About Viryamuni
Viryamuni was born John Leung in Taipei, Taiwan. He immigrated to Sydney, Australia with his parents at the age of 2. Initially trained as a Chartered Accountant, he held senior corporate positions in Sydney, New York and London. After becoming dissatisfied with the corporate world, he explored meditation and began attending the Sydney Buddhist Centre in 2011. He was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2024 and given the name Viryamuni, which means 'he who is an energetic sage'.
Viryamuni was diagnosed with stage 3 oesophageal cancer and underwent an intensive course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. This was a hugely transformative experience for him, forcing him to consider his own mortality and impermanence. The experience allowed him to connect with the transcendental as well as deeply explore the universal experience of physical and mental suffering and to connect with all beings in a compassionate way. He is now a passionate advocate for cancer patients, raising awareness and helping cancer patients through their cancer journey and contributing to cancer literature from a patient perspective. Viryamuni also appears on radio in Australia and reads newspaper articles to the visually impaired, illiterate and those with reading difficulties.
He is a teacher of Buddhism and meditation at the Sydney Buddhist Centre.