HONG KONG — Would you give up a fortune to become richer in other more profound ways? Venerable Ajahn Siripanyo did. The Thai-Malaysian Buddhist monk dedicates his life to spiritual servitude, leaving behind a world of riches and spoils.

But just how much wealth has Mr Siripanyo given up? A lot, as it turns out: He is, after all, the son of Malaysia’s third richest man, self-made billionaire Ananda Krishnan, who’s worth more than US$5 billion (S$6.92 billion).