Bhante Joe was born in London, Ontario, in 1983. Growing up, he was interested in business and computers. A spiritual vocation seemed extremely unlikely. However, in high school, he was given a book as a joke, and after reading the four noble truths, he was converted. In high school and university, Bhante attended the Toronto Zen Buddhist Temple. He eventually moved in and in 2006, he took up full-time training at the Temple. However, an attraction to Theravada Buddhism pulled him towards the Thai Forest Tradition. He attended a day-long retreat with Ajanh Viradhammo in 2007. He found his way to Tisaraṇa Monastery and was ordained as an anagārika in 2008. In 2010, Bhante Joe was ordained as a bhikkhu with Ajahn Viradhammo as his preceptor. He trained at Tisaraṇa, with one year in Thailand, until 2015. In 2015, his teacher released him from dependence. He spent six months at a monastery in California and then returned to Canada to stay in the Toronto area. Bhante Joe stayed in the Toronto area from 2016 until 2019. In Toronto, he associated with the Toronto Mahavihara and the West End Buddhist Temple. In November 2019, he went to Sri Lanka, where he currently resides.
