"I think people want to have some inner peace, because we know there are many stresses and mental and emotional disturbances in life," Migmar said. "We have to look within ourselves and then meditate and train the mind for transformation."
Migmar was born in Tibet and in 1959 fled with his family to India, where he received traditional training in Buddhism.
Paul Hagstrom of Merrill met Migmar in 1972, when he was studying abroad in India.
"He's really enjoyable," Hagstrom said. "The main thing is really transformation of one's own life. No matter what your religious faith is, one can always learn how to keep getting better and having more love, more compassion. That's the main thing."
After moving to Boston in 1989, Migmar started the Sakya Retreat Center in Barre, Mass., the Sakya Institute in Cambridge, Mass., and the Manjushri Temple in Shrewsbury, Mass.
"He's really got quite a big fan base because of his skill at communicating what the real meaning of the teachings are and how people can use them regardless of their own religion," Hagstrom said.
Copies of Migmar's book will be available for purchase.