He took tonsure as a novice monk at the age of 14 and was given the ordination name Tenjit Surai, "Light of the Sun, beautiful Mountain Peak", by his Tendai teacher Shujuma Yamamoto.

He fell out with Fuji, however, but he related that on his return journey he was stopped by a vision of a figure resembling Nagarjuna who said, "Go to Nagpur".

[4][1] At first, Nagpur residents considered Surai Sasai very strange, but he became popular after he began to greet them with "Jai Bhim" (victory to Ambedkar) and to build viharas.

[6] Sasai is one of the main leaders of the campaign to free the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya from Hindu control.

Abhaya Putra is the founder of Metta India and trains Theravadin monks and novices of Indian origin in Thailand[15]