caption predecessor religion birth_place other_names title name birth_date image article_title birth_name occupation
pictured thai monk '' -lrb- left -rrb- '' with a visiting ajahn chah theravada buddhism seattle , washington , usa luang por sumedho , tan chao khun rajasumedhajahn ajahn sumedho ajahn sumedho 27 july 1934 ajahn sumedho.jpg ajahn sumedho
 robert karr jackman buddhist teacher
ajahn sumedho

luang por sumedho or ajahn sumedho -lrb- -rrb- -lrb- born robert karr jackman , july 27 , 1934 , seattle -rrb- is the senior western representative of the thai forest tradition of theravada buddhism .
he was abbot of amaravati buddhist monastery , uk , from its consecration in 1984 until his retirement in 2010 .
`` luang por '' means `` venerable father '' -lrb- หลวงพ่อ -rrb- , an honorific and term of affection in keeping with thai custom ; `` ajahn '' means `` teacher '' .
a bhikkhu since 1967 , sumedho is considered a seminal figure in the transmission of the buddha 's teachings to the west .
