| Background: |
|
| Achan Sobin S. Namto | |
| Birth Name: | Sobin Namto |
| Dharma Names: | Sopakobodhi โสปาโกโพธิ |
| Birth Place: | Ban Wang Pla Do, Borabue, Maha Sarakham, Thailand |
| Religion: | Theravada, Maha Nikaya |
| Achan | |
| Location: | Wat Wang Pla Do |
| Teacher: | Mahasi Sayadaw, Chao Khun Bhavanapirama Thera |
Achan Sobin S. Namto (Thai: พระอาจารย์โสบิน ส. นามโท) is a Buddhist monk who has taught Vipassana meditation and Buddhist psychology in Southeast Asia and North America for over 50 years.
Born in Thailand on December 11, 1931, Sobin S. Namto became a novice monk in 1945 at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok, under Abbot Somdej Phra Budthacharn, and began his study of Vipassanā there. He was sent to Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), for further study and then taught in Thailand. In 1960-62, he taught in Luang Prabang, Laos. Returning to Thailand, he resumed teaching and founded the Vidhayakorn Institute in Southern Thailand, He was one of the monks selected to establish the first Thai temple in Los Angeles, California, and was appointed its first Abbot. He was also the founder-Abbot of a Vipassana temple in Denver, Colorado. After many years of teaching in North America, he returned to teach at the wat in his home village Wangplado, in Borabue, Maha Sarakham province, North-East Thailand.[1] Achan Sobin is the author of three books on Vipassanā meditation in English, as well as a book on Buddhist ordination.[2]
Wayfaring: A Manual for Insight Meditation. Buddhist Publication Society. Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1979. Reprinted 1984.
Moment by Moment Mindfulness: A Pictorial Guide for Meditators. Vipassana Dhura Meditation Society http://www.vipassanadhura.com/society.htm, Fawnskin, California, 1985.
Insight Meditation: Practical Steps to Ultimate Truth. Vipassana Dhura Meditation Society http://www.vipassanadhura.com/society.htm, Fawnskin, California, 1989. Reprinted January 2005. .