I was born in 1985 in Ljubljana, but I spent my childhood in the Dolenjska region of Slovenia. My early years began in Mirna, then in Novo Mesto, and later in Žužemberk, where I completed primary school. I attended high school at the Biotechnical Gymnasium of the Grm Agricultural School in Novo Mesto.
At the age of nine, I was drawn to Buddhism when I came across an encyclopedia entry about this philosophy. By twelve, I was already deeply engaged in meditation practices, and at eighteen, I became a co-founding member of the Theravāda Buddhist Society Bhavana.
After finishing high school, at the age of nineteen—on the very day of my final exam—I made one of the most significant decisions of my life. I left home and joined the monastic community at Santacittarama Monastery in Italy as a postulant. A few months later, I moved to the United Kingdom and settled in Aruna Ratanagiri Buddhist Monastery in Northumberland.
At twenty, I was ordained as a novice monk (sāmaṇera), and a year later, Luang Por Sumedho fully ordained me as a bhikkhu. During my five years at Aruna Ratanagiri, I took on responsibilities for Path Press, managing copyrights and preserving the legacy of Venerables Ñāṇavīra and Bodhesako. Later, as the chief editor at Path Press Publications, I prepared and published several significant works, including Notes on Dhamma and The Letters of Sister Vajira.
In 2010, I moved to Cittaviveka Monastery in the UK, where I completed the editing of Seeking the Path. Three years later, I spent a year at Bodhinyānārāma Monastery in New Zealand, where I wrote my first biographical book on Ven. Ñāṇavīra, The Hermit of Bundala.
In 2014, I returned to the UK and spent several months in Sri Lanka, where I lived as a hermit in Hillside Hermitage and Bundala—deep in the wilderness, surrounded by elephants, snakes, and tarantulas. Photo album
In 2016, I returned to Slovenia and was given the opportunity to establish the Samanadipa Monastery. With the financial support of the donor Temduang Goodchild, I built the first kuti (monastic hut) on my grandmother’s land. The early months were solitary, but over time, new monks joined, and the monastery expanded. In January 2020, Samanadipa was officially registered as a religious organization.
My vision was to create a space where monks would not blindly follow tradition and obedience but would have the opportunity to deeply immerse themselves in the Dhamma and Vinaya. I wanted to enable them to develop independent thinking, practice in solitude with minimal obligations, and cultivate self-confidence based on their own wisdom gained through learning. I encouraged laypeople to establish high moral standards and approach practice seriously—not as mere ritual but as a path to deeper understanding and inner transformation. Over time, this approach became a model for other hermit monasteries in Europe.
During my years at Samanadipa, I led teachings, meditation retreats, and established the Upasaka study group. I also published articles and videos and ordained new monks. During this period, I translated the Dhammapada and Atthakavagga (Chapter 4 of the Sutta Nipāta) from Pāli into Slovenian.
In February 2023, I decided on a major change—due to the stress of administrative duties and my desire to work directly with people, I set aside the monastic robes and turned to psychotherapy.
Today, I offer therapy based on Buddhist and existential principles (logotherapy). I am studying at the Faculty of Theology and the Academy for Logotherapy while regularly attending additional training in existential psychotherapy. I currently work as a psychotherapist in Maribor and also offer online therapy.