A visit to Khuju Lhakhang

Coinciding with the birth anniversary of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal on the tenth day of the fourth month in Bhutanese calendar, along with Sonam Phuntsho and Dorji Wangdi, I visited the Khuju Lhakhang. It is about two hours walk from College of Natural Resources.

Khuju Lhakhang

It was sunny morning. We started our journey at 8:30 am. First, we went for shopping to buy butter lamps, incense and some offerings from Pulami.  On our way to Khuju Lhakhang, we visited beautiful Doronthang Lhakhang which is about half an hour walk from our college. It is peacefully located on the sacred slope just above the college. The site has many religious facts around.

Dorongthang

We asked the way to Khuju Lhakhang to a nun. She showed the way and warned us about a bull on the way. We came across a junction of paths. We took the right turn. The path was actually used by the nuns and the people for collecting firewood. Even then, we went through the forest in search for a path. While in the forest, we met with a bull as told by a nun. We run as fast as we could to escape from the bull. Luckily we came to a right way to Khuju Lhakhang.



Taking an untravel'd path

It was our first time to visit Khuju Lhakhang. The path was not like any other religious site when going via Dorongthang Lhakhang. The steep slopes would touch your knees and the shrubs and hedges would bar your way. The gorges do not have end and the water was drowned in the mud. Unfortunately, we have forgotten to take knives.


Bajo town seen from Khuju Lhakhang

 

After ascending the slopes and rocky path, we reached to the Lhakhang at around 10:45 am. The Lhakhang is gorgeously located on the hill seeing all the green sceneries of Wangdue and Punakha valley. There were many visitors, mostly the students from Tencheling and Bajo. They told us that they had walked for four hours.



Khuju Lhakhang on the beautiful hill

The satisfaction you felt will be different. After reaching there, I felt as if I have reached to a land of happiness. So, feel the difference yourself by visiting such religious site.

From the Bhutanese film, “Sherubtse Ga Mi Ga”, an actor says, ‘Thinong namning so ngo ba tey joor ba la na, za ba kiy la za min ma ney la lhakhang ba boo jay bay dey loo ma la na. Za min ba kiy la za ma nay la Lhakhang jay bay dey loo ma la’. Therefore, it is not necessary to need opposite gender while visiting such place. There is no hard and fast rule in such case.

Tribute to my teachers

The teachers of the past, present and future,

Whose compassions are infinite and unconditional,

On this very auspicious occasion,

On the knowledge of the students from ten directions,

I wish you all a very Happy Teachers Day.

Praying for happiness

Dull it would be the soul who could pass by,
You have taught us the importance of truth;
To the character and beauty to the soul,
You are the best the world can hold,
True teachers, you are always remained in the hearts.

Teaching is the profession,
That teaches all other professions.
Hadn’t teachers been there in the dark,
We would have mistaken the path and
Dull would be the world that could pass by.

You are the bravest of all,

The world has nothing to show more,

Unto the open field and to the empty sky,

Your knowledge, like the beams,

Warmed the earth and us.

You have chosen the untraveled way,

For whose way like the Pacific Ocean,

In creation, your heart is a powerful ray,

To such a deep, it would win everybody,

And the darkness would be more clear than noon-day.

in the past

Concrete words may replace abstractions,
Name of an artist may substitute his work,
But the true teachers cannot be replaced.
Without doctors, patient may die,
And the infrastructures may collapse without engineers
But without teachers, the world would collapse.

The kindness and care you have provided,

And the way you have shown,

Are the most valuable thing,

As long as the space and sentient remains,

You all will remain in our hearts.



My Home



Thrimshing village

To the north of Phegpari,

To the east of Brekha,

And to the west of Tsangpo,

Facing Thimkhar-

Lies my sweet village; Thrimshing.

In my childhood, it was poor;

Without water supply, electricity and road .

Thrimshing lhakhang

Beside others –

Fetching water form a pond,

Staying in the light of pinewood;

Locally called lintshong,

Would be a hard life of farmers,

Collecting lintshong wasn’t an easy task,

It would take a day just to collect a basket full,

But was only the choice in those days.

Now, the days of lintshong,

And the days of happiness has arrived.

My home has become a better place to dwell.

A place where I can find Gross National Happiness (GNH) 

With every modern facilities.

Thrimshing Comunity School

The people live with the most harmonious life here,
They have a strong society relation,

Strong believer of culture and tradition,

But due to some unfair activities of some,

One man's food become another man's poison.

Even than, for me my home is the best place, 

Therefore, I shall work hard at something worth for my village.

Ara vs Umbrella

There are many similarities between umbrella and ara.

Pouring ara

When do you drink ara? Of course we drink ara in many occasions but usually we drink at desperate time and in special occasions.

Umbrella during rainy day

Likewise, we also use umbrella during rainy days and in sunny days.

Winter Evening

When winter evening is settled,

I peeped through my window,

Nothing I could see

But the faded shadows of the trees.

The darkness covers everything,

Shape of the beauty vanished,

And the value of the day was lost

Yet- I felt the things around me.

Through the spread arms of the trees,

I saw the queen moon on her throne.

I sense the peace in my mind

And leaves the land still.



There is nothing more than the memories of winter evening.

Thou art Angel

I didn't meet like thee in the past

The best dress thou art in

With glittering rings on thy ears.

I feel like holding thee to my heart unhurt

But away thee dwell,

Still I never let thee from my little heart

Even then I do have concern

Thou art true angel of my life.

Thy cheeks art like the full moon

It does shine my little dark heart

Thou art like a new strung instrument

That is newly put in tune.

Even if the ocean runs dry

And rocks melt into sands

I will love thee still, my dear.

Even if I go a thousand miles

I vow thy face to see

Although I go ten thousand miles

I will come again to thee, my dear love

I will come again to thee

Even if my ways are barred

Don't leave me, I love you.

