Ex-monk now married
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The former abbot of Sunandavaram forest monastery in Kanchanaburi's Sai Yok district, Mitsuo Shibahashi, has married a 52-year-old Thai businesswoman Suttirat Muttamara in Japan, after he had shocked his many followers by quietly leaving the monkshood on
Shibahashi, 61, previously known as Phra Phra Ajahn Mitsuo Gavesako, registered his marriage with Suttirat in Iwate prefecture on Friday.
He explained on a brief YouTube video clip that he had married Suttirat, “after being a monk for 38 rainy seasons without a thought of ever leaving monkshood or getting married”, until he met her, because he believed the woman was his destined spouse.
A day prior to the registration, the woman has introduced herself publicly through her Facebook page. Suttiratt, 51, runs a widely known medical beauty centre. Her Facebook page carries a number of undated photos showing her posing with the former monk, now wearing normal clothes.
