thedawaring's blog

Many years ago, on chilly winter evenings, mother and I would often set out for a walk after having tea. We would often go for short walks by the dusty road towards a beautiful Buddhist monastery situated on the hill in the vicinity of our home. On our way, we would hear the deep & enlightening sound of conch shell being blown at the monastery. The air in the countryside would be filled with purifying aroma of herbs being burnt for the Gods at the monastery. We would come across farmers returning to their homes with their oxen from the day’s work. The visibly tired but merry farmers would hum melodious tunes as they went by. We would come across smiling shepherds mending their flocks of sheep for the day. The flocks of sheep would bleat at the top of their voices adding variety to the evening melody. The eagerly rushing flocks would cause a storm of dust by the road forcing us to cover our nose with sleeves. We would exchange a kind word or two with the hurrying shepherd...

Why parents deserve some kindness too?? We are living at a time, when all over the world, parents and elders are increasingly being abused by their own children. They often fall victim to unwholesome and cruel actions from the people most dear to them. We are so busy today or so we think that we don’t have time to reflect on the kindness and value of parents in our lives. We forget the sacrifices made by our parents to bring us where we stand today. Our parents spend their life time worrying about our happiness and wellbeing. They save for us the sweet and eat the bitter themselves. They spend their hard earned money for our education hopping that one day their children will grow up to become a good human being and live happily in the world.  But then many of us don’t even think of their great kindness and compassion. Many of us think that our old parents are a liability.  I have a feeling that if something called God at all existed in the universe; it exists in the heart...

Topping it up in the LAst Shangri-LA According to the World Health Organization, every year almost one million people die from suicide, which roughly corresponds to one death every 40 seconds. It is among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 in some countries. Suicide is a complex issue with psychological, social, biological, cultural, and environmental factors involved. Back home in Bhutan suicide rate is 16.2 per 100,000. As of 2011 this figure ranks the kingdom as the 20th highest suicides rate in the world, and 6th highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Youth suicide increased from 24 in 2010 to 33 in 2013 and total suicide cases rose from 57 in 2010 t0 83 in 2013. This makes us question our ranking in the world as the 8th happiest country in the world.  For a nation with Gross National Happiness at the heart of every developmental activity undertaken by the government, it is distressing to learn that Bhutan is ranked 20th highest suicide rate in the world....

Alcohol in the GNH Nation Well there is no denying. We Bhutanese love alcohol. Alcohol drinking in Bhutan is widely accepted as a social norm and it is an established thinking that alcohol drinking is rooted into country’s custom and culture. Traditionally, alcohol drinks have played a significant role in Bhutan and this concept still persists today. Locally brewed alcohols like Ara or Bangchang either from fermented rice or wheat is served in every ceremonial, festival, and religious occasion. It is known fact and an evident practice that every family in the rural Bhutanese household would brew Ara for various use and purposes. The use of alcohol is therefore, considered necessary in every walk of life in the rural population of Bhutan. The customary practice of alcohol use is still prevalent in the rural areas where village folks drink alcohol from dawn to dusk underlining the significance of every time period. Alcohols are used in various ways and at different point of tim...

The Burden Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk across because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to her lifted her and left her on the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery. In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, “Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman?” The elder monk answered “yes, brother”. Then the younger monk asked again, “But then sir, how is it that you lifted the woman on the roadside?” The elder monk smiled at him and told him,” I left her on the other side of the road but you are still carrying her in your mind”.  **** Kisa Gotami Kisa Gotami was the wife of a wealthy man of Savatthi in eastern India. She had only one child. When her son was old enough to start running about, he caught a disease and died. Kisa Gotami was deeply sa...

Tale of an avid reader I must confess I use to hate the idea of reading when I was a kid. Reading was never my cup of coffee. A few girls from my school would get books from the Buddha educational foundation in Taiwan and they would read a lot. I use to wonder what’s so cool in a book that girls are hooked reading it till the end. If by chance a book came in my hand, I would just leaf through the pages and look for colorful pictures, forget reading even a single line.  Teachers use to constantly advise us to read books so as to improve language and knowledge. But it was never the sweetest of advice to follow that time. Playing hides and seeks and collecting wild straw berries from the meadow above my village would kill most of my free time. Due to this I have very limited knowledge of popular children’s fairy tales and comics of that time. However as I joined High school, things started to change for the better. One fine afternoon I went to the school library and picked u...