 Cathy Briner's Journal
copyrighted by Cathy Briner, June 2001
Briner Journals
176 Thomason Lane
Eugene, OR 97404
541-689-1833
Part III:
Ura, Shingkhar, Phobjikha Valley, Gangtey Gompa, Thimphu, Paro, National Museum, Textile Museum, Bhutanese Archery, Special Cultural Program by the Royal Academy of Performing Artists, Memorial Chorten, Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Library, Tantric Buddhism, Handicrafts
Diana K. Myers, author of "From the Land of Thunder Dragon", Serindia Publications, London,1994
Karma Ura, author of Hero with a thousand eyes, 1989, and the head of The Centre for of Bhutan Studies which publishes the Journal of Bhutan Studies.
(12)Friday, April 27 (partly sunny!)
Awoke early & enjoyed a good breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, eze (a Bhutanese salsa made from chopped chilies, onions & cilantro), potato chips (!), toast with Bhutanese jam & peanut butter, cheese, juice & tea.
Leaving Jakar, stopped to watch the student body of a local school outside in formation singing the Bhutanese national anthem & a prayer to the Buddha of Wisdom. Drove towards Ura, the highest valley in Bhutan (altitude: 10,000 feet) & the last of the Bumthang valleys we would be seeing, passing through pine forests (looking a bit like Eastern Oregon) with deep red rhododendron trees & seeing many cow herds with calves, beehives, sheep & horses; also passed a complex of large solar panels which is part of a national microwave telecommunications project.
Arrived in the Ura Valley where we saw sheep, barley, wheat & potato fields (the farmers wearing kerchiefs or hats to protect their ears & heads from the high-altitude sunshine), specifically in the village of Ura (pronounced "yuur-ah") (altitude: 10,170 feet), where the beautiful houses are placed close together which is the only dense village in Bhutan; took pictures of the village from afar & of a farmer who stopped plowing his field with oxen in order to pose for us. Watched a house under construction & Sonam told us that it is auspicious for people (both men & women) to come & help frame a new house; saw the family lama under the white flag in the doorway which is good luck for anyone entering; the workers invited us to take tea with them but we had to decline; they "wah-hah'ed" us & we "wah-hah'ed" in return!
Went to the Gaden Gompa (monastery) where we reconnected with Pema. Learned that the monastery's Lama who had been away had returned unexpectedly late the night before (auspicious for us!) & would conduct a prayer ceremony today; in preparation for it, Sonam taught us how to form our hands into a rice mandala, representing the 2 mountains & 4 continents of the world, with everyone feeling nervous about being able to do it the right way. Met the Lama who is the grandfather of a Trülku (whose name is Ngawang Jigdrel Kuenga, the reincarnate of a Nyingma lama), a 12-year-old boy whom we also met; at the age of 4*, he started talking about his past life: he had really loved dogs & in his current life, he would kiss any dog he saw; his father took him to many monasteries & finally they reached the one that the boy recognized where he saw a picture of himself in his former life & he said "that's me!;" he saw a nun for whom he had been a root lama & he told her "I know you & you have a scar on your right arm." Entered the incense-filled temple which was ornately decorated in many colors & sat on benches along the walls; the Lama & Trülku (in saffron robes) sat opposite the altar crosslegged Buddha-style, with the Lama sitting a level below the Trülku; watched the elaborate preparations by the maroon-robed barefoot monks & lay monks, some of whom were small boys; the Trülku blessed & then presented each of us with a white khadhar scarf & we presented a scarf to him on behalf of all of us; we were brought sweet rice & suja (butter tea) which we drank, remembering to blow out so as not to taste it, while we ate the rice with our fingers (not easy to do!); there were many prostrations by the monks & then the Lama & the Trülku started the chants, reading from individual pages of chantbooks (written in Choekey, the classical Tibetan language of religion), while periodically there would be pauses for the playing of the long horns & bells, the rattling of the damaru, the beating of drums, & the blowing of the conch shell, all contributing to awesome goosebump-causing sounds; nervously we performed the mandala blessing with our hands & then threw the rice in our hands up in the air; next the Lama & Trülku donned different robes & a pink-orange miter hat was placed on the Trülku's head; each of us was presented with a lit mini butter lamp & a special one was placed in front of Carol, while the Lama rang the bell (drilbu) & the Trülku played the rattle (damaru) & there was more chanting; Blyth solemnly presented a torma (decorated butter offering) to the Trülku (we had also brought a big box of cookies for him!) & we all held up our butter lamps, as the Lama & Trülku chanted & threw rice; Pema performed several prostrations & then presented small offerings of cash from us to the Lama & Trülku, & also to each of the monks & lay monks. Then the Lama explained (Sonam translation): "This butter lamp offering represents light & symbolizes bringing us out of ignorance. The light shows us the path, even in the darkness of death. We are asking for forgiveness of all sins when we say prayers to all Buddhas. The rice mandala is a wish-fulfilling offering. With all the blessings you have received, you'll have a beautiful & comfortable next life."
