Chophel Delek on Becoming a Monk and Making the Most of Your Life Artwork

May You Live Well

Welcome to May You Live Well, where we share insights into the contemplative lives of inspiring individuals. May You Live Well features personal stories of real people from various backgrounds who share how they’ve been influenced by contemplative practices or ways of being, and how this has impacted their work, relationships, lifestyle, and worldview. Our guests are meditators, travelers, movers, creatives, homesteaders, and thought leaders. They lead by how they live and answer questions through their stories: How does the contemplative process change us? What are the benefits, and what challenges do we face along the way? What happens to our partnerships? When resistance arises, how do we work through it? What does it mean tap into our true potential? Listen well, leave inspired.

All Episodes

May You Live Well

Chophel Delek on Becoming a Monk and Making the Most of Your Life

September 01, 2021 • Alexa Owen • Season 1 • Episode 10

This week we have Buddhist monk Chophel Delek on the podcast. Chophel and I have crossed paths a few times in recent years through DNKL Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace, where Chophel lives and teaches and I have studied from time to time. Chophel grew up in nearby Fairfield, Connecticut and took ordination as a monk shortly after discovering Tibetan Buddhism in his early twenties. In this episode he takes us through the process of making that choice and how his life has shifted since, plus offers valuable tips and tools for working with your mind to create the causes and conditions for a more joyful present and future. I so enjoyed hosting this interview in person in the temple of DNKL and walked away feeling so refreshed and motivated to make the most of every moment of this human life, and I hope this episode brings you the inspiration you might be seeking these days as well.

In this episode we discuss:

Chophel's Catholic upbringing in Fairfield, Connecticut
Working at Mercedez Benz as an automechanic
The life-changing moment of finding the Tibetan Book of the Dead in a Boston bookstore
Choosing a teacher and the decision to take ordination as a monk
The struggle of telling his family about wanting to ordain
The importance of investigating your guru thoroughly
Chophel's biggest challenge in adopting this tradition
When we get stuck on certain teachings and how to return to them later
The choice between Theravada and Mahayana traditions and why he took the more challenging path
Getting to the roots of mental suffering through analytical meditation
How to shift from isolation and self-cherishing to connection and kindness
Reincarnation and connecting past with present
Utilizing every encounter as an opportunity for practice and shaping future circumstances
A week in the life at DNKL
The meaning of his name and how he received it

Links and resources:

DNKL Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace
DNKL full calendar
DNKL on Facebook
May You Live Well on Instagram: @mayyoulivewell