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.

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 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 Ñāṇarato is currently in Japan for the winter.

Ajahn Karuṇadhammo was born in North Carolina in 1955. He was trained as a nurse and moved to Seattle in his early twenties where he came in contact with the Theravada tradition. In 1992, he helped out with a monastic visit to the Bay Area and spent two months serving a winter retreat at Amarāvati Monastery in England. Ajahn Karuṇadhammo made the decision to ordain while visiting Thailand in 1995. He asked if he could be part of the prospective California monastery (the then unnamed Abhayagiri) and was part of the original group that arrived at Abhayagiri on June 1, 1996. After training for two years as an Anagārika and Sāmaṇera, he took full Bhikkhu ordination in May, 1998 with Ajahn Pasanno as his preceptor. Since Ajahn Pasanno stepped back from his leadership role in 2018, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Ñāniko guided the Abhayagiri community as co-abbots for two years. In June 2020, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo stepped back from his administrative duties at Abhayagiri.

Bio from abhayagiri.org

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 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 Kaccāna was born in 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. While he was in high school, his parents introduced him to the practice of meditation as taught by Śri Ecknath Easwaran. After graduating from Harvey Mudd College in Southern California, he moved north to Berkeley to pursue graduate study in physics. In Berkeley, he continued daily meditation practice, went on retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and participated in the Abhayagiri Upāsaka program. Realizing that monastic practice might be of great benefit to himself and others, Ajahn Kaccāna came to Abhayagiri a month after completing his PhD. Ajahn Amaro, co-abbot of Abhayagiri at the time, gave him the anagārika going forth on October 7, 2006. After training as an anagārika and sāmaṇera, Ajahn Kaccāna received the higher ordination on October 26, 2008, with Ajahn Pasanno as his preceptor.

In June 2011, Ajahn Kaccāna moved to Wat Pah Nanachat to begin a year of practice in Thailand. While in Thailand, he also spent time in the remote jungle monasteries of Dtao Dum and Poo Jom Gom. He deeply appreciated the opportunity to connect with the physical roots of the Thai Forest Tradition and be with teachers like Luang Por Liem.

Shortly after returning from Thailand, Ajahn Kaccāna suffered a knee injury which prevented him from sitting on the floor or returning to Thailand. After spending six consecutive years at Abhayagiri, he suggested to Ajahn Pasanno that a change of scene would be helpful. "Go to Amaravati and spend time with Ajahn Amaro," was the reply. The English Sangha Trust supported him with a two-year visa, and Ajahn Kaccana arrived to a warm welcome in June 2019.

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

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.

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.

Tan Jalito is currently in Thailand.

Tan Kosallo is currently at Chithurst monastery.

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.

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.