When asked to provide some biographical information, Gelek responded with his usual dry humor.

“I was born in 1971 as Dirk Frettloh in Aachen, Germany. Being well cared for by my parents, I had an easy childhood but was surprisingly unenthusiastic about the usual options of school, work and death. After many years of blaming school teachers for making my life miserable, the required military service had no polishing effect on my character. It wasn’t until I began my studies in sports therapy and German that I started to understand that my own state of mind was to be blamed rather than the world and its inhabitants. During my studies I began working with handicapped people. I saw that helping others made me happy and life started to make sense; subsequent work with alcoholics and drug addicts confirmed this. I wondered what it means to be truly helpful and how to be of benefit without burning out while doing this kind of work. Kung-Fu training brought me in contact with meditation and a first connection with Buddhism in 1994. It was clear to me that this was a valid way to help oneself and others. I began to meditate and frequent the Dharma center in Cologne and became convinced that life with meditation is better than life without it.”

Gelek’s first trip to India led him to the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute in Delhi where he studied philosophy, theory of perception and Tibetan language. After meeting the great meditation master Lama Gendun Rinpoche in France, he accomplished two 3-year retreat cycles. His ordination name, Gelek Tarchin means ‘Perfection of Virtuous Excellence’. Gelek now teaches the Dharma in Brazil and spends time in Kathmandu to further his Tibetan language skills.