The billionaire heir who became a monk – why the son of Malaysia’s third-richest man, Ananda Krishnan, renounced luxury and fortune for spiritual peace
Would you give up billions for spiritual servitude? Thai-Malaysian monk Ven Ajahn Siripanyo, the only son of Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, did just that – here’s the whole story
Would you give up a fortune to become richer in other more profound ways? Ven Ajahn Siripanyo did. The Thai-Malaysian Buddhist monk dedicates his life to spiritual servitude, leaving behind a world of riches and spoils.
But just how much wealth has Siripanyo given up? A lot, as it turns out: he is, after all, the son of Malaysia’s third richest man, self-made billionaire Ananda Krishnan, who’s worth more than US$5 billion.
If Siripanyo intends to remain as hidden as possible, it’s working. It’s been remarkably challenging to find traces of his life before becoming a monk. But with some digging work, we’ve unearthed five things to know about this modern-day Siddhartha.
He has been a monk since 18
Siripanyo found his spiritual path in Buddhism quite early in life.
Believe it or not, it was purely by accident. When visiting Thailand to pay homage to his Thai mother’s family, the then-18-year-old Siripanyo decided to temporarily ordain at a retreat for fun. Little did he know that the experience would extend to become a permanent way of life. More than twenty years later, he is now a forest monk and the appointed abbot of the Dtao Dum Monastery located somewhere on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
He has royal blood
Siripanyo has royal lineage through his mother. The world knows little about her identity, but research has pointed to Momwajarongse Suprinda Chakraban, a descendant of the Thai royal family. So technically, Siripanyo can be considered a blue-blooded noble, on top of a billionaire’s son!