Bhutan the Land of Happiness

"Welcome to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon," announces our Druk Air pilot, about 15 minutes before we land at Paro International Airport. For passengers like me, in a window seat on the left-hand side of the plane, the trip of a lifetime begins now.

As the plane flies around a mountain, far in the distance I glimpse the snow-covered Himalayas. Landing at Paro International Airport, at an elevation of 2,320m, is nothing short of nerve-wracking. The dramatic approach is at a 45-degree angle between mountains; not until the very last minute does the 2km runway appear. One of the most dangerous landings in the world, only 17 pilots are qualified to land here.

Nestled between India and Tibet, the tiny mountainous kingdom of Bhutan is often referred to as the world's "last Shangri-La". It's easy to see why: as I make my way to the capital city of Thimpu, an hour-and-a-half from Paro, serenity takes over almost immediately. Fluttering prayer flags and chortens (stupas) are dotted along the roads and avenues, a constant reminder that everyday life is permeated by Buddhist teachings and philosophy.

Tashichho Dzong, the fortress of the glorious religion, in Thimphu, Bhutan.

My first stop is the National Memorial Chorten, a Tibetan-style stupa. Built in 1974, it commemorates the nation's third king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, considered the father of modern Bhutan. Swarming with devotees from all walks of life, circumambulating the chorten in a clockwise direction (a rule for any religious structure in Bhutan) or turning the large red prayer wheel, it is a hive of actcheck into Six Senses Thimphu for a good night's sleep and signature Bhutanese hot stone bath. Charcoal-heated river stones are dropped into a wooden tub filled with naturally heated water and wormwood, which is known for its medicinal propertie

Unification of Drukgyel Dzong

Drukgyel Dzong and How a Lama Unified Bhutan

Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom with a rich history and a distinctive Buddhist culture . It has barely been impacted by modernity and globalization, and has managed to largely preserve its ancient culture. Perhaps the best-known historic site in the country is the ruined complex of Drukgyel Dzong.  The Bhutanese government has applied for the site to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

The History of Drukgyel Dzong

Drukgyel Dzong was built in 1649 to protect the area and also to serve as a religious center when the Dzong area was of great strategic importance. The Drukpa-Kagyud Buddhist School was built by the head, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, often known as the Bearded Lama, who had fled from Tibet.

Ngawang Namgyal and his followers built several other Dzongs to control the wild mountainous region of Bhutan and in 1634 he unified what is now the Kingdom of Bhutan after his great victory in the Battle of the Five Lamas. Prior to this time much of the country was in the hands of Buddhist monastic orders and feudal lords .

Buddhism and Intoxication

How does Buddhism view intoxication?

According to Lopen Tashi Tshering, a lecturer at Institute of Science of Mind, the Buddha had this to say about alcohol, the most abused intoxicant of his time: “Intoxication can lead to the loss of wealth, increased unnecessary confrontations, illness, disrepute, and weakening of wisdom.”

“Intoxicant includes anything we ingest, inhale or inject into our system that distorts consciousness, disrupts self-awareness, and that are detrimental to health,” said Lopen Tashi Tshering.

Production and consumption of alcohol was prevalent long before the time of the Buddha.

He added that Buddha had recognised that indulging in intoxicants (alcohol) led to losing heedfulness, a quality important to achieve realisation. Heedlessness in this context means moral recklessness, obscuring the clarity of mind to understand the bounds between what is right and what is wrong.

The Buddha, therefore, included the downside of intoxication in a sutra: “One is to refrain from drinking even a drop of alcohol and taking intoxicants because they are the cause of heedlessness. If any Buddhists succumb to the lure of intoxicating drinks, they shall not consider me as a teacher.”

“Though the precept started off as a ban on the drinking of alcohol, it has since been expanded to the use of modern intoxicants,” said Lopen Tashi Tshering. “This means, the modern issue of intoxication which includes incredibly wide range of addictive substances and unwholesome pleasures can be considered as transgression of fifth vow according to Buddhism.”

However, taking medication containing alcohol and other intoxicants for genuine medical reason does not count. Similarly, neither does eating food flavored with a small amount of liquor of violate the precept. This, Lopen Tashi Tshering, said was because one’s intention to take the medicine was to cure one’s sickness.

A traditional Buddhist reason for abstaining from alcohol and drugs was that intoxication inevitably led to the breach of other precepts, he said.

