Who we are

Vishvapani

Vishvapani has been practising meditation and Buddhism for over 40 years. He’s well known as the Buddhist contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, and he also works as a mindfulness and meditation teacher.

Vishvapani was ordained in 1992 and has lived in Cardiff for fourteen years. He lives with Kamalagita, their son, and their dog Tessa. He has experience of many aspects of Triratna and his most recent project a writer is writing  a book about the life and thought of Sangharakshita, Triratna’s founder, which will be published in August 2025. 

Gavin

Our Centre manager Gavin is your first point of contact for questions about the Centre and our events or if you’d like to have a chat with someone before you came along. He is best contacted by emailing connect@cardiffbuddhistcentre.com. 

Originally from South Africa, Gavin emigrated to the UK when he was young and grew up in Bristol and Chepstow, and has been living in Cardiff since 2019. He has been meditating for over 10 years and started attending the Centre in 2020, becoming a Mitra in 2023. He is now training for Ordination. Buddhism has become a big part of his life, leading to him give up his career as a journalist to become the Buddhist Centre’s Manager in December 2023.  

Muditalila

Muditalila was born in Cardiff and lives in Roath with her husband Bob. Her working career has varied from adventure play and bar tending to community work and counselling. In 2020 she returned from seven years in San Antonio Texas where she volunteered at “Haven for Hope” an organisation supporting homeless people, providing classes in mindfulness and meditation. She now offers sessions in meditation and mindfulness as a volunteer in Cardiff. Muditalila’s name means “She whose play is sympathetic joy”. She first came to Cardiff Buddhist Centre in January 2001 and is now womens’ Mitra Convenor along with Amalavasini. “Buddhism has enabled me to turn my life around.“

Sagaradana

Sagaradana is the Mens Mitra Convenor for the Centre, whose roll is to help advise and facilitate the next steps on your spiritual journey. If you have any questions, no matter how small it may seem, he is happy to meet and discuss the best way for you to move forward. You can email him via the Centre Manager on connect@cardiffbuddhistcentre.com

Padmabodhini

Padmabodhini has been a member of the Cardiff sangha for over 25 years and was ordained in 2013. Her name means ‘she who is awakening like a lotus’. Her practice has been in the context of family with 3 children, as well as working for the NHS and charity sector. Padmabodhini led courses and taught meditation for a number of years at the Buddhist Centre and is currently involved in different areas of the Cardiff Centre. She has practiced widely in other contexts including an international 3 month Order course at Adhisthana, living at Taraloka women’s retreat centre for 2 years and more recently spending time at Akashavana in Spain, supporting women’s Order retreats. Padmabodhini has taken part twice in 2 month Order intensive retreats, and is inspired by exploring and creating the conditions for positive change through the Three Jewels. She enjoys swimming in the sea, being in nature, and following the Lotus path of unfolding beauty as a practice.

Prajnavaca

Prajnavaca was ordained at Guhyaloka, Spain in September 2019. However he has been involved with the Cardiff Sangha since the year 2000. In that time he has been a contributor to drop-in meditations, courses and retreats. As of December 2023 he is a trustee; oversees and helps with any safeguarding issues that might arise as our Safeguarding Officer; co-facilitates the foundation Mitra study group, and contributes to drop-in meditations and Sangha events. He has helped establish the Welsh language fortnightly evening drop-in meditations on Zoom – short talks in Welsh on aspects of the Dharma form part of the meetings. Prajnavaca’s inspiration is to witness and share with all those who follow the Buddha’s footsteps with humility and kindness and realise in their own time it’s truth and joy. It is of paramount importance to him that a context for practice is created that feels emotionally safe and inclusive, especially for those who have experienced mainstream settings as intimidating and dismissive.

Alokasanya

Alokasanya has been practising Buddhism since the late 1990s, becoming ordained in 2013. Originally from the north of England, she was for many years involved with the sangha in Manchester, helping out with mitra convening, teaching, study-leading and arts events, whilst also working as an art therapist in the NHS. After retiring, in 2018 she moved to South Wales to be nearer to her daughter and grandchildren in Cardiff. She currently lives in the Darran Valley.

Vimalajaya

Vimalajaya’s name means “she whose Victory is Stainless”. She met the Buddha’s teachings on a meditation and hillwalking retreat at Dhanakosa in Scotland in 2010, with the realisation that “this all makes sense!” Since then, the Cardiff centre has been a big part of her life, working and teaching along with many other volunteers and friends and learning how step more lightly on this earth and also be kind to herself.

