Achan Mongkol Khantibalo has been practicing meditation for 18 years and is the abbot of the Nongsaeng Forest Monastery in Khon Kaen, Thailand. He was born in 1973 in Pumoonbao Village, Khon Kaen, in Northeast Thailand.
Achan Mongkol Khantibalo completed middle school and began working in Bangkok. He worked for seven years when an accident caused severe injuries and brought his life to a halt at 22. He spent three months in the intensive care unit, and it took him two years to fully recover. Upon recovering from his accident Achan Mongkol Khantibalo decided that he did not want to go back to his previous work. He joined the monastery and became a monk at the age of 24. About one year later, he began learning the Mahasati meditation technique.
At age 27, he reached an understanding and began assisting his teacher. He taught and shared his experiences with other practitioners. Achan Mongkol Khantibalo has traveled widely with his teacher Achan Maha Direk to teach in Thailand and many Southeast Asia and European countries.
In 2007 his travels brought him to the United States. He presently shares his teachings at the Redding Meditation Center.