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Bhikkhu Chandako | |
Bhikkhu Chandako (Richard Zeikowitz) was born in New York City in 1953. After completing his university education in 1975 he developed an interest in Eastern Religion. Bhikkhu Chandako returned to New York in 1992 to pursue graduate studies. While in New York he developed an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and in 2007 went to India to take novice ordination with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. However, he felt increasingly drawn to the original teachings of the Buddha as well as to a strict upholding of the Vinaya. In late 2008 he moved to Chithurst Monastery, and in August 2009 re-ordained as a samanera. In May 2010 he relocated to Amaravati and on 25 July, 2010 formally entered the Bhikkhu Sangha with Luang Por Sumedho as preceptor. | |
Bhikkhu Chandako (Richard Zeikowitz) was born in New York City in 1953. After completing his university education in 1975 he developed an interest in Eastern Religion and practised for a few years with the Ananda Marga sect in Upstate New York and in San Francisco. He then drifted away from yoga and meditation practice and in 1981 went to Europe for an adventure. He stayed for eleven years. He lived briefly in London and Barcelona, but most of his time was spent in [West] Berlin. He taught English as a foreign language and also helped run a small jazz club. After the Berlin Wall was dismantled he had the opportunity to teach in former East Berlin. He returned to New York in 1992 to pursue graduate study in medieval English literature and received the Ph. D. in 2000. He eventually obtained a position as associate professor at the City University of New York. While in New York he developed an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and in December 2007 resigned from the university, gave up his tiny Manhattan apartment, dispersed his 2000 books, and went to India to take novice ordination with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharmasala. He was given the name, Tenzin Lamten, and took up residency at Nalanda Monastery in southwest France to begin a five-year study program in Buddhist philosophy. However, he felt increasingly drawn to the original teachings of the Buddha as well as to a strict upholding of the Vinaya. So, in late 2008 he left Nalanda and moved to Chithurst Monastery. In August 2009 he re-ordained as a samanera and received the name, Chandako, from Ajahn Sucitto. In May 2010 he relocated to Amaravati and on 25 July 2010 formally entered the Bhikkhu Sangha with Luang Por Sumedho as preceptor. | |
Ajahn Amaro | |
| Born in England in 1956, Ven. Amaro Bhikkhu received his BSc. in Psychology and Physiology from the University of London. Spiritual searching led him to Thailand, where he went to Wat Pah Nanachat, a Forest Tradition monastery established for Western disciples of Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah, who ordained him as a bhikkhu in 1979. He returned to England and joined Ajahn Sumedho at the newly established Chithurst Monastery. He resided for many years at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, making trips to California every year during the 1990s. |
In June of 1996 he established Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, California, where he was co-abbot with Ajahn Pasanno until July, 2010. Ajahn Amaro has written a number of books, including an account of his 830-mile trek from Chithurst to Harnham Vihara called Tudong - the Long Road North, republished in the expanded book Silent Rain. Other works published by him include Small Boat, Great Mountain (2003), Rain on the Nile (2009) and The Island - An Anthology of the Buddha’s Teachings on Nibbana (2009) co-written with Ajahn Pasanno. Ajahn Amaro returned to Amaravati in July, 2010. At the invitation of Luang Por Sumedho, Ajahn Amaro has been appointed to assume the duties of abbot of Amaravati, commencing after Luang Por Sumedho retires in the autumn of this year. | |
Anagarika Chiara | |
| Chiara Bertotti: Born in Ireland, from italian blood. In 1998 i met Aj Thanavaro in Santacittarama and, realising that everything is anicca and that death can be here any moment. |
Ajahn Sukhacitto | |
| Bhikkhu Sukhacitto was born in Germany in 1963. He first came into contact with Buddhism in 1986 in Thailand by attending a meditation retreat, offered through Wat Suan Mokkh. He ordained there as a novice in 1989 and as a Bhikkhu in 1990. He moved to the West in 1993. Since then he has lived at various monasteries in the West, including Dhammapala Monastery in Switzerland for six years. He first visited Amaravati as a monk several times in the 1990s. He stayed at Amaravati for the 2007 and 2008 winter retreats and came to live at Amaravati in April 2009. |
Dan Sinnott | |
