Male Monastic Community


The bhikkhu community at Amaravati was founded by Luang Por Sumedho in 1984. Its first members came from Cittaviveka Monastery. Many had spent some time training in Thailand at Wat Pah Pong.

There are usually between fifteen and twenty-five monks (bhikkhū) and novice monks (sāmaṇerā) in residence at Amaravati, living a contemplative, celibate, mendicant life according to the Vinaya and Dhamma. They provide a living link with the Order founded by the Buddha over two thousand years ago. The community also includes anagārikas, white-robed postulants observing the Eight Precepts, who after a year or two may be given sāmanera ordination.

The community is not static as there are close links with the other branch monasteries in England and abroad; bhikkhū (monks) and sāmanerā (novice monks) move between the monasteries.

In November 2010, Luang Por Sumedho handed over the duties of Abbot of Amaravati to Ajahn Amaro.


Monks – Bhikkhū

Luang Por Sumedho – Founding Abbot

Luang Por Sumedho – Founding Abbot


Luang Por Sumedho (Ajahn 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 practise 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, and a year of solitary practice followed; he received full admission into the Sangha in 1967.

Although fruitful, the solitary practice 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 practise with Venerable Ajahn Chah. He took dependence from Ajahn Chah and remained under his close guidance for ten years. In 1975, Luang Por Sumedho established Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Monastery) where Westerners could be trained in English.

In 1977, he accompanied Ajahn Chah to England and took up residence at the Hampstead Vihara with three other monks.

Luang Por Sumedho has inspired more than a hundred aspirants of many nationalities to go forth into the samaṇa life, and has established four monasteries in England, as well as branch monasteries overseas. In late 2010 he retired as abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire and took residence in Thailand.

Luang Por returned to Amaravati in January 2021 and has been offering regular Dhamma talks on the moon days. Please note that due to his venerable age, Luang Por is generally not available to meet with visitors, but you are welcome to contact him via snail mail.


Ajahn Amaro – Abbot

Ajahn Amaro – Abbot


Born in England in 1956, Ven. Amaro Bhikkhu received a 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. Soon afterwards 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 1996 he established Abhayagiri Monastery in Redwood Valley, California, where he was co-Abbot with Ajahn Pasanno until 2010. He then returned to Amaravati to become Abbot of this large monastic community.

Ajahn Amaro has written a number of books, including an account of an 830-mile trek from Chithurst to Harnham Vihara called Tudong - the Long Road North, republished in the expanded book Silent Rain. His other publications 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, a guide to meditation called Finding the Missing Peace and other works dealing with various aspects of Buddhism.

In December 2015, along with Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Amaro was honoured by the King of Thailand with the ecclesiastical title ‘Chao Khun’. Together with this honour he was given the name ‘Videsabuddhiguna’. In July 2019, again with Ajahn Pasanno, he was honoured with the title ‘Chao Khun Rāja’ and received the name 'Rājabuddhivaraguṇa’


Ajahn Ariyasilo

Ajahn Ariyasilo



Ajahn Ñāṇarato

Ajahn Ñāṇarato


Ajahn Ñāṇarato (Nyanarato, Shigehito Nakao) was born in 1958, in Nara, Japan. His profound interest in the meaning of life began when he was being trained as a doctor in Kyoto University.

After graduation, he decided to go to India on a spiritual quest instead of becoming a doctor. He spent one year there and then moved on to Thailand, where he visited various monasteries including Wat Pak Nam and Wat Suan Mokkh.

After another year of exploring in Thailand he came to Wat Pah Nanachat. Impressed by the serene presence of the Sangha there, he finally found a place to settle. In 1986 he was ordained as a sāmanera and he received upasampadā the following year.

Later, Ajahn Ñāṇarato started to live under the guidance of Ajahn Gavesako, a senior Japanese disciple of Luang Por Chah. In 1989, they walked together on pilgrimage from Tokyo International Airport to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (around 1,000 kilometres). This took 72 days and was supported by the words of Ajahn Gavesako, “every single step of ours is a peace march.”

When Ajahn Gavesako set up Wat Sunandavanaram in Kanchanaburi in 1990, Ajahn Nyanarato joined that community and lived there for ten years. He also worked for Maya Gotami Foundation, a charity for poor youth in Thailand established by Ajahn Gavesako.

In 2000, Ajahn Ñāṇarato went to Nepal, intending subsequently to spend a few years in Sri Lanka, but the political situation there at that time did not allow him to do so. As he was also interested 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 there ever since.


