Bhutan,… the Kingdom on the Top of the World
The Kingdom in the Mountains
Bhutan is one of the nicest places in the world that I ever went to. The Kingdom is located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People’s Republic of China. The Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul which means “Land of the Thunder Dragon”.
Buddhism is the prevailing religion in this monarchy… and very few people are allowed to visit. Working for the UN gives me sometimes some privileges.
Bhutan used to be one of the most isolated nations in the world. Developments including direct international flights, the internet, mobile phone networks, and cable television have only recently modernized the urban areas of this unique country, (or… province of India) . Bhutan has balanced modernization with its ancient culture and traditions under the guiding philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Rampant destruction of the environment has been avoided. The government takes great measures to preserve the nation’s traditional culture, identity and the environment. In 2006, Business Week magazine rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world.
Dzongs Characteristic of the region is a type of castle fortress known as the Dzong. Since ancient times, Dzongs serve as the religious, military, administrative, and social centers of their district. They are often the site of an annual tsechu or religious festival. Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, the Tibetan territory was divided into 53 prefecture districts also called Dzongs. The rooms inside the dzong are typically allocated half to administrative function and half to religious function, primarily the temple and housing for monks. This division between administrative and religious functions reflects the idealized power division between the religious and administrative branches of government which we in Belgium luckily got rid off.
Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, and every village has it own archery range. competitions, usually accompanied by a banquet, and are a part of all festive occasions, some attended by the King. I was once invited to such a ceremony. Using modern compound bows teams of archers shoot at targets only 30 centimetres in diameter from a distance of 120 metres or more . Each team has a noisy crowd of supporters who, as well as encouraging their own side and try to out off the opposition by yelling at them. The game of archery is not exactly a sport that draws supporters but I remain passionate about this sport. Archery is a tradition in Bhutan and stems from the long history of military protection of the Kingdom, it’s songs and dances and jeers are nearly medieval.
Buddhism. We refrain from explaining to you what Tibetan Buddhism is all about because I am yet to discover, or better to understand this religion. I visited the Buddhist temples in Indonesia and in Bhutan monks are part of the daily social life in the country. Their lifestyle is shaped so as to support their spiritual practice, to live a simple and meditative life, and attain Nirvana. I read recently Siddhartha by Herman Hesse which deals with the spiritual journey of a boy known as Siddhartha from India ( Bihar, where we have our office) during the time of the Buddha. I read some wise words in a book by the Dalai Lama, but he seems to be too distant from the real world. The monks in Bhutan are much more down to earth. Monks join the monastery at six to nine years of age and are immediately placed under the discipleship of a headmaster. They learn to read chhokey, the language of the ancient sacred texts, as well as Dzongkha and English. Eventually they will choose
between two possible paths: to study theology and Buddhist theory, or take the more common path of becoming proficient in the rituals and personal practices of the faith.
One of the very many monasteries
The daily life of the monk is austere, particularly if they are stationed at one of the monasteries located high in the mountains. At these monasteries food is often scarce and must be carried up by the monks or their visitors. The monks are
poorly clothed for winter conditions and the monasteries are unheated. The hardship of such a posting is well-recognized; to have a son or brother serving in such a monastery is recognized as very good karma for the family.
A monk’s spiritual training continues throughout his life. In addition to serving the community in sacramental roles, he may undertake several extended silent retreats. A common length for such a retreat is three years, three months, three weeks and three days. During the retreat time he will periodically meet with his spiritual master who will test him on his development to ensure that the retreat time is not being wasted.
Each monastery is headed by an abbot who is typically a lama, although the titles are distinct. The highest monk in the land is the chief abbot of Bhutan, whose title is Je Khenpo. He is theoretically equivalent in stature to the king.
The National dress. Yeshey, my UNFPA collegue is required to observe the national dress code, known as Driglam Namzha while in public during daylight hours. He wears a heavy knee-length robe tied with a belt, called a gho folded in such a way to form a pocket in front of the stomach. Women wear colourful blouses over which they fold and clasp a large rectangular cloth called a kira, thereby creating an ankle-length dress. Everyday gho and kira are cotton or wool, according to the season, patterned in simple checks and stripes in earth tones. For special occasions and festivals, colourfully patterned silk kira and, more rarely, gho may be worn which will cost up to 2000 us dollar a piece.
Our secretary in her national dress. Bhutanese women have traditionally more rights than men in surrounding cultures, the most prominent being the right of land ownership. The property of each extended Bhutanese family is controlled by an “anchor mother” who is assisted by the other women of the family in running affairs. As she becomes unable to manage the property, the position of anchor mother passes on to a sister, daughter or niece. Men and women work together in the fields, and both may own small shops or businesses. Men take a full part in household management, often cook, and are traditionally the makers and repairers of clothing (but do not weave the fabric). In the towns, a more “western” pattern of family structure is beginning to emerge, with the husband as breadwinner and the wife as home-maker. Both genders may be monks, although in practice the number of female monks is relatively small. Marriages are at the will of either party and divorce is not uncommon. The marriage ceremony consists of an exchange of white scarves and the sharing of a cup. Marriages can be officially registered when the couple has lived together for more than six months. Traditionally the groom moves to the bride’s family home, but newlyweds may decide to live with either family depending on which household is most in need of labour.
