Five has been practising Buddhism since 1982 and was one of the early students of Lama Shenpen Hookham from 2000. Five has been teaching retreats at the Hermitage and elsewhere, both online and in person since 2006. He has been a member of the Shrimalagana, an inner circle of responsibility within the Awakened Heart Sangha, since its beginning.
He offers one to one and group mentoring through Discovering the Heart of Buddhism and wider Living the Awakened Heart trainings. Along with Ziji he runs a Awakened Heart Sangha local group in Monmouth.
Five’s background is in the Tibetan Buddhist Gelug and Nyingma traditions, also in the Burmese Theravada. He has represented the Awakened Heart Sangha at international conferences of Buddhist teachers.