Sonam then told us about this monastery's VERY precious relic, dating from the 8th century, when there were many diseases here like leprosy. Guru Rinpoche was in Tibet but he knew of the people's plight so he manifested himself into a lay monk & came here. He went to an old woman's house & asked for food because he was hungry. She made lunch for him but the monk had disappeared. She looked for him but couldn't find him. As she was spinning wool & opened her yarn basket, she found a statue (which represents Vajrapani) which she took to the monastery & the lama there took over the care of it. Shortly thereafter there was conducted a prayer ceremony during which there was an earthquake in the valley & a snake with 9 heads which had been there blew away, & since then, there have been no more disasters like that. The Trülku then blessed each of us by touching the relic lightly to our bowed heads. Sonam told us that we were very lucky to be able to receive such a blessing, especially because people walk for 3 days to see this relic & they carry holy water from here to give to the sick; it is so special that the Lama carries it with him wherever he goes; there is an annual festival in Ura to which people come from all over the valley & gather in a long line up the hill to receive a blessing with the relic to start off the festival; it is also considered valuable for women to receive the relic's blessing when they are going to deliver.
The Lama spoke to us again: "When I was growing up, I never saw a car or a road. It was hard even to see my relatives because it was so far to walk to see them. I never imagined I would ever meet people of the western world. I am still amazed that people come to my monastery! Even though all Buddhist monks have not seen the rest of the world, they always pray for all sentient beings. It is more auspicious that we can pray in person together today. Personally, when I see western people, I wonder what kind of life they live. I would appreciate receiving pictures from you." After that, the Trülku presented each of us with a pink string called a sungkay which he had blessed; we tied them around our wrists. Then we were served lunch (red rice, potatoes, cabbage, eggplant, Indian cucumber, emadatse & tea); after lunch, we took a group photograph with the Lama & Trülku & said goodbye.
Drove up towards Shingkhar on a rocky dirt road, seeing beautiful snowcapped mountains in the distance, with the Lama joining us because he needed to go to the monastery there; enroute passed Pema Lingpa's father's monastery (Somrang) & saw our Lama's tiny meditation hut in the distance; Cathy showed postcard pictures of Eugene & Oregon to the Lama which he seemed to enjoy seeing; when he took his leave from us outside Ura, he said the following (translated by Sonam): "Some of you are older than I am [he was 74], some are the same age, & some are younger. You are like my sisters. It was a good opportunity to meet you & I pray for your safe journey home."
Arrived in Shingkhar (altitude: 11,155 feet), a yak herders' village, which was the easternmost stop on our tour of Bhutan (about 250 miles from Paro, the westernmost stop) as we would not be going on into Eastern Bhutan. Visited the Shingkhar monastery which was founded in 1350 by Longchen Ramjam (1308-1363), a great saint & philosopher of the Nyingma school, who came here to teach; saw a Bodhisattva statue in a glass case with a throne below (the monastery had been built around it & the throne was later rediscovered); also saw examples of the hats used in the annual tsechu dances, including the one used in the famous Black Hat Dance; observed statues of the Shabdrung & Pema Lingpa, Sakyamuni, Guru Rinpoche in meditational forms & Tantric paintings on the walls, as well as niches for local deities. Walked through the village, taking many pictures & feeling like Pied Pipers as all the children of the village followed us & posed for pictures; Cathy gave them kiddie stickers she had brought as children's gifts; they "wah-hah'ed" us as we departed.
Leaving Shingkhar, headed back westward, driving through fabulous scenery with fields of mullein & mustard, & in & out of sunshine & fog. Had a contest on the bus to guess the ETA at our next hotel & Judy won. Passed a house with a double phallus cross in front; Sonam explained that such a cross is placed in front of a brand new house so that the jealousy of neighbors won't invoke bad luck; another version is done when there is a new baby born.
Returned to Jakar & checked into the Wangdicholing Lodge (our previous Jakar hotel was booked up with another tour group). Enjoyed tea & cookies in the hotel, followed by quick showers, & then dinner (soup, fried fish, rice, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots in cheese sauce, lentils, emadatse, & bananas for dessert). During dinner, Sonam talked a bit about private business in Bhutan: some industries with more commercial interest are being privatized (as called for in the government's 2020 Plan), like hydroelectric power generation (they take loans from India to construct the plants & then pay the money back with power), tourism, transport services, cement factory, etc., but it isn't going well yet for private businesses because the domestic market is too small, so businesspeople have to be involved in several businesses in order to do well. Went to bed & tried to read.
