Community
Ajahn Kongrit Ratanavaṇṇo – Abbot
Ajahn Kongrit Ratanavaṇṇo was born in Korat, northeast Thailand, in 1971. After completing his military conscription, he made the decision to become a monk for three months in accordance with Thai tradition in 1992. However, those initial three months turned into an extended period, and he has remained a monk up until the present time.
Following five years of training under Ajahn Supot Tejadhammo at Wat Bueng Saensook in Korat, Ajahn Ratanavaṇṇo moved to Wat Pah Nanachat while Ajahn Jayasaro was the abbot, Ubon in 1997. There, he not only learned to speak English but also served as one of the abbot's assistant and as the monastery secretary who helped the sangha with their visa. In 1999, he had the opportunity to spend a year at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in California before eventually settling down at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in 2001.
At the beginning of 2023, he was invited to take on the role of abbot at Skiptvet Buddhist Monastery in Norway.
Bhikkhu Ādicco
Tahn Adicco was born in Évry, France, but grew up in the south, near Montpellier. While working in tech in San Francisco in his early twenties (2013-2017), he stumbled upon books by Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho (whom he considers his core teacher) and decided to visit nearby Abhayagiri. Meeting Ajahn Pasanno and the sangha there sparked in him a desire to take on monastic training.
In the spring of 2017, he became an anagarika under Tahn Ajahn Dtun at Wat Boonyawad, Thailand. He subsequently came back to the West and trained for four years with Ajahn Munindo at Harnham Buddhist Monastery in the north of England. During that time, he was accepted into the bhikkhu sangha in September 2020, with Ajahn Amaro as preceptor.
Later on, he took up residence at Amaravati for over three years - interspersed with shorter stays at Sumedharama, Portugal, and a winter period here in Norway - and he is now once again spending a period of time at Skiptvet Buddhist Monastery.