Bhutan's Queen Mother on Elvis, Buddhism

"Bhutan was never really forbidden. We were just isolated, by choice. That's one of the reasons we have so much of our culture and heritage still intact. We began being "unforbidden" when we started building motorways in the early 1960s. That's when we opened up physically. It was around then that I saw my first motor vehicle. Until then the only mode of transport was horseback, for those who were lucky enough to have horses. Others had to walk. "

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304259304576373713977151334.html

Parents are entirely responsible - Kuensel Onlne

"When we follow religion, we do not see the real Buddha. So what we do is we depend on symbols, such as statues made out of copper, bronze or mud. Some people feel that ordinary people should not represent Buddha. In one way, that is right; but how different is it from seeing Buddha as a statue? In fact, it might bet better for a human to be dressed as a Buddha for everyone to see and relate to.

No one in the world qualifies to wear Buddha's robe and mask, including rinpoches and scholars, unless one has completely removed the root cause of suffering; desire, hatred and ignorance. In a programme like this, what was most important is good motivation. Our motivation was to express gratitude to Buddha and turn the dharma wheel. "

http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15611

Bhutan Observer

"Bhutan Observer was launched as Bhutan’s first private bilingual newspaper on June 2, 2006, in Thimphu. The paper followed the fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck’s vision to ensure a smooth transition to democracy and advance it thereafter."

http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/

A True Account of An Accomplished Practitioner of the Vajra Guru Mantra in Recent Times

"Although he was a siddha, he did not alter his clothes or appearance, but remained like a beggar, allowing others to make offerings and making-shift of whatever they offered to wear. Although he was invited to stay at Sangngak Thegchog Osel Ling Monastery, and could have chosen to have better living premises and conditions, he only preferred to live in a dilapidated corner of the monastery and sleep in his own old covers, using yellowed and hole-ridden blankets and pillow.

“Benza Guru Drubtop” would only accept others’ clothing and food. If someone offered his cash notes or coins, he will recite mantras and blow on them as a blessing, before returning them to the offerer, telling him not to use the money but to keep it on the body as a blessed artifact for protection. When one offered him a khata, it was the same case. This showed that “Benza Guru Drubtop” has already viewed all wealth as nothing, with no desire or wish for anything."

http://bodhiactivity.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/hello-world/

Kuensel Online - Bhutan's daily news site

Bhutan daily news

http://www.kuenselonline.com/

Bhutan Observer

"That all things exist in interdependence is an age-old wisdom, and we at Bhutan Observer truly believe in this. We recognize that we are an integral part of this society and have a role to play in reporting the news in a fair and balanced way. Our sole objective is to uphold and strengthen the values and principles that bind this small, but great kingdom, together. We are a voice with a conscience, and our efforts aimed at enriching people’s lives through unbiased content intended to inform, educate and entertain. "

http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/

Prayer flags a problem in Bhutan

"The Bhutanese government is facing an unexpected threat to its country’s natural environment: prayer flags. Each year, Bhutan’s citizens cut down thousands of trees to use a poles for Buddhist prayer flags, according to a Reuters report posted on the Buddhist Channel."

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1508

"The Bhutanese government has warned its citizens not to cut down thousands of young trees every year to make poles for hoisting Buddhist prayer flags."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8250310.stm

The National Library & Archives of Bhutan

"Located in the cultural centre of Thimphu, the capital of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, we are a major scriptural repository and research facility dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the rich literary, cultural and religious heritage of our country. The scripture and document collection held in our library and archives is a national treasure and a fundamental source for Bhutanese history, religion, medicine, arts and culture. "

http://www.library.gov.bt/index.html

The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan

"East of Mount Everest and bordered by India and Tibet, Bhutan is a remote and mystical kingdom, considered by many as “The Last Shangri-La.” A sovereign nation that has maintained its cultural, artistic, and religious traditions intact, it is one of the few countries in Asia never colonized by its neighbors or Western powers.

