Buddha once told his followers: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel follows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon…. If a man speaks or acts with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.”
In this highly materialistic world, we are stressed and burdened by the frenetic pace and alluring distractions around us. Turning inward through meditation and spirituality provides relief and inner reward. Tenzin Laksam’s journey exemplifies this principle. He was an engineer and once consumed by the pursuit of material success, he felt lost and exhausted until an encounter with Tibetan Buddhism during a travel in the Himalayas led him to find his new life. After a rigorous study of Buddhism for nearly 15 years, Tenzin Laksam is now a transformed person.
Now instead of chasing external achievements, Gomchen aims to foster inner well-being in others. He teaches Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy at universities, while also holding meditation sessions guiding people towards greater self-awareness and spiritual enrichment. His life serves as a testament to the transformative power of reorienting one’s mind towards the insight of the Buddhist tradition.
Through our discussion, we delved into many topics. Tenzin Laksum provided profound insights into the concept of emptiness. He explained emptiness is an absence of independent existence, everything is interdependent and constantly changing. So, why is this important? He elucidated that the most challenging difficulty we are facing today is a mental problem. We have strong desires, fixed ideas, ego-clinging and selfishness. These are the causes of our unhappiness and difficulties in our daily life. Understanding the interconnectedness and interdependence of everything helps us lose our ego-clinging and strong self-cherishing tendencies.
Even after becoming a monk, life had never been an easy one for Tenzin Laksam. However, through the practice of meditation and contemplation on the profound teachings of emptiness and compassion, he transformed into a content, peaceful, and compassionate person.
