Santikaro

Santikaro is a Buddhist teacher who understands mindfulness and meditation as core components of the noble path of awakening into wholeness. He grounds his practice and teaching in the discourses of Early Buddhism, following the example of his beloved teacher Ajahn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. Santikaro trained as a Theravada monk for 19 years and studied under Ajahn Buddhadasa for 9 years, serving as his primary translator since that time. Santikaro returned to the USA and Midwest in 2000 after two decades in Thailand. He returns to Thailand annually to stay in touch with his Dhamma roots at Suan Mokkh, the Southern Thai monastery of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, and with Dhamma colleagues and students.

Since 2004 he has lived at Kevala Retreat (formerly Liberation Park) which he and his wife Jo Marie founded. They reside in southwest Wisconsin and serve as caretakers and stewards of this Dhamma refuge in a lovely valley, hosting contemplative practice and personal retreat. There, he guides students of Buddha-Dhamma and meditators in their cultivation of the noble eightfold path. He teaches actively around the Midwest and further afield, leads retreats nationally and internationally, and encourages study groups. When he has the time and energy, he also contributes to work for social justice in a sustainable economy. Among numerous fortuitous opportunities, he is surviving cancer, loving equine teachers, and exploring Enneagram dynamics.