The Team
The beacons of Inner peace!
N. T.
Hettigei
Founder & Mentor
Nandasena T. (NT) Hettigei is an author, spiritual counselor, and meditation teacher who has dedicated the past three decades to guiding others toward genuine, lasting happiness. He serves as the visiting meditation instructor at the Arizona International Buddhist Meditation Center (AIBMC) in Mesa, Arizona, and is the visionary founder of ancientpath.org.
Deeply committed to fostering global harmony, NT champions the creation of societies free from anger and hatred through the cultivation of inner peace. To further this mission on a global scale, he established the Sages' nth Foundation Inc, striving to build a more compassionate and peaceful world for everyone.
Alex
Hood
Mentor
Alex was born and grew up in Southern California. He lived in California for twenty years before moving to Arizona to attend Arizona State University, where he has lived for the past 10 years. Alex is relatively new to the Arizona International Buddhist Meditation Center (AIBMC). Since his first attendance, he has noticed profound insight from the meditation groups. Through further exploration, Alex has been able to gain more in his short time attending AIBMC than in all of his previous personal practices. Alex is committed to sharing his experiences with a wide audience and would like to bring this true happiness and joy to all.
Gavin Upton
Mentor
Gavin grew up on the outskirts of London, UK. He moved to the USA eighteen years ago for work within the semiconductor industry, during which time he traveled extensively through China, Japan & Taiwan.
Gavin now works as a peer recovery support specialist here in Phoenix.
Gavin started studying Buddhism and meditation two years ago, and his journey has deepened. He has recently experienced a significant and undeniable breakthrough. Having recently joined AIBMC has opened a new journey into "MYSPACE," as he calls it. He also noticed that his anger and emotional reaction had largely subsided, and he is willing to share his experience for others' benefit.
STefanie
Johnson
Mentor
Originally from Germany, Stefanie moved to the United States in 2007 and has proudly called Arizona home ever since. Professionally, she serves clients across the Phoenix metro area as a dedicated real estate agent.
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Her personal mindfulness journey began with a daily meditation practice in 2015. A decade later, in the fall of 2025, she began attending the Arizona International Buddhist Meditation Center (AIBMC). After participating in her first all-day retreat, she felt an instant connection to NT's teaching style, which deeply resonated with her own insights and approach to practice.
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By immersing herself in regular meditation sessions, Dharma discussions, and retreats, Stefanie has unlocked a deeper sense of inner peace, self-awareness, and daily ease.
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Guided by her own transformation, she is passionate about supporting others through their own meditation hurdles and inspiring them to stay committed to the path.
Tiffany
Armstrong
Mentor
​Tiffany is originally from Atlanta, GA, but has been living in Arizona with her family for the past 6 years. Tiffany has been attending meditation sessions and retreats at AIBMC for the past year and a half. From her first session, she experienced an expansiveness and peacefulness that she had not experienced before. In the months that followed, she continued to have meaningful experiences and noticeable changes in her daily life, including a sense of ease during situations that would have typically been high stress. More recently, she has found a new feeling of calmness, openness, and empathy when tackling difficult conversations in complex relationships. Tiffany hopes to help and inspire others to tap into the best parts within themselves and live the fullest life. She believes meditation could be enormously impactful for today’s youth, if they spend time to reach into the power harnessed in the silence within.
Sudharma Wasanthathilake
Mentor
Sudharma grew up in a devout Catholic family in the coastal town of Negombo, Sri Lanka. In 1986, she married her husband, Sumedha, who came from a Buddhist background. While she remained actively involved in her Catholic church for many years, she eventually felt a deep, persistent calling to understand life’s deeper truth—even though she wasn’t sure where to begin looking.
A turning point arrived when she happened to listen to a sermon by a Buddhist monk explaining the law of cause and effect (à·„à·šà¶à·”ඵල දහම). Though she had no prior background in Buddhism, the teachings resonated immediately with what she had been searching for.
That insight sparked a dedicated meditation journey centered on breath awareness, walking meditation, and mindfulness. In 2024, Sudharma discovered NT’s Dhamma discussions on YouTube, which led her to join their guided meditation sessions and refine her daily practice.
Today, she enjoys a deep sense of inner peace, clarity, and empathy, and she loves connecting with anyone on their own path toward inner calm and happiness to share her experience with them.
SUMEDHA
Wasanthathilake
Mentor
Even as a schoolboy, Sumedha looked at the world through an inquisitive lens, often wondering: Something is visible, but who is really seeing it? Is it me, and if so, who am I?
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Though higher studies, career demands, and the rush of daily life temporarily put those questions on hold, his inner curiosity never faded. In 1986, he married Sudharma, who shared her deep longing to understand the nature of existence, and together they embarked on a lifelong journey of exploration.
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Sumedha turned to the Buddha’s teachings to find answers to his questions about perception and identity. A pivotal moment arrived while listening to a sermon by a Buddhist monk, who posed a striking question to the audience: “Are you truly seeing objects in the outside world, or is it your imagination?”
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That single question sparked a profound shift in his awareness and deepened his understanding. Today, Sumedha is warmly open to sharing his insights and meditation experiences to help guide others on their own paths of self-discovery.
GAMUNU
Athukorala
Mentor
From an early age, Gamunu observed everyday life through a unique, conceptual lens—finding gentle amusement in daily routines as early as age eight.
By fourteen, he had developed a deep appreciation for the Buddhist concept of Dukkha and the reality of impermanence. While he fulfilled conventional societal duties despite an inner pull toward stillness, his journey took him to South Korea in 2014, where he currently resides.
Deeply influenced by Kalyanamithra Group Discussions, which bridged his personal insights with the Buddha’s teachings, Gamunu is passionate about sharing his experiential insights to assist others on their personal and spiritual journeys.
