Rus

Monologue for Two: Venerable Ajahn Khemadhammo

He was born in England in 1944. In 1971, after training at the Central School of Speech and Drama and Drama Centre, London and practising as a professional actor, working for several years at the Royal National Theatre in London with Laurence Olivier, he then travelled to Thailand via the Buddhist holy places in India. In December 1971 in Bangkok he became a novice monk. Furthermore in 1972, he received upasampada as a bhikkhu, a fully ordained Buddhist monk.

Irina Boeva & Daniella Koliada

Ajahn Khemadhammo began Buddhist prison chaplaincy work in 1977 after he moved back to England. In 1985, with the help of others, Angulimala, the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy, was launched with him as its Spiritual Director.

He still continues to visit prisons and teach meditation both at his monastery and at Warwick University.

Ajahn Khemadhammo was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday Honours, June 2003 for 'services to prisoners', and received similar honours from Thailand and Burma.

I was very honoured to meet Khemadhammo, as it was a completely different experience to any of the interviews conducted before. It was crucial for me to understand why would an actor completely change his life and chose to live as a monk. Moreover this experience was different in a spiritual sense as unlike anyone I've interviewed before the focus of this talk was broader and helped to uncover other aspects of humanity. I believe Khemadhammo can give a lot of food for thought and he himself does not judge you for your perceptions of the world. A truly unique individual to alter your views on the world.