Marcel

Born in Curitiba, Brazil in 1968, I started working very early as an Electronic Technician. I graduated in Electronic Engineering, and started my career in microelectronics. After two graduate degrees, I migrated to the business side of electronic industry, working on sales and later at my own business. In parallel, being a sportsman and competing in sailing for several years showed me how vain, unfruitful, and unsatisfactory a regular successful life is.

Therefore, in the search for real happiness I had my first contact with Buddhism in 2005, in a 10-day Vipassana course as taught by S. N. Goenka, which was a life-changing experience. My first contact with Vajrayana Buddhism was in 2007, with Lama Santen at CEBB in Brazil. He is one of the Lamas ordained by His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, who brought Vajrayana Buddhism to Brazil and established Chagdud Gonpa Brasil, a Vajrayana Buddhist Foundation and Centers in the Nyingma Lineage. It was in 2011 that I decided to engage more seriously and prioritize meditation and Buddhism in my life, taking several Vipassana courses, formal refuge (in 2013 with Lama Tsering Everest), and Vajrayana trainings and empowerments at Gonpa since then.

My first contact with Lama Alan Wallace came by the invitation of my wife Ana Paula, who from the merits generated by His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche and Lama Santen, attended Lama Alan’s shamatha teachings at CEBB in 2011 and invited me for his first Dzogchen teachings in Brazil in 2016. We both had an immediate connection and aspired to become his students and to be able to follow his teachings and establish ourselves in the path. After that, we had the merit to attend Lama Alan’s 8-week retreats in Pomaia in 2017 and in following years. In 2020 we moved to a smaller town in Brazil, aiming to start a more contemplative life and dedicate ourselves more intensively to the practice.

In 2022 we had the privilege to be invited by CCR to start a long-term retreat at Miyo Samten Ling, and were able to formally start our retreat in January 2023, joining this wonderful project and sangha. We hope to be able to return all kindness and dedication from everyone involved who make this great opportunity possible in our lives, aiming our dedication to the path will benefit all and generate good and kindness to the world around us.

SARVA MANGALAṂ! May all be well!