Mervyn holds a BSc degree from the University of KwaZulu Natal. He worked in the IT industry for 17 years and was head of a corporate IT department when he left to pursue his interest in Buddhism. He was the manager at the Buddhist Retreat Centre near Ixopo for 13 years, before leaving to found the Emoyeni Retreat Centre, a non-profit organisation, in 2000. Mervyn lives at Emoyeni where he teaches meditation and is one of the managers of the retreat centre.