| Groundsman Dan Sinnott was born in 1952 and grew up in a large family in suburban Chicago. After graduating from the University of Chicago, he studied existential psychology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. As a graduate student, he attended a vipassana retreat with Jack Kornfield at the Insight Meditation Society. During this retreat, he met Luang Por Sumedho who was visiting the U.S. with a group of Thai monks. In 1982, Dan became a student of Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn, ordaining as a monk from 1993 to 2002. Prior to his ordination, Dan worked for 15 years in community mental health as a psychiatric social worker and teacher. He took his encounter with Buddhist meditation as an invitation to find an authentic base for his Christian heritage, leading him to explore its contemplative traditions. Dan came to Amaravati in November 2008 on a religious purposes visa which he hopes to extend beyond its two years. |
Sister Manita | |
| Sister Manita was born in Spain in 1959, to a quite poor family. She did not have any religious background and her formal education finished after primary school. During her teenager years she worked in a factory in Spain and in 1979 Sister Manita moved to France where she went on to succeed in business and raise a child. Suffering led her to an interest in spirituality, investigating Taoism, Zen, Dogen and Ryokan. In 2005 she came to Amaravati and in 2006 became an Anagārikā. Over the years Sister Manita has discovered the profundity of the Lord Buddha’s Teachings. She ordained as a Sīladhāra in March, 2010, with Luang Por Sumedho as her teacher and preceptor. |
Retreat Centre Staff | |
| Click here to read about our Retreat Centre Staff. |
Steve Carbert | |
| Steve Carbert was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1951. After studying mathematics he had a varied career which included architectural draughtsman, industrial engineering, computer programming and software development working around many parts of the UK. His first contact with Buddhism was on a FWBO retreat in Brighton in 1979. He first made contact with Amaravati in 1985 whilst working as an Industrial Engineer in Aylesbury, a few miles away. After attending a few work weekends at Amaravati he realised that he had found a form of Buddhism which chimed with his natural inquisitiveness about the way things are. When the opportunity arose to make a practical contribution to the running of Amaravati as the maintenance person, he decided that it would be the ideal opportunity to indulge his handyman skills and deepen his meditation practice. He joined Amaravati in May 2008. |
Anagarika Shirley | |
| Shirley’s interest in meditation began in 1997. She set off traveling overseas in 1998 and did her first ten-day meditation retreat in Thailand during that time. On returning, she made contact with Amaravati. She felt attracted to monasticism with a focus on supporting her meditation practice. As a frequent visitor of the monastery, Shirley often attended the Saturday afternoon meditation workshops and offered regular help in the Amaravati library. She came to stay for ten weeks during 2003 in order to explore her interest in ordination. From that time onwards, she attended a number of retreats and also offered support for retreats working in the Retreat Centre kitchen. She took a resident position as office manager at the Amaravati Retreat Centre in 2007, where she continued to work until preparing for anagarika ordination in August of 2009. |
Gatis Ozolins | |
| Born in Latvia in 1979, Gatis graduated from university with a Master’s degree in Political Science in 2004, and worked four years in the Latvian civil service. Prior to coming to Amaravati, Gatis worked in retail for two years in England and Ireland. While at university, Gatis became interested in Eastern philosophy and religions (Advaita Vedanta and Tibetan Buddhism, in particular). While still in Latvia, he was given a book authored by Luang Por Sumedho and found out about the Thai Forest Tradition and monasteries in England. When the opportunity turned up, having taken into account advantages of a more quiet and introspective way of life, Gatis became a long-term lay resident at Amaravati in September 2008, working as one of the monastery’s groundsmen. |
Joanna Swiecka | |
| Joanna was born in 1973 and brought up in the North East of Poland. She came to England at 19 propelled by a strong desire to leave Poland, travel and study English. In her early twenties, she married (and divorced!) studied law, was called to the Bar of England and Wales, worked with refugees in a legal setting and explored other human rights issues. The death of a loved one put her on a path of enquiry which lead her to a meditation class with the FWBO in London in 2002 and to a retreat at Amaravati a year later. |
Bhikkhu Akaliko | |
| Bhikkhu Akaliko (Antonin Krizek) was born in the Czech Republic in 1977. He came to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery 2007, became an anagarika, later on ordained as a novice and on 25 July, 2010 received the upasampada (bhikkhu ordination), with Luang Por Sumedho as his preceptor.
