Our Team
Meet our team of dedicated and compassionate people who contribute their time, knowledge and experience to look after our community and help Samadhi thrive.
Trustees
Dorje Gyalpo 'David' Oromith
Co-Founder // Program Coordinator // Meditation Guide
David is a Buddhist contemplative, author, meditation guide and retreat leader. He is the Co-Founder of Samadhi and a qualified Mindfulness teacher, Mental Health First Aider, and an active member of the Association for Spiritual Integrity. He teaches workshops internationally and leads retreats across the UK. David hopes to inspire people to take back control of their thoughts and feelings and discover genuine wellbeing within. He understands what it is like to be an aspiring meditation practitioner living in the 21st century and believes these practices should be accessible to all.
Manu Oromith
Co-Founder // Website & Tech // Yoga Teacher
Manu is the Co-Founder of Samadhi, a Mental Health First Aider and an accredited yoga teacher. He is often found behind the scenes making sure everything is working well, and on retreats, he guides our attendees through gentle but soothing yoga asanas and pranayama sessions.
Manu’s laid-back approach and kind heart has a warming and inspiring impact on our retreatants and he is much loved by all. He is also our Green Lead, and will be the guiding force behind making Samadhi Retreat Centre sustainable and eco-friendly.
Marie Dimond (Tashi Tsöndrü)
Trustee // Secretary & Executive Assistant // (British Sign Language)
Marie joined her first Samadhi retreat in November 2022 and since then she has been practising meditation following David’s teachings. Experiencing the benefits to her mental health, she is very honoured to be able to share her skills and experience so others might also benefit from our wonderful Lama, Sangha and Dharma.
Marie first came across Buddhism through the teachings of the Dalai Lama and after visiting various temples across Asia. She is passionate about animals and the environment so Buddhism aligns well with her values. She is very keen to learn, having read many self-help books, and even having trained as a life coach. Her favourite mindful activities include cross-stitching, walks in nature, and cruising the canals.
Jasmine Mohtashami
Trustee // Social Media & Communications Volunteer
Jasmine started practising Buddhism in 2019 after a retreat in Kopan Monastery, Nepal. After returning she soon found the teachings of Lama Alan Wallace, and through him, David. The practice has changed Jasmine’s approach to happiness and relationships so deeply that she was excited to give back to her teachers and community by volunteering.
After a few years in media marketing, Jasmine now works in campaigns and communications in the migration sector. Apart from furthering her Buddhist studies she also enjoys writing, walking her pet ferrets and crafting.
Sara Bliss
Trustee
Sara has dedicated over 30 years to managing large-scale IT projects, bringing extensive experience and leadership to the field. In November 2022, she attended a Samadhi Buddhist retreat, a transformative experience that profoundly impacted her life. Since then, she has continued her spiritual journey under the guidance of Lama David, who has provided support and wisdom through challenging times. Sara felt deeply honoured to be invited as a trustee of Samadhi, where she hopes to contribute to the charity’s mission and help others on their path.Outside of her professional and charitable endeavours, she cherishes spending time with her beautiful family, including her seven wonderful grandchildren, as well as enjoying walks with her dogs and catching up with friends.
Paul Billington
Trustee
Following an “existential event” in 2001, Paul embarked on a quest for meaning, exploring various religions and philosophies. He began meditating in 2005 and has remained dedicated to the practice, alongside volunteering as a Samaritan and completing mindfulness training. His journey led him to MBSR, where he recognised the Buddhist principles first encountered in 2001.
Inspired by the teachings of the Dalai Lama and Mahayana Buddhism through Lama David and Samadhi, Paul deepened his Dharma studies, taking his Buddhist refuge vow in February 2024 and joining the Samadhi Sangha. He is honored to serve as a trustee, eager to support the charity and its community. Paul is a bit of a geek alongside being a husband and dad. He loves his dogs, coffee and late night snacks… Though he should probably give up the snacks.
Volunteers
Shelly Saunders
Volunteer - App Developer & Website
Shelly first encountered the teachings of Lama Alan Wallace circa 2008 in London and has been a student ever since. She has also worked with the late Claudio Naranjo whose powerful retreats integrating Gestalt Group Therapy with Tibetan mediation where life-changing and challenging experiences. She is a qualified MBSR teacher.