Buddha had prescribed five precepts for the followers as the minimal moral observances: abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and use of intoxicants.

Alcoholism and intoxication of the substances are a costly burden on the modern societies.

The teachings of Buddha do not say anything directly about smoking. However, the Buddhist prohibition of tobacco and smoking came later in the time of Guru Padmasambhava.

Understanding the detrimental effects of smoking, Guru Rinpoche prohibited the use of tobacco, according to Lopen Tashi Tshering.

Elaborating on how Guru Rinpoche imposed the prohibition, he explained that Guru had clearly seen the effects the fumes from the cigarettes have on the gods and above and local deities around. Similarly, he also understood that the spitting harmed the ants and insects on the earth and deities underneath.

Lopen Tashi Tshering said that abusing drug was equal to poisoning oneself slowly to your death. “Once a person chooses to do what is illegal, disrespectful of god and potentially damaging to their health and spiritual well-being, it affects their luck and I suppose this is the reason why a number of youths commit suicide today.”

In Buddhism, another factor to consider is its belief about life after death, meaning that our stream of consciousness does not terminate with death but continues on in other forms that we may take into six realms: 1) gods, (2) , (3) humans, (4) animals, (5) hungry ghosts, and (6) hell beings, which is determined by our habits, propensities, and actions in this present life.

According to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, a person who indulges in intoxication in present life suffers consequences of their actions through all lives that they may take in any forms, Lopen Tashi Tshering said.

Tourist arrival over the years in Bhutan

A total of 274,097 tourists visited Bhutan last year recording a growth of 7.61 percent over 2017, according to the latest Bhutan Tourism Monitor.

Revenue from tourism has also increased by about seven percent or USD 5.6M (million) compared to 2017.

Of the total tourism receipt from international leisure segment of USD 85.41 million, USD 26.29 million was direct revenue for the government through Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), Visa fees and two percent TDS (tax deducted at source).

However, despite the growth, TCB states that the country still faces a problem of seasonality and unbalanced regional spread.

“As a destination with an emphasis on sustainability at the core of its development agenda, it is important that appropriate interventions are put in place to further sustainable growth with emphasis on regional spread and to make Bhutan a year-round tourism destination,” it states.

Of the total arrivals, 71,807 were international arrivals. A majority of them entered and exited Bhutan via air while majority of regional arrivals used land as their mode of transport.

According to the report, international leisure arrivals grew by 1.76 percent to 63,367 while arrivals from the regional market grew by 10.37 percent.

About 87.81 percent of the total visitors visited Bhutan for leisure or holiday and most arrivals was recorded in May and October with 14.50 and 13.70 percent of the total arrivals.

While India continues to be the main source of market for regional arrivals with 94.83 percent of the total arrivals, America, China, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom and Germany continues to remain the major international source markets.

The report states that arrivals from USA recorded 14.54 percent growth, China 7.12 percent, UK- 10.44 percent, Germany 15.22 percent, Malaysia 6.22 percent, and Australia 21.79 percent increase over 2017 arrivals.

While the most significant growth was recorded for Vietnam ar 37.81 percent, visitors from Singapore (-5.89 percent), Thailand (-3.98 percent) and Japan (-2.55 percent) decreased in 2018.

In terms of global segmentation of source markets, Asia-Pacific was the top region (46.89 percent) followed by close to one-quarter (29.71 percent) of the market share from Europe and America (22.27 percent). Visitors from Middle-East, South-Asia and Africa comprise less than one percent.

According to the report, a majority of the source markets’ outbound tourists chose March, April, October and November to visit Bhutan.

Festivals remain one of the most visited attractions in the country with Thimphu and Paro Tshechus receiving maximum visitations with 20 and 32 percent.

Most visitors (86.41 percent) to Bhutan have undertaken some form of cultural activity with other nature-based and recreational activities.

The report states that the shift and sophistication in the demand and behaviour of tourists for meaningful travel experiences further emphasises the need for growth, diversification of tourism products and destinations, including authenticity, contacts with local communities and learning about culture, tradition and flora and fauna.

In terms of length of stay, on an average a tourist spends 6.63 nights in Bhutan.

According to the report, Swiss visitors have stayed 11 nights on an average followed by 9.39 nights by French visitors. Dutch and German visitors have spent an equal number of nights (8.86). For regional arrivals, the average length of stay is 5 nights.

