No cars, just football, puppies and drugs

In Brussels, there is one Sunday a year when cars are not allowed to circulate within the centre. In Thimphu, every Tuesday is a 'car-free' day. On that day, only taxis can go to the centre and the policemen, who normally control the traffic from their nicely decorated booth at the only major junction of the city, also take a break.

So I walked around and saw again one of my favourite stray dog families with puppies sucking a bit of milk in the middle of the road. Aren't they cute?

At the end of the day, I played outdoor football (5 aside) with enthusiastic local kids and two guys of my age. We stopped when we could no longer see the ball and each other in the dark. I felt much better afterwards than last year when I foolishly agreed to play against the police team on a big pitch.  Then, I was almost dead after ten minutes. Now, I decided to play  once or twice a week.

I forgot to tell that this time I used a bit of drugs. And I have to admit I inhaled it. Although, with no cigarette or any other conduit was involved. It's pure and natural, right from the source. You just stand in and slowly breath in and out, in and out, in and out ...

I'm back to Bhutan !

Today, I'm back to Bhutan to meet my friends and hopefully make new ones; work with local entrepreneurs at Thimphu Tech Park and Loden Foundation; and learn more about this amazing country. 

I flied from busy Kathmandu with the Himalaya mountain range on our left side and was greeted by the top of the Everest cutting through the white cloud blanket. 

I gave a glance at 'Tashi Delek' on-board magazine of Druk Air which again had some surprise for me (see last year's delight and now this interesting interpretation of happiness: the Happiness Duty Free). 

Driving from Paro to Thimphu with the friendly driver Lb, a rainbow welcomed me bridging the valley and the mountain top.

Arriving to the city, I noticed many new construction sites spreading everywhere like giant mushrooms - maybe due to the rainy season. 

Then at night I went to one of my favourite places to grab some excellent momos with their healing lemon and honey tea.

And now when I can't sleep and I'm writing this, I'm entertained by the barking concerto of the city's numerous stray dogs. 

I missed all that: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and first of all the Beauty. I'm glad to be here again.

Tashi Delek.

Free WiFi in Bhutan

People wanting to visit Bhutan have asked me about availability of free internet in the country. This of course changes fast as new places open and others may close, but I have found this information for you on thimphutech.com :

The following establishments offer free WiFi.

Paro

•  Tshernyoen's Cafe (next to Bhutan Telecom). 

Thimphu

• Ambient Cafe (opposite PNB Bank). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 9pm.

• Art Cafe (Next to the Swiss bakery)

• Cafe Italia 

• Hotel Tandin (Norzin Lam, near Logar cinema) 

• Karma's Coffee (above Zangthopelri Complex, peach-colored building)

• Om Cafe (Jojo's building) 

• The Zone (Opposite the Stadium)

Note: Since broadband usage in Bhutan is charged by the amount of data transferred, the connections are often password-protected to prevent abuse. Request the code from the owner. Please use the connections gently (i.e.., avoid downloading movies, audio and YouTube videos, as well as long Skype calls).

To see updated list, check: http://www.thimphutech.com/p/free-wifi-in-bhutan.html

Can happiness be measured? - two different views

When considering new ways of measuring progress of a nation such as Gross National Happiness, Happy Planet Index, EU Beyond GDP, OECD Better Life Index, etc, there are experts who argue for and against. This short interview on the Guardian with Julian Baggini and Lord Richard Layard is a recent snapshot of this exciting debate.


A unique workshop with speakers from Bhutan, Hungary, US and Europe to be held in Brussels, Belgium in November also aims to contribute to this discussion through looking at the application of Buddhist Values in Business.


To learn more about this event and register, click HERE. 

His Majesty the King granted an audience to Loden

I love photographs. There is a life story behind each face. And then there is another story behind: a reason why people in the picture got together. They met, spent time together and went home. But the picture framed them together, forever. And, of course, there is another story which emerges between the photograph and the viewer. 