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I grew up in a small town about 50 km from Prague. I studied electronics in college after which I specialized in software engineering for economics at university, a course I did not finish. It was a time of parties, drug experiments and hedonism but also a lot of questioning about the meaning of the life. After leaving university I was unemployed for enough time to contemplate more deeply about life and this time saw my first real interest in and attempt at Buddhist practice. It began after reading and trying to practise in accordance with “The Heart of Buddhist Meditation” by Nyanaponika Thera. Later on I started work as a carer in psychiatric hospitals and studied for a nursing qualification. Once I finished nursing school, I took a job as a nurse on an intensive care unit. During the time when I was at work, I still kept practising even though it was not always Buddhist practice. I was also interested in other religions and practised yoga for about 4 years. There came a time when I started to realize that Buddhism gave me the most complete approach to life and to spiritual practice. I came to the UK to work as a carer in a nursing home which gave me an opportunity both to visit Amaravati and to improve my English. Finally, when conditions were right I could come and live at Amaravati and put my life fully into timeless practice. | |
Ajahn Anando | |
| Ajahn Anando was born in Blackheath, south east London on the 6th March 1966. He served as a soldier in the British army for 3 years mostly living in West Germany. After leaving the military he spent time studying health and fitness at East London University, then established a small fitness company which he ran successfully for several years. His interest in meditation began in 1992 and increased to the stage where ordination as an anagārika became an obvious step. After several years in training he took higher ordination as a Bhikkhu, with LP Sumedho as preceptor, before the Vassa retreat of 1997. Spending his first 2 years as a Bhikkhu at Amaravati he then moved on to Thailand living for a year at Wat Pah Nanachat, then a year at Tan Ajahn Anan’s Monastery near Rayong. This was followed by 4 years in Australia helping to establish a new forest monastery near Melbourne. Presently he is residing at Amaravati. |
Anagarika Tejas | |
| I was born in Wallasey in 1980. My parents moved to India for a few years before we came back to England in 1993. My initial interest in Buddhism came through reading the works of D T Suzuki and I started going to meditation classes at the Buddhist Society in London. There I learned of Amaravati and started listening to Dhamma Talks on the Internet. I began visiting Amaravati as a guest and coming to retreats. I took the Anagarika Precepts in December 2008. |
Ajahn Dhammanando | |
| I was born in 1951 in London. I spent two years in my twenties as a volunteer in Thailand, my first conscious encounter with Buddhism. At that age I was not convinced about religion in any way but, undoubtedly, the experience sowed some seeds and a few years later, through a friendship with a Thai student, I came into contact with LP Sumedho and the western Sangha at a ceremonial garage opening in Hampstead. Hearing Dhamma in my own language, from westerners, made all the difference, as did the experience of meditation. In ensuing years I helped to set up a lay practice group in Northampton before committing to a monastery and taking anagarika precepts for 20 months, a period which was to prove seminal. Not yet prepared for full ordination, I went back to the lay life for a four year period but returned as anagarika again 1991, going on to take full Bhikkhu ordination in 1993. |
Most of my initial training took place at Cittaviveka under Ajahn Sucitto but I also spent valuable periods of time at monasteries in Switzerland and Italy. From 2004 until 2007 I was living in Australia and NZ, which included a Vassa spent at Bodhinyana Monastery near Perth, a two year commitment to Bodhinyanarama in Wellington and a Vassa spent teaching at the BSV in Melbourne. Back in the UK and resident at Amaravati from May 2007 onwards, I also had the chance in 2009 to teach and practise self-retreat for 3 months at ‘Le Refuge’, a lay centre in the South of France. | |
Bhikkhu Kancano | |
| Bhikkhu Kancano was born on the 22nd of July, 1968 in Montijo, Portugal. He spent his early childhood in Germany, returning to his native country at age five to begin his education there. He served one year of compulsory military service in the Portuguese army and after completing his ‘A’ levels in 1987 he enrolled on a five year professional diploma, qualifying as a technician for the fashion industries. Shortly thereafter, he accepted an offer from a renowned multinational fashion company and worked with them for the next two years. |
In 1995 he moved to the UK, where he started to pursue more seriously his long term interest in Buddhism. He attended a series of short courses and regular devotional practices at the London Buddhist Society in Victoria. He left the UK in November 2003 for a short pilgrimage through India and Sri Lanka, before joining the monastic community in January 2004 in Thailand at Wat Pah Nanachat, the international monastery in the Ajahn Chah tradition. In 2006 he had the opportunity to live and practise for nine months under the guidance of the Venerable Tan Ajahn Anan Akincano, abbot of Wat Marp Jun in Rayong, Thailand. While there, he also produced a book of talks from the Venerable Ajahn Chah translated into Portuguese. This year he returned to the UK, to take dependence on the Venerable Luang Por Sumedho and join the community at Amaravati. | |
Sister Bodhipala | |
| Sister Bodhipala was born in South-East Asia in 1940, married, has three children and five grandchildren. She was ordained as Anagārikā in 1998 and as Sīladhārā in 1999. Venerable Ajahn Sumedho was her Preceptor. |
Sister Bodhipala was born in South-East Asia in 1940, married, has three children and five grandchildren. She was ordained as Anagārikā in 1998 and as Sīladhārā in 1999. Venerable Ajahn Sumedho was her Preceptor. Her daily life in the monastery is a challenging one since she has to simplify the complexity of her thoughts in order to give space to the intuitive knowledge to develop. She was trained in Applied Mathematics and worked as a computer programmer for nearly twenty years. Therefore she is not surprised that this process involves a lot of patience, endurance and is time consuming. She realizes that no better place on earth that allows her to be an Observer of the activities of her mind and at the same time she can accumulate her good deeds by serving the Sangha Community at Amaravati. Done on | |