Ajahn Dhammanando

Ajahn Dhammanando


Growing up in London, England, Ajahn Dhammanando came from a family largely uninterested in religion and thoroughly sceptical in spiritual matters. Consequently he never regarded himself as a "spiritual seeker", nor did he feel the need to make any spiritual commitments in his early years. However, a two year period in his twenties as a volunteer teacher of English in Thailand changed that. It brought him into contact with Buddhism and its outer forms, although he didn’t, by any means, as yet understand it.

It was after meeting Ajahn Sumedho and other western monks in London, a few years later, that the relevance of the Buddha's teachings to his own life became more apparent to him. This was especially the case following a 'baptismal' ten day retreat in a house not far from Chithurst Monastery, which convinced him that somehow or other he must be "a Buddhist".

From that time onwards he either pursued the path of practice in everyday life (helping to set up a Buddhist group in Northampton, England) or else he trained as an anagarika (postulant) for two years with the Sangha in Amaravati and Chithurst. Not yet ready for monkhood, he returned to the lay life as a teacher in South London and pursued a higher degree. However, four years later, having abandoned those more worldly ambitions, he returned to re-join the Sangha and took bhikkhu ordination (Upasampada) with Luang Phor Sumedho in 1993.

Since ordination he has trained in most of the UK monasteries, as well as spending time in monasteries outside the UK (Switzerland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand) where he gained useful experience. More recently he has resided at Amaravati Monastery in the UK, where he has taken a special interest in receiving school and other educational groups on visits and in meeting inmates in a local prison, at least up until the onset of Covid.

He has also paid regular visits to both Hungary and Ireland, teaching in Buddhist Centres in those countries and encouraging an interest in the theory and practice of Buddhism.


Ajahn Rocano

Ajahn Rocano



Ajahn Ñāṇadassano

Ajahn Ñāṇadassano


Ajahn Nyanadassano was born in Czechoslovakia in 1971 and was growing up with his Russian father in Latvia. He became a Buddhist when living in Prague in the late 1990’s and came to Amaravati in 1999 intending to become a monk. Ajahn Nyanadassano received the Full Acceptance as a Bhikkhu in 2002 and spent the following year at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery. He also trained as a junior monk in Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand. After initial training of 5 years he practised in Buddhist monasteries and hermitages in Europe and Asia, returning to Amaravati for longer or shorter periods – until settling in again at the end of 2015.

Ajahn Nyanadassano has been involved a lot in building projects and maintenance and occasionally leads meditation retreats in Amaravati and abroad.


Ajahn Cittaviro

Ajahn Cittaviro


In 1998, Ajahn Cittaviro came into contact with Theravada Buddhism and began traveling to Thailand to participate in retreats. He discovered the monastery in Switzerland (Dhammapala), spent all his free time there until September 2001 when he left home to explore the monk's life.

Ajahn Cittaviro ordained as a Samanera (Novice Monk) in November 2002 at Wat Pah Nanachat. In 2004, Luang Por Liem sent him to Wat Pah Dong Meuang Sai (Sakha Wat Nong Pah Pong) in Sisaketh, where he ordained as a Bhikkhu. He continued practicing there until 2006.

From 2006 to 2007, Ajahn Cittaviro spent time at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery. Between 2007 and 2018, most of the time was dedicated to staying at Wat Pah Nanachat, with additional periods in Thai monasteries such as Wat Pah Amperwan, Wat Pha Bodhiwan, Wat Tham Saeng Phaed, Wat Pah Boon Lorm, and Wat Pah Dong Meuang Sai...

In 2018, Ajahn Cittaviro arrived at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery.


Ajahn Asoko

Ajahn Asoko


Ajahn Asoko grew up in a village near Geneva in Switzerland. His mother brought Buddhism into the family life. As a teenager, he visited Amaravati Monastery, where he first met Ajahn Sumedho and was fortuitously able to attend a ten day retreat with Ajahn Sucitto. At 19 years old, he decided to take a sabbatical year off and spend it at Wat Nanachat, Ajahn Chah's branch monastery for Westerners in Thailand, under the guidance of Ajahn Pasanno.

After 9 years back in lay life, it seemed time to return to Thailand, and was ordained as a bhikkhu by Luang Por Liem. He spent 18 years in Thailand, the last 8 years as Luang Por Sumedho's attendant and secretary. He came to stay at Amaravati Monastery in January 2021 as Luang Por Sumedho returned to live there.