Tourism

To date, I have been invited to speak to 3 batches of guide trainees. On every occasion I have gone to great length to impress upon the aspiring guides just how important they are in the delivery of “high value” component of the “High Value, Low Impact” tourism policy we have pursued since we opened up our doors to tourism in 1974.

I have time and again pointed out to the trainees that guiding is not a job - but a profession that will take them places. That the guiding phase in their lives is merely a stepping-stone to a secure and safe future. That it is a time when they have the opportunity to build network, acquire knowledge and skills and establish relationships on which to build their lives. But alas, despite all that, I have come face to face with some truly deplorable and woefully incompetent guides. Quite alarmingly, it wasn’t that some fly-by-night tour companies employed these guides - some of them were guiding for some of the top ten tour companies of the country.

Two evenings back I was in the company of a tourist group being guided by a young cultural guide (one of the Rotarian group members had wanted to meet me). The guide was drunk witless, either with alcohol or with substance, due to which he couldn’t simply comprehend what his guest was asking him to do. Worst, he had about him the foul stench ofdoma. Once in Punakha, I saw a guide sitting on a sofa in a hotel’s reception area - with his legs up on the tabletop, completely oblivious of the many guests milling around him. In Bumthang a guide was so drunk that he couldn’t remember why he and his single-person group were in Jakar! After great difficulty he remembered that they were there for a festival - but he just couldn’t remember which one.

The custodians of Bhutan's tourism industry - each of them seem to have failed to keep the guides on the narrow and the straight. The regulator failed to regulate and the MBO's were clueless about self regulation.

How did our guides get this way? At what point in time did they acquire such shabby and unbecoming attitude and behavior? In an environment where they have to compete with 4,244 other guides (as of today, there are 4,245 licensed guides), how did they allow themselves to degenerate to this level of un-employability? And yet, they are obviously getting employed! How and why? I can think of following reasons:

1.  They are available at cheap rates - commensurate with their quality

     and level of competence and ability.

2.  Tour operators are unmindful of the quality of guides they employ - most

     likely because these guides accept rates far below the going rate. These

     tour operators likely fall within the bracket of those who are known as the

     “under-cutters”.

3.  The regulatory authority - the Tourism Council of Bhutan - is obviously failing

     to monitor, regulate and enforce their rules that are already firmly in place.

     There is a detailed Letter of Undertaking (LoU) that each tour guide is required to

      sign before they are issued their guiding license. This LoU is explicit about

      the DO’s and DON’T’s. And yet, many guides fail to adhere to these rules.

 TCB requires every tour guide to sign the above Letter of Undertaking before they are issued their guiding license - then promptly forgets to enforce the rules.

The reverse side of a tour guide's license issued by the TCB. The prominently printed rules require that the guides must display their guiding license but not all do.

The guide is the single most important person in the service chain of the tourism industry - even more important than the tour operators themselves! The responsibility on the guide’s shoulders is immense and all encompassing. The selection of the guides should, therefore, be most crucial - because they are the first and the last person the tourists will see, from the day of their arrival to the day of their departure, including every single day in between. The guides set the all important and lingering first impressions - all other impressions are secondary and incidental.

There should be no compromise in the selection of the guides. The guides’ training and grooming must be rigorous and first rate. Their social grace must be impeccable – they must be knowledgeable on the country’s history, culture and tradition. In order that they can be sensitive to others’ cultural and religious sentiments, the guides must have a fair knowledge of most of the world’s important cultures and religions.

All these qualification requirement means that the guides are highly trained people with special skills. In other words they must be treated with respect and paid much better than some of them are believed to be. I hear that some tour companies pay them as low as Nu.700.00 per day - thereby, on occasions, forcing them to sleep in buses - because they are unable to afford lodgings with what they are paid.

We need to improve the quality of our guides. Their knowledge base must be regularly updated - their training course must include some bit of history, culture and religion of the major countries of the world. We need to ensure that the tour companies are employing knowledgeable and disciplined guides, and paying them well. They must not employ delinquent guides.

The guides are our ambassadors - they project the face and soul of Bhutan. The TCB must immediately assume responsibility over the stewardship of this segment of tourism service. The TCB must step up monitoring in order that the rules already in placed are enforced so that the guides remain vigilant about their responsibilities. TCB inspectors must make surprise inspections to tourist sites, restaurants, hotels and airports - on a regular basis to ensure that the guides are performing as they are expected to. This should not be a problem since TCB has record of what groups are in the country, and where each of them are at any given day.

