 Uncommon Journeys into the Soul of Bhutan
Religion
Buddhism was first brought to Bhutan in the 8th century by Guru Rinpoche or the “Second Buddha”, the founder of Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism. It was promulgated by several promonient religious leaders, notably Phajo Drugom Shigpo and Shabdrung Nawang Namgyal in 13th century and 17th century. With the vanishing of the once-legendary kingdoms of Tibet, Sikkim and Ladakh, Bhutan remains the last bastion of Mahayana (Tibetan) Buddhism.
The influence of Buddhism is highly visible in every aspect of Bhutanese life. Religious ceremonies and rituals are performed regularly with reverence throughout the country. Red-robed monks and Lamas preside over all religious ceremonies which might be a celebration of a wedding or a promotion, the consecration of a temple or a house, invocation of local deities or exorcising spirits from village homes, or reading the Book of the Dead to guide a dead person’s conscious principle passing through Bardo, the place between cycles of death and rebirth. On all auspicious days, Bhutanese families make pilgrimages to monasteries to offer prayers and butter lamps, which represents the dispelling of the darkness of ignorance. Old men and women, bent over their prayer wheels, circumambulate sacred chortens and temples while chanting precious religious mantras and counting beads.
Monasteries and temples dot the mountainsides of the valleys. These religious buildings, devoted to prayer and meditation, are often located in isolated places so impossibly high above the valleys where the monks and trantric masters may find peace and solitude. There are an estimated 525 lhakhangs (temples/monasteries) owned by the state, 144 lhakhangs owned by reincarnate Lamas, 800 village lhakhangs and 500 privately-owned lhakhangs.
All over the country, thousands of Chortens (Stupas) dot the landscape. Witnesses to the profound faith of the Bhutanese, they can be found at crossroads, near a Dzong or a monastery, and on remote high mountain passes. They ward off evil spirits and protect travelers and residents from imminent danger. They are also said to symbolically represent the mind of the Buddha and serve to remind people of the possibility of and the path to enlightenment.
Clusters of colorful prayerflags flutter incessantly from mountain slopes, bridges and high mountain passes. They transmit prayers to the Gods and maintain a constant communication with the heavens.
Religious festivals, or Tsechus, held annually in Dzongs (fortress monasteries) throughout the country are major events for the entire population. The Bardo dances, the main event of the tsechu festivals, serve as a reminder to the people of their future destiny depending on their Karma, their past and present deeds. And the dance of the Stag enacts the tale of a hunter who was converted to Buddhism and gave up hunting.
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