SerpApi.Org
A British man has become the first foreign-born supreme monk in Thailand, after moving to the country almost 50 years ago in search of enlightenment.
Ajahn Jayasaro, born Shaun Michael Chiverton, was appointed to the second-highest rank in Thai Buddhism by a decree in the Royal Gazette.
The Bangkok Post called the 68-year-old “one of Thailand’s most respected contemporary Buddhist teachers”.
Born on the Isle of Wight in 1958, Ajahn Jayasaro’s journey to becoming a supreme monk began young.
He began to question the meaning of life and turned to Buddhist philosophy for answers. In his late teenage years, Ajahn Jayasaro started to study in England with a monk called Ajahn Sumedho, while also working to save money for a trip to Thailand.
He made it to south-east Asia in 1979 and became a disciple of one of Thailand’s most revered meditation masters, Luang Por Chah Subhaddo.
A year later, he entered the full monkhood and was given his new name, Jayasaro, which means the “one who is victorious through the dhamma [the foundational teachings of the Buddha.]”. This was used alongside the title Ajahn, which means teacher or professor.
After five years in the monkhood, Ajahn Jayasaro spent time in a forest retreat. He pursued the traditional “dhutanga ascetic” practice, which is thought to cultivate the mind and body.
Ajahn Jayasaro then spent 16 years at Wat Pah Nanachat, or the International Forest Monastery, first as the deputy abbot, then the abbot. The temple was established for non-Thai monks, and developed a reputation for teaching fluently in both Thai and English.
He left the temple in 2003 to join a monastic residence in Nakhon Ratchasima, where he has focused on teaching meditation and turning key Buddhist elements into accessible books.
In the past seven years, Ajahn Jayasaro has rapidly climbed the ranks of Thailand’s monastic hierarchy, with three promotions. He was also granted Thai citizenship in 2020.
Now, he has become a supreme monk, an honour said to recognise those who have demonstrated exemplary conduct and made significant contributions to Buddhism. He still lives alone in a forest hermitage close to Khao Yai national park.
Ajahn Jayasaro was among eight elevated to the title of “Somdet Phra Rachakhana” – which roughly translates to “supreme ecclesiastical monk”.
The rank, which sits just below the supreme patriarch in Thailand’s nine-tiered monastic hierarchy, makes him the first foreign-born monk to enter the highest echelons of Buddhism in the country’s history.
More than 90 per cent of the population in Thailand identifies as Buddhist and the Buddhist calendar is used, meaning the year is 2569 rather than 2026.
Monks in saffron orange or earthy brown robes are also treated with reverence, although recent financial, sex and drug scandals have triggered calls for reform.
Last year, a woman was accused of blackmailing monks she slept with and extorting millions of pounds from temple funds.
Thousands of Thais still consider it a critical rite of passage to join the monkhood for a few weeks or months.
