Read Selected Writings from Ajahn Sumedho

Born Robert Kan Jackman on July 27th 1934 in Seattle, Luang Por Ajahn Sumedho is the senior Western representative of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism.

From Wikipedia:

Ajahn Sumedho is a prominent figure in the Thai Forest Tradition. His teachings are very direct, practical, simple, and down to earth. In his talks and sermons he stresses the quality of immediate intuitive awareness and the integration of this kind of awareness into daily life. Like most teachers in the Forest Tradition, Ajahn Sumedho tends to avoid intellectual abstractions of the Buddhist teachings and focuses almost exclusively on their practical applications, that is, developing wisdom and compassion in daily life. His most consistent advice can be paraphrased as to see things the way that they actually are rather than the way that we want or don’t want them to be (“Right now, it’s like this…”). He is known for his engaging and witty communication style, in which he challenges his listeners to practice and see for themselves. Students have noted that he engages his hearers with an infectious sense of humor, suffused with much loving kindness, often weaving amusing anecdotes from his experiences as a monk into his talks on meditation practice and how to experience life (“Everything belongs”).

For ten years, from 1967-77, Ajahn Sumedho trained under Ajahn Chah at Wat Nong Pa Pong, Thailand and is widely regarded as the his most influential Western disciple. Ajahn Sumedho was the abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery near Hemel Hempstead in England and remained so until his retirement in November of 2010. He now resides in Thailand, and has been succeeded by English monk Ajahn Amaro.

Read Selected Writings from Ajahn Sumedho

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