We are very fortunate in the UK to have some amazingly qualified teachers who understand the western mind and difficulties we experience, and can share the Buddha’s teachings from their own experiences.
Below is a list of those FPMT Registered Teachers who are based in the UK and the courses they support.
Geshe Tezin Namdak first worked as an environmental researcher having graduated in hydrology. He started studying Buddhism at Maitreya Institute in The Netherlands in 1993 and took ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama before engaging in his formal studies in Buddhist philosophy and psychology at Sera Jey Monastic University, South India, in 1997.
He completed the entire twenty-year Geshe program at Sera Jey in 2017 and the traditional one-year Vajrayana study program at Gyume Tantric College in January 2019, the first Westerner to do so. Geshe Namdak was a founding teacher of Sera Jey’s Translators Program and member of Sera Jey’s Education Department for six years, was one of the founding trustees and teachers of CKSL, a (FPMT) centre that teaches the Nalanda tradition of Buddhism, Bangalore, and the first director of Shedrup Sungdrel Ling, a house for western monks studying at Sera Jey, for fifteen years.
He has received a great number of teachings from His Holiness and many other highly respected teachers and lineage masters, has done many retreats and is an experienced teacher in practical and philosophical aspects of Buddhism that he teaches with great clarity and a good sense of humour. Currently, he is the resident teacher at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, and teaches also at other centres in Europe and India.
Ven. Mary Reavey is a Scottish nun supporting groups in England and Scotland.
Mike Murray has supported Jamyang London Buddhist Centre since 1979/80. One of the few LGBTQI+ teachers within the FPMT, he is a student of both of the founding lamas of the FPMT and of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
A student of Drelo Geshe Namgyal Wangchen, the first teacher at the Jamyang London Buddhist Centre, and before him of Serjey Geshe Jampa Tegchok, he studied extensively with Sermey Geshe Tashi Tsering and now studies at the Centre with Serjey Geshe Tenzin Namdak. He is a member of the Royal Asiatic Society London and an MA graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University.
His teaching style varies according to who and what he is teaching, seeking to be informal and participative and to empower students to discover for themselves what Buddhism can bring to modern lives.
Roy Sutherwood is a former Trustee and Director of Jamyang London Buddhist Centre, and an FPMT recognised teacher. He has studied under masters of Buddhist philosophy and meditation for many years. He facilitates classes in Tibetan Buddhism at the Buddhist Society and is also a qualified teacher of secular Mindfulness techniques.
Ondy Wilson has been a Dharma practitioner since 1979, and co-ordinated and taught for The Yeshe Buddhist Group (YBG) 2001-2022. She has served as a FPMT Touring Teacher since 2007 and has led courses and retreats in diverse locations such as Dharamsala, Moscow and Liverpool.
She specialises in making the teachings accessible and relevant to contemporary life, developing a Mindfulness Based Mind Training Programme that encapsulates Buddhist Psychology in a secular framework, so has much experience of delivering teaching and training to professional public sector and private organisations, as well as in Dharma settings.
Trained as a Drama teacher, she was a teacher in secondary schools for over 20 years and has published educational literature on spirituality and Buddhism. Her new book Spiritual Rebellion: why we need to practise mindfulness with attitude is due for publication in 2022.
Since attending a meditation course in 1976, Wendy Ridley has studied and worked in five FPMT centres and has benefited from many retreats. She was the director of Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds for over 7 years.
Having met Lama Thubten Yeshe in 1977, she was inspired by his vision of Universal Education and did postgraduate work to incorporate some of his ideas into mainstream classrooms. She has many years of experience working in education – as a primary school teacher, university lecturer, local education department advisor and consultant. This provided her with curriculum and facilitation design experience and the skills and passion for developing and delivering training programmes.
She has been involved in developing The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) as a Board member since 2005. As a senior FDCW faculty member, teaching internationally at all levels of FDCW’s programmes, shw enjoys facilitating workshops exploring how universal values can bring opportunities for personal development, cross-cultural peaceful co-existence and ethical dialogue.
Rhonwen Sayer is the coordinator of the Jamyang London Guhyasamaja Tantra practice group and has organised many retreats at the London centre, as well as Guhyasamaja Tantra retreats at Land of Joy.
She has studied the root texts and commentaries, and is most enthusiastic in sharing her knowledge with others. She combines practice of the tantra with academic study of the tradition – she is an FPMT registered teacher and long-term student of Geshe Tashi Tsering and now Geshe Tenzin Namdak, as well as holding a Masters degree in Buddhist Studies from SOAS, University of London.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of the United Kingdom. Rhonwen designed, negotiated and organized the launch of the FPMT Basic Programme at Jamyang London, now being delivered by the most capable Jackie Yip. Rhonwen is a member of the FPMT Translation Team and taught the “Introduction to Reading Classical Tibetan” class at Jamyang London. She is currently engaged in translating the 29 chapter version of the Sutra of Golden Light for FPMT, to sit alongside the existing translation of the 21 chapter version.