When I look at the faces in the picture above, I have a real story to tell about each person, the way we met, the things we talked about, laughed about, or things we did together... 

And here is the story about the picture: His Majesty the 5^th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck granted an audience to the members of the Loden Foundation at Linkana palace on 7 May 2012. The Loden team was led by Dasho Meghraj Gurung, one of the trustees of the Loden Foundation with four other members for the royal audience.

Read full article

Happiness is a skill we can learn

Western neuroscience has now confirmed what Eastern wisdom has known for a long time: happiness is a skill we can learn. 

Research shows that happiness, compassion and kindness are the products of skills that can be learned and enhanced through training, thanks to the neuroplasticity of our brains. 

Happiness is not set in stone

Although our genes influence about 50% of the variation in our personal happiness, our circumstances (like income and environment) affect only about 10%. As much as 40% is accounted for by our daily activities and the conscious choices we make. So the good news is that our actions really can make a difference.

Happiness is contagious

Our happiness influences the people we know and the people they know.

Research shows that the happiness of a close contact increases the chance of being happy by 15%. The happiness of a 2nd-degree contact (e.g. friend's spouse) increases it by 10% and the happiness of a 3rd-degree contact (e.g. friend of a friend of a friend) by 6%.

Mindfulness changes your brain

Recent research has shown that an 8 week mindfulness meditation class can lead to structural brain changes including increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.

(extracted from www.actionforhappiness.org)

Paro Bhutan Landing Runway 15 A319 Cockpit

When I arrived in Bhutan in 2011, I made a short video of the stunning landing on one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Here you can watch someone's similar landing video, but made from the cockpit. Don't worry: if you prefer you can chose to visit Bhutan by bus on four wheels entering the country from India...

The serious business of creating a happier world

The first ever United Nations conference on happiness sponsored by the government of Bhutan reflects a growing momentum to redefine our notion of growth. But will happiness gain a place at the top of the world agenda?

Read full article HERE.

Gross National Happiness explained for beginners

Bhutanese commercials

When I was in Bhutan, someone drew my attention to a TV commercial aired in the state television. The ad showed a car that went up and down in the main road of the capital for many times without the need for more fuel and the commercial message was clear: this car consumes less fuel. However, people who bought this type of car due to advertising said to me that their new car actually consumed much more than other cars in the same category. They were very disappointed and realized that the commercial lied. They have learned a hard lesson about advertising and its credibility that we in other countries already learned long time ago.

Conducting a training session on marketing to young entrepreneurs at Loden, I highlighted this ad as a bad one that misleads consumers and ultimately disappoints and alienates them. I asked the participants not to lie in their promotional activities, because it is not only immoral, but also the wrong business strategy, especially in a small country like Bhutan.

Advertising is inevitable in a consumer society Bhutan has developed into and I collected a few Bhutanese TV commercials for you to demonstrate the current development level of the advertising industry:
































One of Loden entrepreneurs, Dawa Dakpa, produced the following advert for his Shoe Laundry:



This ad for a car brand was produced in Bhutan and tries to use the country as an attractive background for the promotion of their expensive car. In my view, they provide a rather shallow, superficial and one-dimensional image of the country and I hope they paid enough to the Bhutanese authorities in fees and taxes to compensate the damage they might do:




Once a country has commercial advertising and brands, soon they become part of  the youth culture and they are referred to, played with, twisted and customized. This is a non-professional TV commercial made by Bhutanese youth with or without the consent of the portrayed cosmetic brand:




If you know of more Bhutanese commercials, please share them with me.

Losar Tashi Delek

Happy Dangpai Losar!

Last year I happened to be in Bhutan witnessing the celebration of the new year of the Female Rabbit and here you can read about my experience. At that time, I didn't realize that it was only one of the several new year celebrations in Bhutan making this country a bit unique again.

