Bhutan may not have to import coffee

Bhutan may not have to import coffee for long. We may soon be able to grow and produce our own coffee. It is possible. In fact, it is already being done in Hangey village in Samtse.

A few years ago, a few farmers here started cultivating coffee on trial basis. The trail was a success. The area, they have found, is favourable for coffee cultivation. Now a business firm is already planning on starting a plantation.

Deo Dikshit, the consultant, said “we grew different varieties of Arabica. It is the best coffee in the world.”

The firm will grow coffee in Hangay Kalamati and Sasboty in Sibsu on 300 acres of land leased from the government. It will soon be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture to start commercial production on a public private partnership.

“We are hoping to start by May or June, as soon as we complete all the formalities.”

It takes about four years for the coffee plants to start bearing fruit. The firm also plans to set up a production factory and export the coffee abroad.

“We hope to export to Europe, North America, Japan, Singapore and other coffee consuming countries and create a brand name for Bhutan,” said Deo Dikshit.

The firm has employed 16 farmers to work on the nursery. It plans to employ more once work on the plantation begins.

Buddhism and GNH appear like peas in a pod

Buddhism was so pure when it was born and first delivered to the world. Since then the great vehicle of compassion has been through an evolutionary process of constant change. Today, the way we practise the religion begs the question of whether it is already corrupt? If it is so, then it is a sign of the times. And it is only fitting to explore whether our other values have also suffered the same fate.

The religion has become a sanctuary of some sorts for the unsuccessful and the ambitious. Our practice of it is overwhelmed by the ever increasing reliance on it for success and protection. We have somehow settled down in the belief that praying for the well being of all beings somehow secures our own well being too. Every religious action is linked to our own welfare. We deliberately defy logic and common sense, and believe that our prayers have the “power to liberate” all beings. Numbers seem to matter the most as we target millions and billions bead by bead parrot-fashion. What is expected of us as Buddhists hardly becomes a source of inspiration for our practice? No matter how hard we try to believe in the inerrancy of the religious beliefs that we hold, and acknowledge the power of faith in our lives, it is difficult to wrestle down the inexorable view that Buddhism is certainly not about all these.

In a way, we have succeeded in ‘customising’ the religion to suit our own existence. When Buddhism actually requires us to remain aloof from worldly desires, we tend to use (or misuse) it to reach to those desires. We have become selfish to the extent that we are not even willing to accept what divine providence has to say about us through the numbers on the dice. We roll and reroll it, until the number that lands on the top of it is interpreted in our favour.

As Buddhists, it is challenging to clear one’s way out of the contradiction involving contentment and selflessness on the one hand, and the fervour with which we observe the rites and rituals with a rather strong material objective on the other. Our religious beliefs may be sacrosanct, but challenges such as these do haunt and fluster the ever inquisitive Buddhist minds, who try to make Buddhism relevant in their lives.

Buddhism and GNH appear like peas in a pod, at least in the way we have come to develop our understanding, expectation and the practice of it. Of course, associating the great vehicle of compassion with a development philosophy would be inapt, as the latter pales in comparison to the former by many measures. It nonetheless provides an opportunity to show how GNH too could have been possibly corrupted by the same people, who have corrupted Buddhism.

We are adamant in simplifying the great philosophy into something as narrow as individual happiness, and see it as a pair of hands that feeds and clothes every individual. Such association of the powerful concept with individual happiness only goes to show how it has become corrupt.

How could Bhutan ensure individual happiness, when rich nations like the US and Japan could not? We would be only chasing rainbows in trying to deliver happiness to every individual. It will never be achieved no matter how hard we try, for there is no limit to people’s desire for happiness. When it is in our culture to maintain the lifestyle of the rich, while our bank account might be suffering, how do we sustain such happiness? We have advocates of happiness for the masses, who slam GNH as being “ineffective”. But what is missing in their action is the will to nip something in the bud that will get them to their first base - corruption. There is so much in the rhetoric, but almost nothing in what can actually help achieve what they are advocating and championing. Perhaps the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

There is no denying that GNH represents a basic covenant between a nation and its people. But to say that that is the be-all and end-all in our grand scheme of things is debasing the powerful concept. We have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth, if we believe the Buddha nature in us is still not corrupt. There are those, who chafe under the popular version of the GNH philosophy, wringing their hands to see that the concept be given the due respect and regard it deserves by the Bhutanese themselves first for what it is. We ought to understand that GNH is a common vision for our planet and its well-being. We ought to understand that it is about how we figure in the invisible cost of development in our calculations. We ought to understand that it is about assigning value to everything that is around us. That is why it is quite uncommon to be hit by a pang of realisation that perhaps we might have completely missed the wood for the trees.