Sister Tisara | |
| Sister Tisārā (Miriam Dean) was born in England in 1967, then grew up in Belgium, spending 14 years of her life at the European School of Brussels. Following a degree in Biological Science, she worked in the scientific publishing industry. In 2005 she left work and life in London to find a place of practice. Events conspired to bring her to the community of Siladhara in the UK, taking Anagarikā precepts in November 2006, then Siladharā Pabbaja in March 2010. |
Sister Tisārā (Miriam Dean) was born in England in 1967, then grew up in Belgium, spending 14 years of her life at the European School of Brussels, a big, busy, diverse, multi-national place which shaped her outlook on people. Following a degree in Biological Science, she worked in the scientific publishing industry, partying hard, independent, doing what one does. Apart from a phase in her teens when she was involved in a Christian Community modelled on the spirituality of Taizé, for a long time she didn’t know how to give form to her aspiration for real freedom. Eventually, life’s disappointments and a bereavement made her take stock and return to that wish for contemplation. She encountered the Buddha’s teachings in 2002, notably through Bhante Bodhidhamma with whom she did periodic intensive retreats from 2003-2005 and to whom she will always be grateful for his guidance and good humour. A heart wish to live as a monastic came about at this time, so despite not having much idea what it is all about, in autumn 2005 she left work and life in London to find a place of practice. Events conspired to bring her to the community of Siladhara in the UK, taking Anagarika precepts in Nov 2006, then Siladhara Pabbaja in March 2010. These days, she has a somewhat better idea of what life as a nun is like (not easy!) but much more than that, feels deeply fortunate for the chance to explore how to live in the Dhamma, wherever and however that goes. | |
Nancy Wright | |
| Nancy has been a supporter of the English Sangha Trust since 1992 and a Trustee since 1999. She lived at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery as a lay manager from 1996 to 1998. During that time, she worked in the office and was responsible for taking the minutes for the EST meetings. A trained accountant, she is currently working as the Finance Manager for Prisoners Abroad in London. |
Colin Ash | |
Colin is chair of the Board of Trustees of the English Sangha Trust. He has served as a Trustee of the EST since March 1992. He is an Angulimala Buddhist Prison Chaplain and is a member of the recently formed Endorsing Authority for Buddhist Chaplaincy to the UK Armed Forces. Some years ago he served on the Council of the Buddhist Society, London, where he now leads a meditation class. He teaches economics at the University of Reading. | |
John Stevens | |
| John spent 19 years as a Buddhist monk, 14 of which at Amaravati and Chithurst. For 7 years he was Secretary of the English Sangha Trust, and during that time, with Ajahn Jutindharo, coordinated the design, planning and construction of the Temple. |
Since leaving the ordained Sangha in 2000 he has worked as a charity administrator for The Young Foundation, a social science research institute in east London. | |
Sister Chandasara | |
| Sister Chandasara (Louise Stack) was born in 1954 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and grew up in a Christian family. She was involved in revolutionary politics in exile in her twenties and later worked as a political researcher and analyst at the Centre for Policy Studies in Johannesburg for 14 years before coming to Amaravati in 2002, and ordaining as a siladhara in 2006. She has a BA (Hons) in African Politics and an MA in Linguistics (Semantics). Her lifelong quest has been, and continues to be, liberation and learning how to love unconditionally. |
Joshua Pogge | |
| Joshua was born in Northallerton, Yorkshire, and moved to Ireland in the early seventies. He worked in retail for 20 years. During this time Joshua explored different spiritual paths and became interested in Buddhism in 1999. He attended a 10 day workshop at Kagyu Samye Ling, then visited Amaravati for one week, then ten days, then a month. Eventually Joshua moved to Amaravati as a long term lay resident in 2003 and worked as a groundsman. He became part of the Retreat Centre staff in the winter of 2008. |
Samanera Amaranatho | |
| Samanera Amaranatho was born in 1968. He ordained as a Samanera in July 2000. He has been running the family events at Amaravati for five years, which include the Family Camp each summer, Rainbows weekend and young peoples’ retreats. For further information please see:
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Suvira | |
| Suvira (Nisakorn Wanaphong) was born in Nakhon Sawan, north of Bangkok in Thailand. After graduating from Sri Nakharinwirot University, Phitsanuloke Campus, she moved to Phuket and worked there for 5 years in her family business resort and in a bank. Then she moved to Bangkok and worked in a computer company. After she attended a 10 day meditation retreat course lead by Upasika Khun Runjuan Indrakamhaeng and others in 1992, her perception of life had totally changed and deep interest in Dhamma practice became established in her. |
She became a volunteer at Sathira-Dhammasathan (Mae Chee Sansanee’s Dhamma Centre) and also at Maya Gotami Foundation, a charity for the poor youth in Thailand and for supporting Tsunami victims, founded by Ajahn Gavesako. In 2001, Suvira resigned her job at Telecom Asia, a leading telecommunication company in Thailand, and came to Amaravati. This was the first time in her life she had left her home country, and also her first experience of residing in a monastery. Her intention was to live in a more committed way for developing the spiritual life. After finishing an initial one year commitment working as the office assistant, she found the life at Amaravati beneficial and joyous, so decided to stay on. Also, the teaching of Luang Por Sumedho has been giving her great inspiration and happiness. Now the deep appreciation of the support from the Sangha as well as the kind lay supporters makes her feel as if surrounded by family and friends.
