Wat Yarnna Rangsee Buddhist Monastery

I randomly walked into the Temple 4 months ago after doing a search for Buddhist Temples in Northern Virginia.
It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Their meditation class on Tuesday nights has become a weekly ritual for me. The main hall is very tranquil and ideal for meditation. The monks are very engaging and patient in teaching meditation.

Not very friendly at least to white people. We went a few times and felt very unwelcome, monks abrupt.

Many eons ago, my friend and I thought it would be interesting and enlightening to visit an area Buddhist temple. We decided on Wat Yarnna Rangsee, located in Sterling, VA, and were fortunate enough to get to personally speak to the head monk.
Though his English was limited, he offered to answer any questions that we might have about Buddhism. Communicating to my friend in a mixture of Thai and Laotion, he touched on such topics as relationships, death, and karma. My friend kindly interpreted for me. I thought it was rather comical that he blessed us at the end of the visit with something like, «may you have big house and BMW.» I thought we were supposed to turn away from material possessions??? I’m sure he was well-​meaning and just trying to be relevant…
Besides meeting with the monk, we also admired the architecture and the various statues in and around the temple. It’s really pretty, though small. The temple grounds were well-​maintained and very peaceful.
Overall, it’s a really good place to start if you’re looking for an introduction to Theravada Buddhism. The clergy may not speak English very well, but they’re friendly and helpful.

How in the world do you rate a temple? No idea, but I am going to give it 5 stars so I’m not reincarnated into a dung beetle. The main wat is under construction, but looking beautiful. To my knowledge, there isn’t a sign visible from the main road; you just have to turn onto the driveway where all the flags are stuck into the ground.
The wat holds meditation training twice a week (Sunday @ 6 – 8 PM and Tuesday @ 7 – 9 PM) in the first building on your left (looks like a little house) as you drive down the drive way. There aren’t any signs, but walk up to the house, leave your shoes outside, and go inside (wai the Buddha, grab a chant book, and have a seat. Your typical Theravada Buddhist customs apply here). Over the course of two hours you chant, listen to the monk’s sermon (for lack of a better word), and then close out with a solid hour of meditation. The monks at the Wat Yarn are quite nice, and the ones I have talked to rotated in from Thailand.