‘Come Back, Sīladhamma. Please Come Back!’
New Year 2016 message by Ven. Ajahn Pasanno
Recorded on 3rd January, 2016

To realize the real cause of nowadays turbulent situations and help preserve World Peace, the words by Buddhadāsa translated as “Come back, sīladhamma, please come back!” are the theme of practice at the Buddhadāsa Indapanno Archives (BiA) for the whole year of 2016. When Ajahn came to teach at the center, Ajahn kindly agreed to BiA’s request and generously offered some reflections about the theme.

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About Ajahn Pasanno:

Ajahn Pasanno took ordination in Thailand in 1974 with Venerable Phra Khru Ñāṇasirivatana as preceptor. During his first year as a monk he was taken by his teacher to meet Ajahn Chah, with whom he asked to be allowed to stay and train. One of the early residents of Wat Pah Nanachat, Ajahn Pasanno became its abbot in his ninth year. During his incumbency, Wat Pah Nanachat developed considerably, both in physical size and reputation.

Spending 24 years living in Thailand, Ajahn Pasanno became a well-known and highly respected monk and Dhamma teacher. He moved to California on New Year’s Eve of 1997 to share the abbotship of Abhayagiri with Ajahn Amaro. In 2010 Ajahn Amaro accepted an invitation to serve as abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England, leaving Ajahn Pasanno to serve as sole abbot of Abhayagiri for the next eight years.

In December 2015, along with Ajahn Amaro, Ajahn Pasanno was honoured by the King Rama IX of Thailand with the ecclesiastical title ‘Chao Khun’. Together with this honour he was given the name ‘Bodhinyanavidesa’.
In spring of 2018, Ajahn Pasanno stepped back from the role of abbot, leaving the monastery for a year-long retreat overseas. Though he plans on returning after this time to continue as an anchor of wisdom and guidance for the community, the monastery will remain in coming years under the active leadership of co-abbots Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Ñāniko.