I completed my studies in pharmacology at the Federal Institute of Technology, (ETH Zurich), specialising in psychopharmacology and addiction.

Following my work with an aid project in Nepal, I lived in Dharamsala, India, for 11 years, learned Tibetan, and studied for 7 years at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in the Tibetan language. I have completed several silent, meditation retreats of several months, worked as an interpreter, translating Tibetan into many languages, and published several books. On returning to Europe in 2003, I taught widely, organised large events with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, such as the visits of H.H. to Switzerland (2005) and Hamburg (2007), and participated in research aimed at exploring the benefits of meditation as a long-term practitioner.

I am associated with and have worked for the Mind and Life Institute since the 1990s, as the Mind and Life COO from 2008 – 2012 in the USA, as co-founder of Mind and Life Europe, and as its director until 2014. In 2015, I decided to concentrate on my main passion of teaching content and tools that build mental balance. I founded the “Institute of Mental Balance and Universal Ethics” (IMBUE), an interdisciplinary initiative, to develop and provide tools and programs that foster mental balance. Besides acting as the IMBUE’s Founding Director, I am also the institute’s principal teacher.

Since learning is never finished (and it’s my passion), I keep attending courses, workshops, and participate in collaborations. In the process I’m adding complementary methods such as Co-Active Coaching, Systems Work, Organisational and Leadership Development, Emotional Intelligence and Positive Psychology.