Mervyn is a co-founder and trustee of Emoyeni, and has been living at the Centre since its inception. He worked in the business world as an IT specialist until his late thirties. He has been a practising Buddhist for over 30 years, during which time he has visited Buddhist centres in both Eastern and Western countries. Mervyn was a resident at the Buddhist Retreat Centre (BRC) at Ixopo for 13 years, from 1986 to 2000, where he had the opportunity to participate in retreats given by teachers from all the main Buddhist traditions. He began facilitating retreats while at the BRC, and currently leads a variety of retreats at Emoyeni.
One of Mervyn's main influences was Buddhist practitioner and meditation teacher Godwin Samararatne, after whom Emoyeni's meditation hall is named. He also has a keen interest in the "Non-dual" philosophy.
