The Venerable Panekhao Nyanadharo has been a Buddhist monk in the Forest tradition of Thailand and Laos since 1967, when he was ordained by the Laotian meditation master Ajahn Mahapan.  In 1975, his master, the famous Thai meditation teacher Ajahn Chah, sent him to settle the Forest tradition in France. He established the first Forest monastery in Europe, in 1977 in the South of France (Tournon-sur-Rhône, Ardèche).

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In 1979, he went to England to meet Mahasi Sayadaw, the great vipassana meditation teacher from Burma, who named him his representative and spiritual head in Europe.  During all these years, as a precursor of Buddhism in France, he helped many monks from different traditions (Theravada from different countries, Tibetan Buddhists, Zen Buddhists) to establish their monasteries or centers in France. He also built a network of the monks and Buddhist scholars in different European countries (England, Germany, Switzerland...), and in the same time maintained the link with the Asian countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, etc.)

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After all these years of practice, travels and exchanges, his main interests are now about building or reinforcing the links between all Buddhist traditions (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) around the world. He has also a broad interest and practice of all kinds of traditional healing techniques, by plants, massage and other alternative therapies. He knows many traditional healers of different traditions (Thai, Chinese, Indian, European, etc.) and seeks to make these techniques more available to the public (especially the elder people) and develop the training and transmission of this knowledge.