Born in 1954, Ajahn Sona's background as a lay person is in classical guitar performance (U. of Toronto). He left behind the worldly life and embarked on a five year spiritual journey as a lay hermit. He ordained as a Theravada monk in West Virginia and further trained for three years at such monasteries as Wat Pah Nanachat and Wat Keuhn in Northeast Thailand.

Ajahn Sona is a pioneer in introducing the Theravadin forest monastic tradition to Canada. he established the Birken Forest Monastery north of Vancouver upon his return to British Columbia in 1994. He is well experienced in leading meditation retreats and his teachings on Buddhist practice combine tried and true Buddhist wisdom with modern common sense. Ajahn Sona is the abbot of Birken Forest Monastery at its new and expanded location near Kamloops, BC.

External Links:
www.birken.ca - Birken Forest Monastery, CAN.