(13)Saturday, April 28 (foggy, then sunny, then cloudy)
Got up especially early for breakfast (eggs, toast, cornflakes, cheese) & checkout before the long day's drive to the Phobjika Valley. Stopped to take pictures of the bamboo mat shelters in which farmers spend the night in order to drive off the boars & monkeys--they don't kill them, they just make noises to shoo them away; Pema told us his father once spotted a yeti (the Himalayan name for the Abominable Snowman) near this area.
Stopped at Yutong La Pass (11,155 feet) where we took pictures of the colorful prayer flags & Chozang decorated the bus with fresh rhododendrons. Then stopped again to take more pictures of the Trongsa Dzong from a distance. Returned to the Sherubling Lodge again & ate lunch (rice, cheesy potatoes, spinach, chicken curry, egg noodles, very hot emadatse, & sliced bananas for dessert). Back on the road, passed festivities celebrating the consecration of a new building (which Sonam said was auspicious!); stopped to take pictures, especially of several joyful kids ("wah-hah'ing" us of course) & a playful monk who traded silly expressions & gestures with Cathy. Continued through the Black Mountains, an area protected by the government almost like a national park, & saw whole hillsides covered with thistley dwarf bamboo (cham).
At Pele La Pass, turned off the main road & descended on a dirt road, passing many showy pink rhododendron trees, into the Phobjika Valley, a wide glacial basin which is famous as the winter nesting grounds of the rare & endangered black-necked cranes which arrive from Tibet on the same day each year in early November & leave in mid-March; upon arrival, they fly thrice around the nearby Gantey Gompa clockwise before landing; the birds, which are very tall & have red tops "like a lama," eat the roots of dwarf bamboo which is plentiful in this marshy valley & they do the "wah-hah" mating dance; the Bhutanese consider the birds sacred reincarnate beings & try rigorously to protect them & their habitat (they were only 800 at one point, but now the number has grown to 1,800). Sonam told us it is too cold in winter for people to live here in the valley, so they descend the mountains to a warmer climate, leaving the valley to the black-necked cranes; they grow mostly potatoes here which are sent to India where they are made into potato chips & sent back to Bhutan!
Arrived in Phobjika village & checked into the Phuntsho Chholing Guesthouse (the name means literally "gathering of all the good things/valley of dharma"), a 100-year-old renovated farmhouse with a huge garuda & snake painted on the side; enjoyed teatime & cookies around the bukhari woodstove in a room brightly painted with flowers & black-necked cranes; Sonam told us that there is no electricity in this valley but that this house had solar panels for lights.
Cathy, Donna & Sedate went for a walk through the village & took pictures, especially of the children who followed them, some of whom wanted to recite the English alphabet & numbers; watched a house under construction & waved to the women who were busily tamping down earth for the foundation & they waved back; almost lost Sedate as she accidentally stepped down into the deep boggy area along the dirt road. Judy & Bette, both nurses by training, visited a Basic Health Unit (BHU) in the village which they found to be a very interesting experience; on their way back to the guesthouse, they came upon a family constructing a new house where the women sang & danced for them so they had to sing & dance in return, singing [unaccountably] "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
Returned to the hotel & found some textiles laid out for our shopping pleasure; Mary Lou bought a gorgeous silk-on-silk kira (the most beautiful one Cathy had seen on the whole trip) with the kushuthara pattern & Anne bought a lovely silk-on-cotton kira that had all the Bhutanese patterns represented on it.
Settled down for another evening talk by Sonam on several subjects: special textiles: Bhutanese prayer/meditation: Bhutanese houses: "the Divine Madman:" and the practice of night hunting!
Ate dinner (soup, noodles, potatoes, fried egg balls, rice, mixed vegetables & emadatse). Went to bed under many blankets & heard the thunder dragon during the night!
(14)Sunday, April 29 (partly cloudy/sunny)
Got up early & ate breakfast (scrambled eggs, eze, toast), before taking a stroll through the village.
Visited Gantey Gompa, a monastery founded in 1613 by Pema Thinley, grandson & mind reincarnation of Pema Lingpa, which is the oldest & richest private Nyingma monastery in Bhutan (it has a lot of relics & land & is also supported by a large number of lay monks in this area); the Nyingma practice is the oldest Buddhist sect which was started by Guru Rinpoche & spread all over the Himalayas; the Trülku here (who was not present at the time of our visit) is the highest Nyingma lama in Bhutan (he's a reincarnation of Pema Lingpa & also is Sonam's first cousin!), & as such, wears a yellow scarf like the King & the Je Khenpo (the current King, the current Je Khenpo & the Gantey Trülku are all the same age); there are 115 monks in the monastery, who spend 3 years here & then 3 years up the hill & then go into heavy meditation. Saw the golden chorten which houses the body or ashes of the second Pema Lingpa's mind reincarnation & statues of Vajrapani & Tandin, Tantric meditation deities; dismayed to see that the beams of the temple were cracking & falling apart & saw an architectural model for a new temple, but the King who was here 2 weeks ago with the Queens said they could not tear the temple down & ordered that there be major renovations instead & said he will make a personal contribution to it. Saw many gilded Rinpoches in glass cases along the walls; Sonam told us that the "tree of life" is inside each one & that, if one buys such a statue, you have to have a lama bless it & put the tree of life into it, otherwise you cannot put it on your family altar.