If need be, we must empower the RBP, Immigration and Cultural Officials, hotel/restaurant owners and others to regulate the guides' behaviours. 

We must all realize that the guides are an important element in guiding the tourism industry’s journey to the top. The metaphor that if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys is a funny allegory, but its implications are serious. It is no laughing matter.

What it means is that whole lot of monkeys is ruinous for business.

His Eminence Lama Nyingkhula

His Eminence Lama Nyingkhula, alias Kunzang Wangdi (1942-2018)

Born (1942, water horse year) to Jurminla and Thinley, he was raised in Pangthang village in Bartsham in Tashigang. In the tradition of non-formal education in villages, his grandfather Nyoendola taught him when he was a child. He retained his parent’s beloved pet name for him, Nyingkhula (སྙིང་ཁུ་ལ). He grew up in the blessed setting of the old Bartsham Chador Lhakhang, which contains the celebrated statue of Chador-Tumpo, a treasure of Pema Lingpa brought ages ago as a wedding gift from Khar Yangkhar Koche. In course of time, he became one of the most learned, reflective and meditative lamas of his age. He had a reputation of being unrivalled in his strivings, erudition and virtuousness. As Buddhist describe the passing away of an important religious figure, Lama Kunzang Wangdi’s body form dissolved into dharmakaya most peacefully on October 6, 2018. In a message paying tribute to him, Dzongar Jamyang Khyentse noted that though there are many peerless lamas, Lama Kunzang was unmatched also in practice of meditation.

During his last days in Genyenkha (དགེ་རྙིང་ཁ་ in old texts), where he had been living for the last thirteen years, His Majesty The King and Her Majesty Gyalyum Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck were gracious enough to visit him. His devoted services to Their Majesties as Their lama-sungkhorpa, or mantra holder (སྔགས་འཆང་སྲུང་འཁོར་བ), from 1992 till his passing away, began with the conferral of the title of lama-sungkhorpa by His Majesty the Fourth King. Between 1995-2009, Lama Kunzang was a member-representative of the gomchens, the communities of non-celibate Vajrayana practitioners, in the Religious Council of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs. Lama Kunzang was of the gomchen or ngagpa tradition that is widespread in eastern Bhutan. Ngagpa or gomchen tradition, stretching back to Guru Rinpoche, was one of the two communities of practitioners: monks who were celibate sutrayana practitioners and gomchens who were lay or non-celibate Vajrayana practitioners.  In 2009, Lama Kunzang was elected as a member of the Council of Ngajur Nyingma for three years during an assembly of heads of Nyingma lamas.

The accomplishments and perfections of Lama Kunzang were not only due to his own exertions and insights, but also due to his long associations with many distinguished masters. His resume notes that he had the privilege of receiving dharma teachings and skills, roughly in order of timing, from Lama Pema Wangchen (alias Lama Nakulung), Lama Norbu Wangchuk, Dudjom Rinpoche, Jadrel Sangay Dorji, Lama Sonam Zangpo, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dungse Thinley Norbu and Dzongsar Jamgyang Khyentse. Thus, his practices included both Nyingma and Kagyu streams of Buddhism.  He assimilated and incorporated six cycles of Naropa’s teachings from Lama Sonam Zangpo at Do Rangtha Hermitage (Lam Kesang Chophel, 2014, p. 1981) just as he learnt and mastered astrology comprehensively from Lama Norbu Wangchuk at Yonphula and Drametse. He absorbed many unique hands on (ཕྱག་བཞད་) legacies of Dilgo Khyentse and Dudjom Rinpoche, particularly on manual aspects of rites, because he worked with them for a considerably long time (Bartsham Dorji Lopen Sonam Zangpo, personal communications, 2018).

