Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche advises people to look within to discover happiness

GANGTOK, 20 May: The 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche delivered a well-received talk, “How to practice in our daily life,” to an audience keen on learning how to remain true to their faith through the travails that life throws at them everyday. The audience was a handsome mix of locals and foreigners and the message worked across all faiths and was not limited to Buddhism as the Rinpoche kept his talk conversational and his tips practical.
His teaching on “right attitude” and “right conduct” and how to incorporate it into daily life was received by a packed hall at Hotel Tashi Delek and was also attended by the Speaker, KT Gyaltsen.
The Rinpoche stressed that religious learning was of no use if people could not make its tenets a part of their life and live by it.

“Buddhism is not a religion but a way of life and teaches us how to be good human beings; be happy ourselves and make others happy,” he shared.
56% of the ingredients for happiness were within a person, 23% could be received from love, care and affection and the sliver that remains can be delivered by material acquisitions of wealth and power, he contended.
This being the case, it was misdirected to seek answers for happiness outside when looking within could make one happy, he shared.
The talk also included an interactive session between the Rinpoche and the audience.
The 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, the supreme holder of the “Zurmang Whispering Lineage”, was born into the Sikkimese royal family on 30 June, 1965 and was identified even before he was born by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa.
When the Rinpoche’s mother was about six months pregnant with him, she attended a religious ceremony presided over by the 16th Karmapa at Rumtek Monastery. During the traditional Tibetan Folk Dance at the ceremony, a jewel offering was made to the Karmapa. Breaking with tradition, he declined and pointed to the Rinpoche’s surprised mother, requesting that the offerings be made to her. The Karmapa then announced that she was carrying the 12th Gharwang Rinpoche.
The Rinpoche was formally enthroned at the age of eleven in Rumtek to begin his Buddhist studies.
In 1987, while still an undergraduate, he began his teaching career at the Nalanda Buddhist Institute. Since then, he has taught extensively in Asia, America and Europe. In order to reach international audiences directly, the Rinpoche preaches in English.
On completing his formal Tibetan Buddhist studies and English language at 26, he left Rumtek to begin the task of establishing his seat in Sikkim as well as re-establishing his main seat in Qinghai, Tibet, and the setting up of outreach centres in Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Pekan Baru, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.