Left Gantey & returned to the main road at Pele La Pass; descending the mountain, finally spotted a langur (a type of long-tailed monkey that is considered sacred) by the side of the road, but by the time the bus stopped & we could get out, it had disappeared down the hill (all the women on the bus yelling may have had something to do with this!); some of us headed down the hill with long-lens cameras in hand, but only got very long shots of a group of them through the trees; nevertheless, our group was happy that we'd finally had a langur sighting; from the description, it appeared that we had seen the common langur & not the golden langur, one of the rarest primates on earth which only lives in Bhutan & adjacent Assam (India).
Arrived again at Kichu Lodge near Wangdi, where we had a delicious vegetarian lunch of rice with peas, crunchy noodles, lady fingers in garlic (we never figured out what this vegetable was, but it was good), mixed vegetables, ferns in cheese sauce, raw vegetable salad, & bananas in honey for dessert. Passed a prison so we asked Sonam about it & criminality in Bhutan; Sonam told us that the country's prisons are "quite empty actually" & that violent crime is rare; most of the prisoners are in prison for lesser crimes such as stealing relics. Later we passed a truck carrying a dead body in a coffin, which Sonam told us was very auspicious because, the Bhutanese believe, the dead person takes away all your misfortune.
Arrived back to sunny Thimphu & made another visit to the archery ground where a 3-day traditional competition was under way; unlike the first competition we'd seen, these archers were using traditional bamboo bows & brass-tipped cane arrows that they had made themselves & not compound (metal) bows; after each hit, the archers would do a little jig which was like the dance of the black-necked cranes.
Returned to the Yeedzin Guesthouse & to our same rooms; unpacked & headed out for a little late-afternoon shopping. Judy & Bette had the opportunity this time to see the Crown Prince having tea at the Swiss Bakery with presumably his much younger sister & brother. Ate an Indian dinner at the Hotel Kelwang (Tiger beer, a variety of chicken, pork & vegetable dishes, with fruit cocktail for dessert).
(15)Monday, April 30 (sunny & warm)
Awakened by barking dogs & ate breakfast at the hotel (omelettes, cereal, toast, juice, coffee/tea). After breakfast, Sonam gave us a lecture on Tantric Buddhism to prepare us for the morning visit to the Memorial Chorten.
Sonam gave a short talk:
"I know some of you are confused about the multiplicity of gods & deities, etc. Like many religions in the Himalayan world, some of them are terrifying. Before Buddhism, we had the ancient native religion called Bon in which there were many demons & animal & human sacrifices to the gods." [The main doctrines of Buddhism are: 1)the Lesser Way or Vehicle (Hinayana or Theravada, which is practiced in Burma, Thailand & Sri Lanka), and 2)the Greater Way or Vehicle (Mahayana & the Diamond Way or Vehicle (Vajrayana or Tantrism which is practiced in Bhutan, Tibet & Himalayan India). According to author Barbara Crossette, a simplistic way to view the difference between the 2 doctrines is that "one may say that Mahayana gives greater emphasis to service to humanity & less to the self-centered search for individual perfection." Within Tantrism, there are 4 schools or sects of Buddhist practice (veneration of monks is a characteristic of all of them & also a belief in karma & reincarnation): 1)Gelug, 2)Sakya, 3)Nyingma & 4)Kagyu (subset: Drukpa Kagyu); it is the latter 2 which are specifically practiced in Bhutan, with Drukpa Kagyu being the official state religion & the practice of the Je Khenpo & the majority of monks, although many Bhutanese are Nyingma Buddhists, including the Royal Family.] "The main concern of Tantric teachings is 2 levels of meditation. First, there is the "analytical meditation," in which one tries to find out the way that things are (i.e., analysis of external objects). The second is the "actual absorption meditation" in which one goes directly to the inner mind. This form of Buddhism practice is preferred in Tibet & Bhutan because it causes a much quicker & direct way of reaching the ultimate goal of enlightenment."
