Meet Ajahn Siripanyo, Who Walks Away From Father’s $5 Billion Empire To Become Monk

Ajahn Siripanyo’s life story defies all the conventions about wealth and inheritance. He is the son of Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, who had everything in the world he could ever want except, of course, inner peace. At 18, he made the very serious decision to leave billions behind for the simple life in the monastic robes.

The only son of Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo turned his back on a life of unimaginable riches. His father, better known as “AK,” is Malaysia’s third-richest individual, with a fortune exceeding US$5 billion (approximately Rs 40,000 crore). Ananda Krishnan’s diversified business empire cuts across telecommunication, media, satellite services, real estate, oil, and gas.

Among his many ventures, he also owns Aircel, a telecommunications company that once sponsored the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings, captained by cricket legend MS Dhoni.

Breaking Away From Legacy Of Wealth

Although brought up as a young heir to receive his father’s vast inheritance, Ajahn Siripanyo became detached from the material world at just 18 years of age. His was a major personal decision, but one that his father, a believing Buddhist, respects. In fact, philanthropy has been a significant part of the activities of Ananda Krishnan in keeping with his own Buddhist values.

Ajahn Siripanyo’s decision to renounce the luxuries of his birthright was not a spur-of-the-moment choice but a deeply considered path toward a life of simplicity and spiritual awakening.

Ajahn Siripanyo’s Spiritual Journey

One would think that his life, having a billionaire for a father, is the perfect dream come true. However, for Ajahn Siripanyo, it was the opposite. A trip to Thailand at 18 sealed his fate in a different path for him. The trip started out as a visit to honor his mother’s family, which comes from a direct line of royalty from Thailand.

However, while in residence, he participated in a vicarious retreat where he was tonsured as a monk. What initially started off as a casual, temporary affair became a lifelong commitment.

Today, after more than 20 years, the monk, Ajahn Siripanyo, has found his life totally immersed in monasticism; he is a forest monk and an abbot at the Dtao Dum Monastery along the border of Thailand and Myanmar. His was a journey quite similar to that of Siddhartha, or the Buddha, who renounced his princely life in search of enlightenment.

Living Life Of Simplicity, Yet Embracing Family

Ajahn Siripanyo was not born into a life of simplicity like the one he leads today. Born in London, where he grew up with two sisters, he received his education in the UK and could speak at least eight different languages, including English. It is probably due to such wide international experience that he has been molded to have a very great affinity to Buddhism.

Although Ajahn Siripanyo is a monastic, he is not separated from his family. As much as he lives in the grace of others and leads an austere simple life, there are moments when he goes back to his previous lifestyle. The religion itself proclaims to have amongst its agenda familial love, which Ajahn Siripanyo finds time to visit his father, both showing respect for his monastic duties and to his family bond.

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