A profound and practical guide to uncovering your own wise mind and kind heart. We all want to find happiness. But how do we go about it? In this easygoing and clear-sighted guide, celebrated Buddhist meditation and philosophy master Khangser Rinpoche provides us with down-to-earth advice on how to train our minds and find our own innate wisdom and kindness along the way. He helps us see the profound insight that is open to us all, and how it can awaken us to the truth of the way things are. This insight into the truth, and the practices that help you cultivate this awareness, transform suffering into wisdom and compassion—and ultimately joy. A Monk's Guide to Finding Joy brings the ancient Tibetan mind training tradition into our twenty-first century lives. Through stories, real-life examples, reflections, and meditation practices—all told with warmth and humor—Khangser Rinpoche shows us how we can transform the suffering of our life into happiness. When we train the mind from within the context of our difficult emotions we can find true joy, just as the oyster transforms sand into a pearl. “ A Monk’s Guide to Finding Joy is a heartfelt invitation to a path of self-discovery and transformation. For anyone seeking a roadmap to genuine happiness based on the clarity, power, and depths of Buddhist teachings, this book is an invaluable companion on the journey!” -- Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Trusting the Gold His Eminence Khangser Rinpoche was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, in May 1975. At five years of age, a search party positively identified him as the reincarnation of the seventh Khangser Rinpoche. He is one of three high lamas responsible for recognizing the rebirth of the spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Khangser Rinpoche completed his preliminary study of Buddhist philosophy at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamshala, India. He later went on to advanced Buddhist studies in sutra and tantra at Sera Jey Monastery and Gyuto Tantric Monastic University. It was there he earned the geshe lharampa degree and a doctorate degree in tantra, both with the highest honors in the top division. Khangser Rinpoche presently serves as vice abbot of Gyuto Monastery and as the founder and administrative head of Thangkar Dechen Choling Monastic Institute. This institute is both a monastery and a school, and generously provides food, housing, and education in both Dharma and contemporary Western curricula to over eighty young monks in Nepal. The entire student population comes from impoverished conditions, many of whom are orphans. Khangser Rinpoche has established many Dipkar centers around the globe, spearheading philanthropic efforts such as providing free food to those in need. He also established the Dipkar Vajrayana Institute to offer free Dharma education to all who wish to learn. Khangser Rinpoche is considered one of the great Buddhist teachers of the modern age. He has dedicated his entire life to providing spiritual medicine for what ails a broken spirit. He believes his mission is to help as many suffering beings as possible. CHAPTER 1 Nothing Lasts Forever I suspect you already know that nothing lasts forever. Take, for example, the global toilet paper shortage of 2020. Once the stay-at-home order was issued during the Covid-19 pandemic, fear triggered homebound people to get creative. So, they created the toilet paper-filled panic rooms of their dreams. These early shoppers mounded piles of toilet paper in their shopping carts, raced to the register, then rushed their stuffed vehicles home. They attempted to hoard their way to security, an effort to make toilet paper last forever. Seeing this, other shoppers raced to score what was left. Social media and funny memes swiftly emphasized this scarcity, which encouraged yet another wave of hoarding shoppers. When latecomers were faced with those empty store shelves, where toilet paper used to be, they were shocked! Believe it or not, many people thought that toilet paper would always be available. Empty-handed shoppers were left dumbfounded and muttering, “Why me?” For decades I have enthusiastically acted as a spiritual and material support to students, communities, fellow monastics, and laypeople. Based on my many years of counseling troubled people I’ve noticed that when something terrible happens to someone, the first question that most people seem to ask is, “Why me?” Of course, if something good happens in their life—for example, winning a million dollars in the lottery—they do not ask, “Why me?” Instead, they joyfully accept their good fortune and announce, “I am so lucky; I have lots of money to spend! I’m sure to be happy now!” That’s the way we judge our circumstances. We’re happy when things go our way and unhappy when they don’t. But is it helpful to take the good and reject the bad? Life inevitably has both good and bad circumstances. Furthermore, asking “why me” does not help y