"Tantrism came about in India against the then-current Buddhist bureaucracy as the shortest path to enlightenment; it involves a lot of meditation with sexual embrace being 1 form of meditation (vajra) which keeps all the energy within & does not let it out. Guru Rinpoche brought Tantrism to the Himalayan world in the 8th century because the older monk style of Buddhism here couldn't subdue the terrifying gods. He would take on a terrifying aspect (known as Heruka) which had infinite compassion for beings suffering under the demons & also for the demons themselves. Guru Rinpoche would take on their forms with animal heads, carrying swords & stamping on demons under his feet in order to appear fearful; he would take these evil spirits into himself, torture them within & then expel them, before uniting with the demons (in female form) in a sexual embrace, an act which symbolized their submission & combining together; the subdued demons then were made to make promises & oaths to protect the dharma (Buddhist teachings); another way to look at the sexual union is that the female figure represents wisdom & the male figure method or means."
Visited the Memorial Chorten, about which the guidebook says: "no other site in Bhutan so dramatically illustrates the powerful role of sexuality in Tantric Buddhism;" it was built in 1974 by the Queen Mother in honor of the third King who died quite young in his 40's; he had wanted to create in tangible form the 3 traditional pillars of Buddhism: the speech, body & mind of Buddha, so he had collected all the Buddha's writings & had them transcribed in gold (speech) & he had built the 1000 statues of Buddha (body) in the dzong, but he had died before he could carry out the third, so his mother built this chorten to represent the mind; his body is not here but there is photograph of him surrounded by a blessed scarf. After passing through a large entrance gate decorated with slate carvings & by giant prayer wheels, entered the 3-story chorten (the 3 levels symbolizing the 3 main cycles of Nyingma practice), which was surrounded by columns with tiger representations at the base, through 1 of the 4 entrances (each under a mandala) & saw (despite the darkness) the elaborate & colorful decorations & paintings (some of Guru Rinpoche's paradise) along the walls & around the altars; saw a large statue of the historical Buddha (Sakyamuni) in the window (which was visible outside) & 1000 Bodhisattvas around the walls wearing the red hat of the Nyingma sect; learned that the first floor is dedicated to Phurba, the ritual dagger-treasure which had been buried by Guru Rinpoche & discovered by a lama (terton) in the 19th century; climbed to the second level which is dedicated to the Kagye practice (the teachings for subduing 8 kinds of evil spirits), discovered in the 12th century, & then to the third level which is dedicated to the cycle of teachings of Lama Gondu, which was discovered in the 14th century; also on the third level, saw a statue of Guru Rinpoche on a giant lotus to denote that all Nyingma teachings flow from him (the master sculptor of Bhutan crafted it out of clay, with assistance, & then it was painted). Throughout the chorten there were many complex statues reflecting both the peaceful & wrathful aspects of Buddhist deities, many of which were locked in Tantric representations of sexual embrace; Sonam told us that one needs a lama to fully understand the complexity of the teachings embodied in the chorten's artwork; when we expressed difficulty in telling various deities from each other, Sonam told us that, while they may appear to be similar, there are differences in color, what they're holding, the number of hands, the presence of garuda wings, etc. that differentiate & identify them.
Next visited the Institute of Traditional Medicine, a complex consisting of a traditional medicine clinic, a museum & a lab which was established in 1988, but unfortunately the dungtso (doctor/curator) was away so we couldn't tour the museum; interesting to see people waiting to be seen at the clinic or to have prescriptions filled, who while they were waiting could rotate the large prayer wheels. Sonam & Pema gave us a mini lecture: it is believed that Bhutanese traditional medicine combines the best of all faiths & all knowledge, & in fact, Bhutan was once called "the Land of Medicinal Herbs" by the Tibetans; we heard the story that once the art of healing was only the prerogative of the gods, until an ancient Indian king went to heaven & learned the art & brought it back to help humans; this knowledge spread throughout the Himalayas as part of Buddhist teachings & was organized & promulgated in the 17th century by the Shabdrung's minister of religion (who was a doctor). Medicine research at the Institute is sponsored by the European Union; the plants mostly come from high altitudes, & poaching (& smuggling into China) is a problem; 1 of the most important plants that is becoming quite rare is yartsa gembo (the name of which translates literally as "summer plant/winter worm," because it is a worm which grows into a plant), a large yellow plant that is used for several medicines; besides plants, medicines are also made from animal parts, like bull horns & bones, minerals & even metals, like gold & silver, some of which are found in India & from the ocean so they have to be imported. The lab here also produces 300 different medicines for the whole country & the next step is to produce medicines for the international market; the first test is an herbal tea which supposedly reduces stress (which we all bought!): Tsheringma herbal tea ("named after the Buddhist goddess of longevity whose 5 manifestations dwelling in the 5 directions of east, west, north, south & central symbolizes luck, beauty, elegance, symphony & progress") which is made at the Institute & contains carthamus tinctorius (a cardiac, liver & nerve tonic) & cinnamomum tamala (a digestive, stomach & liver stimulant). Sonam also told us about the Institute's clinic, which treats patients with traditional medicine (according to Sonam, traditional medicine may take a long time, but usually gets to the root of the problem); every district in Bhutan has a hospital (& there's a national referral hospital located in Thimphu near the Institute), every group of villages has a Basic Health Unit (BHU) which has labor/delivery rooms & also a small traditional medicine clinic & every village has a health worker (both traditional & modern health care are free); modern folks go to the BHU or hospital first, while the elderly usually go to the traditional clinic; Bhutanese doctors are trained elsewhere since there is no medical college in the country (there's an orthopedic program (HVA) in Washington, DC which sends volunteers here). The group asked about doma, a mixture of betel nut & white lime wrapped in a betel leaf, which we had seen local people chewing (can tell by their red-stained mouths & teeth); its use was once more widespread (its shared use was considered a form of friendship & hospitality) probably because it acts as an appetite suppressant & keeps the user warm; now it's mostly used by older people; it is addictive, causes tooth decay & cancer, & as such, some local governments try to discourage its use & some have even banned it; according to Sonam & Pema, it smells terrible (a guidebook says it smells like formaldehyde!).
