Ajaan Geoff, an American Buddhist monk of the Thai Forest tradition, has followed a path far outside his mainstream upbringing. Raised in Long Island on a potato farm, he traveled to Thailand after college, came upon a renowned teacher of meditation, and eventually became an ordained monk. His life in the Thai jungles was spartan, with a rigorous schedule of training in meditation; but it was one that forged monks of a high standard of knowledge and skill. The Thai Forest tradition is known for upholding the strict standards of external conduct for monks as originally laid out by the Buddha. "They were just rules I had to put up with if I wanted to stay in Thailand and meditate," he said. "But then I began to see that every time something went wrong in the community, it was because someone had broken a rule. I also began to see the rules as protection for me in my practice." Now a renowned teacher and prolific author, Ajaan Geoff helped establish the first monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition in the U.S., in San Diego County, and serves as its abbot.