The first exhibition of its kind, The Dragon's Gift provides an exceptionally rare opportunity to view some of the most sacred and beloved Buddhist arts in Bhutan. "

http://www.asianart.org/bhutan.htm

Bhutan Pictures

http://sandbox.sourcelabs.com/delimages/?tag=bhutan

The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan

"The Vajrayana Buddhist pantheon comprises a wide variety of divine figures. Many of these are the focus of practices such as meditation, visualization, mantra recitation, sacred dances, and elaborate rituals. In this context, yoga means the technique or method of employing deity practices for spiritual development. One of the most frequent is the generation of the personal deity by the practitioner via meditation. In such cases, the practitioner follows specific techniques to embody the deity him- or herself. From one perspective, these divine beings can be understood as expressions of one’s own enlightened mind. The visual elements with which these deities are portrayed are richly symbolic, and to the initiated these images convey important aspects of the Buddhist teachings."

http://www.rmanyc.org/exhibitions/dragons-gift.xml?context=exhibitions/dragons-gift.xml

The 11 galleries of the Ta-dzong museum

"A special feature of the third gallery is the Raven Crown, designed by Lam Jangchub Tsendrue and worn by Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck. It also houses the images of Jigme Namgyel’s protective deity, Tadin (Hayagriva) and Palkhorlo Dompa (Chakrasamvara), a statue of Lam Jangchub Tsendrue and Nyep Garab Wangchuk (local deity), ceremonial silk textile belonged to the first King and four chests of Jigme Wangchuck that were used in the Wangdue Choling palace in Bumthang to store personal belongings of the royal family and the King."

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,7525,0,0,1,0

Economists Appraise Bhutan's Happiness Model

"When considering economic development, policymakers here take into account respect for all living things, nature, community participation and the need for balance between work, sleep and reflection or meditation.

"Happiness is very serious business," Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Thinley said. "The dogma of limitless productivity and growth in a finite world is unsustainable and unfair for future generations.""

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,7485,0,0,1,0

"Gross National Happiness is an approach to development unique to Bhutan. While conventional development stresses economic growth as the ultimate objective, GNH is based on the premise that true development takes place only when material and spiritual development occur side by side. For GNH to grow, government must concentrate on four key areas:

• Promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development.
• Preservation and promotion of cultural values.
• Conservation of the environment.
• Good government."
  

Lavish coronation for Bhutan king

"King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28, an Oxford-educated bachelor, becomes the world's youngest monarch.

He has become head of state of the world's newest democracy after his father abdicated in 2006 as Bhutan changed to a constitutional monarchy"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7712301.stm

"The transition to democracy has been deliberately designed to be slow and steady and the monarchy will continue to play a central role in Bhutanese life.

Both the new government and the opposition say they are committed to the royal philosophy of Gross National Happiness - or GNH - which aims to strike a better balance between the spiritual and the material. "

Dzongkha Linux (Bhutan)

"(June 25, 2006) Last November I commented on Microsoft's refusal to use the recognized name of Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan, for fear of irritating China. According to this recent report, little has come of the US$523,000 paid to the UK-based Orient Foundation to provide support for Dzongkha in Microsoft Windows, originally expected in early 2003. As a result, the Government of Bhutan switched its attention to Linux. The Department of Information Technology recently announced the release of a version of Debian Linux localized for Dzongkha"

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003287.html

"Free operating systems like Linux have several advantages for developing countries. Most software packages today are developed in the west and then sold in developing countries where the parameters of affordability are completely different. This problem does not arise with Linux because it is free.
The openness of Linux allows local linguistic groups to customise user interfaces in ways that are far more culturally sensitive than any centrally controlled approach. We therefore believe that Linux is a very attractive long-term solution to Bhutan's computing needs. We chose Linux over other free/open Operating System because of the popularity of the platform with developers."

http://dzongkha.sourceforge.net/

Gross International Happiness

The Gross International Happiness Project (‘GIH’) is based on the insight that conventional development concepts such as GNP and Per Capita Income do not properly reflect the general well being of the inhabitants of a nation. In order to develop real progress and sustainability and to effectively combat trends which compromise the planet’s natural and human ecosystems, GIH aims to develop more appropriate and inclusive indicators which truly measure the quality of life within nations and organizations. GIH is inspired by the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) proposed by the King of Bhutan, which puts the well being of individuals on top of the national development agenda.

http://www.grossinternationalhappiness.org/

Bhutan - gross national happiness

"In 1972, concerned about the problems afflicting other developing countries that focused only on economic growth, Bhutan's newly crowned leader, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided to make his nation's priority not its G.D.P. but its G.N.H., or gross national happiness."


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/04/science/04happ.html?ei=5088&en=a4c0250cf8730dca&ex=1286078400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all