S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 5 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 9 3 Ajahn Jotipālo is a Buddhist monk of American origin ordained in Theravada tradition, who has been actively involved in Buddhist-Christian interfaith dialogue for many years. Jotipālo was staying in several monasteries of his tradition in Thailand, Canada and New Zealand; however, his home monastery remains Abhayagiri – a Buddhist Monastery of the Thai forest tradition of Ajahn Chah in Redwood Valley, California. The following interview is a continuation of our conversations with Jotipālo on spirituality and dialogue that occurred at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John’s University, MN, in fall 2018. You have been a Buddhist monk for two decades now – since 1999. My first question concerns your vocation: What moved you to join the Sangha in the strictest monastic tradition of all, the Thai forest tradition of Theravada? I mean, you made a choice for a disciplined lifestyle based on 227 monastic rules (vinaya) of Vinaya Pitaka as opposed to the mainstream consumer lifestyle of the American culture with its emphasis on the values of individual success, wealth, and unlimited consumption. The two are in direct opposition: the former promotes detachment; the latter promotes attachment. It was not an easy decision, wasn’t it? First, thank you Martin for the opportunity to reflect on your interesting and insightful questions. It was a pleasure to meet you at the Collegeville Institute last year and I’m glad we are still in contact. In some ways, it was just luck! I started asking questions about life after a near death experience while trekking in Nepal. It’s a long story but in short, I got altitude illness and for about three days I knew I could die at any moment. On the last day of this ordeal, I came to a point where I knew I had the choice of life or death. Ajahn Jotipālo is American Buddhist monk ordained in Theravada Thai forest tradition, who has been involved in Buddhist-Christian inter-religious dialogue for years. As a Buddhist artist Jotipālo also learns from Christian iconography, in particular icon writing. His email contact is jotipalo@abhayagiri.org. About the author Doc. PaedDr. Martin Dojčár, PhD., is professor of religious studies at Trnava University, Slovakia, specializing in spirituality and inter-religious dialogue. He is the author of an inspiring bookSelf-Transcendence and Prosociality and Editor-in-Chief of the Spirituality Studies Journal. His email is dojcar@gmail.com. MARTIn DoJčáR
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