Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The King of Thailand, Rama X, promoted Ajahn Jayasaro, the well-known, British-born Buddhist monk and disciple of Luang Por Chah (1918-1992), one of the most revered individuals in Thailand’s Buddhist Forest Tradition, to the rank of Somdet Phra Ratchakhana, just below that of Supreme Patriarch in a nine-tier hierarchy.
Ajahn Jayasaro was one of eight senior monks elevated by royal decree to this rank, making him the first monk of foreign origin in Thai history to hold the second-highest post in the hierarchy.
Monks were promoted for their exemplary conduct and significant contribution to Buddhism in a country where more than 90 per cent of the population professes Theravada Buddhism.
Ajahn Jayasaro, who currently lives at the monastic residence of Ban Rai Tor See, Nakhon Ratchasima province, was promoted with effect on 12 July 2026.
Born Shaun Michael Chiverton on 7 January 1958 on the Isle of Wight, England, he first approached Buddhism in his teens, while searching for answers about life.
After studying Eastern philosophy and practising meditation on his own, Ajahn Jayasaro travelled to Thailand at the age of 20 to pursue Buddhist studies and train under the guidance of Luang Por Chah – who gave impetus to the spread of Buddhism among foreigners – at the Pah Watch Forest Monastery in Nong Rath Nong Poath, becoming a full monk on 3 June 1980, with Luang Por Chah as his preceptor.
In the following decades, Ajahn Jayasaro became one of the most prominent Western monks in Thailand, due to his deep knowledge of the teachings, mastery of the Thai and English languages, and his commitment to spreading the principles to both Thai and international audiences.
From 1997 to 2002, he served as abbot at Wat Pah Nanachat monastery, Warin Chamrap district, Ubon Ratchathani province, a key place where foreign monks disciples of Luang Por Chah can study and be taught meditation.
In 2020, Rama X granted him Thai citizenship as a special case in recognition of his contributions to Buddhism.
One of his best-known works is Uppalamani, a book centred on the life and spiritual practices of Master Luang Por Chah.
Photo: Wikipedia /Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives
