--- product_id: 18126972 title: "Venerable Father: A Life with Ajahn Chah" price: "¥5748" currency: JPY in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/18126972-venerable-father-a-life-with-ajahn-chah store_origin: JP region: Japan --- # Venerable Father: A Life with Ajahn Chah **Price:** ¥5748 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Venerable Father: A Life with Ajahn Chah - **How much does it cost?** ¥5748 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/18126972-venerable-father-a-life-with-ajahn-chah) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Available until now only in limited editions, "Venerable Father" has become an underground classic among Buddhists, especially those practicing the Thai tradition. It details the joys and struggles of Paul Breiter's years with Ajahn Chah, who was perhaps Thailand¿s best-known and most-loved Buddhist master. Breiter describes Ajahn Chah as a figure who is at once human yet extraordinary, an orthodox yet unconventional teacher whose remarkable skill, patience, and compassion in training disciples flowed naturally from his deep and joyous realization of the truth. Breiter also explains, quite vividly, the life of a Westerner in a Thai forest monastery and the unique spiritual lessons to be learned there. PAUL BREITER ordained in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in Thailand in 1970 and soon thereafter met Ajahn Chah. He became one of Ajahn Chah's favorite disciples and his translator, and stayed with him until disrobing in 1977. Since then, he has maintained close ties to Ajahn Chah's lineage while studying Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and he has continued to translate Ajahn Chah's teachings, which appear in "Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chaa" (with Jack Kornfield) and "Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha¿s Teachings". Review: Enjoyable read - Very enjoyable reading. I've ready so many books that make reference to Ajahn Chah, I decided to buy this to learn more about him. I know that he passed away, but it sounds like he was quite a character, both funny and wise. I really like this book because the font is a little larger than standard and it's in bold print - perfect for someone like me with less than perfect reading vision but who can't always find her glasses. :-) Review: WONDERFUL, ABSORBING - Better than movies, sitcoms, food, internet, cellphone, drug, alcohol ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,992,177 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5,237 in Buddhism (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 67 Reviews | ## Images ![Venerable Father: A Life with Ajahn Chah - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Fc+7QxDnL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoyable read *by H***L on April 10, 2026* Very enjoyable reading. I've ready so many books that make reference to Ajahn Chah, I decided to buy this to learn more about him. I know that he passed away, but it sounds like he was quite a character, both funny and wise. I really like this book because the font is a little larger than standard and it's in bold print - perfect for someone like me with less than perfect reading vision but who can't always find her glasses. :-) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WONDERFUL, ABSORBING *by F***E on April 27, 2026* Better than movies, sitcoms, food, internet, cellphone, drug, alcohol ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A moving tribute -- and a guide to life as it might be lived *by S***E on November 30, 2004* I've bought and read both Being Dharma and Still Forest Pool, and enjoyed them very much. But Venerable Father is far superior to them in giving this soft American a real idea of what it was like studying under and living with Ajahn Chah. I both envy Paul Breiter for his experience, and am really glad it was him rather than me going through it! :) But seriously, this humble yet assured voice resonates throughout the book. Yes, it is the skill and compassion of Luang Por that is responsible for the quality of much of the book, but truly Breiter's frank evaluations of his experiences during and after life as a forest monk makes this much different from other, more traditional memoirs that I have read. I'm not saying that he's enlightened with a capital E, but during the course of the book the training (when fully followed, as Ajahn Chah taught) seems to automatically make the monks into more awake, more compassionate, less suffering people. The importance of even trivial-sounding Vinaya rules becomes apparent, and thus Chah's way is illuminated. The sections of the book after he disrobes are even better. You can take the monk out of the forest (and his robes), but you can't take the forest out of the monk. These chapters were poignant and in some cases very funny indeed. Ajahn Chah's total intuitive understandng, and effortlessly devastating criticism, of Mahayana double-talk was especially amusing. For instance, to the Mahayana claim that we don't need to do anything to improve because our nature is originally perfect, when he says that's like saying if you put sh*t on a silver platter, you don't need to clean it before eating from it because the platter was originally clean! But all the time he is understanding totally how Mahayana, for all its linguistic troubles and even theological difficulties, is as dedicated to the path of freedom and compassion in its own very different way as is the Forest School. This book is a gift. It gives us the feeling of sitting at Luang Por's feet -- the wonder and the horror of it, a highly (even totally) awakened master teaching each student to match his or her understanding, and a mischievous old man pushing his monks to the very edge of sanity, or a little beyond. I know I wouldn't want him tugging on my robes and laughing while I was trying to give a first Dhamma talk in Thai, but it would have been amazing to know and love this man. Venerable Father is as close as any of us will come to Ajahn Chah, and we have Paul Breiter to thank for it. I'm incredibly inspired to ordain, even more than before. Scared, too, of course, but living under the Vinaya sounds like a pure and productive way to live. If you want to read Luang Por's words and get even more inspired, buy and read Being Dharma and Still Forest Pool, too! NOTE: Be sure to buy this book in the Paraview edition. There are other, unauthorized reprints out there, and this is a beautiful volume. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.jp/products/18126972-venerable-father-a-life-with-ajahn-chah](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/18126972-venerable-father-a-life-with-ajahn-chah) --- *Product available on Desertcart Japan* *Store origin: JP* *Last updated: 2026-05-08*