Toured the National Library (to the delight of dedicated Eugene Library advocates Anne & Cathy), which was established in 1967-9 & contains about 6100 Tibetan & Bhutanese books; prior to that time, all religious prayer books had been kept in temples so the government decided that the new Library (built in the traditional style) had to be like a temple with auspicious altars & statues of Guru Rinpoche on each floor. Toured the building, fascinated to see on the shelves so many traditional books which are printed or written on long strips of handmade paper, stacked between pieces of wood & wrapped in silken cloth, with colorful bookmarks protruding; on the first floor are kept all the teachings of the Nyingmapa & Drukpa Kagyupa, (over 4000 volumes), plus Buddhist books in English (1 of the most extensive collections in the world); on the second floor are kept all the teachings of the Bonpo & Gelugpa (Dalai Lama's sect) & on the third floor are precious scriptures written in gold on animal skins & a collection of 9000 wooden blocks used for printing prayer books & prayer flags; saw an exhibit on the 8 different kinds of chortens; took pictures of the old photographs of the royal family on the walls & bought samples of traditional books in the tiny giftshop. Learned that the only municipal library in the country is the one in Thimphu which has a really limited collection according to Sonam; bookmobiles might be a way to provide books to a wider audience throughout the country, but there are no identified resources for such an effort & no aid proposals have been forthcoming.
Got an unexpected treat when Pema & Chozang took us to catch a glimpse of Bhutan's national animal, the takin, a rare bovid mammal (nearest relative is the arctic musk ox) that migrates in the lower Himalayas between 7,000 & 13,000 feet & looks like "a bee-stung moose with horns." They stand about 50 inches high, have a dark brown coat, short wildebeest-like horns, humped shoulders, & large moose-like faces. Supposedly the takin was created by Drukpa Kunley, "the Divine Madman," when people wanted him to prove his divinity; they offered him a variety of meats which he ate & then he took the bones from a cow & the head of a goat, created the takin & sent it up to the mountains to eat grass. Learned that there used to be small zoo of several different animals in Thimphu but the King was not happy about their captivity so all the animals were released; the takins loitered in the town so it was decided to keep about 40 of them in a large treed enclosure above the town; they eat bamboo & rhododendrons in the wild, but are fed here by keepers.
Lunched at the S&S Restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious noodle soup (thukpa) & heavenly cheese-filled momos (Tibetan dumplings); some members thought that this was the best lunch of the trip. Spent a free afternoon shopping at the Handicrafts Emporium, the Norling Handicrafts Store (again!), & the Art Gallery.
Enjoyed a special performance of the Royal Academy of Performing Artists, which was quite enjoyable; saw 9 dances performed, with musical accompaniment, illustrating some of the spellbinding mask dances, which are performed at the annual tsechu religious festivals at all the dzongs, mesmerizing both residents & visitors, as well as some popular folk dances & songs; noted especially the extremely graceful hands of both the female & male dancers; on the last dance (Tashi Labey), the audience members were invited to participate in the circle dance, which some did. It is said that the great Buddhist saint Pema Lingpa derived inspiration from the dreams he had of the dances performed at the celestial palace of Guru Rinpoche; today an extensive repertoire of his compositions provides the basis of the dances used during the festivals.