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Bhikkhu Paramito | |
| Bhikkhu Paramito (Jaroslav Harmaniak) was born in 1966 in Slovakia. His interest in Dhamma brought him to Harnham Buddhist Monastery in Northumberland where he became an anagarika in 2001. He also spent some time at Devon Vihara. After four years training as anagarika he took samanera ordination on May 6, 2005. Venerable Paramito received the bhikkhu upasampada (ordination) in the summer of 2008, with Luang Por Sumedho as preceptor. Over the years he has done several long-distance walks around England. |
Bhikkhu Appamado | |
| My name is Appamado (Vasco). I was born in Portugal in 1976. I studied both Marine Biology and Environmental Engineering at the University of Faro. Sometime later I became interested in meditation and as a consequence Buddhism. I came across Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in a book written by a friend, Maria, where she describes her journeys and her time in the monastery.
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From that point on, I started to find out more information about Theravadan Buddhism and Amaravati on their website. I then decided to come and visit as a lay guest in November 2004 and stayed on as one of the winter retreat support team of 2005. After this, I went back to Portugal for 5 months to put things in order to allow me to vistit Amaravati for a longer period. I returned to England in September 2005 and visited Chithurst Monastery. By that time, my mind was made up to undertake Anagārika ordination, which I did in December 2005 at Amaravati. After nine months, having seen the benefits of practising as a monastic, I requested Samanera ordination, and this took place three months later, in December 2006. I was ordained as a Bhikkhu on 4 July 2009. | |
Sister Sumedha | |
| I was born in 1973 in Leicester, England but spent most of my childhood either in the north of England or in the Western Isles off the north west coast of Scotland. From quite early I was interested in spiritual life and first visited Amaravati when I was 15. During that visit I read some of the teachings of Ajahn Chah. |
They made a strong and lasting impression. At university I studied Comparative Religion and through this recognised I needed to be practicing more fully. My first step was through thangka painting, a practice I still continue and receive a lot from. I returned to Amaravati in 1998 and worked as librarian, eventually ordaining as a Siladhara in 2004 with Luang Por Sumedho as my preceptor. One thing I see has inspired me in my studies and thangka painting, and motivates me very much now, is the wish to acknowledge and really honour a deeper source of life. The potential we have as human beings to become fully conscious and use our lives for transformation is something I love and am grateful for the opportunity, teaching and support to explore. | |
Bhikkhu Adicco | |
| Bhikkhu Adicco became interested in meditation as a layman, after attending a meditation day at Gaia House. He realized that an introspective approach to life would be of benefit, and that the meditative approach laid down in Buddhism provided an ideal vehicle for this. |
After attending some retreats his interest grew and whilst on summer vacation from art college, he visited Hartridge Buddhist Monastery and asked to join the community. He ordained there as an Anagārika, and after spending a year at Hartridge, he came to Amaravati in the autumn of 2005 to continue his training. On May 16th 2006 he ordained as a Samanera, taking the name Adicco, and he received full Bhikkhu ordination on 15th July 2007 | |
Sister Cittapala | |
| Born in Germany in 1949, she worked for nearly 20 years as a teacher and artist in Hamburg. In 1990/91 she went to Indonesia to study awareness movement (Amerta Movement - The River of Life) with Suprapto Suryodharmo - a practice which connected her more and more with Buddhism. After meeting Luang Por Sumedho in 1994, she felt so supported by his teachings that she came to Amaravati, where she has been living since 1996. In 1999, she asked for Sīladhāra ordination. Here she is supporting the community and is involved in family activties, especially exploring ways of practice and teaching which use formal meditation as well as painting and movement - for liberation. |
Bhikkhu Ahimsako | |
| Born near San Francisco, California in 1959, Ven. Ahimsako spent twenty-eight years living abroad and pursuing a career in classical ballet as a dancer, teacher, and educator. In 1991, while living in England, he traveled to Sri Lanka where his interest in Buddhism prompted him to begin visiting the London Buddhist Vihara and Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. He began his monastic life in 2002 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery (in northern California) with co-abbots Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro. Ven. Ahimsako received the Upasampada (Bhikkhu ordination) on September 26, 2004 with Ajahn Pasanno as preceptor. |
Ajahn Panyasaro | |
| Ajahn Panyasaro (Phramaha Parinya Baitrakul) was born March 1965 in the North of Thailand but grew up in Bangkok. After he finished his first degree in Law, he came to England for further education in 1987. However he seemed to be born to be a monk not a lawyer. You may find more about him in his article that was published in our Newsletter No.72 “No Regrets” taken from a talk that he gave during the Winter Retreat 2002. He is the secretary to the Abbot.
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It was a Saturday, and Ajahn Amaro had been teaching the Saturday meditation workshop. This lasted the whole afternoon, finishing at five o’clock. When I met him, he told me that it was approaching the winter retreat and Amaravati was not accepting guests at that time, and he couldn’t give me permission to stay. As it was already dark however, he allowed me to stay one night. I was supposed to leave the next day, but I asked special permission from Luang Por Sumedho to stay until the 6th of January because it was going to be very difficult to find a place during Christmas and New Year. When the 6th of January arrived I asked Luang Por if I could stay longer, in fact for the whole winter retreat. That was 14 or 15 years ago.
