Abbot of Wat Phradhatu Sri Chomtong Voravihara.

Venerable Phra Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo was born in 1923 and has given his whole life to the practice and dissemination of Vipassana meditation. In the year of 1934 he ordained as a novice and in 1944 he was fully ordained as a monk. In the 1950s he was sent to Wat Mahathat in Bangkok for one year as the only representative of the Northern-Thai Sangha to practice Vipassana meditation based on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. In the following two years he learned and studied in Burma amongst others with Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw Bhaddantasobhana Mahathera.

Venerable Phra Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo was one of the most respected meditation teachers in Thailand. Since early 1980s he has also conducted Vipassana courses in Europe and America. He predominantly lived and teached in Wat Phradhatu Sri Chomtong Voravihara near Chiang Mai in Thailand. This is a large and well-known meditation monastery, which has an affiliated international center for foreign meditators. The latter is managed by Khun Thanat and Khun Kathryn Chindaporn.

On December 12, 2019, at the age of 96, our most revered teacher left this world. We are grateful for all the years of teaching and tireless support that the Most Venerable Phra Prom Mongkol Vi has given so generously to so many.