Returned to the Rabten Restaurant for a farewell dinner with Sonam’s family and invited Bhutanese guests, all friends of Sonam, who are briefly profiled below:
-- Karma Ura, the head of The Centre for of Bhutan Studies which publishes the Journal of Bhutan Studies; he took his name from Ura where he was born & was educated at Oxford; he authored the historical novel The Hero with a Thousand Eyes, & was at the Ministry of Planning for 12 years coordinating all kinds of development--economy, agriculture, education. [note: except for the royal family, Bhutanese people do not have surnames; individuals normally have 2 names, which may be assigned by a lama at birth, but neither is a family name or surname; some people adopt their village name, as Karma did; wives keep their own names when they marry & children do not take on the names of their parents when they are born.]
--Dr. Karma Wangchuck, the assistant director/research officer at the National Library, who holds a PH.D. in Buddhist Studies, & has written a beautiful book (& who coincidentally comes from the same part of Eastern Bhutan as Sonam).
--Karma Yeshey, the principal of Yangchenphug High School in Thimphu, "the best school in Bhutan," which has provided education to members of the Royal Family, including the Crown Prince.
--Kunzang Dechen Dorji, formerly in the Foreign Ministry & now a consultant in the tourism sector & also a friend of the Carpenters; he owns the largest private library in Bhutan.
--Rinzy Norbu, Sonam's younger brother whom we had met previously when he was helping with the arrangements for the prayer ceremony at the Zilukha Nunnery, who works at the Bhutan National Bank in Thimphu (& had helped cash our travelers' checks!).
--Karma Tshering & Nedup Tshering, 2 representatives from the National Environmental Commission which was instituted in 1989 (the folks who are "responsible for Bhutan's beautiful forests," according to Sonam!). Cathy enjoyed chatting with Nedup who told her about his role as EIA officer in the commission (which involves a lot of walking to remote villages where he usually stays with the gup or head of the village); his special area of interest is air pollution in urban areas (in April 2000, there were 19,205 vehicles registered in Bhutan) & he said that 2 years ago the government banned the import of secondhand vehicles because they are more polluting & because there are already too many vehicles in the country.
--Namgyal Lhendup, the deputy director of the national Planning Commission, & as such the head of strategic planning for the whole country (who attended Northeastern University in Boston for 2 years), whom Cathy was especially pleased to be able to meet; he is working on the country's next 5-year plan ("the 9th Plan") which is targeted to begin in July 2002; his group also works on tourism planning & he said that the government is very much wanting to encourage tourism, but only in low-volume, high-value terms. He corrected a misperception we had about the government limiting tourism; he said that it is self-selection that limits the number of tourists who come each year, a number that is influenced by the relative high cost of traveling to & through Bhutan & by the availability of Druk Air seats. He also told us that the government is going to inaugurate a helicopter service (the country just received an ambulance helicopter from the Swiss; in the past, they have contracted with the Indian military for emergency evacuation).
Enjoyed dinner (traditional Bhutanese food - beer & zaw, roasted puffed rice kernels for appetizer, red rice, rice with maize, beef with ferns, potatoes with cheese, mixed vegetables, eze, watermelon for dessert, & red/white wines).
(16)Tuesday, May 1 (partly cloudy in morning/rainy afternoon)
Up early to repack & eat breakfast at hotel (oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, toast, potato chips, juice).
Toured the not-yet-open Textile Museum with Diana Myers; learned that this museum & the Folk Art Museum (which will be furnished as if a Bhutanese family lived there) are scheduled to open soon on June 2 which will be the commemoration of His Majesty's coronation; this museum was started 2* years ago with the support of the Danes & is now under the auspices of the National Commission of Cultural Affairs; admired the gorgeous woodwork throughout the 2-story building & the spectacular mandala painted on the ceiling of the atrium, as well as many other handsome features which Diana called "the Queen's touch," referring to the youngest Queen, Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck (whose chief causes are textile promotion & family planning). Diana pointed out that the museum which has been designed to be a contemporary gallery with the textiles hanging from hidden rods along the walls (as opposed to the more traditional museum with glass cases) has had several challenges including lighting (because they can't have sunlight falling on the textiles) & Bhutanese construction (for example, the traditionally steep stairs had to be removed & replaced, etc.). The museum will be educational with some of the exhibits designed to be hands-on so that visitors will be able to feel various fabrics & yarns & learn how they were made. Saw the family of mannequins which will be used to display traditional s from all parts of the country. Because people were surveyed to find out what they wanted to see in the museum, there will be a section entitled "Treasures from the Royal Family," which will feature historical & current items on loan from the family on a rotating basis. There will also be a section featuring textiles made by men (i.e., monks), such as throne coverings, thangkas (wall hangings which bring special merit to both the artist & the donor), festival s & embroideries from dzongs & temples. They are trying to use local materials as much as possible throughout the museum, including using Bhutanese paper (which coincidentally is acidfree) for labels, etc. & silkscreening display information onto Bhutanese silk. Diana provided a mini lecture on Bhutanese textiles: the Bhutanese are unusual because they put extra wefts (North & Central Bhutan) & extra warps (Eastern Bhutan) in their weaving & this technique appears in everything they make; they use 2 different kinds of looms: a horizontal frame loom (mostly for woolens) & a backstrap loom (for cotton & silk). Their designs which are created from memory resemble embroidery, but they are actually woven into the material. One panel can take many months to do; a kira takes 3 panels. Watched an excellent video ("From the Land of the Thunder Dragon: Textile Arts of Bhutan") based on Diana's book of the same title. Pleased to hear that there will be a shop at the museum, thanks to the Queen, that will sell fabrics & other handmade items which will come directly from the village craftspeople (with no middlemen). Met the curator of the museum, Singay Dorji, & some of the museum employees who are responsible for documentation of all items (i.e, the maker, type, dimensions, locale, etc.), assigning numbers for the collection, & the preparation of items for display (which first involves freezing them for a week & then vacuuming to kill & remove any insects).
