Varabandhu first came through the doors of the Dublin Buddhist Centre in March 2012 to learn to meditate as a response to suffering. He soon found that regularly practicing meditation positively transformed his mind and his life and in 2014 he became a committed Buddhist. Seven years later he deepened that commitment by being ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order.

Varabandhu has been leading meditation courses, Buddhist study and retreats since 2021. He works as a fundraiser for Future Dharma and volunteers his time to teach at the Dublin Buddhist Centre so that others can benefit in the same way he has.

‘Since my childhood growing up in rural Ireland I’ve felt a strong calling to respond to the suffering of the world. This calling found its shape variously through the myths of the superhero or of Christianity.

‘I lost faith in the church and the idea of a creator god as a teenager. But I continued to long, most of the time unconsciously, for a place where others held to the ideals of compassion, awareness and interconnectedness. Finding this in the community of people practicing with the Dublin Buddhist Centre has been such a joy for me and I am always moved when I recall the first time I connected with the Buddha’s teaching. It was like a light going on in the dark!’