But it is not that we do not know about it. We simply do not want to know about it. Sadly, there is a broad public apathy about what GNH is capable of. We want Gyalwong Gakid Pelzom to be dancing right in the middle of our living room. We are in pursuit of our own individual happiness. We have failed to recognise that GNH has come to symbolise the indefatigable spirit of a selfless King in pursuit of a fundamental change in the way we approach advancement into the future. And he needs our support to give it shape. But we are like ships that pass in the night when it comes to working together on GNH and providing him that support. Consequently, we still do not have a basic agreement on what constitutes GNH for us as Bhutanese. It might seem like a red rag to a bull, but it stands to reason that a people that have only their individual happiness in mind will never appreciate the greatness of the profound concept. That way, we are all perhaps complicit in debasing a great vision.

We simply write off GNH as an abstract philosophy and a utopian quest. Buddhism too is an abstract philosophy, and it does not even have an index to measure how enlightened one is. Yet, it has worked and accepted the world over, for and by those, who understood what it truly is, and who have not succumbed to self-serving impulses. How we give GNH the right kind of support depends on how we understand it and appreciate its potential. We cannot afford to have a seven-year itch, for GNH is our conviction. And it has to be the best. But we cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Everybody needs to pitch in with their best. For now, the real concern is that GNH is being corrupted faster than Buddhism. While it took about 2,500 years for the latter to get corrupted, the former took just 40 years. At this rate, we seem to be fighting a rearguard action against the forces from within our backyard. This, coupled with our relentless pursuit of trying to “extract” happiness out of GNH, we will have only ourselves later to blame for stifling the great philosophy to a mere shadow of what the thinker has originally envisioned, and have it sacrificed on the altar of individual happiness.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan is hosting an International Education Fair in the capital Thimphu

For the first time, Bhutan is hosting an International Education Fair in the capital Thimphu.

Fifty two Universities from India, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and the United States of America are participating in the fair, offering a wide range of courses.

Organised by the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with A Fair Exhibition Media, an Indian company, the fair is attracting a large number of students and parents looking for universities and colleges to enroll in. Most of the visitors are from Thimphu and the neighbouring districts but many have come from as far as Trashigang or Trashiyangtse.

Karsang Ugyen had come all the way from Trashiyangtse, travelling by bus for three days to the capital, to attend the fair. He secured 59 percent in the class XII examinations. There is no way he will qualify for admission in a government college. His only option is to pursue further studies at his own expense. That means looking for a college in India or elsewhere.

Ugyen did not come alone. He came with a group of friends, all looking for an affordable college.

The fair is a good opportunity for them. They don’t have to travel to outside Bhutan to look for a college at huge expense. And more importantly, they can saunter from stall to stall to choose and select from a great variety of courses and colleges in various countries.

The fair ends tomorrow.

Source: BBS

Bhutanese really love their neighbours

"If love of God is proved by love of neighbour, many Bhutanese are very close to God,” wrote Father William Mackey (1915-1995) in his unfinished book, and warranted it by saying that the Bhutanese really love their neighbours.

The Canadian Jesuit lived in Bhutan for 32 years, most of it in remote areas, where he assisted in setting up modern schools. In these institutions, he joined the students in their daily prayers and observed them. For him, this experience not only gave him an insight into Buddhism and enriched his life, but also allowed him to understand his own god and life more clearly.

The Guluphulus
For father, it was an evening ritual to wander through the dormitory, before the lights were turned out. There, he encountered students squatting on their beds, unconscious of the commotion around them. He described this as experiencing prayer. “They descend inside themselves, beneath the level of sense beneath the level of mind to the fundamental level of being.”

Father called this immobile meditation, where experience of reality is given importance and the practice to encounter oneness and uniqueness takes precedence over the intellectual approach (father thought this was a fallacy). Unlike his approach to god, he found his students approach more realistic. He said that they did not try to grasp infinite reality with their finite minds or through fixed concepts. He said it was impossible to do so, as no word or image can express an unlimited reality.

Moved by his student’s ability to calm their minds, he slowly began to follow their examples. “I can now squat peacefully for 45 minutes every morning, trying to experience the reality of god in my life,” father said. “The Bhutanese guluphulus (rascals) have taught me how to pray.”

According to father, the religion of Bhutan is more Lamaism Buddhism, and he believes it to have come from India via Tibet, infiltrated with a large dose of Tibetan tantrism, Chinese beliefs and doctrines.

Father was impressed with how the Bhutanese were close to reality. For example, he said it was common practice to make simple daily offerings. “The offering of the day with all its troubles, problems good and bad, one of the children will take the sangphur - little metal cup or vase - in which some leaves or sticks are burning and waft the smoke in front of their altar, and around the room. It is a daily Bhutanese morning offering of the day, good and bad difficulties and problems, to Sangye, Lord Buddha, asking for his help and guidance.”

