The story of Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan's son renouncing his father's wealth to become a monk has caught the attention of internet users. Also known as AK, the telecom czar happens to have a net worth of nearly US$5 billion, which equals to a stunning amount of Rs. 4,00,00,00,00,000. Ajahn Siripanyo, son of AK, was 18 when he embraced monkhood renouncing all the fortune and financial inheritance of his father.
While this might appear like the fictional piece written by Robin Sharma in his top-selling book 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari', the story of Ajahn Siripanyo is real. He is now living his life as a Thai-Malaysian Buddhist monk by dedicating his life to a spiritual purpose.
As people got to know about this Buddhist monk, who renounced material wealth to embrace the spiritual path, they chanted "Namo Buddha Namah" praising Lord Buddha.
Monk at 18
When he turned 18, unlike most people celebrating it in fancy ways, Siripanyo walked the path of a Buddhist forest monk to become and dived into the role of an abbot. According to reports, he continues to maintain family ties and dear ones.
While you may wonder what inspired the young man, a son of the third-richest person in the country, to give up wealth and power, reports talk about the days when he visited Thailand to pay respects to his mother's family.
When Siripanyo visited his maternal relatives in Thailand, he happened to temporarily ordain at a retreat out of interest. The experience led him to a permanent monastic life one day.
It is noted that he now lives as a forest monk at the the Dtao Dum Monastery on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