Martin Kerrigan has been studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism since 1994, mainly under the guidance of Geshe Tashi Tsering. He also worked in India in 1999 with Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche helping to organise a worldwide teaching tour.
He tutored the Foundation of Buddhist Thought correspondence course for Jamyang London Buddhist Centre for many years. He has been an FPMT registered teacher since 2012, initially for the FBT and for Discovering Buddhism since 2015. He has taught at Jamyang Bath, Saraswati and Land of Joy, a range of courses and retreats including Discovering Buddhism, Vajrasattva, thought transformation, and practical Buddhist psychology.
He was also invited to give teachings in Turkey in 2019 on behalf of FPMT. He enjoys helping make Lam Rim accessible and practical to everyday life. He currently working to provide music therapy in local care homes, hospitals and community centres.
Margo Van Greta is a pioneer of holistic spirituality and a facilitator of transformation, creating a safe and supportive space for deepening the inner journey.
Involved with the Dharma since 1987, Margo has studied and practised both in the east and the west. She is an FPMT registered teacher for Discovering Buddhism, and teaches weekly classes and leads short weekend retreats. She usually spends one month a year in retreat, and is keen to bring the Buddhist teachings and practices into our western culture, our lives and hearts.
She lives in the Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland since 1991, was a trustee for Shambala Retreat Centre, and she started Togme Sangpo FPMT study group with the encouragement of her teacher Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Tenzin Josh has a wealth of experience in coaching people to train their minds to live life to the full. He has gained a deep knowledge of mental well-being techniques and meditation through years of dedicated study and practice.
Tenzin has trained for 40 years, including spending 15 years as a monk alongside HH Dalai Lama in India. Initially, he spent 3 years in a meditation retreat in the mountains and 12 years in the Dalai Lama’s monastery studying in depth up to PHD level of traditional Geshe studies.
He has practised in all the major Buddhist traditions in India, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka, translated various works from Tibetan to English and served as a translator for many renowned Tibetan masters. Qualified in western psychology (Bsc.) and eastern spiritual traditions (Ba. and Masters), he can combine and utilize the best in these disciplines. He has been leading and involved in over 100 retreats worldwide for the past 35 years. More recently, he has been specifically working within cancer and other chronic disease clinics.
Rob Preece met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Nepal in 1973. In 1976, he was a founding member of Manjushri institute in the UK. From 1980 to 1985, he was in India in retreat while also receiving teachings and empowerments from lamas including H.H. Dalai Lama, Song Rinpoche, Lati Rinpoche and others.
Following his period of retreat, he returned to the West and trained as a Jungian based psychotherapist. Over the past 35 years, Rob has worked as a psychotherapist and led many retreats in the US, Europe and the UK, bringing together his Western psychological background within the context of tantric practice.
He is the author of many books, including The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra, The Wisdom of Imperfection and Tasting the Essence of Tantra. Lama Yeshe always encouraged Rob to bring together the work of Jung and Tibetan Buddhism. Since Lama’s passing his primary intention has been to keep the flame of Lama’s approach to practice alive. Rob is a thangka painter, an avid gardener, the father of 2 sons and lives with his wife Anna in Devon, UK.
Andy Wistreich first connected with FPMT in 1980, and started teaching soon after. He has taught Discovering Buddhism and the Basic Programme and has led Kalacakra retreats in several countries. He is authorised to give Refuge. He has led training seminars for FPMT teachers. Recently he took a two-year break from teaching in order to recuperate and write some books on Kalacakra practice. He has now restarted teaching.
David John Midgley first met Tibetan Buddhism is 1980 after studying Western philosophy for 10 years. Since then he combined social and environmental activism with Dharma study and practice. In 1995 David started a small Dharma study group in Leeds which two years later became Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds.
David served as Director of the Centre for five years, doing all of the regular weekly teaching, then as Deputy Director and as Trustee since 2005. He has been a student of Geshe Tashi since 1995, graduating from the first Foundation of Buddhist Thought and subsequent Certificate in Advanced Buddhist Studies course with him in 2000 and 2001, serving as course tutor for the course in Leeds from 2002 to 2004, and taught the course himself from 2012 to 2014. As well as Leeds, David now teaches regularly in Hull where he has been instrumental in establishing a new Buddhist group.
Paul Seaegrave has been a student of Buddhism for ten years. After completing Geshe Tashi’s Foundation of Buddhist Thought course, he relocated to Nalanda Monastery, France, completing five years of study and retreat. Under the guidance of Geshe Jamphel Gyaltsen he graduated as a Basic Programme residential student whilst in parallel receiving training from Geshe Graham Woodhouse in respect to Buddhist logic, philosophy and dialectical debate.
As the home of authentic Buddhist teachings within the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition in the UK, we are part of the international Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) family and support His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
We are a network of Buddhist Centres, Projects, Study Groups and a Retreat Centre who work together to fulfil the wishes of our Founder Lama Thubten Yeshe and Spiritual Director Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.
