Devamitra was born Michael Kitching, in Middlesbrough, England in 1948. Known as Michael Jeffries he worked as a professional actor until shortly after encountering the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO) in London in 1972. In January 1974 he was ordained within the Western Buddhist Order (now known as the Triratna Buddhist Order) and has spent his subsequent life studying, practicing and teaching Buddhism. He was principally responsible for establishing the Norwich Buddhist Centre and for twenty years held a major responsibility in the FWBO. He is currently based at the London Buddhist Centre.