Monk Giel

Monk Giel, born as Giel-Frederic Foubert, became the youngest Buddhist monk of Belgian origin under the name of Lobsang Nyima.

He was born on 21 February 1998 in Gent (Belgium). Since the age of six, he insisted to study Buddhist philosophy and to become a Buddhist monk.

At the age of 15 he got permission to become a monk in a Tibetan monastery in India. Just when he was about to leave for Brussels airport he was stopped by the police on 13 September 2013 - ordered by a court decision. After a successful appeal he finally left Belgium on 13 November 2013. His case rose a lot of public attention: the media called him the "Monk Giel".

Since 2013 he is studying as only Western person in the Tibetan Jonang Thakten Phuntsok Choeling Monastery in Shimla (India). On 24 November 2013 he was ordained as a Buddhist monk