The talks Luang Por gave then were the same as you hear today: his story about how he met Ajahn Chah, about how he practised in Wat Maha Taht, about receiving ordination in Nong Khai and how his preceptor sent him to Wat Nong Pah Pong. These talks made a strong impression on me because they were on an aspect of Thailand that I knew nothing about. What he said about the Isaan, the Northeast of the country, was quite new to me, because I was educated in a Catholic School in Bangkok. I had never in my life set foot in the Isaan, which is a remote part of Thailand. I grew up in the city, and my upbringing was almost Western. My university had a Western orientation too. This led me to become very critical of Thailand. But at Amaravati, as I reflected on Thailand’s role in the development of Buddhism, my critical attitude began to soften. I began to love my country, and this made me all the more appreciative of Amaravati. During the winter retreat I started to question whether studying law and becoming a lawyer was the right thing for me to do. For the first time in my life I contemplated giving up my education. The winter retreat ended at the end of February; in those days we only got two months. After the retreat we had a big Sangha gathering on Magha Puja day. All the monks from Chithurst, Devon and Harnham assembled to pay respects to Luang Por. The abbots of each monastery took turns at giving the evening talk. In those days, there were about thirty monks. We didn’t have samaneras yet. When the Sangha paid respects to Luang Por the monks bowed first, followed by the siladharas, anagarikas and lay people. Being a layperson, I was right at the back, so I could watch the group of monks bowing together. I found it very inspiring to see, and thought to myself, ‘I want to be in that group.’ And so it was on Magha Puja day that I first started to think about becoming a bhikkhu. Soon after that, I asked Luang Por for ordination as an anagarika. As he was still very much in charge, he gave me permission straight away. In those days there was no need to consult the Sangha; he made all the decisions. In March, Luang Por went to see his family in the States and I prepared myself for ordination. I remember practising chanting with Ajahn Sucitto, and preparing my robes and white requisites. This was the first time I had ever worked with a sewing machine, and I discovered that I really loved it, and that I didn’t like studying law at all. I realised that this was the direction I wanted to go with my life. It was a drastic, very sudden change. I couldn’t have imagined that after three months I’d find myself in white, but there it was. When my mother died, I wanted to return to Amaravati, but suddenly found a problem getting a visa. When I had travelled to England as a student I had barely started my studies, and was surprised that the Home Office allowed me to stay, to change my student visa for a religious one. But when I returned to Thailand I couldn’t get back into England again, so Luang Por recommended I stay at Wat Nanachat. So I took samanera and then bhikkhu ordination there. In 1993, following Ajahn Chah’s funeral at Wat Pah Pong, when I had three vassas, I returned to Amaravati. I found the Sangha here was going through many changes. Luang Por was no longer really in charge. No one seemed to listen to him any more, so it was a difficult time for him. He started to delegate his authority, and we began making decisions in committee meetings. This brought up a lot of conflict, so I will not go into much detail about it. At that time Luang Por planned to leave Amaravati for a while, straight after the temple was built. I felt the same way. Up to that time I had spent all my monastic life with Westerners, even in Thailand when I had stayed at Wat Nanachat. So in 1997, when I had six or seven vassas, I returned to Thailand. I stayed in a monastery, a Pali school, in the South, because I wanted to stay clear of Westerners. When the temple at Amaravati was built, the situation wouldn’t allow Luang Por to leave, because some of the other monks had left. In particular, one very senior monk had departed deeply wounded. If Luang Por had taken his sabbatical at that time, the Sangha would probably have disintegrated, so it is fortunate that he delayed it till now, after the official temple opening, as there is a much better atmosphere here. The Sangha has slowly rebuilt itself; we have learned from our mistakes, we have learned to respect each other’s space and to appreciate each other’s unique offering. When I left Amaravati for Thailand in 1997 I didn’t think I would come back. The Sangha had changed too much. It wasn’t the same place that I had seen in the years previously. Personally, I liked Luang Por’s strong leadership. This is the way they run some monasteries in Thailand. Apart from this, I found there was a lot of interest here in psychotherapy, including pop psychology and all that sort of stuff, where people get deeply hurt over very petty, very tedious stuff. We had to have committee after committee, meeting after meeting. I got very fed up with this. The Amaravati temple opening ceremony was to take place in 1999 and lots of Thai monks were to be invited. Luang Por contacted me in Thailand, inviting me several times to also come. So I decided to return for a year or two to help out a bit, and hoped then to return to Thailand again. After the temple opening ceremony was over, and we had cleaned up the place, dismantled the marquees and tents, and piled all the rubbish into the skip, it was suddenly very quiet here. Very few people were left. This meant I was very busy. I remember I had two or three shawls to make, as well as being the attendant monk and secretary to Luang Por. I had to ask the nuns to take care of the evening locking-up duty. As I said, my plan was to leave Amaravati soon after the temple opening ceremony, but