In two talks last week, Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche outlined the steps he teaches toward achieving happiness. He said that the basis for happiness includes a calm and kind mind, and a life with less judgment.

“You should always strive to have a kind mind,” he said.

Phakchok Rinpoche was born in 1981 and recognized as a reincarnate lama at a young age. He is one of the throne-holders of the Riwoche Taklung Kagyu Lineage and a lineage holder of the Profound Treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa from the Nyingma School of Early Translations.

This is the second year Phakchok Rinpoche has traveled to the Vineyard. He spoke at the Yoga Barn last Tuesday and Wednesday, and also led a release of lobsters at Menemsha Beach on Wednesday afternoon. Over 150 people of all ages attended the lobster release.

Releasing the lobsters didn’t just benefit the sea creatures, he said, but also everyone who participated. “For us, it’s a reminder to be kind to others and to live a meaningful life,” he said.

Phakchok Rinpoche visits communities all around the world. He is an abbot of several monasteries in Nepal, heads dharma centers in Asia and North America, helps monasteries and practice centers in Tibet, oversees a variety of humanitarian projects in South Asia and still finds the time to teach. He said he admires the Vineyard for its unique sense of community and passionate residents.

“People are especially open to learning and seem so interested,” he said.

The free talks were titled Creating Space in Daily Life and Fearless Happiness: Keys to Training the Mind. In these talks Phakchok Rinpoche encouraged positivity, even in times of disappointment, anger or loneliness.

“You can change,” he said. “We are born with a positive essence. It’s important to know that our mind is so powerful, we can create our own success or failure.”

Another essential piece in the quest for happiness is confidence, he said. “We must understand our nature, the essence of our mind. We cannot judge ourselves.”

Phakchok Rinpoche hopes that acts of kindness, like the lobster release and positive thinking, will inspire change throughout the world.

“When you change one person, you change a family,” he said. “When you change a family, you change a small village. When you change a small village, you change a whole town, and so on, until you have changed the entire world for the better.”