Sadayasihi learned to meditate in 2007 in the Dublin Buddhist Centre while she was training to be a solicitor, having had an interest in Buddhism since she was a teenager.

She was ordained in 2016 and is current chair of the charity that runs the DBC, as well as leading a study group and teaching classes.

‘I think I was motivated by a search for meaning in life – constantly beset by the question: ‘there has to be more to life than this’. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life so I thought I’d follow a conventional path of getting a good job and so I trained as a solicitor.

‘When I came first to the Dublin Buddhist Centre to learn to meditate, I felt like some of those questions I had about life were answered. Rather than trying to answer the question of ‘what is the meaning of life’, it became more important that I live a life of meaning, of connection – and with awareness of our impact on each other and the world.

‘I’m particularly inspired by the ideal of the Bodhisattva (someone who wants to gain Enlightenment not just for their own sake but for others) – and see the Dharma as offering a path to greater freedom and joy.’