Left Thimphu & drove to Paro (population: 21,000, altitude: 7382 feet), passing through a lovely checkerboard of green fields & willow trees; stopped just outside & above the town to take pictures of the lush valley (which is the most fertile in Bhutan, especially for red rice, & Blyth's favorite of them all in Bhutan); learned that there is sometimes flooding in this valley & that in a recent year it was so bad that a bridge was washed out which we later saw as it has not yet been repaired).
Ate a good lunch at the Tiger's Nest Resort (red rice, potatoes, mushrooms, fresh asparagus, eggs in curry sauce & daal, a lentil soup) from which we could see the Taktsang Temple on the mountain in the distance; met Tenzing, another member of Sonam's staff, who had joined us to assist with tour logistics. Sedate & Pema headed out to hike the Taktsang trail, as Sedate was to be leaving the next day & wouldn't be able to join us for our hike then. As it began to rain (had we angered the thunder dragon?), the rest of the group headed to the National Museum in the Ta Dzong, but the electricity had gone out & the museum was too dark to see the exhibits so we left.
Visited the Kyichu Lhakhang, which is a 2-temple complex surrounded by prayer wheels (unusually these were made of leather); entered the first temple & saw a giant elaborately draped statue of Guru Rinpoche (with a giant foot!) with a much smaller statue of the Shabdrung below; there was another gilded statue of Guru Rinpoche to the right, with 1 hand in his lap & 1 hand upraised & sitting in such a way that he is depressing all the evil forces below him; this temple was built by the Queen Mother in 1968 & there was a rare statue of her root lama, Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoche, who was 1 of the most eminent Nyingma lamas in the world & was also a root lama for the Dalai Lama (he died in 1991 & his reincarnate is now living in Nepal). Then entered the first chamber of the second & older temple, 1 of the 108 temples built by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet in the 7th century to pin down the huge ogress (here the left foot) covering Tibet & Bhutan (we had seen the Jambey Lhakhang in Jakar which pinned down her left knee); this temple, one of the oldest in Bhutan, was filled with statues of the Buddha of Compassion, with a thousand eyes, thousand heads, & thousand arms; saw jewels embedded in the floor. In the inner chamber, saw a statue of the Future Buddha in the center with hands cupped slightly in his lap & a statue of Guru Rinpoche with his 2 consorts in front; there were many other statues of Buddhas in the chamber (their hands told their different purposes), all draped with satin scarves; there were elephant tusks among the many offerings (symbolic because Buddha's mother saw a white elephant when she was pregnant); the faces of the ancient statues have been repainted & regilded over time; the monk in the temple told us that a statue with a trident had supposedly talked once in ancient times; he indicated to Sonam that he was surprised to have a group of all women visiting the temple.
Checked into the Druk Hotel & enjoyed teatime & cookies & shopping in the hotel's giftshop. Sonam then told us how Bhutan, which is known officially as Druk Yul ("Land of the Thunder Dragon," so the people call themselves Drukpa), got its name; the Shabdrung brought the Drukpa Kagyu sect of Buddhism from Tibet to Bhutan; the name Bhutan probably came from a Sanskrit word (Bhotanta) meaning "the end of Tibet;" the name druk came about when Tsangpa Jarey, an enlightened person traveling around Tibet had thought of introducing a new school of Buddhism, & while tired & making tea for himself in a beautiful place, he heard a thunderstorm (the sound of the dragon) & so called his new school druk after the dragon.
Ate dinner at the hotel (raw vegetable salad, rice, mixed vegetables with cheese, tandoori mixed grill, Indian pork, & a strange marshmallow-looking Indian dessert); said goodbye with hugs & a hearty "wah-hah" to Sedate who was leaving the next morning for India. Went to bed, with Donna sick with a bad cold.
|
|
|
|
|