Soon father’s approach to prayer became what he called, Bhutanese and Trinitarian. “I try to experience the reality of being father in being “I am”- an opportunity to be - a chance to suffer, work, and pray to make a little world a more loving place.

YabYum - Duality and Union
The Jesuit Dragon said that Lamaism propagated the practice of duality and union and, using a common sight as an example, explained the concept and experience of union that an individual can experience in this life. “Every temple contains statues and pictures; every home has its own statue of YabYum - Mother and Father squatting in the marriage act - similar to the Song of Songs in the Bible.”

Father said that this is how Bhutanese represent the union, the oneness of individual with the Supreme Being, one in mind and body, in affection and in love.

God - Who is he or her?
One of the fundamental differences between Buddhism and Christianity is the concept of God. The former faith accepts that all sentient beings have the seed of Buddha and can become one; while Christians believe in the concept of the Supreme Being. Buddhists are open to the idea of creation and happy to debate about it; while in the western world, god is seen as the creator.

Father said that the god he believes in is the Supreme Being and is omnipotent, omniscient and has ways and means that we know nothing about. However, like any Christian, Father believes that God is the creator and saviour. “God is at work in all religions. God has created all men. He wants to save all men.”

For a Buddhist, the reality of Supreme Being is too big to be included in a name or image. Father admitted this and said that the people of Bhutan represented this concept, in art as a small temple on top of a mountain with rays of light coming from the lhakhang or the monastery. Father agrees that no concepts can enclose the limitless. “No word or idea can express the unknowable. No mind can grasp the ungraspable.”

The Jesuit states that the Christian idea of experience is not appreciated. He believed that mirroring the Supreme Being is possible, and says that experience and love implies to all life and are fundamentally one. “All life is sacred because it mirrors something in an inferior way of the reality of the Supreme Being. There is no “I”; it does not mirror God. But God has mirrored the “I” and if it does not exist, that would imply a certain equality of being, a dualism of being that is not advaita, not two. A true Buddhist strives to strip his ego and eventually annihilate it, destroying the I.

“I can see God the Father, Son and Spirit actually, really at work in Lamaism. My work and life have been enriched by my contact with Lamaism.” Father reminds himself that, by living, working and praying with the Bhutanese, he could experience his god’s omniscience.

Father Mackey lived 32 years in Bhutan. During this time, the Roman Catholic never converted any of his students. Instead, he drew inspiration from the guluphulus and quietly reveals it in his book that never saw the light of day. The Canadian Jesuit acknowledged the spiritual depth of the Bhutanese, and admitted that it influenced his life and changed his perception of the concept of god and helped him become a better person; a good Christian, Catholic, Jesuit and priest, and prays that he could be a bridge between these two faiths and enrich them.

Source: Kuenselonline

The biogas capital of Bhutan

Gauri Shankar’s six cows not only provide him butter, cheese and milk, but also the energy to heat and cook food.

Since November last year, it has become an early morning routine for the 31-year old farmer of Hangay village in Sipsu to collect cow dung and fill it into a concrete pit a few metres from his kitchen.

The farmer gathers 45kg of dung in a tin, which is churned with water, and poured into the airtight digester pit. The gas from the pit comes up through a pipe with several valves that connects to a stove in the kitchen. The gas will last the entire day.

Having received a month-long hands-on training for trainers on biogas technology through the UNDP GEF small grants programme, Gauri Shankar now assists other members of the Hangay farmers group to build biogas plants.

Since November, they have completed 16 of the 25 plants funded by UNDP GEF small grants programme.

Farmers said earlier they had to travel to Samtse, about 50km from Sipsu, to refill their liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, spending about Nu 800, including travel expenses. “Not anymore now,” Gauri Shankar said.

The 91 households of Hangay village are prone to wild elephants destroying their crop, which is why most farmers largely depend on livestock. Each household owns between two to 20 cattle each.

Another farmer Devi Maya, who recently installed biogas plant at her home, said rearing livestock was advantageous. “Apart from dairy products, there’s a lot more my cattle give me,” she said, excited.

Other farmers, who are not a part of the group, have also shown interest, said Gauri Shankar, who is also the group’s treasurer. “But they’ll have to bear their own expenses, if they want to build one and we shall assist them.”

Construction of a biogas plant is expected to cost between Nu 40,000 to 45,000 depending on the location; and includes the cost of the cement pit, stove, pipes and valves. A properly constructed and well-maintained biogas plant is said to last at least 20 years.

In fixed dome biogas plants, two underground pits are built – a digester pit with a dome shaped cover and the slurry reservoir, built above the digester. As the reservoir emits gas, it collects in the dome and displaces some of the slurry into the reservoir. As gas is used, the slurry flows back into the digester to replace it.

Biogas plants use bacteria to break down wet organic matter, like animal dung, human waste and food waste that produces biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and also a semi-solid residue.

Biogas can also be used for lighting.

Source: Kuenselonline