But his early life as a Buddhist learner and practitioner owes much to Lama Pema Wangchen of Bartsham. Lama Pema Wangchen’s biography by Khenpo Phuntsho Tashi (2013, p. 406) points out that by 1954, Lama Kunzang had become one of his young disciples. Lama Pema Wangchen schooled him in various knowledges and techniques of dough offering (གཏོར་བཟོ), mandala creation, chanting, and liturgical music. He learnt linguistics and grammar from Lama Tenzin Kuenleg, and stupa architecture from Tshong Tshong Lopen. Others taught him xylographic book carving, wood works, metal casting of statues, and calligraphy. Along with such widely appreciated skills he got, Lama Pema Wangchen also imparted to him an extensive range of texts on Buddhist theories, doctrines and practices. By 1961, along with key disciples of Lama Pema Wangchen such as Lopon Yeshey Dondup (1951-2002), Lama Daupo alias Ugyen Namdrol, Lama Nyingkula had received from him empowerments, transmissions and instructions for a huge number of texts including Dudjom Tersar tradition (Khenpo Phuntsho Tashi, 2013, p. 434). Such three-fold method of liberation-teachings culminated in the dzogchen texts and practices of All-Surpassing Realization of Spontaneous Presence (འོད་གསལ་ཐོད་རྒལ) and The Separation between Phenomena of Samsara and Nirvana (འཁོར་འདས་རུ་ཤན). He then went into eight long years of solitary retreat at Bartsham. Since then, it was quite regular for him to go into shorter retreats every year.

Lama Kunzang ’s most productive and prolific period as a scribe, writer and editor was from 1976 to 1986 while he was with Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdrel Yeshey Dorji in Kathmandu in Nepal and Kalimgpong in India. As the chief scribe and editor during that period he received many empowerments, transmissions and instructions not only on Dudjom Tersar but on numerous other earlier lineages such as Peling, Jigling, Longchen Nyingthig, and complete cycles of Ngajur Kama. He worked fruitfully on various projects of writing, editing and anthologies under the close and edifying tutelage and guidance of Dudjom Rinpoche. These monumental writing projects, in which Lama Kunzang was involved, included collected works of the former Dudjom, Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1904) in 27 volumes, collected works or Kabum of Dudjom Rinpoche himself (1904-1987) in 25 volumes, and canonical collections of Ngajur Nyingma (The Early Lineage of Transmitted Precepts) in 57 volumes and the collected works of Sera Khando in seven volumes. Lama Kunzang, assisted by few other calligraphers, wrote and edited these massive volumes; each of these volumes ran on average into eight hundred folio pages. Each volume was originally a manuscript, which was authored by Dudjom Rinpoche and calligraphed and edited by Lama Kunzang, for reprinting and distribution throughout the Vajarayana world steeped in classical choskad. Some of the volumes of Dudjom Rinpoche’s own Kabum or Sungbum that we had the privilege to read, needless to say, reflects Dudjom Rimpoche’s mesmeric erudition and spell biding poetic exposition of all branches of Buddhist scholarship. So, it was not surprising that the copies of these texts ran out quickly. As original edition ran out, Lama Kunzang republished some of them later. The re-publication of the collected works of Dudjom Lingpa and Dudjom Rinpoche in computerised fonts were, for example, sponsored by Lama Kunzang between 2004 and 2006. In some of the collected works of Dudjom Rinpoche, the colophon at the end of each volume denotes that it was calligraphed (ཡི་གེ་པ), by Monpa hearkening to the classical name of Bhutan, Kunzang Wangdi. In fact, Dudjom Rinpoche had named him Kunzang Wangdi who was known until then as Nyingkhula.

Towards the later part of his life, Lama Kunzang was engaged in designing and supervision of several landmark religious structures envisioned by His Majesty the Fourth King and Their Majesties the Queens. In fulfillment of the vision of the Queen Mother, Gyalyum Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, Lama Kunzang was responsible for the construction of Khamsum Yueley Namgyel Chorten in Punakha between 1992-1999.  Between 1997-2001, Lama Kunzang was charged with the restoration of Yongla Goenpa in Dungsam in accordance with the revered-wish of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. Yet the young boy who turned to Buddhist scholarship and practice in mid 1950s never lost touch with his community, and his roots in Bartsham.   Initiated and envisioned by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, Lama Kunzang led his community in Bartsham to construct the new, six-storied Chador Lhakhang in 2006. With the generous stipendiary support of Their Majesties the Fourth King and His Majesty for the Gomdra, he had enlarged the scope of earlier monastery and increased the number of gomchen. He had always hoped that future practitioners will have thus better opportunities of learning and liberation, which would facilitate happiness of all sentient beings.

Contributed by

 Bartsham Dorji Lopen Sonam Zangpo, 

Rinchen Wangdi and 

Dasho Karma Ura. 

