Origins

In Honour of my buddhist lineage

I trained for 15 years in the Theravada Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah

I am not here to promote Buddhism. I believe the Buddha would have been OK with that. He himself said "the reason I teach is so that you can become independent in the teacher's dispensation". But I do honour the lineage that has shaped my life as best I can and there is no hiding the fact that its influence remains in the teaching I do.

Below is a gallery of some of the most important figures I have met in my life. Some encounters were brief, but they made a profound impact on me on all sorts of levels that are still revealing themselves many years later.

Teachers' who are now passed away

My intention here is to share some stories of my time spent with these remarkable people. But it is also to use this opportunity to in some small way, archive a little of their spirit before it is lost in the mists of time.

Bhante Dhammavara

The Real Yoda

These are photo's that I took during the time I spent with Bhante Dhammavaro. I am told he is the person the Star Wars Character Yoda is based on. He was friends with George Lucas. At the time I took these photos, he was 106 years old. I was his attendant during his stay, and it was an extraordinary encounter that I shall talk a little about in the audio below.

Hear some of my stories about Bhante Dhammvaro

Bhante Ghosananda

Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

I have met Bhante Ghosananda on several occasions and was lucky enough to spend some time with him in Switzerland.

He was a man that was beyond teaching as he was himself was the teaching, and he had a huge energetic impact on me, and it is the felt sense of his presence that continues to be his transmission.

Meeting Bhante Ghosananda

Master Hsuan Hua

Arrived In California With Nothing

I did not spend much time with this outstanding monk. I am not sure if I was cut to live in his monasteries, which were even more rigorous than what I was used to. But he came and stayed with us and my encounters with him resonate up to today.

An impression of my encounters with Master Hsuan Hua

Sri Subramanium

A Mantra Master

I had a strong connection with Guru-Ji the founder of Skandavale. He had a close relationship to the abbot of Chithurst monastery at the time and we saw each other regularly. I was also lucky enough to spend some time at Skandavale at was at times tempted to join his community.

A handshake with Sri Subramanium

The Head Monk Of Sri Lanka

Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero

I took this photo of Bhante when I was his attendant while he was living at Amaraviti. He was both scholastic and very human and direct. He had a huge appetite for learning and sharing and was a delight to spend with.

Attendant to Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero

Ajahn Jun

Senior Disciple Of Ajahn Chah

I ended up spending some time with Ajahn Jun - I was invited to take him on a tour of Scotland. He came from a simple farming background and had a very rustic personality. Covered in tattoos and very down to - earth. He loved the UK, and he wondered who it was that cut all the grass on the hills.

A journey with Ajahn Jun

Robert Moore

Jungian Analyst

Robert Moore has had a huge impact on my life. While I never met him I had a correspondence with him. I got to know him through his recordings and talks. Now you can access his work on YouTube. His work had it's equivalencies in the Forest Tradition. His contemporary research led insights helped me secure a much richer sense of how to best interpret the tradition I was in.

The impact of Robert Moore.

Chao Khun Paññananda

My First Preceptor

Chao Khun was at Harnham Monastery when I became a novice. He was a man of very few words but his stillness and silence had an impact on everybody he met.

Meeting Chao Khun Paññananda

Ajahn Anando

The First Monk I met

Ajahn Anando was the first monk I met and he was the man who kicked the door of a monastic training open for me.

He was a combination of military precision, loyalty to Ajahn Chah and the community combined with the courage to jump off the hundred-foot pole into the depths of the mind through his committed practice of meditation.

My first abbot, Ajahn Anando

Some faces & Moments:

I have thousands of photos. Here a a few of me as a monk and some more of people & places still shaping my life on earth. No words - that would become excessive I think.