suddenly a change happened in me, and I ended up solemnly vowing to myself that I would never leave. I decided to stay here indefinitely. It was a big relief for me to relinquish all my uncertainties, always somehow feeling that this is not the right place, that I don’t like the people, and I don’t like their ideas. I let it all go. I began to appreciate other people’s needs. This has helped me a lot in terms of practice. Some people when they look back on their lives feel a lot of regret. But even if they have accumulated enormous wealth, they can’t retrieve the past. For ourselves however, if we keep practising, when we look back we will never experience regret. When I look back to what’s happened to me over the last 15 years, I never regret a single moment. Even if you sit here with painful knees and a painful back and never get anywhere, never get enough samadhi, or your mind is still restless, remember, this is the process of training; this is the process of meditation, and you will never regret it, whether you believe me or not. When I first came here and heard Luang Por give a Dhamma talk, it seemed like the first time I had heard the word ‘gratitude’ (kataññu). He seems to use the word almost every time he talks about Luang Por Chah. So in turn, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Luang Por and to all the lay supporters here. When I first arrived here I found it easy to make friends, which made me feel that I belonged to the place. That is part of the reason that made me want to join the monastic life, because of such good support, such a good team. Today the director of a local university came to see Luang Por, asking for advice about establishing a course in Buddhist studies. Luang Por later told me he was not at all interested in this sort of thing. I agree with him. Our practice here is so meaningful and inspiring. It is not just a course of education in which you stuff information into your brain so you can get a degree or diploma. I am not at all interested in such an approach. I want a practice that is relevant to my life. By convention it’s not allowed for me to do this, but from the depths of my heart I bow to the feet of the lay support team. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for all that I have received since the day I arrived, the day that I first met Khun Ladda. She’s not here, but she’s always in my heart. So it’s a good opportunity for me now, the right time and the right moment, to express my feelings to all of you. I hope that you understand what I am saying; I’m quite nervous this is my first time on this high seat. There are many things that I would have liked to say to you this evening, but I haven’t remembered them. So I will finish my talk now. | |
Bhikkhu Subhaddo | |
| My lay name is Barry Crisp. I was born in 1948, and grew up in Wimbledon. I lived for some years in Australia and New Zealand. During the return trip through Asia, I came across Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Subhaddo Bhikkhu. |
Ajahn Nyanarato | |
| Ajahn Nyanarato (Shigehito Nakao) was born in 1958, in Nara, Japan. His sincere interest in the meaning of the life began when he was being trained as a medical doctor in Kyoto University. After graduation, he decided to go to India for spiritual pursuit, instead of becoming a doctor. He spent one year there, then moved on to Thailand, where he visited various monasteries, such as Wat Pak Nam, Wat Suan Mokkh, etc.
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After another year of exploring in Thailand, he came to Wat Pah Nanachat. Being impressed by the serene presence of the Sangha, he finally found a place to settle down. In 1986, he became ordained as a Samanera and received Upasampada the following year. Later, he started to live under the guidance of Ajahn Gavesako, a senior Japanese disciple of Luang Por Chah. In 1989, both of them walked from Tokyo International Airport to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (around 1,000 kilometers) as pilgrimage. It took 72 days and was supported by the word of Ajahn Gavesako, “every single step of ours is a peace march.” When Ajahn Gavesako set up Wat Sunandavanaram in Kanchanaburi in 1990, he joined in and lived there for 10 years. He worked for Maya Gotami Foundation, a charity for the poor youth in Thailand, established by Ajahn Gavesako, as well. In 2000, he went to Nepal and intended to spend a few years in Sri Lanka. But the political situation at that time did not allow him to do so. As he also had an interest in learning how to live in the Sangha in the West, he came to England instead and spent the Vassa at Chithurst. He moved to Amaravati in 2001. Deeply inspired by Luang Por Sumedho and his teaching, he has resided here ever since. | |
Caroline Leinster | |
| Caroline Leinster has lived at Amaravati since 2005 and is now the librarian. Born in London in 1954, she moved to Newcastle upon Tyne in 1977 to study sociology and social policy. After a career with urban voluntary organisations and training in psychosynthesis psychotherapy she decided she needed the support and challenges of living as part of a spiritual community 24 hours a day. She is finding Amaravati provides her with what she was looking for. Caroline discovered vipassana at Harnham Monastery near Newcastle in 1987; she is a Trustee of the Magga Bhavaka Trust, who are the lay stewards for Harnham. |
Ajahn Jayanto | |
| Ajahn Jayanto (Chris Bowen) was born in 1967 in Boston, Massachussetts, USA. In 1988 he left university in order to pursue something more meaningful, and within a year had found his way to Amaravati in order to join the monastic community. After eight years training, mostly in the monasteries at Chithurst and Harnham, he spent another eight years in Buddhist countries in Asia, mostly in Thailand. He returned to Britain in order to live at Amaravati in March, 2006.
