Respected Buddhist Teachers
Most OBS teachers in About Us have roots in the Ottawa Valley. They may lead retreats or have given Dhamma Talks via Zoom here. The OBS also invites you to come see for yourself the direct and practical teachings of these other Respected Buddhist Teachers, all monastics in the historical tradition of Theravada and/or the Thai Forest.
The Theravada tradition, based on the Pali Canon—the earliest Buddhist texts—means "Way of the Elders" and is known for closely following the Buddha's original teachings and monastic rules.
“The essence of Buddhism is peace and that peace arises from truly knowing the nature of all things”
“Ajahn Chah (17 June 1918 – 16 January 1992) was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.
Respected and loved in his own country as a man of great wisdom, he was also instrumental in establishing Theravada Buddhism in the West. Beginning in 1979 with the founding of Cittaviveka (commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery) [1] in the United Kingdom, the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah has spread throughout Europe, the United States and the British Commonwealth. The dhamma talks of Ajahn Chah have been recorded, transcribed, and translated into several languages.
More than one million people, including the Thai royal family, attended Ajahn Chah's funeral in January 1993[2] held a year after his death due to the "hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend".[3] He left behind a legacy of dhamma talks, students, and monasteries.” Ajahn Chah - Wikipedia
Branch Monasteries in Thai Forest Sangha tradition of Ajahn Chah
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“Ajahn Sumedho (born Robert Karr Jackman on July 27, 1934) is an American Buddhist monk. He was ordained in 1967 and was instrumental in establishing Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand and the Cittaviveka and Amaravati monasteries in England. One of the most senior Western representatives of the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravāda Buddhism, Sumedho is considered a seminal figure in the transmission of the Buddha's teachings to the West.” Ajahn Sumedho - Wikipedia
Early 1980’s Dhamma Talks by Ajahn Sumedho on The Meridian Trust
Later 2017 onwards Dhamma Talks by Ajahn Sumedho (326) Dhamma Talks & Reflections | Ajahn Sumedho - YouTube
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“Ajahn Pasanno (born Reed Perry, Manitoba, Canada, July 26, 1949) is the most senior Western disciple of Ven. Ajahn Chah in the United States, and most senior in the world after Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Khemadhammo. For many years he was the abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat International Forest Monastery in Northeast Thailand. In the late 1990s, Ajahn Pasanno moved to California to head the new Abhayagiri Monastery. With more than 40 years as a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk), Ajahn Pasanno has been instrumental in training many monks in Thailand and the United States and has been supportive of training for women.” Ajahn Pasanno - Wikipedia
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“Ajahn Sucitto (Bhikkhu Sucitto, born 4 November 1949) is a British-born Theravada Buddhist monk (Ajahn is the Thai rendition of ācārya, the Sanskrit word for 'spiritual teacher'). He was, between 1992 and 2014, the abbot of Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery. Sucitto was born in London and ordained in Thailand in March 1976. He returned to Britain in 1978 and took up training under Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Buddhist Vihara. In 1979 he was one of the small group of monks, led by Ajahn Sumedho, who established Cittaviveka, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, in West Sussex. In 1981 he was sent up to Northumberland to set up a small monastery in Harnham, which subsequently became Aruna Ratanagiri. In 1984 he accompanied Ajahn Sumedho in establishing Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire. In 1992 he was appointed abbot of Cittaviveka. On 26 October 2014, he resigned the post but intends to continue teaching as before.” Ajahn Sucitto - Wikipedia
Ajahn Sucitto’s Dhamma Stream (on YouTube)
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“Ajahn Amaro is a Theravāda Buddhist monk and teacher, and abbot of the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in Southeast England. The centre, in practice as much for ordinary people as for monastics, is inspired by the Thai Forest Tradition and the teachings of the late Ajahn Chah.” Ajahn Amaro - Wikipedia
You Tube Dhamma Talks by Ajahn Amaro
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Ajahn Candasiri is one of the Theravāda Buddhist monastics who co-founded Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in West Sussex, England, a branch monastery of the Ajahn Chah lineage. She is currently ordained as a ten-precept sīladharā, the highest level that is allowed for women in the Thai Forest Tradition. She is one of the senior monastics in western Theravāda Buddhism and trained alongside women who later became fully ordained bhikkhunis and abbesses of monasteries.
Born in 1947, Ajahn Candasiri was raised as a Christian in Edinburgh, Scotland. She worked as an occupational therapist in the United Kingdom after graduation from university. She encountered the Buddha's teachings in 1977 through Ajahn Sumedho, after exploring several meditation traditions. She became a renunciant in 1979, a white-robed, eight-precept anagārikā, at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery.”
“For much of her monastic life she has been resident at either Cittaviveka or Amaravati Monasteries. Currently, she resides at Milntuim Hermitage, a small monastery in Perthshire, Scotland that has been established for nuns of this tradition.”
Amaravati Media – Dhamma Books and Articles Ajahn Candasiri
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“Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944) (比丘菩提; Bǐqiū Pútí) born Jeffrey Block, is an American Theravada Buddhist monk ordained in Sri Lanka. He teaches in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Society and has edited and authored several publications grounded in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.” Bhikkhu Bodhi - Wikipedia
Access a free pdf copy of Bhikkhu Bodhi’s The Noble Eightfold Path
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“Ayya Khema (born Ilse Kussel; August 25, 1923[1] – November 2, 1997) was a Buddhist teacher noted for providing opportunities for women to practice Buddhism,[2] founding several centers around the world. In 1987, she helped coordinate the first-ever Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women. Over two dozen books of her transcribed Dhamma talks in English and German have been published. In the last year of her life, she also published her autobiography: I Give You My Life…
Khema was one of the organizers of the first International Conference on Buddhist Women in 1987[25] which led to the foundation of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women.[26] “ Ayya Khema - Wikipedia
Access a free pdf copy of Ayya Khema’s Being Nobody, Going Nowhere