Ven. Ajahn Anan Akiñcano took ordination under Ven. Ajahn Chah in 1975. He spent the next four years diligently practicing meditation and acting as Ven. Ajahn Chah’s personal attendent, allowing him to develop a close connection with his teacher.
After this intensive training period he sought out more secluded and dangerous places to further his meditation. In 1984 he settled in the dense forest of Rayong, establishing the monastery that came to be known as Wat Marp Jan. The early years there were difficult and on multiple occasions Ajahn Anan faced bouts of malaria that took him close to death.
Today, his reputation as a meditation master has grown, along with the number of monks coming to practice under him to seek his guidance. He is responsible for looking after more than ten branch monasteries and well over 100 monks.