Venerable Thubten Wangdu - Session with Class V
On the 4th of February, 2025, in continuation of the Buddhist teachings at Shikshantar, Venerable Thubten Wangdu shared his wisdom with our children of Class V on ‘Less Desire, Less Pain- Art of Satisfaction’.
Venerable opened the talk by asking the children, “What do you feel most happy doing?”. This led the children to come up with many answers - eating, playing games, reading. Thubten Wangdu la further asked as to how long the happiness from these wishes lasted. There was a unanimous agreement among the children that this happiness lasted only as long as they were actively engaged in the activity. Venerable then said that he wanted to talk today about how to be happy forever.
He began by narrating the story of Prince Siddhartha finding enlightenment after being disillusioned with life despite being born into the lap of luxury and never wanting for anything. He realised that true happiness does not come from material comforts and outside influences but from within. Thus he came to be the Buddha, ‘The Enlightened One’. Hearing this story, a student drew the conclusion that pleasure is temporary and true happiness is permanent. Venerable built upon this to begin a thought on how to direct the energy from true happiness to continue being fulfilled.
He spoke on the value of spreading happiness by helping others by giving the wonderful analogy of a candle that can be used to light innumerable flames without diminishing its own light. The children then shared moments where they felt happy when helping others in the classroom, on the field against name-calling opponents and so on. Next, they moved towards some guided meditation where Venerable asked the children to be grateful for the space they exist in and have good wishes for everyone around them. Upon sharing their thoughts after the meditation, the children also spoke about the gratefulness they feel. Many expressed appreciation for their parents in helping them at every turn; one student shared his thankfulness for having working arms and legs, a privilege not everyone enjoys. Venerable suggested that even 2 minutes daily of inculcating this positive habit of meditation would go a long way in increasing the happiness in our lives.
As the talk wound down, the students were bursting to share their thoughts and questions with Venerable Thubten Wangdu. A child asked why anyone would have the motivation to do something productive if they were always satisfied and grateful for what they have. Venerable then provided the distinction between healthy and unhealthy desires - unhealthy desires reflect an endless want whereas the pursuit of healthy desires creates a base calmness of mind, empowering our work. Another student shared the powerful insight that if the selflessness required from encouraging healthy desires causes us hardship, it is important to experience that pain and accept it.
Although the children’s questions continued as the discussion moved to the lunch room, the talk ended with the students presenting Venerable Thubten Wangdu with a memento in the form of a handmade card depicting the Buddha.