About Us
Thanat Chindaporn, a senior disciple of Phra Dhammamangalajarn (Venerable Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo), is a teacher of Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation in the Therevada Buddhist tradition of Thailand and is the Director of the International Meditation Department at Wat Phradhatu Sri Chomtong Voravihara, Chomtong, Chiangmai, which was established in 2000. He studied Vipassana Meditation with Venerable Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo in the mid 1980’s and he began his teaching apprenticeship with late Venerable Phra Banyat Akkayano the late director of Thailand's Northern Insight Meditation Centre at Wat Ram Poeng (Tapotaram), Chiangmai. Since 1988, he has conducted meditation courses in Thailand, Hawaii, North America, including Mexico, Columbia, Puerto Rico, Europe, Israel and India. Thanat is an avid photographer, specializing in portraits of many of Northern Thailand’s most revered meditation masters and elder monks as well as archiving the ancient Buddhist cultural traditions of Northern Thailand in audio visual media.
In 2004, Thanat received Thailand's Benefactor of Buddhism Award for his dissemination of Buddhism worldwide. Email Thanat
Kathryn Chindaporn, (Kate Johnston) is a senior disciple of Phra Dhammamangalajarn (Venerable Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo) having studied Vipassana since 1986. Kathryn has been teaching Vipassana for over 20 years, teaching meditation in Thailand and her birthplace, Washington State, and conducting courses in North America, Hawaii, Europe, Israel and India since 1988. Kathryn is lecturer at the Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya Buddhist University in Chiangmai since 1999 and is currently Thai-English interpreter and Assistant Director and meditation teacher at the International Meditation Department at Wat Phradhatu Sri Chomtong Voravihara, Chomtong, Chiangmai. Since 1989 she has interpreted for Thai meditation masters, published five Thai-English Buddhist translations and appeared as guest speaker and interpreter on Thai and Mexican television and radio. In 2000, Kathryn received the Benefactor of Buddhism Award of Chiangmai Province and the Sema Dhammacakka in Recognition of International Dissemination of Buddhism, the latter conferred by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand. Email Kathryn