Ajahn Akaliko

Ajahn Akaliko



Ajahn Ñāṇasanti

Ajahn Ñāṇasanti



Ajahn Ruciro

Ajahn Ruciro


Ajahn Ruciro was born in Croydon, South London in 1978. He studied at university and achieved two degrees, one in Sports Science and the other in Physiotherapy. For eight years Venerable Ruciro worked for the National Health Service (NHS) as a physiotherapist, specializing in the field of neurology during the last three years. He first became interested in Buddhist meditation as a way of coping with ‘stress’ when he was twenty-five years old. He started visiting Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon, London on a regular basis, and later began coming to Amaravati. He attended retreats in Thailand (Wat Suan Mokkh and Wat Umong), and also spent ten days at a monastery in Sri Lanka.Venerable Ruciro was extremely inspired by Luang Por Sumedho and his teachings, and similarly by Ajahn Amaro. This culminated in his decision to ‘go forth’ as an anagārika at a ceremony held at Amaravati on 25 August 2012. Ajahn Ruciro requested the sāmanera pabbajjā on 10 August 2013, at a ceremony held in the Amaravati Temple.


Bhikkhu Balado

Bhikkhu Balado


The Anagārika Precept Ceremony for Venerable Balado was held at Amaravati on 2 May 2015 with Ajahn Amaro as his preceptor.

Venerable Balado is currently staying at Sumedharama Monastery in Portugal.


Bhikkhu Pasādo

Bhikkhu Pasādo


Bhikkhu Pasādo was born in Bletchley, England in 1970. His first contact with Buddhism happened through a number of inspiring events of good fortune and acts of kindness from people he met while travelling through India. It was at this time that the idea of becoming a Buddhist monk first arose in his mind.

Later Bhikkhu Pasādo encountered the Thai Forest Tradition through attending meditation classes at a Samatha Meditation Centre, while he was studying in Manchester. He was inspired by a book he received about the life of Ajahn Tate, who practised meditation in the seclusion of the forests of Thailand.

After completing his degree course, his interests in hydrogeology took him to Kent where he lived and worked for many years. Bhikkhu Pasādo started attending a local Buddhist group in Maidstone, Kent, which greatly helped to support and deepen his practice. It was during this time that Bhikkhu Pasādo first heard the teachings of Ajahn Chah and was inspired by his simple, direct style of teaching.

Bhikkhu Pasādo began attending meditation retreats at a number of centres around England including Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. His confidence grew in the Buddhist path and with it came a firm aspiration to enter into monastic training. Eventually, through good fortune, the right conditions came about for him to leave the household life and enter into homelessness, and his Anagārika Precept Ceremony was held on the full moon observance day on 2 May 2015. He received the Pabbajjā or novice 'going forth' in a ceremony held at Amaravati on 20 May 2016, and Full Acceptance into the Bhikkhu-Sangha on 2 July 2017, with Ajahn Amaro acting as preceptor.

Bhikkhu Pasādo would like to express his heartfelt gratitude for all of the kindness and wisdom he has received from those practising Dhamma across the world.


Bhikkhu Issaro

Bhikkhu Issaro


Venerable Issaro was born in Stalowa Wola, south-east Poland, in 1985. His search for true happiness brought him to the Buddha’s teachings. Initially he did not want to meditate, until he read the life story of an extraordinary female meditation master, Dipa Ma, which marked a  turning-point in his life. In 2009 he attended his first 10-day Vipassana Meditation course, taught by SN Goenka. While his interest in the Dhamma was increasing, he discovered the teachings of Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho and other great Thai Forest Tradition masters. He decided to request to undertake the anagārika training at Amaravati, and his Anagārika Precept Ceremony was held on 17 November 2013. Venerable Issaro received the pabbajja or novice 'going forth' in a ceremony held at Amaravati on 2 May 2015. On 27 July 2018, he received full acceptance as a Bhikkhu with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor.


Bhikkhu Manuñño

Bhikkhu Manuñño


Ven. Manuñño (Didier Linares) grew up in the South of France. As a teenager, a brief description of Buddhism in a book led to a Eureka moment and an ongoing fascination with Buddhism. He went on study chemistry, but just before completing his engineer’s degree, he moved to London in the late 90s, where he ended up working as a night editor in a media monitoring company. In 2004, the obsessive reading of Dhamma books resumed and the search for ‘the perfect teacher’ began. The journey started with Tibetan Buddhism before discovering the teaching of Dogen Zenji and Soto Zen. In 2006, while looking online for longer meditation retreats near London, he found Amaravati. Numerous retreats at Amaravati Retreat Centre led to a growing appreciation for the teaching of Luang Por Chah and the Thai Forest Tradition, and culminated in Ven. Manuñño joining the community as the Retreat Centre Household Manager, a role he remained in for three years. In 2016, Ven. Manuñño finally decided to jump in the deep end by requesting the Anagārika training. On 27 July 2018, he received full acceptance as a Bhikkhu with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor.


