Not-Self-Help Guide: Upaṭṭhāking Luang Por Sumedho & the Beauty of Service | Ajahn Asoko Q&A

Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this interview, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Tan Ajahn Asoko, a senior monastic at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in the UK and the primary attendant to Luang Por Sumedho. The focus of the interview was the ins-and-outs of serving as an attendant and caregiver.

Biography of Tan Ajahn Asoko:

Ajahn Asoko grew up in a village near Geneva in Switzerland. His mother brought Buddhism into the family life. As a teenager, he visited Amaravati Monastery, where he first met Luang Por Sumedho and was fortuitously able to attend a ten day retreat with Luang Por Sucitto. At 19 years old, he decided to take a sabbatical year off and spend it at Wat Nanachat, Luang Por Chah's branch monastery for Westerners in Thailand, under the guidance of Luang Por Pasanno. After 9 years back in lay life, it seemed time to return to Thailand, and was ordained as a bhikkhu by Luang Por Liem. He spent 18 years in Thailand, the last 8 years as Luang Por Sumedho's attendant and secretary. He came to stay at Amaravati Monastery in January 2021 as Luang Por Sumedho returned to live there.

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