Ajahn Chandako is the abbot of Vimutti Buddhist Monastery near Auckland, New Zealand and the Redwood Hermitage in Boulder Creek, CA. His interest in the teachings of the Buddha grew as he studied towards a B.A. degree in religious studies at Carleton College in the US. Wishing to devote his life fully to the teachings of the Buddha, in 1990 he ordained as a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition, in the lineage of Venerable Ajahn Chah. Ajahn Chandako then spent 15 years training with forest meditation masters throughout Thailand before establishing Vimutti Monastery in 2004. Ajahn is the author of numerous books and articles and regularly teaches in the United States and Asia.