Bhikkhu Jayadhammo

Bhikkhu Jayadhammo


Bhikkhu Jayadhammo was born in Doncaster, England in 1979. He joined the community at Harnham Buddhist Monastery in 2013, where he stayed for three years, initially as a lay-resident and then going on to train as an Anagarika. He continued his training at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, where he received Pabbajja as a Samanera ('Going Forth' as a novice monk), before joining the community at Amaravati in 2018.


Bhikkhu Jalito

Bhikkhu Jalito


Jalito was born in Latvia in 1986. His first contact with Buddhism came during his studies in high school. At the age of 21, when going through a difficult time in his life, he came upon a transcript of a talk given by Ajahn Sumedho. It deeply resonated with Jalito Bhikkhu, and for the first time he visited one of the monasteries established by Ajahn Sumedho. After years of trying to settle in the worldly life, he returned to a monastery at the age of 28. Two years later he took on the training and white robes as an anagārika, and received the pabbajja or novice 'going forth' in a ceremony on the 3 June 2018, with Ajahn Amaro as his preceptor.


Bhikkhu Khemadassī

Bhikkhu Khemadassī


Tan Khemadassī was born in 1988 in Tustin, California. He grew up in Kärnten, Austria where his mother is from, but returned to the US in 2009, deciding to study Horticulture at LBCC. His interest in persuing a more spiritual path in life became clear after sitting his first 10 Day Vipassana Retreat in the Goenka tradition when he was 21 years old.

Inspired by various Dharma Teachers in the US he eventually made contact with the Teachings of Ajahn Chah and the various branch monasteries in Europe/UK. He started feeling a stronger connection with Thai Forest Monasticism and the step into Anagarika life in 2017 felt quite natural. Tan Khemadassī became a bhikkhu here at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery with Ajahn Amaro as his teacher in December 2019. Since then he enjoyed having the chance to spend time at various Ajahn Chah branch monasteries including his recent year away in Thailand. He returned to ABM end of 2023.

Bhikkhu Adicco

Bhikkhu Adicco


Venerable Adicco (Nicolas Kermarc) was born in Évry, France, but grew up in the south, near Montpellier. After several years in San Francisco in his early twenties, he stumbled upon a book by Ajahn Chah and decided to visit Abhayagiri, which sparked a desire to embark upon the monastic path. In the spring of 2017, he became an anagarika under Ajahn Dtun at Wat Boonyawad, Thailand. He subsequently came back to the West and trained for four years at Aruna Ratanagiri in the north of England. He was accepted into the bhikkhu sangha in September 2020 with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor, and formally joined the community at Amaravati in December 2021.


Bhikkhu Kosallo

Bhikkhu Kosallo



Bhikkhu Cittadhammo

Bhikkhu Cittadhammo


Born in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, Cittadhammo Bhikkhu grew up in a small alpine village. After completing high school in Switzerland, he moved to Montreal, Canada to live and pursue university studies in physics and mathematics. During his first year of university, he participated in a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. This had a great impact on him and he continued to meditate and serve in this tradition for many years. After completing his undergraduate degree, he discovered the Ajahn Chah tradition and decided to dedicate himself to the monastic life. He spent two years at Tisarana Monastery in Ontario under the leadership of Ahahn Viradhammo, and after a short trip to Thailand, decided to continue his training in England. He is now a resident at Amaravati.


Bhikkhu Ṭhapano

Bhikkhu Ṭhapano


Venerable Ṭhapano took the eight precepts of an anagarika in June 2022, went forth as a samanera in July 2023, and took upasampada with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor in July 2024.


Bhikkhu Karuñño

Bhikkhu Karuñño


Kāruñño Bhikkhu, born in southern Denmark, moved to Copenhagen in 1998 to study philosophy while also pursuing a career in music and audio engineering. In 2010, his life took a transformative turn upon discovering Buddhism through Mahāthera Nyanatiloka's “Word of the Buddha.” Trying to deepen his understanding of the Pāli Canon texts led him to attend a 10-day vipassanā meditation retreat in the tradition of S.N. Goenka in 2012. It was during this retreat that the idea of ordination first emerged.

