Venerable Ajahn Viradhammo was born at Esslingen in Germany in 1947 to Latvian refugee parents. They moved to Toronto when he was 4 years old. He studied engineering at the University of Toronto but became disillusioned with academic life and left in 1969 to see the world and experience other cultures. Later, while living in India, he encountered Buddhism, meeting the late Samanera Bodhesako, who introduced him to the teachings of the Buddha. He eventually traveled to Thailand to become a novice at Wat Mahathat in 1973 and took bhikkhu ordination the following year at Wat Pah Pong with Ven. Ajahn Cha. He was one of the first residents at Wat Pah Nanachat, the international monastery in North-East Thailand. Having spent four years in Thailand, he went back to Canada to visit his family in 1977. Instead of returning to Thailand, he was asked by Ajahn Chah to join Ajahn Sumedho at the Hampstead Vihara in London. In subsequent years he was involved in the establishment of both Chithurst and Harnham monasteries in the UK.

In 1985, on invitation by the Wellington Theravada Buddhist Association, he moved to New Zealand, accompanied by Venerable Thanavaro, where he lived for 10 years setting up Bodhinyanarama monastery.

In 1995 he came to UK to assist Ajahn Sumedho at Amaravati and stayed for 4 years before returning to New Zealand where he was resident until 2002. Since then he has been living in Ottawa caring for his mother.