Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery | Resident Community

Resident Community

		Ven. Ajahn Pasanno Ven. Pasanno Bhikkhu took ordination in Thailand in 1974 with Ven. Phra Khru Nanasirivatana as preceptor. During his first year as a monk he was taken by his teacher to meet Ajahn Chah, with whom he asked to be allowed to stay and train. One of the early residents of Wat Pah Nanachat, Ven. Pasanno became its abbot in his ninth year. During his incumbency Wat Pah Nanachat developed considerably, both in physical size and in reputation. Ajahn Pasanno became a well-known and highly respected monk and Dhamma teacher in Thailand. Ajahn Pasanno moved to California on New Year's Eve of 1997 to share the abbotship of Abhayagiri.
		Ven. 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 the Amaravati Buddhist Centre north of London, making trips to California every year during the 1990s. Since June of 1996 he has lived at Abhayagiri Monastery. He has written 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, now available for free distribution and he published another book, Small Boat, Great Mountain, in 2003 that is also available for free distribution. On June 16th, 2005 Ajahn Amaro returned to Abhayagiri after spending one year on sabbatical visiting Buddhist holy places in India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
		Ven. Ajahn Yatiko Ajahn Yatiko was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1968. He had a strong interest in religion from childhood and after a few years at university decided he needed to find a spiritual teacher, as opposed to an academic one. He was on his way to Tibet for ordination, but the plane stopped off in Bangkok on route. While having lunch in a Bangkok restaurant, a few Thai laymen sat down to join him and recommended he go to Wat Pah Nanachat, in Ubon. Owing to their high praise of Ajahn Chah, he decided to investigate. Shortly thereafter Ajahn Sumedho was visiting and Ajahn Yatiko was inspired to pursue monastic training at Wat Nanachat. He has been part of that community since 1992. He arrived at Abhayagiri in January, 2008.
		Ven. Ajahn Sudanto Born in Portland, Oregon in 1968, Ajahn Sudanto became interested in Buddhism and Indian spiritual traditions while completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon. After graduation he set off for a open-ended period of travel and spiritual seeking in India and Southeast Asia. After a year of traveling, he proceeded to Thailand to begin a period of intensive study and meditation, which drew him to Wat Pah Nanachat in the Northeast of Thailand. There he met Ajahn Pasanno (then the abbot) and requested to ordain and train with the resident community, taking full ordination as a bhikkhu in 1994. After training for five years at Wat Pah Nanachat and various branch monasteries in the Ajahn Chah tradition, he came to Abhayagiri to live and train with the emerging sangha in America. Ajahn spent the summer of 2007 together with Ajahn Karunadhammo in the Columbia River Gorge on retreat in an impromptu forest hermitage supported by the Portland Friends of the Dhamma and other generous people from around the Northwest. He spent Vassa 2009 (July-October) in Canada at Birken Forest Monastery.
		Ven. Ajahn Karunadhammo Ven. Karunadhammo Bhikkhu 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 another two months helping on a winter retreat at Amaravati. He decided to "Go Forth" while in Thailand in December 1995 and asked if he could be part of the prospective California monastery. He arrived in San Francisco in May of 1996, took the Eight Precepts on the thirty-first of that month (Vesakha Puja Day) and was part of the original group arriving at Abhayagiri on June 1, 1996. After a little over a year in white, Anagarika Tom became Samanera Karunadhammo on the Full Moon Day of July 1997 under the preceptorship of Ajahn Pasanno. In May 1998 Samanera Karunadhammo took full bhikkhu ordination, and became the first American-born bhikkhu at the first American branch monastery of the Thai lineage of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho. Ajahn Karunadhammo spent Vassa 2009 (July-October) in Canada at Birken Forest Monastery.
		Gunavuddho Bhikkhu Ven. Gunavuddho Bhikkhu was born in a small farming town outside of Chicago in 1974. In 1987 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He finished his B.A. degree in Boston in 1996, and first came to Abhayagiri in 1998 where he was introduced to the Ajahn Chah Tradition. Inspired by Ajahn Pasanno's path of practice, he went to ordain in Thailand at Wat Pah Nanachat later in 1998 and received Bhikkhu ordination in 2000 at Wat Nong Pah Pong, Ajahn Chah's monastery, with Luang Por Liem as his preceptor. Since then he has lived with many of the senior disciples of Ajahn Chah, such as Ajahn Anan at Wat Marp Jan. After 10 years of living in Thailand, he returned to Abhayagiri in May 2009 with the aspiration to support the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest Tradition in America.
		Caganando Bhikkhu Ven. Caganando was born in New York in 1954. After receiving a BS in Physics he worked at U of Albany on solar and wind energy meteorology research. A budding interest in Buddhism and voluntary simplicity led to a period of hands on carpentry work, eventually starting a small building company. Asia was calling, and a period of world travel concluded with practice in several monasteries in India and Thailand. Then came five years on staff at IMS in Barre, MA where he first met western monks from the Ajahn Chah lineage – Ajahn Sucitto and Ajahn Amaro. Interested in exploring monastic life, he went to Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand and ordained as an anagarika in 2002, samanera in 2003, and bhikkhu in 2004 with Luang Por Liem as his preceptor. After meeting Ajahn Pasanno in Thailand he asked to come to Abhayagiri for his third vassa.
