Jorge is treasurer of The Whise Foundation. He has been involved with the foundation since its inception. Jorge works as a digital marketing specialist.

Jorge, how did you come into contact with Buddhism?

I was born on September 24, 1973 in Catholic Colombia and adopted in 1976 by my Dutch parents. My father was a pastor. For a long time I felt insecure and struggled with my identity.

I then started looking for books on Buddhism. And eventually I ended up at a lecture by Dagpo Lama Rinpoche. During Rinpoche's classes I have experienced a sense of peace, love and fulfillment. This also applies to lessons from Geshe Sonam Gyaltsen of the Maitreya Institute in Loenen.
And of course His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

I liken the story of my adoption to a lotus flower. I became very ill as a child after falling into an open bathroom. I was so sick that my Colombian mother could no longer take care of me. A lotus flower also grows up from the mud. By learning to better understand my own suffering, I hope that in time I can also help others to get a grip on their suffering. I have struggled for a long time to experience love, in the presence of my teachers I feel love very clearly. Without Buddhism I would never have learned to feel this.

Working for The Whise Foundation allows me to properly commit myself to my teachers. My wish is for as many people as possible to benefit from the Buddha's teachings. In my way I can contribute something to this. The lessons give me so much inspiration and bring me so much happiness, I wish everyone that!