Hold me to your heart

As I hold you to my little heart.

Happiness

Who are the happiest people in the world?

Happiness does not only mean having ample of food to eat and clothes to wear. People who have no work do not mean they are happy.   


Happines is with friends



 Happiest people may not be what I think. For me happiest people are those who have less tension and less worries. Then who are those people who have less tension and worries? They are the people who are satisfied with the least they have.  And who are those people who are satisfied with the least? They are the people who have abandoned the materialistic and pleasurable games.



Hermit in the cave


Even if you have all the properties of the world, you won’t be satisfied. When we are satisfied with what we have then we feel happy.




Money: the source of suffering

 Money can’t buy happiness. Money is one of the most trouble causing factor if we do not know how to manage it.





Avoid stress and tense

  

Happiness comes from helping others. Happiness comes from telling the truth. Happiness can’t be found elsewhere. It is within our heart.



SWOT analysis

There was a man who lives in a building who has a very beautiful wife. For him she was a world. She was beautiful to the extent that his eyes never get tired of looking at her charming and gorgeous figure. 

One fine evening, the man was resting on the veranda looking around and refreshing his mind. Suddenly, he found a woman in the next building who was more gorgeous than his wife. He thought that his wife was the most beautiful lady but after seeing the women in another building, his mind changed.



 The woman in the next building was  committed to relationship. Now, how would you do a SWOT analysis?  The strength for the man was his wife and the weakness was the other woman in the next building. What was his opportunity? His opportunity was when the husband of that woman is out for the work, he can take an opportunity. But there was a threat that his wife will be taken by somebody when he is out.





Crazy lazy

In the hotels with bottles,

Crawling and howling in the street,

Hanging and banging in the bars,

Some kicked, others licked.


After wisky, life is risky

 Scenes I have seen since,

Truly not the time that has changed

But the way of life has been changed.

 And yes I believe in change

 But not in a way above.

If that’s the way

Better be in the field to yield

And get filled with good food

What is Gross National Happiness (GNH)?

What is Gross National Happiness? Different people will define GNH differently. It indeed is the sum of all the happiness. Everybody like to be happy, no body like to live in adverse conditions. We wear different dresses, we talk different dialects, we have different food habits, we have different culture and beliefs but all those different dialects, different food habits and so on, do not mean we are different.

The objectives in our live are to achieve the goals of happiness. So how can we achieve those goals? Achieving the goals does not come at once. If we are given a plateful of rice, can we eat that rice at once? We can eat but spoon by spoon only. We can’t eat at once so is in achieving the goals. Sometimes, we say we have achieved the goals. Without the helping hands of others, it is impossible to achieve the bigger goals. We are as strong as we are united and divided, we fail.

There are four pillars for achieving GNH in our context, viz. (1) Socio-economic development, (2) Preservation of culture and tradition, (3) Sustainable use of natural resources and (4) Good governance. With the rapid modernization of the world, the minds of the people changes. If the mind of the people is changed, their attitude is more towards the materialistic world.  Nothing can stop the change. It is then natural phenomenon. But there is something we can instill in our mind to achieve the happiness.

There is no short cut to happiness.  Most of us seek temporary happiness rather than lifelong happiness. The short term happiness may lead us to lifelong ailment. Nothing can heal the wound of regrets. Before anything bad happens, we should know what is good for better livelihood.  Being a human being, it is our ability to distinguish between good and better.

How can we be happy? If we want to be happy, we should make others happy first. Then only we can be happy. How can we not be happy when others are happy with our contributions?  To achieve Gross National Happiness, one must understand others. In understanding others, one must understand oneself. Little understanding would be better than misunderstanding. Gross National Happiness can be created, it can’t be achieved easily. We have to make it our selves. It is no where but with us only.

Where is Gross National Happiness (GNH)?

Where can we find Gross National Happiness? Is there GNH in the cities? Can we find GNH in the industrial areas where there is lots of pollution? Can we find GNH in the streets?

The Gross National Happiness is in the villages where there is no intervention of modern facilities. Unlike in the urban centers the facilities in the villages are countable. Yet, they are the true happy people with the least they have. They are the people who actually enjoy the true happiness. They have no worries for insecurity and no tension of work load.

Different cultural practices are still alive in the villages. Their respect to the costume and culture is incredible. One cannot deny believes of villagers because they have been practicing those cultures for generations and they are very much related to religious facts and can be even related to the science. Of course, there are exceptions.

Some of the neglected traditional technologies are available in the villages like water mills, stone mills; stone and wood rice hullers which we cannot find in the urban centers. These technologies are more than 50 years old. They have been using these technologies from generations to generations. Once modern western technologies are brought into traditional society, they manage to superimpose themselves and compete successfully with local production machines. I fear that one day, these technology might vanish. Never the less, it is always good not to have too many modern technologies.

Traditional post harvest technology in dry

People in the villages have very strong relations among themselves, their neighbors and the relatives which are lagging in the urban centers. It’s my personal view. Whenever the problems arise, they help each other. Every household contributes their helping hands, whether it is for personal or whether it is for public. That much helpful they are though they are illiterate. If they were educated, something miracles must have happened. So, the true GNH is in the villages.

How can urban dwellers survive if there is shortage of food supply from outside? For the villagers, there is nothing to worry. Whether it is a water shortage or food shortage, they somehow manage. The life in the villages is heaven-like. Free of pollution and violence. Breathing the clean air and tasting the organically grown food. There is nowhere happier than to live in the villages.

Meeting the farmers in the villages and sharing about the past could be the happiest movement. The elderly people in the villages have no wish to go to the cities. It is not because they have nobody to look after them; it is because they have found the happiness in their own village.