Phurjang of Lame Kunzang Wangdi on dated 29th March, 2019

Purjang of Lama Kunzang Wangdi held in Bartsham

His Majesty The King attended the purjang or funeral rites of late Lama Kunzang Wangdi in Bartsham, Trashigang, yesterday. Lama Kunzang passed away in October last year, at the age of 76.

The purjang ceremony was presided over by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse.

Lama Kunzang Wangdi served as Sungkhorp to His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and Their Majesties the Queen Mothers. He also carried out a number of Royal Commands to oversee the construction of religious sites, and the commissioning and installation of relics, statues, and paintings.

Lama Kunzang Wangdi was also a representative of Gomchens in the Chhoedey of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs and a member of the council of Ngajur Nyingma, besides being the head of the Bartsham Chador Lhakhang.

His Majesty was accompanied by His Royal Highness the Gyaltshab, and the prime minister.

Direct Flight from Guwahati to Yonphula, Bumthang and Gelephu

Direct flights from Guwahati to Yongphula, Bumthang and Gelephu.

Photo from Social Media 

GUWAHATI: The National Assembly of Bhutan endorsed opening of direct flights between Guwahati to Yongphula, Bumthang and Gelephu in order to boost the tourism sector.

However, the Government will carry out consultations with relevant stakeholders such as the civil aviation authority and the airlines in this regard.

Further, the Bhutan Govt. has allowed entry and exit of regional tourists through 5 border towns, viz, the border towns of Samdrup Jongkhar, Gelephu, Samtse, Nganglam and Panbang.

According to a report posted on the official website of the National Assembly of Bhutan, currently, regional tourists are not allowed to enter from other than Phuentsholing.

Pelri Buddha Park

Sign Board of Pelri Buddha Park

Palri Buddha Park at Mukazor:

Samten Choeling Nunnery: The nunnery Monastery was located at Mukazor at Wamrong was built by venerable Sonam Tashi who in love with Natures and with his father's loving attitudes his son Venerable Odzer Pelzang started Nature Conservation Project as PELRI BUDDHA PARK above the Samten Choeling Nunnery to load up before trekking up to Palri Buddha Park about 30 minutes.The trek to Palri Buddha ParkVenerable Odzer Palzang at workHead nun Ani Kunzang and a helper bringing water tanks up the mountainThe young prince Siddhartha showing his archery skills, Palri Buddha Park.

As I paused to catch my breath in the thin air, I felt a little embarrassed and awed as an elderly nun overtook me with a bagful of sand on her back. There is no easy way up to Palri Buddha Park. You need to trudge your way up the steep slope to Samten Choeling Nunnery, past the Milarepa shrine and the meditation cave, and navigate through the dense forests. Venerable Odzer Palzang was already hard at work when I arrived, delicately sculpting the details of Prince Siddhartha’s ornamental belt. “Need to start work early,” he said as he continued working. “It may get too foggy in the afternoon.” At more than 3,000 feet above sea level, the weather can change with the winds anytime, even if it is clear blue sky in the morning.

The only such park in Bhutan, Palri Buddha Park is located in Wamrong, Trashigang District, in eastern Dungsamkha—one of the four traditional “gateways” to the landlocked country. Because of its remoteness, young people from this part of Bhutan choose to migrate to the more developed western regions, like Thimphu and Paro, where there are more job opportunities. “Bhutan is developing rapidly,” Venerable Palzang explained. “Before, we had few roads and vehicles, and less economic activities. When I was small, I loved exploring these mountains and forests on foot with my father. He taught me always to respect nature and the environment.”

Photo of Guru Rimpoche

“The mountains and forests are home not only to many animals, birds, and trees, but also to many deities, divinities, and spirits,” he continued. “In Bhutan, they are considered sacred places and are treated with utmost respect. We believe that they are protected by taboos because the guardianship of the hidden treasures [spiritual treasures hidden in the 8th century by Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, to be revealed at an appropriate time] was entrusted to the local deities so that the doctrines of sutras and tantras of the Buddhist culture are protected for all times. That is why our forefathers warned us not to dig into the places underground where nagas [serpent spirits] dwell, for such action may harm us. If we disturb the local deities of the place and of the earth, it will give rise to earthquakes, electrical storms, or hailstorms. If we indulge in misconduct and immoral acts, we may be put in danger with disorders of the four natural elements. In recent years, there are more frequent epidemics in the region, which destroy humans, cattle, and crops. These natural calamities happened because we have disturbed the habitats of the gods, the nagas, and the local deities, and weakened the fertility and harmonious life essence of the earth.”

