Journey
Bhutan
TO
Spiritual
Traveling becomes a source of awakening…it provides spiritual opportunities.
Bhutan is a place that no matter what religious beliefs you have, or not have, a feeling of awe and deep awakening will surface within you. It provides for spiritual experiences that will expand and further you in your personal journey. These experiences help you understand yourself better, can help in finding your higher cause and creating a deeper connection with yourself and others. Definitely these experiences helped me to understand and appreciate another culture and ways of thinking.
In order to continue my study of Eastern Philosophies, I traveled to Bhutan in 2018 on a spiritual pilgrimage with TwoTruths.org. The small South Asian nation of Bhutan has for decades undertaken a bold experiment to measure development progress by the happiness of its citizens, rather than by their wealth, according to the Asian Development Bank report.
The trip began with an early morning flight from Bangkok in Wednesday, Oct 10, 2018. We flew over the stunning Himalayas, and arriving in Paro, we visited the sacred Kyichu Lhakhang and meditation master H.H. Dilgo Khyentse’s ancestral Home Museum.
We spent time with Khenpo Tashi, who is the author of numerous profound books, including Invoking Happiness, Three Rising Stars: Amazing life stories of the Enlightened Masters of Bhutan, Mindful Living in Bhutan, The Fine Art of Living and Manifesting A Peaceful Death: Primordial Wisdom, and Journey to Liberation: A Life Story of the Buddha According to the Mahayana Tradition.
Khenpo Tashi has traveled throughout the world giving retreats and workshops. He is very approachable, easy to understand, and a delight. Khenpo participated, a decade ago, in the Smithsonian exhibition in Washington D.C. on Bhutan, culture and art. We were very blessed to have his participation, compassion, wisdom, and friendship on this trip.
Also on our agenda was a visit to the Capital city of Thimphu, the seat of Bhutan’s modern government, the world’s youngest parliamentary democracy. The beloved 4th King is called the Philosopher King. He introduced the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index, which is a lens through which all development is evaluated with rigor. GNH is also the society touch-stone where good governance, societal happiness, sustainable development, education and well-being are given the highest aspirations.
There are many lessons Bhutan offers to the world, including ‘drala’, or spiritual ecology,
the way Bhutan goes about interacting with the natural environment, in making the everyday sacred. The 4th King also introduced English as the unifying language for the Kingdom. In a land where the Bhutanese speak 3–4 languages/dialects, unifying everyone with English-speaking practice has been of great benefit to facilitate communication among the people of various remote regions of Bhutan. Many of the people remain isolated by their mountainous geography. The result of English speaking and education, is that visitors have accessible dialogues with the majority of Bhutanese under the age of fifty.
The highlight of this trip was a 5-Day Retreat that was held at Thekchog Choki Gatsel, founded by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. This is a sacred pilgrimage site, one where Ven. Dilgo Khyentse walked, meditated, and gave ancient transmissions; and a precious place of devotion and inquiry. We were blessed to have this rare opportunity to have the Retreat at such a spacious and peaceful environment. The Retreat was a time to interact with the Western and Bhutanese teachers, lamas, nuns, monks, and scholars, while they provide teachings, meditation, transmissions, and engage in conversational dialogues nurturing personal transformation.
From the breathtaking mountains, lush forests and stunning monasteries to the quaint villages, Bhutan was truly magical. We visited the famous Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro and had a wide variety of experiences that I will never forget. The idea of happiness as a guiding principle for government reaches back for centuries in Bhutan. The 1729 legal code of Bhutan states: “The purpose of the government is to provide happiness to its people. If it cannot provide happiness, there is no reason for the government to exist.” Wouldn’t that be something if happiness was a priority for our government when making our laws 😊
This sacred country is definitely one to put on your list of places to travel.