She was ordained at Akashavana in the Spain in Sept 2023 with eight other women and feels she has a particular affinity with nature – if we let nature in we benefit greatly from what it can teach us. “My ordination in the Spanish mountains was magical, looking up on the afternoon of having my head shaved I witnessed seven mountain Vultures high above me dipping in and out of this one solitary cloud-allowing the moisture to settle on their bodies- covering them with much needed moisture on a very hot afternoon. What a sight! Which I felt an auspicious and supportive sign.”

Padmasimha

Padmasimha has been involved with the Cardiff Buddhist Centre for over 20 years, taking on various roles in that time, including teaching, and a spell as the Chair. He was Ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1994, and his name means ‘lotus- lion’ (in Sanskrit). He feels that part of his practice is making the teachings of the Buddha accessible and relevant to the times we live in. He also teaches yoga, setting up the Cardiff yoga studio back in 1999. For him, yoga has been an important support to his meditation practice, and he enjoys bringing the two together in his classes.

Jñānadāsa

Jñānadāsa, whose name means “Servant of Knowledge”, was ordained in Guhyaloka,
Spain in September 2024. He first started coming to Cardiff Buddhist Centre around 2013, during a time of personal upheaval and change.

As a ‘hard-nosed scientist’ (he is a
professor of Psychology at Cardiff University and runs a decision coaching business) he
initially was not interested in Buddhism and just wanted to learn how to meditate.

Spending more time around Sangha and order members, however, he realised that “not all Buddhists are crazy” and that in fact the teachings make a lot of sense. So he became
more and more involved. He describes his journey towards ordination as a natural, organic unfolding of something that was there all along. He has had a stint as trustee and treasurer, and currently runs the Wednesday morning meditation & breakfast sessions as well as film nights (together with GFR mitra Andy Smith).

Saranasiri

Saranasiri’s name means ‘Radiance of the Three Jewels’. During her life she has practiced in many Buddhist traditions – upon moving to Cardiff, she discovered Tiratana. She was ordained at Taraloka by her preceptor Sridevi.

Pramudita

Pramudita was ordained age 43 in 1992 (along with Vishvapani). At the time he was living in a retreat centre in Norfolk along with his friend Surana. They decided that they wanted our own project and to work together, so moved to Cardiff to start a Buddhist Centre. Originally the centre was in Barry and did classes at Chapter Arts, the University and in Swansea. As interest grew they realised that we needed somewhere more central to live and practice, so raised the money to buy the Centre in St. Peter’s Street that we still now have. It was a period of inspiration, adventure, challenge, love, friendship and fun, which continues today. He has stepped back in the last few years but am still connected to a lot of people.

Kalyani

Kalyani has been coming to the CBC since 1999 and felt a distinct sense of ‘coming home’ when she first stepped through the door as if she had arrived where I belonged after a very long journey. She became a Mitra in 2001 and was ordained in June 2019 whilst on a 3 month ordination retreat in Spain. In introducing her as Kalyani (pronounced Kul-ya-nee) at her public ordination ceremony, her preceptor said she had chosen the literal translation ‘She who is noble and authentic’ because “my deep and genuine desire to follow the noble quest is evident in a brave, unshrinking quality of authenticity.” She enjoys working collaboratively on projects, supporting others on the path in the way she’s been supported and hanging out with friends. She works full-time and run meditation classes for colleagues, and has also been involved in diversity events at work talking about her Buddhist faith.

Chandramani

Amalavasini

Thanks to the team at Adhisthana not being defeated by covid restrictions, and all the help she received from spiritual friends along the way, Amalavasini was ordained in 2020, her name meaning “she who lives with purity”. The natural world inspires her practice, particularly the sea. At present, along with Muditalila, she is Women’s Mitra Convenor for the Cardiff Sangha.

Kamalagita

Kamalagita has been practicing Buddhism for 25 years and is an experienced Buddhism and Meditation teacher. Originally from the Rhondda valley, she now lives with her husband and son in Cardiff. She is passionate about how we practice Buddhism in the here and now, in whatever lifestyle we find ourselves in. Besides teaching and mentoring at the Cardiff Buddhist Centre, she is involved with the Mindfulness movement in Wales, particularly in Education. She is also a Welsh speaker.