Meet the
Creator
ຮູ້ ຈ ັ ກ ຜ ູ້ ສ ້ າ ງ
LaoDharma.org was created by Dr. Watt — a scholar, practitioner, and cultural preservationist with deep roots in the Lao Buddhist tradition. This is the story of why this site exists and the person who built it.
Rooted in the tradition —
building for the future
ຮາກ ເຫ ງ ້ ານ ໃ ນ ປ ະ ເ ພ ນ ີ — ສ ້ າ ງ ສ ຳ ລ ັ ບ ອ ະ ນ າ ຄ ົ ດ
Dr. Watt brings to LaoDharma.org a lifelong commitment to the Lao Buddhist tradition — as a visionary with a clear mission to preserve and share its wisdom, as a dedicated researcher of Lao history and Buddhist philosophy, and as a cultural steward who draws upon the knowledge of monks, scholars, and community elders. As a member of the Lao diaspora, he understands intimately what it means to carry a tradition across the ocean, and works to ensure it remains accessible, accurate, and enduring for generations to come.
The Walk for Peace — in which Lao Theravāda monks walked 2,300 miles across America — was the catalytic moment. Witnessing the monks’ practice, their humility, and the profound curiosity they awakened in every community they passed through, Dr. Watt recognized that the world was ready for a comprehensive, trustworthy, free resource on Lao Buddhism. LaoDharma.org was the response.
What this site is
trying to accomplish
ສ ິ່ ງ ທ ີ່ ເ ວ ັ ບ ໄ ຊ ນ ີ້ ພ ະ ຍ າ ຍ າ ມ ສ ຳ ເ ລ ັ ດ
LaoDharma.org is not a personal blog or a promotional platform. It is a cultural and educational service — built to the highest standards of accuracy and accessibility — offered freely to anyone who seeks it. Every article, every translation, every chant text, every temple listing is there because someone needed it and it did not exist elsewhere in this form.
The specific communities Dr. Watt had in mind while building this site:
- → The Lao-American teenager in Minneapolis who asks their grandmother what Pi Mai means and gets an answer in Lao they cannot fully follow yet — and wants to understand more.
- → The Lao temple board member in Virginia who needs a model policy for their nonprofit and has no legal resources to start from scratch.
- → The American seeker in Ohio who watched the Walk for Peace monks pass through their town and felt something crack open — and wants to know what tradition those monks are carrying.
- → The Lao grandmother in Luang Prabang who wants her grandchildren in America to know the meaning of Tak Bat and the Baci ceremony — even if they have never seen the Mekong.
- → The monk arriving from Laos on an R-1 visa who needs his temple board to understand the legal and governance framework their institution requires.
Built by one — sustained by many
ສ ້ າ ງ ໂ ດ ຍ ຄ ົ ນ ດ ຽ ວ — ສ ້ ຽ ງ ໃ ຫ ຍ ່ ຂ ຶ້ ນ ໂ ດ ຍ ຫ ຼ າ ຍ ຄ ົ ນLaoDharma.org was built by Dr. Watt — but it cannot be sustained by one person alone. The tradition is too vast, the community too diverse, the languages too multiple. The goal is for LaoDharma.org to become a platform where monks contribute Dhamma talks, community members share essays and travel stories, teachers offer translations, and temple boards add their listings to the directory.
If you are a Lao Buddhist monk, teacher, scholar, community leader, or simply someone with a story to share or a skill to offer — LaoDharma.org needs you. See Section 8.3 — How to Contribute for every way to be part of this work.
For collaboration inquiries, media requests, questions about the site’s content or methodology, or to share feedback — please use the contact form. Every message is read personally.