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| Cultural Show at Gasa |
Cultural Heritage
Having always been politically independent, a rich and distinctive culture developed in the country over the ages. Perhaps the most important single factor in the molding of Bhutanese character and thought has been the teaching of Lord Buddha, whose eternal truths were first brought into the country from Tibet over the high, snow-bound mountain Passes by the great Indian saint, Guru Padmasambhava
Having always been politically independent, a rich and distinctive culture developed in the country over the ages. Perhaps the most important single factor in the molding of Bhutanese character and thought has been the teaching of Lord Buddha, whose eternal truths were first brought into the country from Tibet over the high, snow-bound mountain Passes by the great Indian saint, Guru Padmasambhava
In the Buddhist
perspective, culture, tradition and beliefs and the environment are dynamic
phenomena that are interwoven tightly in the web of life. As a Buddhist
philosopher say, “Culture lies not in objects or monuments but in the mind and
compassion towards all sentient beings"
Bhutan's
unique cultural and traditional values, highly valued in themselves by all the
population, are the essential embodiments of the nation's identity. For a small
country located between two most populated countries of the world, India and
China, the preservation and promotion of its distinct cultural identity is seen
as an important means for its survival as an independent and sovereign Kingdom.
It was this identity that has protected and sustained Bhutan and also provided
the foundation for its major policies
