Venerable Upatissa has been a practicing Buddhism his entire adult life. Originally a Mahayanist in the Nichiren tradition, he began practicing Zen in the sanbo Kyoden lineeage in 1993. After experiencing vipassana meditation in a retreat led by U Janaka, he began supporting a Theravada temple in Santa Clara, California. He ordained in Los Angeles in 2001 and came to Sri Lanka in 2002, where he has remained ever since.

For several years he taught a weekly short course entitled "Meditation for Counsellors" for visiting students in Social Work and Psychology. He currently leads a couple of small, informal meditation groups in Colombo, and also performs technical services for Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy. He regularly visits patients at the Kandy Cancer Home, where he advises patients on pain management through meditation.