Ajahn Ahimsako was born near San Francisco, California in 1959, and spent nearly thirty years living in various countries pursuing a career in classical ballet as a dancer, teacher, and educator. While living in England he travelled to Sri Lanka, where his interest in Buddhism prompted him to begin visiting Amaravati Buddhist Monastery and the London Buddhist Vihara.
He began his monastic life in 2002 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in California, and then moved to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in 2009. He joined the Chithurst community in the autumn of 2018, and was appointed as the abbot of Cittaviveka Monastery in November 2019.
