This was the last day of the retreat part of our journey to Bhutan, and the second last of our days in this wondrous tiny Buddhist kingdom nestled into the Himalayas. One of the three of us who are Zen practitioners have talked about the word “retreat” for our experience. Frankly, there is little connection to our understanding of that term and what we’ve been going through together. But one of us noted, well, if retreat is... Read more
“The essence of retreat is setting up a boundary – we are talking about a boundary of time, setting up a boundary between past and future, which ideally means we remain in the present.” Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche The days begin to fold, one into another. While I’ve been resistant to calling our gathering here in a small monastery outside of Paro a retreat because by the standards of my normative practices within the Zen way, this simply does... Read more
Today was a midpoint in the seminar/retreat part of our pilgrimage. I have decided that while we are a tour group, pilgrimage is the better term. At least for some of us. And that’s always the case, isn’t it? Any group is a mixed bag. We are each of us on our own journey here. And, me, and, I genuinely believe, a number of us are on a pilgrimage. More on this after a brief description of the day.... Read more
We continue our seminar with spurts of meditation. First a word about where we are gathering. It’s called Thekchog Choki Gatsel. It was founded by the late Tibetan exile, later head of the Ningmapa sect, and near as I can tell all around Buddhist saint, Dilgo Khyentse. The Rinpoche was born in 1910 in Eastern Tibet. At seven he was recognized as a Tulku, the reincarnation of a principle Nyingmapa monk. After completing his basic education and preliminary practices he... Read more
Where did I leave off? Oh, Right… While my sense of space is relatively intact, I’m in the wondrous kingdom of Bhutan; my sense of time, well, is not so clear. I’m roughly half a day and a calendar day off my home time. And as I try to be in touch with my spouse everyday, twice a day, the confusions of when and what, oh, yes, also what is a bit confused, get fully presented. That said, I’m moderately... Read more
Our Bhutan adventure continues. We spent part of the day once again taking in the continuing sacred dances, Tschechu, just outside of Punakha. Sadly, this time the governor didn’t come out and greet us, put us in the expensive seats, and ply us with salty butte tea. It was a much bigger crowd, although not of the crushing variety we experienced in Thimphu. There is something more than pre-modern, I think the word ancient is right about these dances. Especially... Read more
Our first full day in Punakha, the former capital of the kingdom, our gang climbed into the bus and took off for our second day of the Tshechu sacred dance festival. It is said to be one of the most popular of the various venues where the dances are held. Making it a square was the monastic building on one side, and another building on the other. The smaller held monastic dignitaries, the musicians, and an area where the performers... Read more
I was sitting in a downtown Thimphu coffee house, waiting for my companions. My neighbor was a Bhutanese national. We began to talk. Nearly everyone speaks English, it’s the official language of government and much of commerce. My experience is that the first question from a Bhutanese to someone visiting is usually inquiring what one thinks of their country. Which I can easily respond to, by saying I love it. I have fallen in love with Bhutan.... Read more
I awoke as has become normal for me on this adventure at four in the morning, Bhutan time. I made a cup of coffee. And then began working on my blog post. Then. Around four thirty the power went out. Fortunately I had largely packed before. And with the flashlight application on my phone I was able to clean up, dress, and pack. Later it occurred to me as my range of sight was limited to the... Read more
Another chockablock day on my Two Truths adventure to the kingdom of Bhutan. This second day was devoted to exploring a few corners of the capital city, Thimphu. It is both the capital and the largest city n the country, the world’s youngest parliamentary democracy, organized as a constitutional monarchy over a period starting in 1952 and culminating in 2006. The royal palace, the Parliament House, and the Supreme Court are here. As are numerous monasteries, art and craft... Read more
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