saigon, Vietnam. Trained in the Bamboo Grove Vietnamese Zen School under Zen master Thich Thanh Tu and influenced by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, Sister Pearl bridges both Vietnamese and Soto Zen traditions. Before ordination, she served nearly a decade as a physician assistant in Cancer and Palliative Care at Mayo Clinic. Currently a resident at the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and chaplain intern at Emory Decatur Hospital, Sister Pearl aspires to bring the Dharma alive for children, teens, and young adults through mindfulness and compassionate practice
Venerable Bhante Deēpankar
A resident monk at the Georgia Buddhist Vihara in Stonecrest, GA, where he shares the Theravāda Buddhist tradition with warmth, clarity, and deep compassion. Originally from Sri Lanka, he received his monastic education within the Theravāda lineage and later graduated from the University of Colombo with a specialization in Sociology. Since arriving in the United States in 2018, Bhante Deēpankara has become a cherished teacher in our community, offering Sunday school classes, guiding weekly online and in-person meditation programs, and leading youth mindfulness retreats across Georgia, North Carolina, and beyond. He has also traveled and studied in Malaysia and China, bringing a broad perspective to his teachings. As one of Georgia Buddhist Camp’s longtime Dharma teachers, Bhante Deēpankara continues to inspire practitioners of all ages.
Venerable Sister Ngo-Tam
Sister Ngo-Tam (Awaken-Mind) is a Vietnamese-American Zen Buddhist nun. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1989 and was ordained in 2010 at the Bao Chon Monastery in New Hamsphire by her root teacher, Venerable Tue Man, in the Bamboo Forest Vietnamese Zen Tradition. While practicing at the monastery in New Hamsphire and later in San Diego, California, Sister Ngo-Tam assisted with the Children Dharma Group on Sunday Program. Sister Ngo-Tam enjoys spending time with children and sharing short Dharma stories with children to bring joy and meanings to their practice. Sister Ngo-Tam just moved to Atlanta from California this past two years and is establishing a new practice center called Tam Chau Zen Monastery in Loganville, where she is serving as an abbess. She hopes to create a youth program at her new monastery in the near future and bring the Dharma alive for the younger generation.
Venerable Jampa Thakchoe
Venerable Jampa Thakchoe, who joined us at the recent one-day camp, is a Tibetan monk from Sera Jey Monastery and a current Tenzin Gyatso Science Scholar at Emory University.
His work bridges traditional Buddhist philosophy with modern scientific research, including collaborations with Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, University of Groningen and Northwestern University. Jampa la's teachings illuminate the meeting point between Dharma wisdom and contemplative science.