Ayya Santacittā has practiced meditation since 1988. Her first teacher was Ajahn Buddhadasa, who sparked her interest in Buddhist monastic life. Since 1993 she has trained as a nun in both the East and West, primarily in the lineage of Ajahn Chah. She is co-founder of Aloka Vihara, a training monastery for women in San Francisco and received bhikkhuni ordination in 2011.
