Ajahn Chah

The Venerable Ajahn Chah Subhaddo (June 17, 1918 – January 16, 1992) was an influential meditation teacher within Buddhism and the founder of two great monasteries in the Thai Buddhist forest tradition.

He was respected and loved in his own country as a man of great wisdom, and was instrumental in establishing Theravāda Buddhism in the West. Starting in 1979 with the founding of Cittaviveka (better known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery) in Great Britain, the Thai Buddhist foresttradition of Ajahn Chah has spread throughout Europe, the U.S. and the British Community.

Ajahn Chah’s Dhamma talks have been recorded and translated into several languages. He was known for his simple and clear presentation of the Dhamma, which inspired both the local villagers and the highest social class in Bangkok.

He was also known as the master with the most Western monk-disciples, for which he opened a separate monastery (Wat Pah Nanachat) near his own monastery Wat Nong Pah Pong. More than a million people, including the Thai royal family, attended the funeral of Ajahn Chah in 1992. He left a legacy of Dhamma talks, pupils and monasteries behind him.