Our story and teachers
A Sibu Buddhist community continuing the Dharma activities of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche through practice, teachings, and service.
Our centre's story
Namo Buddha Buddhist Society Sibu is located in Sarawak, Malaysia and follows the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Namo Buddha Monastery in Nepal is situated at the sacred place where, in a previous life, the Buddha offered his body to a starving tigress.
The society was officially established in 2006. Our community cherishes compassion, wisdom, and harmony, and welcomes people to practise, learn, and support one another.
Spiritual guidance
NBBS continues through the blessings, teachings, and service of its lineage masters and resident teachers.
Founder of our centre
Vajra Master Ngawang was born in 1966 in Dzonkgha, a small village in northern Tibet near the birthplace of the great yogi Milarepa. His parents, Chimé and Sangchok, had deep faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and sent him to a monastery at the age of seven. After completing the traditional three-year, three-month, and three-day retreat at Namo Buddha in Nepal, he began teaching Dharma to students overseas.
Karma Kagyu lineage master
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche was a renowned master of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, known for his profound wisdom, compassion, and tireless efforts in spreading the Dharma worldwide. He established numerous centres and schools, guiding countless students on the path of awakening.
Resident Lama
Lama Sonam Tsering was born in Khunde, Khumjung, Solukhumbu, Nepal. He joined Thrangu Monastery at a young age and completed his early studies at the monastery and Shree Mangal Dvip School in Nepal. He completed higher Buddhist studies at Vajra Vidya Institute in India and later served the institute as manager before returning to the monastery in Nepal.
Society leadership
Our volunteer committee supports the society's Dharma activities, administration, and community service.
The Karma Kagyu lineage
Since the Buddha perfected all qualities of meditation, he was able to attain full enlightenment — not just for himself, but to show that every sentient being has the potential to do the same. A central teaching of Buddhism is that Buddhahood is not something external or distant; it lies within each of us. By looking inward and cultivating wisdom and compassion, we too can awaken.
The Buddha taught in three great cycles, known as the 'Three Turnings of the Dharma Wheel':
Known as the Hinayana or Foundational Vehicle, these teachings include the Four Noble Truths, meditation practices, and insight into the emptiness of self.
The Mahayana path emphasizes the emptiness of all phenomena and the cultivation of bodhicitta — the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
The Vajrayana, or Diamond Vehicle, reveals that all things are not only empty, but also inherently imbued with Buddha nature — the pure, awakened essence within every being.
From the Buddha to his disciples and through countless generations, the Dharma has been passed down in an unbroken lineage. In the 9th century, Buddhism took root in Tibet when King Trisong Detsen invited the great masters Guru Padmasambhava and Khenpo Bodhisattva Shantarakshita to share the teachings. From that time onward, four major traditions emerged: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug.
The Kagyu Lineage was first brought to Tibet in the 10th century by the translator Marpa the Translator. It was continued by his devoted disciple, the great yogi Milarepa, who then passed it on to Gampopa. Among Gampopa's many students, the most renowned was Düsum Khyenpa, the 1st Karmapa. The line of successive incarnations of Düsum Khyenpa — the Karmapas — has preserved and spread these sacred teachings uninterrupted to this day, culminating in His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje.
NBBS follows this Karmapa transmission within the wider Kagyu tradition: the Karma Kagyu lineage.
Tibetan Buddhism — particularly the Kagyu tradition — is grounded in the Hinayana, which lays the foundation through ethical discipline and renunciation of samsara. Building upon this, the Mahayana inspires practitioners to develop compassion and work for the benefit of others. Finally, the Vajrayana offers profound methods for realizing the true nature of mind and attaining liberation in this very lifetime.
Through the blessings of the Kagyu masters, this lineage continues to inspire both monastic and lay practitioners alike — whether one lives in a monastery or navigates the challenges of daily life in the modern world.