After a many years as a software engineer, Shelly departed the rat-race for a life as a Digital Nomad, primarily working from all corners of Greece as a web and mobile application developer. She spends her free time exploring the extraordinary wilderness and nature of the Greek mountains and islands with her dogs.
Our Spiritual Patron
Lama Alan Wallace
Spiritual Patron
We are delighted that Lama B. Alan Wallace, PhD, graciously accepted the role of official spiritual patron of Samadhi. As a renowned scholar, practitioner and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism and a prominent voice in the interface with science, Lama Alan’s support of our vision and work is something we’re honoured to have.
Lama Alan is the root teacher of our co-founder, David Oromith, and has authorised him to teach, a responsibility David holds with deep gratitude and respect.
Dorje Gyalpo 'David' Oromith
David is a Buddhist contemplative, author, and meditation guide. He is the Co-Founder of Samadhi, a qualified Mindfulness teacher, and an active member of the Association for Spiritual Integrity. He has received non-monastic ordination in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Background
Before discovering Buddhism, David was working in mental health services. He had a series of experiences which made him overwhelmingly aware of the suffering being experienced by himself, his family, friends, and colleagues, and the world around him. He saw an issue in the way psychiatry and healthcare seemed to focus primarily on suppressing symptoms and not getting to the root cause of mental distress. Seeing the limitations of this approach, and with no real wisdom or answer, he grew more and more despondent. Through his journey with depression and suicidal ideation, recognising that there must be answers to his own and others sufferings, he fortunately came across the Buddha’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths, which opened up a doorway to healing and working through the inner causes of suffering.
Since that time, David has been fortunate enough to study with many skilled dharma teachers from various schools of Buddhism, in particular the Tibetan tradition, including his primary teacher, Lama Alan Wallace. After several years of study, he was requested to teach and share basic meditation and dharma classes with others. He is a firm believer in the non-sectarian approach, and has received teachings, oral transmission, commentary, and instructions from teachers of the Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana and Dzogchen traditions, most prominently from Lama Alan, who has authorised David to teach, and who is also rooted in a non-sectarian approach with particular close affiliation with the Gelug and Nyingma schools and the lineage of Dudjom Lingpa. He has also explored emotional psychology through the works of Dr Paul Ekman, B. Alan Wallace and the CEB program. Some other notable influences and teachers include Lama Lena, Venerable Robina Courtin, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche and Bhikkhu Kakmuk. He received ngakpa (non-monastic) ordination from Lama Glenn Mullin. Find out more about David’s Teachers & Lineage.
In his own practice and teachings, David focuses primarily on meditation training and core Buddhist principles. He often teaches the core theories of Buddhist psychology such as the nature of mind, genuine happiness, loving-kindness and compassion, and mental afflictions such as attachment, aversion and ignorance. He also teaches the practices of Shamatha (meditative quiescence), and its union with Vipashyana on the Four Applications of Mindfulness and the Four Immeasurables – which presents a direct path leading to the realisation of our deepest nature and the potentials of consciousness, and closely follows how the Buddha himself attained enlightenment. David’s teachings are very much in accordance with his teacher’s approach.
Teaching
Since 2015, David has taught classes and workshops internationally in the UK, Spain, and Gibraltar, and across the world online. He spent two years in Spain focusing on his own study and engaging in retreat according to Lama Alan’s instructions before returning to teach at the request of close friends. It was at this time that he and Manu decided to found Samadhi to bring together both of their goals and to help others discover the profound effects meditation and Buddhist psychology could have on their wellbeing.
David’s teaching style is clear and practical, and his warm and humorous approach makes him a popular meditation teacher. He understands what it is like to be an aspiring meditation practitioner living in the 21st century and his down-to-earth style makes these practices accessible to all.
In an effort to help everyone uncover the pure, luminous, and peaceful nature of their mind, and discover the ancient wisdom of the Buddha, David is dedicating his life to spiritual development and his vision for The Samadhi Eco Retreat Centre, a place where people can come to engage in short and long-term retreat and live in community.