Coinciding with this year's Dangpai Losar, this Saturday I will be in Budapest talking about my last year's volunteer project in Bhutan at the event of the Hungarian Bhutan Friendship Society at The Dharma Gate Buddhist University. With our Bhutanese friends we will also cook fantastic ema datsi and other delicacies. Not to mention the promotion of Kunzang Choden's books, including the excellent 'Chill and Cheese, Food and Society in Bhutan' in which the writer shares her fascinating childhood experience celebrating Losar with her family and friends in Bumthang.

I wish you a peaceful and prosperous year of the water male dragon.

Those who die with the most toys "win."

Buddhism and the End of Economic Growth

Posted by John Stanley and David Loy on Huffington Post: 09/19/11

"We are seeing a perfect storm of converging crises that together represent a watershed moment in the history of our species. We are witnesses to, and participants in, a transition from decades of growth to decades of economic contraction." -- Richard Heinberg

"True development is in harmony with the needs of people and the rhythms of the natural world. Humans are part of the universe, not its masters. This awareness of the interrelatedness of all things, as expressed in Buddhism, is also lived in the traditions of indigenous peoples throughout the world." -- Sulak Sivaraksa

It is increasingly obvious that natural limitations will soon force economic growth to cease. Although this view has been well-studied for at least 40 years, it still remains largely unexamined by the mainstream media. National leaders and corporate CEOs continue to insist that the economy is the true heartbeat of human society, and its growth is the only valid measure of social progress. From this perspective there is very little difference between the top levels of government and the top levels of corporate management. Both are preoccupied with promoting endless growth, because both believe in what Adam Smith called the "invisible hand" of the market, which magically transcends physical and biological limits.

As Dan Hamburg concluded in 1997 from his years as a U.S. Congressman, "The real government of our country is economic, dominated by large corporations that charter the state to their bidding. Fostering a secure environment in which corporations and their investors can flourish is the paramount objective of both [political] parties." Back in 1932, Huey Long expressed this colorfully: "They've got a set of Republican waiters on one side and a set of Democratic waiters on the other side, but no matter which set of waiters brings you the dish, the legislative grub is all prepared in the same Wall Street kitchen."

However, something more powerful than an invisible hand is turning our economic assumptions upside down. Economic growth remains blocked. The so-called "recovery" of the last two years (recovery for the banks and Wall Street, not for the rest) has stalled. The official explanation blames the vast accumulation of financial debt. But there are other long-term obstacles to growth that are even more difficult to address, especially the shock of resource depletion. Since the 1970s there has been a recession every time the price of oil passes $80 per barrel. An increasing number of environmental disasters are resulting from oil drilling and nuclear power generation. Large-scale global warming impacts have already appeared in Russia, Pakistan, China, Africa and Australia -- and Texas. The consequences include major reductions in crop yields that are driving up world food prices.

As Richard Heinberg points out, these are converging crises. They will compel our civilization to re-think the way it understands the relationship between the economy and the rest of the biosphere. Sooner or later, we will have to adopt a sane and well-reasoned "steady state" economy that operates mindfully within the Earth's resource and energy budget. Although you would not guess it from the mainstream media, our contemporary obsession with economic growth is already a "dead man walking."

Thai Buddhist elder Sulak Sivaraksa believes the future of the world must include interconnectedness, which for him is a spiritual perspective that dwells in the human heart. Globalization preaches the interdependence of nations, but that type of economic interconnectedness functions in a very different way: in Asia it has brought free-market fundamentalism, environmental degradation, and the destruction of Buddhist culture and values by consumerism. The same inner corrosion has been happening in "overdeveloped" as well as in "underdeveloped" countries. Individuals are induced by advertising to earn more to acquire more, creating an endless cycle of greed and insecurity. Those who die with the most toys "win."

