Brit from Isle of Wight becomes world’s most senior foreign-born Buddhist monk after 50-year search for enlightenment

A BRITISH man born on the Isle of Wight has made history as the world’s most senior foreign-born Buddhist monk. Shaun Michael Chiverton, 68, now sits just one tier below the Supreme Patriarch in Thailand’s Buddhist monastery after a 50-year search for enlightenment. Brit Shaun Michael Chiverton has made history by becoming the world’s most senior foreign-born Buddhist monk He is now officially just one tier below the Supreme Patriarch in Thailand’s Buddhist monastery after moving to the Far East 50 years ago Credit: wikipedia Now known as monk Ajahn Jayasaro, Shaun was appointed to Somdet Phra Rachakhana under a momentous royal decree. The esteemed move marks the first foreign-born monk in Thailand’s history to be elevated to the senior monastic rank. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Shaun was gifted the religious promotion by King Vajiralongkorn alongside seven other senior monks, according to a decree published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette on July 14. There are nine tiers in the Theravada monastic hierarchy with Shaun now in the second highest. Read more in religious figures He has been described as “one of Thailand’s most respected contemporary Buddhist teachers,” by the Bangkok Post. The Brit’s unique journey to find enlightenment through Buddhism started in the 1970s as he started to research Buddhist philosophy as a teen. He spent years studying in England under British-born monk Ajahn Sumedho all while he saved up cash so he could jet out to Thailand. In 1979, Shaun made the jump as he became fully immersed in the world of Theravada Buddhism. Most read in The Sun Shaun meeting with leader of the Catholic Church Pope Francis in 2022Credit: Getty Shaun is now known as monk Ajahn Jayasaro Credit: Facebook Theravada is the second largest branch of Buddhism in the world with up 36 per cent of global Buddhist followers following the practices. Shaun entered as a disciple of Luang Por Chah Subhaddo – one of Thailand’s most revered meditation masters. Within 18 months, he managed to take on full monkhood. He was given the name Jayasaro which translates in English to “one who is victorious through the dhamma”. The Brit spent the next five years practicing Buddhism before taking part in the traditional dhutanga ascetic practices in a forest retreat. A 16-year stint saw him rise through the ranks at Wat Pah Nanachat, the International Forest Monastery. Here he served as deputy abbot and later as abbot – a monk who has been elected to serve as the spiritual and administrative leader of a monastery. He would leave his role as head of the monastery in 2003 to live a solitary life at a forest hermitage in Nakhon Ratchasima. This led him to focus on becoming a teacher of meditation as well as writing several books in English and Thai to help new worshippers. In 2011, he received an honorary doctorate in Buddhist Communications from Thailand’s Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Thailand is a predominantly Theravada Buddhist country, with 92.5 per cent the population identifying as Buddhists Credit: Getty The entrance to Wat Khao Rang a buddhist Thai temple on the island of Phuket, Thailand Credit: Alamy He was also granted Thai citizenship in 2020 by King Vajiralongkorn in recognition of his contributions to Buddhism. Shaun’s decades of hard work and teachings were rewarded as he quickly rose through Thailand’s religious ranks with three promotions in the past seven years. One of these came in 2024, as he was awarded the rank of deputy Somdet Phra Ratchakhana under the title Phra Phrom Phatcharayanamuni. Within two years, he became Somdet Phra Ratchakhana – dropping the deputy – in the historic announcement earlier this month. Thailand is a predominantly Theravada Buddhist country, with 92.5 per cent the population identifying as Buddhists. The country, often cited as a tourist hotspot, has 44,195 officially registered temples, including 311 royal temples. There are an estimated 300,000 Buddhist monks across the nation. The largest branch of Buddhists remains Mahayana Buddhism which accounts for over 50 per cent of Buddhists worldwide. They are often seen in China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Comment now