Pure Inspiration

About the Contributors – 138
Cambridge University. At Cambridge he joined the university’s
Buddhist Society and at the age of 18 saw a monk for the first time.
He knew then that was what he wanted to be. After graduating from
Cambridge he taught in a high school for a year before travelling to
Thailand in 1973 to become a monk and train with the Venerable
Ajahn Chah. In 1983 he was sent by Ajahn Chah to Perth, Western
Australia where he helped establish Bodhinyana Monastery,
Serpentine, of which he is now the abbot. Ajhan Brahm has been
influential in setting up Dhammasāra Nuns’ Monastery, Gidgegannup
and regularly teaches Dhamma in various parts of Australia and South
East Asia. His weekly Dhamma talks are streamed live worldwide on
the Buddhist Society WA youtube channel. Ajahn Brahm has also
several books, including Opening the Door of Your Heart (formerly
published as ‘Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?’) and
Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond: A Meditator’s Handbook.
Ven. Guttasīla
Ven. Guttasīla is a respected Western monk who lives in Sri Lanka. He
was born in New Zealand in 1947 and after leaving school began
studying medicine at Otago University. Whilst travelling in Thailand
in the mid seventies he came across the Buddha’s teaching. He
subsequently ordained as a novice at Wat Phleng Vipassana, Thonburi
in December 1975 and took higher ordination in June 1976 at Wat
Bowon, Bangkok. In 1980 he moved to Sri Lanka where he initially
resided at Island Hermitage and later at Meetirigala Nissarana Vanaya
where he practised under the guidance of Ven. Śrī Mātara Ñāṇārāma
for many years. Since 1990 he has lived mainly in solitude with the
exception of several years practising under the guidance of Pa Auk
Sayadaw in Myanmar.