		Sampajano Bhikkhu Ven. Sampajāno was ordained as a bhikkhu in July of 2006. As part of the monk’s training at Abhayagiri, Tan Sampajāno moved to Northeast Thailand for one year. He returned to Wat Abhayagiri in late October, 2009, after spending his 4th pansah at Wat Nong Pah Pong.
		Cunda Bhikkhu Ven. Cunda was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, and moved to California in 1996. After graduating from college, and after working and living abroad, he began practicing Buddhist meditation. Seeking a quieter, peaceful life, he arrived at Abhayagiri in the Fall of 2005. Ven. Cunda went forth as an anagārika in 2006 and received novice ordination in 2007. His Bhikkhu ordination took place on May 22nd, 2008, with Ajahn Pasanno as preceptor.
		Kaccāna Bhikkhu Kaccāna Bhikkhu was born in 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio. While he was in high school, his parents introduced him to the practice of meditation as taught by Sri Ecknath Easwaran. After graduating from Harvey Mudd College, he moved 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 Upasika program. Realizing that monastic practice might be of great benefit to himself and others, Ven. Kaccāna came to Abhayagiri a month after completing his PhD. He went forth as an anagārika on October 7th, 2006, and his sāmanera ordination, or pabbajja, was held in October 2007. On October 26th, 2008 Ven. Kaccāna received the higher ordination, becoming a fully ordained Bhikkhu, with Ajahn Pasanno as his preceptor (Upajjhaya).
		Thitapañño Bhikkhu Thitapañño Bhikkhu was born in 1983 in Washington, DC and spent much of his childhood in the surrounding suburbs. While in college he developed an interest in spirituality and began to meditate daily and attend retreats. After graduating, he decided to pursue his spiritual aspirations by becoming a lay resident at the Bhavana Society Forest Monastery and Meditation Center in West Virginia. After living at the Bhavana Society for a little more than a year, Thitapañño Bhikkhu decided to explore his interest in monastic life by visiting different monasteries. Upon arriving at Abhayagiri he felt he had found the right place. He went forth as an anagārika on June 14, 2007 and had his novice going forth (pabbajja) on July 8, 2008. Ajahn Pasanno and the Abhayagiri Sangha gave Ven. Thitapañño bhikkhu ordination on June 13, 2009.
		Sāmanera Kovilo Sāmanera Kovilo grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and developed an interest in meditation after graduating from high school. He has had many good friends and teachers, and is happy to have the opportunity to now live at Abhayagiri. His anagārika going forth took place on July 8th, 2008, and he took the brown robes of novice on July 22, 2009.
		Sāmanera Ñāṇamedhi Sāmanera Ñāṇamedhi was born in Taos, New Mexico and raised in the south-west and mid-western United States. He studied Fine Arts in college and has worked as a carpenter. He arrived at Abhayagiri in Spring, 2008 and had his anagārika going forth on August 7th, 2008. He ordained as a sāmanera on July 22, 2009.
		Sāmanera Pamutto Sāmanera Pamutto was born in New Jersey, USA, in 1983 and grew up in the Midwest. After high school he moved around and held several jobs, eventually joining the army as a linguist. After three years and partway through a deployment to Iraq his growing spiritual aspirations were causing him to be barred from advancement and he realized he had no future in the military. He applied for conscientious objector status unsuccessfully, but finally secured a discharge on disciplinary charges. He spent a year traveling in Asia to learn of the world's spiritual practices and discovered Theravada Buddhism in Thailand. Eager to train in his home country, Abhayagiri was one his first stops. He went forth as an anagārika on August 7, 2008 and undertook the sāmanera training on July 22, 2009.
		Anagārika Sean Anagārika Sean was born in New Mexico in 1977 and was raised in Bakersfield, CA. His interest in Buddhism began at a private Catholic high school and increased at UC Santa Barbara where he majored in Global & International Studies with emphases in Political Socio-Economics & Eurasia. Travels through Western Africa inspired him to work for world peace with global non-profits, a local youth initiative that he founded, and as an environmentalist in the Sequoia National Forest. Subsequently fulfilling his ambitions in international business living in China, Israel and Thailand, he recognized that the life of a Buddhist contemplative was calling. Sean ordained as a monk at a Thai city temple for 7 months in 2008 until settling on the forest Dhamma of Ajahn Chah. He went forth as an anagārika on July 26, 2009.
		Anagārika Scott Anagārika Scott was born in Eureka, CA in 1970 and spent time in both the Pacific Northwest and Midwest while growing up. He began practicing Theravada Buddhism in 2002 while living in Seattle. In 2004 he moved to San Francisco and sat with many of the Bay Area teachers and meditation groups. In 2007 he moved to Oregon, where he joined Portland Friends of the Dhamma and facilitated the Portland Dharma Punx group. During this time, he worked in numerous bookstores and warehouses as a source of income. Anagārika Scott came to Abhayagiri in April 2009 and took on the white robes on July 26, 2009.
		Anagārika Nate A search for direct knowledge of universal truth and an end to personal suffering led Anagarika Nate to begin practicing Zen meditation in early 2004, during his first year of university education. As his practice developed, he became increasingly dissatisfied by the inability of academic philosophy to resolve either issue. In April 2007 he left college to began residency at a Zen monastery and devote himself to meditation. Studying the Theravada scriptures and teachings, he felt a strong affinity for the monastic discipline and lineage of Ajahn Chah. He moved to Abhayagiri in April 2009 and went forth as an anagārika on September 4, 2009.