In 2016, Venerable Kāruñño visited Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, where he met practicing bhikkhus, further solidifying his spiritual path. He formally took the eight precepts as an Anagārika in July 2022, marking his commitment to monastic life. After requesting his Sāmaṇera Pabbajja in July 2023, he received the Upasampadā, achieving full acceptance into the bhikkhu Sangha, with Ajahn Amaro as his preceptor, in July 2024.


Bhikkhu Samāhito

Bhikkhu Samāhito


Tan Samāhito was born in 1993 and grew up in Le Blanc-Mesnil, France.

He studied and worked for a few years in advertising and web development in Paris before deciding to live the monastic life.

He became a Bhikkhu in Amaravati with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor on 29 December 2023.


Novice Monks – Sāmaṇerā

Samanera Jotipañño

Samanera Jotipañño



Anagārika – Eight precepts

Anagarika Hito

Anagarika Hito


Anagarika Hito, from Japan, took the eight precepts in July 2023, with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor.


Anagarika Jonathan

Anagarika Jonathan


An. Jonathan is from Sweden and took the eight precepts in July 2024.


Anagarika Dougal

Anagarika Dougal


An. Dougle is from the UK and took the eight precepts in July 2024.


Travelling monastics

Ajahn Vinīta

Ajahn Vinīta


Ajahn Vinīta was born in 1977, in Embilipitiya, Sri Lanka. There he became a Samanera (novice) in 1994. He first visited Amaravati in 2003, and came back to join the community in 2005. In summer 2006, he received the Upasampadā from Ajahn Sumedho in the Amaravati temple Sīmā.

Ajahn Vinīta is spending the vassa in Sri Lanka.


Ajahn Narindo

Ajahn Narindo


Bhikkhu Narindo was born to Chinese-Malaysian parents in the Netherlands in the winter of 1981. In addition to pursuing his studies he helped with his parents' restaurant business. In 2005 he completed his studies at the Rotterdam school of Management, and started working in international sales and marketing for a Dutch multinational.

His interest in people of various cultures led him to travel to different countries. In 2004, during a study exchange in Singapore, he came across a well-informed Buddhist who introduced him to many different traditions of Buddhism, but especially the Ajahn Chah lineage. To his amazement, the Buddhist teaching revealed itself as something he had partly incorporated in his life, without knowing it was “Buddhist.” The emphasis in the Buddhist teachings on personal morality and on sharing goodness in body, speech and mind was very inspiring. His strong aspirations resulted in serious commitment to the Three Refuges and Five Precepts.

From 2004 he spent his holidays mostly in Asia (Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Malaysia, Singapore) to visit Buddhist places with his Dhamma friends. After some years he felt a need for more guidance in his meditation practice, and looked for meditation classes connected with the Ajahn Chah lineage. In 2009 he found the Amaravati Retreat Centre on the internet, and in June of that year during a ten-day retreat; he surprised himself: there was a sudden urge to renounce his lay-life. In the winter of 2010 he arrived at Amaravati and found the monastery supportive for the practice. Venerable Narindo was ordained as a bhikkhu on 29 July, 2012, with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor.

Ajahn Narindo is spending the vassa in Temple monastery, New Hampshire, USA.


Bhikkhu Cittasaṃvaro

Bhikkhu Cittasaṃvaro


As a layman, Tan Cittasamvaro used to have recurring dreams about missing trains due to having so much baggage to lug about. He doesn't have those dreams anymore.

When he first read about the four noble truths a spark was ignited. He started by practising on his own. After a year or so he decided that it would be beneficial to find the support of a group, this led him to Hartridge Buddhist Monastery. He felt he could trust the monks as they were walking the walk. He felt very welcomed by the Abbot, Ajahn Jutindharo, and the rest of the community. After a period of participating in the Sunday evening pujas he stayed for a weekend. During this weekend, in addition to finding the community life very appealing, he attended a talk given by Ajahn Khemmanando. The Ajahn said something along the lines of "...if one gets the opportunity, then the most worthwhile way to live life is as a Bhikkhu......" Tan Cittasamvaro totally believed the sincerity of his utterance and for the first time he realised that he too could be a Bhikkhu once my personal circumstances were favourable. It took a while to get the ducks in a row.

Tan Cittasamvaro went forth as a novice in Hartridge with Ajahn Sucitto as preceptor and had his bhikkhu ordination on 27th December 2020 with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor. He very much enjoys living in a mixed community with his brothers and sisters in the holy life.

Tan Cittasamvaro is currently in Thailand.