According to Buddhist teachings, it doesn't have to be like this. Buddhists should add their voices to other calls for society to go beyond the one-dimensional measurement of gross domestic product (GDP), which is merely a crude total of collective expenditures. The Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan has developed an alternative way to calculate social improvement, the Gross National Happiness index. This measures nine aspects of society: time-use, living standards, good governance, psychological well-being, community vitality, culture, health, education and ecology. The Happy Planet Index (HPI), developed by the New Economics Foundation in the UK, compares life satisfaction, life expectancy and ecological footprints across the world. Countries that exemplify "successful economic development" are some of the worst performers in sustainable well-being. Britain is midway down the table in 74th place. The U.S. is in 114th place. Costa Rica has the best score.

Today it is essential that Buddhists think critically and challenge the fetish of economic growth. Buddhist leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and Sulak Sivaraksa have been emphasizing this for years, and now the crunch has arrived. If humanity is to survive and thrive during this century, we must quickly learn to accept -- indeed, to embrace -- the need for limits. Buddhist teachings emphasize that this does not require a reduction in the quality of life. On the contrary, a creative "downshift" will help us to focus on what is most important in life.

If, in the midst of converging global crises, we wish to enhance our awareness of the interrelatedness of all things, and promote genuine spiritual contentment, we must emphasize and live by another way of life: the steady-state economy. In this fashion we can minimize, for ourselves and others, the social difficulties of transition from decades of economic growth to decades of economic contraction.

John Stanley and David Loy are part of the Ecobuddhism Project.

Bhutanese music to cheer you up

In a miserable day in Brussels, when it is cold and dark outside, I needed to cheer up myself by listening some nice music. So, I went back to listen Kezang D Wangmo's 'A la la ngi sem'.

Here it is. Enjoy!

Click HERE for the full article on Kezang D Wangmo who is much more than an actress. Since my original post was published, she has become a happy mother. Congratulations!

How economic inequality harms societies

What makes us happy? Based on hard evidence, Richard Wilkinson from the University of Nottingham argues that it is equality. The narrower the gap between the poor and the rich is and, as a result, the more equal a society is, the happier  citizens are. All of them, including the rich. 


Comparing data on life expectancy, mental health, crime, trust, obesity, and other symptoms, he also highlights social mobility in more unequal societies such as the US or the UK being surprisingly low. In other words, in such more unequal societies poor fathers tend to have poor sons, and rich fathers tend to have rich sons - without significant number of people getting higher on the social ladder between generations. As he funnily puts it: "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark."


One source of unhappiness is constant comparison of one's social and economic status with those of other people who are richer and having higher social status than oneself. This attitude can lead dissatisfaction, unrealistic expectations and unfulfilled dreams that can cause frustration, depression and unhappiness in the long run. Yes, a few in every country may succeed to get richer and more important through had work and luck, but the majority likely fail to follow.


During my time in Bhutan, I saw young teens in Thimphu trying to adopt a Western lifestyle represented by pricey "stuff" like electronic gadgets and branded clothes. I can only hope they won't wait for too long to realize that their own society and country have equally, if not more, valuable propositions and they can blend their strong traditions with modernity in a more balanced and satisfying way.


Here you can listen to the short, but fascinating talk of Richard Wilkinson on equality:

Guru Rinpocse papucsa / Guru Rinpoche's flip-flop

Guru Rinpocse papucsa
  
"Tavaszra patkányaim kirajzanak a zöldellő mezőkre. 
Elcsendesedik az álom-padlás.
Csak Guru Rinpocse papucsa kopog ide-oda a hegyek között.
Keresi a párját.
Távolról átölellek, szivárvány-permetté változol és megfested
kiszáradt ajkamat.
Reggel van. A tiszta beszéd és a meleg tea ideje."

-- Thimphu, 2011. március 3, reggel

Guru Rinpoche's flip-flop

"By springtime, my rats have gone to the green fields. 
Silence fills in the dream-attic.
Only Guru Rinpoche's flip-flop makes sounds in the mountains, 
searching for its pair.
From distance I embrace you while you become a rainbow-spray coloring
my chapped lips.
It's morning. Time for clear talk and hot tea."

--- Thimphu, morning of March 3rd, 2011