Session with Venerable Wangdu
On 2nd February, 2024, Venerable Wangdu met the children of Class VIII and shared his thoughts about the essence of being genuinely happy in one’s life, the necessity of having an open mind that is free of anger, anxiety and other negative emotions: Buddhism says it is possible to be peaceful at all time.
He emphasised that all living beings want to be happy, to be fulfilled internally. We humans may not be conscious but all our daily actions are guided by our internal need to be happy. Talking about happiness of the body and the mind, Venerable Wangdu eventually took the session towards the essence of temporal and genuine happiness – the latter being the goal of human life.
The session was thought provoking, with our young learners asking insightful questions. Some students connected the internal need to be happy to the anatomy of the human brain and the way it is designed for problem solving. The questions asked and the revelations shared by these aspiring minds reflect a deep connection with self and their immediate surroundings. Another student shared that - “most of us are not grateful for the small things that make our life happy and peaceful.” Our nature of consistently comparing ourselves with others and eventually contributing to our own happiness, was another thought shared by a child.
Taking Venerable’s thought further, a child shared that other’s views do not impact us if we are genuinely happy.
The session concluded with children ruminating on the thoughts shared. Learners were eager to spend some more time with the Venerable, with many of them thronging around to get his autograph.