16/07/2026
Engelsman blir Somdet, Tar därmed plats som en av Thailands högst rankade munkar.
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British-born monk Ajahn Jayasaro becomes Thailand's first foreign-born Somdet
A British-born monk who trained under the revered forest master Ajahn Chah has become the first foreign-born monk in Thai history to be raised to the rank of Somdet, the highest monastic title below the Supreme Patriarch.
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn issued a royal command, announced on 14 July and effective from 12 July, elevating eight senior monks to the rank of Somdet Phra Ratchakhana. Among them was Ajahn Jayasaro, previously titled Phra Phrom Phatcharayanmuni, who was granted the new ecclesiastical name Somdet Phra Maha Phatcharayanmuni. He is based at the Baan Rai Thawsi monastic residence in Nakhon Ratchasima.
Born Shaun Chiverton in England in 1958, Ajahn Jayasaro grew interested in Buddhism as a teenager and travelled through India in search of a way of life that matched his beliefs. In 1978 he became a novice under Ajahn Sumedho, the first Western disciple of Ajahn Chah, before travelling to Thailand and ordaining as a monk in 1979 under Ajahn Chah himself at Wat Nong Pah Pong in Ubon Ratchathani.
Over the decades he became one of the best-known teachers in the Thai Forest Tradition, giving talks and writing in both Thai and English and drawing a wide following at home and abroad. He is also a long-standing adviser to Buddhist-principled schools, championing the use of mindfulness and life skills in education.
His standing had already been recognised with a series of honours. He received an honorary doctorate in 2011, was granted a royal monastic title in 2019, and in 2020 was elevated again and granted Thai citizenship.
The rank of Somdet is the most senior in the Thai monastic hierarchy below the Supreme Patriarch, held by only a small number of monks at any time. Ajahn Jayasaro's elevation as the first foreign-born monk to reach it is a landmark moment for the international Buddhist community and a reflection of how far the Thai Forest Tradition has spread beyond Thailand's borders.
From the forest monasteries of Ubon Ratchathani, the lineage of Ajahn Chah now counts a Western-born disciple among the most senior figures in Thai Buddhism.
