Monks in Residence
About
AJAHN DHAMMASIHA
Born in Germany in 1966, Ajahn Dhammasiha ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1996 at Nissaraṇa Vana, Meetirigala, Sri Lanka.
From 1998 he lived in Forest Monasteries of the tradition of Ajahn Chah in Australia.
Since 2007 he is the founding abbot of Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage near Brisbane.
He has taught Buddhism and meditation at monasteries and Buddhist Centres in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, UK and Germany; and he has led five pilgrimages to the sacred Buddhist sites in India.
AJAHN DHAMMASIHA (Bio Long Version) Born in West Germany in 1966, Ajahn Dhammasiha finished high school in Hanover, served as a conscript in the German armed forces, and went on to study business administration in West Berlin. Lacking passion for the contents of the formal curriculum, he expended a lot of his time and energy on his more genuine interests: Schopenhauer’s philosophy, Indian religion and culture, Berlins exciting alternative culture and party scene, and a thorough exploration of the suffering and disappointment inherent in sensual pleasures. A powerful lesson on impermanence was provided by the fall of the Berlin-Wall, and the dramatic changes it entailed. After finishing his degree in 1993, he attempted a compromise of material necessities and spiritual aspirations by starting a PhD on “Indian Corporate Culture”. While in India, he read the Dhammapada which hit him as a true revelation. He travelled to Sarnath and Bodh Gaya, and finally succeeded in dropping worldly concerns to fully devote his life to the spiritual quest. In June 1996, he ordained as a Theravāda Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in the Sri Kalyāṇi Yogāshrama lineage, with Most Ven. Paṇḍita Kadaveḍḍuwa Jinavaṃsa Mahāthera as preceptor. For three years he trained at Nissaraṇa Vana, Meetirigala, a forest monastery dedicated to solitary practice of meditation, and meticulous observance of the Theravāda Vinaya. His approach to practice was guided by the Suttas of the Pāli Canon, which he studied extensively in their original Pali language, and by the examples of senior monks like Ven. Ñāṇavimala & Ven. Ñāṇadīpa In 1998 he came to Australia and started training in monasteries in the tradition of Ajahn Chah, where he was fortunate to receive teachings from some of the most highly respected masters of the Thai Forest Tradition: Luang Por Plien, Luang Por Tui, Luang Por Liem and Tan Ajahn Anan. While spending the rains retreat 2006 at Vimokkharam, a quiet Forest Hermitage in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges, he received an invitation by Brisbane Buddhist Vihara, to help in establishing a forest monastery in South East Queensland. Since moving to Brisbane in 2007, he has served as the founding abbot of Dhammagiri Forest Hermitage, the first forest monastery in Brisbane, and the only one in Queensland associated with the tradition of Ajahn Chah. The hermitage is located on 85 acres in a serene, natural environment amid forested hills adjoining D’Aguilar National Park, only 33km (45mins) from Brisbane’s city centre. In addition to his responsibilities as abbot of Dhammagiri, Ajahn Dhammasiha has taught Buddhism and meditation at monasteries and Buddhist Centres in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, UK and Germany; and he has led five pilgrimages to the sacred Buddhist sites in India. His Dhamma talks and guided meditations can be found on the monastery's website www.dhammagiri.net and its Youtube Channel, Spotify & Apple Podcasts, and eMail Newsletter.
A wide range of Ajahn Dhammasiha's teachings can be found on our online platforms:
AJAHN MONEYYO
Ajahn Moneyyo was born in 1982 in Vienna, Austria, and started his monastic life in 2009 at Cittaviveka Monastery, UK with Ajahn Sucitto as Acariya. In 2010 he became Novice (Samanera) and in 2011 Monk (Bhikkhu) with Ajahn Amaro as Upajjhaya.
After residing at Dhammagiri for one year in 2015, he lived in Thailand for 3 years, mostly at Wat Pah Nanachat and Wat Boonyawad.
In March 2020, literally just 8 hours before Australia closed the borders, Ajahn Moneyyo returned to Dhammagiri with a long term perspective on a religious worker visa. He has been of most valuable support to Ajahn Dhammasiha and our whole community during the challenges of the pandemic, and has now spent at least six rains retreats at Dhammagiri.
AJAHN SUDHIRO
Ajahn Naen Sudhiro hails from Ubon province, the very heart of the Thai Forest Tradition, and birthplace of Ajahn Mun and Ajahn Chah.
Ordained by Ajahn Maho Amon, he has completed 20 vassa as a bhikku, and has experience living in the West from a previous 2 years stay at Bodhinyanarama Monasteray, Wellington, NZ.
After 5 months of visa processing, his application was finally approved and he arrived at Dhammagiri on Wednesday, 13 November, 2024.
TAN JAYADHAMMA
Jayadhammo Bhikkhu was born in 1984 in Karlshamn, Sweden. He first ordained as a novice monk in Myanmar in 2014. In 2019, he returned to Myanmar and, during the strict COVID-19 lockdown, decided to give monastic life another try—this time as a bhikkhu. He received upasampadā in 2020 in Karen State together with his old monk friends, with Sayadaw U Sucitta as his preceptor, and spent the next three years practicing at the Pa-Auk monastery in Hpa-an, through more lockdowns, a military coup, and the unfolding civil war.
In 2023, he returned to Europe and spent his first vassa at Lokuttara Vihara in Norway. The following year he stayed at Muttodaya Forest Monastery in Germany, where he first heard about Dhammagiri. Since March 2025, he has been staying at Dhammagiri and plans to remain until October.
