Ajahn Amaro, born in England in 1956, is a Spirit Rock Teacher Emeritus and abbot of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. Ordained in Thailand in 1979 by Ajahn Chah, he later co-founded Abhayagiri Monastery in California. A graduate in Psychology and Physiology from the University of London, he is also the author of several books on Buddhist teachings, including The Island and Small Boat, Great Mountain, Rain on the Nile, and The Island: An Anthology of the Buddha's Teachings on Nibbana, co-written with Ajahn Pasanno.