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Luang Por Sumedho | |
| Luang Por Sumedho was born in Seattle, Washington in 1934. After serving four years in the US Navy as a medic, he completed a BA in Far Eastern Studies and a MA in South Asian Studies. In 1966, he went to Thailand to practice meditation at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok. Not long afterwards, he went forth as a novice monk in a remote part of the country, Nong Khai, before receiving full ordination in 1967. |
A year of solitary practice followed. Although fruitful, it showed him the need for a teacher who could more actively guide him. A fortuitous encounter with a visiting monk led him to Ubon province to practice In 1975, Luang Por Sumedho, established Wat Pah Nanachat, International Forest Monastery where Westerners could be trained in English. In 1977, he accompanied Luang Por Chah to England and took up residence at the Hampstead Vihara, with three other monks. Luang Por Sumedho was made an Upachaya, in 1981. Since then he has given upasampada (Bhikkhu precepts) to more than a hundred aspirants of many nationalities. Luang Por Sumedho was integral in establishing the Forest Sangha tradition in the United Kingdom. He was central in establishing Amaravati Buddhist Monastery and Chithurst Buddhist Monastery. He is currently resident as senior incumbent at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire. | |
Ajahn Candasiri | |
| Ajahn Candasiri was born in Scotland in 1947 and was brought up as a Christian. After university, she trained and worked as an occupational therapist, mainly in the field of mental illness. In 1977, an interest in meditation led her to meet Ajahn Sumedho, shortly after his arrival from Thailand. Inspired by his teachings and example, she began her monastic training at Chithurst as one of the first four Anagārikā. |
Within the monastic community she has been actively involved in the evolution of the Nuns’ vinaya training. She has guided many meditation retreats for lay people, and particularly enjoys teaching young people and participating in Christian/Buddhist dialogue. | |
Ajahn Sundara | |
| Ajahn Sundara was born in France in 1946. She studied dance in England and in France. In her early thirties, after working for a few years as a dancer and teacher of contemporary dance, she had the opportunity whilst living and studying in England to attend a talk and later, a retreat led by Ajahn Sumedho.
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His teachings and experiences of the monastic way of life in the Forest tradition resonated deeply. Before long, this led to a visit to Chithurst Monastery in England where in 1979 she asked to join the monastic community as one of the first four women novices. In 1983 she was given the Going Forth as a Sīladhāra (10 precept nun) by Ajahn Sumedho. After spending 5 years at Chithurst Monastery she went to live at Amaravati Monastery where she participated in the establishment of the nuns’ community. From 1995 until 1998 she spent 3 years deepening her practice, mostly in Thai Forest Monasteries. In 2000 after spending a year as the senior incumbent of the nuns community at the Devon vihara, she came to the States where she was based at Abhayagiri Monastery. She lives at present at Amaravati Monastery. | |
Jande Anderson | |
| Nyanadassi (Jande) has been at the Retreat Centre since March 2004 as helper, Office manager and now currently Kitchen Manager. She inputs along with the rest of the retreat managers the overall planning and development of the Retreat Centre. |
Keith Hammond | |
| Keith is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Since April 2005 he has been the Trust Secretary of the EST. His duties include working on the financial aspects of the EST, as well as organising Trust meetings and dealing with various compliance matters. |
Keith has been a regular visitor to Amaravati, since first attending a meditation workshop at the monastery in February 1997. He usually goes on two or three retreats a year at the monastery. Occasionally he has led the Saturday Introductory Meditation Workshop. Before taking up the Trust Secretary post at the English Sangha Trust he worked for 17 years for a large accountancy firm in London, specialising in company tax and later in designing and running internal training courses for the firm’s students. | |
Ajahn Vajiro | |
| Venerable Vajiro (Phil Gunton) was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1953. Upon graduating in 1974, he began a study accountancy. During this period, a friend encouraged him to go on a ten-day meditation retreat with John Coleman at the Oakenholt Buddhist Centre near Oxford. He attended further retreats there in 1976 and 1977. |
Hearing about the visit Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho made to Oakenholt in 1977, he went to meet them at the Hampstead Vihara. He eventually moved next door to the vihara. In 1978, however, he asked to join the community as an anagārika; he left for Thailand just after the community moved out of London to Chithurst in June 1979. In October that year he became a samanera, and he received upasampada from Ajahn Chah in June the following year. Venerable Vajiro returned to England in 1984, and assisted with the establishment of Amaravati Buddhist Centre. From 1985 to 1986 he resided at Harnham Buddhist Monastery and from 1986 to 1993 he lived at ‘Cittaviveka’. Then between 1993 and 1998 he led the community in ‘Bodhinyanarama’ Wellington, New Zealand. He spent the following three years living quietly in the hermitage ‘Sanghaloka’ near Melbourne, Australia. Before moving to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, where he presently resides. | |
