Hector Marcel: How Buddhism Transformed My Life | The Story of Three Jewels & Geshe Michael Roach

Hector Marcel, the president of the “Three Jewels” Outreach Center in New York (threejewels.org) has spent nearly three decades on a path that began in confusion and crisis and led to deep personal transformation. This is the story of how Buddhism, and specifically the teachings of Geshe Michael Roach, changed his life and inspired him to dedicate himself to serving others.

Building “Three Jewels”: From Volunteer to President

In the 1990s, Hector discovered “Three Jewels” during a period of personal struggle. The center began as a small project, distributing cassette tapes of Geshe Michael’s teachings for free, and gradually grew into a vibrant community. Today, “Three Jewels” welcomes more than 60,000 visitors per year, but for Hector, success is not measured in numbers, but in the deep, personal changes he witnesses in the lives of those who practice there.

“In terms of the experience we give to human beings who come and drink up the knowledge and practice it, they are definitely kinder, they’re definitely more patient, they’re definitely more loving. But, above everything, they have an insight into how the world operates for them, how their world is functioning. And in that I would have to say, even if we’ve witnessed five people do that, we’re extremely successful.” (00:04:28)

Early Life: Searching for Answers

As a young man, Hector’s life looked successful on the outside. He was a fashion photographer in New York City, mingling with celebrities and enjoying the kind of career that most people only dream of. But underneath, Hector felt like a fraud. He was in the US illegally, dependent on his business partner, and deeply anxious about his family back in Australia. Recurrent dreams about death, separation from loved ones, and a persistent sense of emptiness drove him to seek answers beyond material success and social approval.

“I was broken. I had all the stuff, but something was wrong. The first thing that was wrong was that I knew I was doing it against the law… I was pretending to be joyful and happy and successful. Sure, it’s successful but I was broken.” (00:21:35)

Hector’s turning point came by accident. He found an old book about Tibetan Buddhism in a rented apartment and was immediately drawn in—not by understanding, but by a sense of mystery. As he sat reading it in Union Square on Buddha’s birthday, a Buddhist festival set up around him. The next day, a friend led him to the opening of “Three Jewels,” where he encountered a new world: a group of sincere, welcoming people, and for the first time, the possibility of answers that were not superficial.

Meeting Buddhism: Doubt, Resistance, and Curiosity

Hector’s entry into Buddhism was not easy or straightforward. He was skeptical of teachers, resistant to reverence, and wary of anything that sounded “spiritual.” His first encounter with Geshe Michael Roach was awkward and filled with internal warnings—a sign, he later realized, that real change was threatening to his comfort zone. But something deeper kept bringing him back. Through months of attending classes, meditating, and volunteering, Hector began to see that Buddhist practice was not about blind belief, but about direct application, constant questioning, and transformation from the inside out.

“The suffering part of us that would like things to remain normal, even with dissatisfaction… is very threatened when there’s a possibility of freedom from that problem. I learned not to ignore that feeling, but I also learned that it was a mistaken feeling for me. The danger wasn’t Geshe Michael or the teachings, the warning was: there’s something wrong with you.” (00:33:57)

Over time, Hector’s resistance turned into genuine curiosity. The logic of Buddhist philosophy, as taught by Geshe Michael, challenged him to investigate not just the world but the mind itself. Meditation, study, and community practice began to erode his habitual anger and anxiety, offering glimpses of clarity and insight he had never known before.

Transformation Through Practice

As Hector became more involved with “Three Jewels,” he moved from student to volunteer, helping organize events and duplicate recordings. But it wasn’t until years later, after a decade in Australia, that he returned to New York and found the center struggling to survive. At that moment, Geshe Michael personally asked him to take responsibility for “Three Jewels.” With experience from his corporate career, Hector restructured the organization, clarified its vision, and stepped into a leadership role, dedicated to ensuring the center could offer the same opportunities for transformation to others.

“Three Jewels had transformed my life so radically that for me to take care of Three Jewels meant, you’re taking care of the place that has the potential to find your own way. To free people from the grips of the things that control their anger and fear and hopelessness and suffering.” (00:15:07)

Hector emphasizes that true change comes only through direct experience and application. It was not enough to listen or read; he had to test the teachings in his own life, especially during difficult times. For example, during his years in Australia, separated from the community and his teacher by immigration issues, Hector tried to find happiness through pleasure, leisure, and relationships—but each source of satisfaction eventually faded. Only meditation and the practices of Buddhism offered stable ground.

“I gave the microphone to the part of me that said, ‘You’re going to get happy if you smoke weed. You’re going to get happy if you buy the beach all the time. You’re going to get happy if you don’t work so hard.’ I tried it. It was awesome for three months. The fourth month, I wanted a little bit better place… Then the problems started coming again. The only thing I had to rely on was the stability of a meditation practice and the study of where things come from.” (00:58:35)

Facing Controversy: Integrity and Faith

As “Three Jewels” grew, so did controversy around Geshe Michael’s approach—especially his combination of monastic life with business activity. Hector, drawing on years of direct experience and independent study, concluded that Geshe Michael’s integrity and dedication were unrivaled. He saw that criticism often revealed more about the critics than about the subject, and resolved to judge only by what he could observe and verify personally.

“He was keeping his vows more perfectly than any other monk I had ever met… The ashes of the phoenix arising—you have to burn your opinion and test it against reality.” (00:49:48)

At a particularly difficult point in Nepal, Hector faced overwhelming doubts and the opinions of other monks. But he realized that if he removed the “thread” of Geshe Michael’s teachings from his life, everything that gave his existence meaning would unravel. Fame, money, and career alone would never satisfy him again. The only true wealth was the sense of purpose, connection, and meaning that the teachings had given him.

“If I removed the ‘Geshe Michael’ thread from my life, the entire rug would disappear. What would be left wouldn’t be worth picking up. I could have the fame, the money, the career—but not the meaning.” (00:53:19)

The Essence of Transformation: From the Inside Out

For Hector, Buddhism is not simply a philosophy but a technology of mind—a set of practices that, when tested and lived, can transform suffering into insight and meaning. The work of “Three Jewels” is to offer these practices to all, supporting people to move beyond superficial achievements and touch a deeper potential.

“I am deeply certain that I’ve met an extraordinary being in Geshe Michael, and will die that way… The vulnerability with which you approach that kind of relationship—that’s got nothing to do with the other person. It’s everything to do with you.” (00:54:17)

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