Conscious of the adverse effects that development is having on the natural environment, Venerable Palzang, together with the nuns from Samten Choeling Nunnery, succeeded in convincing the local authorities to grant them a permit to build Palri Buddha Park as a conservation project, in order to protect the region. By so doing, they hope to prevent companies seeking to profit from the natural resources here from moving in. When completed, the park will also be a local attraction. Unlike popular destinations such as Paro, Punakha, Thimphu, and Bumthang, Wamrong has few holy sites where the local people can go to pay homage or to perform meritorious deeds. Within the park will be life-size statues depicting the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha,* each finely crafted and detailed by Venerable Palzang. He hopes that visitors will be inspired not only by the Buddha’s teachings but also by the beauty of the natural surroundings, and therefore realize the need to preserve the area for future generations. It will also be a refuge from the busyness of our modern lives, a place to retreat to where we can bring our minds home, back to peace and stillness.

A master architect of Buddhist stupas and temples, skilled in sculpture and Buddhist iconographical paintings, Venerable Palzang was the main architect for many temples and stupas in Ladakh and the only statue of Guru Rinpoche in Sikkim. His father Lopen Sonam Tashi, a renowned teacher and practitioner in the Wamrong region, was the founder of Samten Choeling Nunnery, which is halfway down the hill from Palri Buddha Park. When his father passed away in 2013, Venerable Palzang returned from his monastery in Sikkim to manage the nunnery and guide the 20 resident nuns.

Venerable Odzer Pelzang

With limited financial resources, support for the park has come mainly from the local villagers, who contribute what they can to show their appreciation for the project. Despite their meager earnings, some have donated from 100 (approximately US$1.50) to 500 ngultrum, while others have offered labor, food, and drink. But without the efforts and determination of the nuns from Samten Choeling Nunnery, the project would not have got under way. With no access road for vehicles, all materials must be hand-carried up the rugged terrain to the site. The nuns (including Venerable Palzang’s 80-year-old mother), led by Ani Kunzang, take everything from cement bags to water tanks up to the park. Guided by Venerable Palzang, they have cleared the land, erected tents as protection from the rain, and helped lay the foundations. Through their tireless dedication, 70 per cent of the work has now been completed.

Their motivation is rooted in a shared belief that the sanctity of life, compassion for others, and respect for nature and social harmony take precedence over material wealth and comfort. Based on their Buddhist values, the Bhutanese mindset is to regard nature as a living system of which we are a part rather than as a resource to be exploited for material gain. They traditionally live in harmony with the mountains, rivers, and forests, with a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for their environment, practicing conservation long before modern ideas of environmental protection came into being. Even today economic growth is regarded not as an end in itself, but as a means to improve the people’s well-being and welfare. Entwined with traditional values, development in Bhutan aims to achieve a balance between the spiritual and material aspects of life. This is reflected in the Gross National Happiness Index, initiated in the 1970s by His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, which supports the concept that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards ideas of progress and give equal importance to non-economic aspects of well-being.

The Buddhist principles of harmlessness, karma, rebirth, and the interconnectedness of all things have taught the Bhutanese that the Earth does not belong to humankind alone but is shared by an infinite spectrum of beings, both visible and invisible, to whom we should extend our compassion and kindness. The destruction of the natural environment disrupts not only those beings we can see, but also the peace and harmony of many unseen beings, such as the local deities living in the lakes, cliffs, and every nook and cranny in the mountains.

On the drive back to Thimphu, I noted the truckloads of granite and rocks on the road and the exposed faces of blasted mountain sides. Despite the government’s effort to protect Bhutan’s distinct culture and environment in their carefully charted path of development, there will inevitably be challenges. I am reminded of Venerable Palzang’s caution: “If we are not careful, Bhutan could be overwhelmed by the forces of change and modernization. We must be ever-conscious of this danger, and make a deliberate effort to keep alive our traditional attitudes and values. Otherwise we will destroy not only the natural environment, but also ourselves.”

*The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha are: the descent from Tushita, entering the mother’s womb, taking birth, becoming skilled in various arts, delighting in the company of royal consorts, developing renunciation and becoming ordained, practicing austerities for six years, proceeding to the foot of the Bodhi tree, overcoming Mara’s hosts, becoming fully enlightened, turning the wheel of Dharma, and passing into mahaparinirvana.