Venerable Ajahn Tong Sirimangalo (Phra Prom Mongkol Vi, 1923 – 2019) devoted his life to the practice and teaching of Satipatthana Vipassanā Kammatthana (insight meditation based on the four foundations of mindfulness). After ordaining as a monk in 1934, he spent 6 decades teaching meditation and establishing and expanding meditation centres throughout Thailand. Ajahn Tong was the abbot of the Buddhist Monastery Wat Chom Tong (Chiang Mai) which includes an international meditation centre and 300 meditation rooms. He was Chief Kammatthana Master of the Northern Region of Thailand and is one of Thailand’s most respected meditation teachers.
“We are not born to be slaves to this life
We are not born only to grow old, become ill and die
We are born to free ourselves from the chains that keep our minds in bondage
We are born to stop birth, end suffering and reach Nibbāna.”
(Ajahn Tong, 2011: 205).