Being Buddhist
A practice, not a hobby: how the dharma became the centre of my life, from a Mitra ceremony in 2010 onwards.
More on being BuddhistAbout
The longer story
You might have found me through open source, the dharma, or a very long run. This is where those threads meet.
I'm Sīlavāpi - you may have known me as Ruth Cheesley. I work in the open, currently as Project Lead for Mautic, the open source marketing automation project, and for years before that across open source communities. Alongside that I'm an ordained Buddhist, a trustee of Breathworks, and someone who has learned to live a full and active life with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - lately by running rather further than is sensible.
None of these are really separate. The way I try to show up in open source, on a startline, or on the cushion comes from the same place. The pages below are the longer version, if you'd like to wander through them.
What I do
Roles and work
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Mautic Project Lead
Leading the Mautic open source project since 2020 - governance, community, and keeping it viable for the long term.
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Breathworks trustee
A trustee of Breathworks since 2021, bringing web and marketing skills to a charity teaching mindfulness for living with pain and illness.
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Open source consulting
Helping established open source projects and foundations navigate growth, governance and sustainability.
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Public speaker
Speaking and running workshops at events around the world - browse past talks, slides and recordings.
Life to date
The chapters so far
More or less in order, from a second-hand Commodore 64 to an ordination retreat in the mountains of Aragón.
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The school years
A Commodore 64, an Amstrad, and the start of a lifelong love of technology - in a family that valued happiness over grades.
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University
Sport and Exercise Science at Essex, a fascination with sport psychology, and a change of heart about where I was headed.
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The working years
From NHS infection-control data analyst to running my own business - and quietly becoming a techie along the way.
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Getting ordained
In June 2026 I was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order on an eleven-week retreat, and given the name Sīlavāpi.
Threads
A few other things that shape me
Living with EDS
Working and living well with a variable, largely invisible condition - Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - without letting it run the show.
More on living with EDSOpen source & technology
Why I've built my work, and a good deal of my life, on software that anyone is free to use, study and improve.
More on open sourceRunning & triathlon
From 'I could never' to marathons, ultramarathons and triathlon - mostly in Vegan Runners green and black.
More on running & triathlon