Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [44]
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In the 2005 Census 96% of Bhutanese declared themselves to be happy.
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There is a small golf course lying between Trashi Chhoe dzong and the National Library, plus another at India House. Golf competitions are popular among the emerging middle class. Cricket has recently gained popularity despite the current lack of suitable cricket pitches and there are currently 12 cricket clubs in Thimphu alone.
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Buddhism in Bhutan
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HISTORY
BUDDHIST CONCEPTS
SCHOOLS OF BUDDHISM
BUDDHISM IN BHUTAN
IMPORTANT FIGURES OF BUDDHISM IN BHUTAN
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Buddhism is inscribed into the landscape of Bhutan – prayer flags, white-and-red chortens and images of Buddhist saints carved into the rock dot the countryside. To understand Bhutan and its peoples, it is essential to have a basic understanding of Buddhism. Buddhist values are central to Bhutanese daily life. The experience of entering a dzong or monastery, or even a private household shrine room will be enriched by understanding the core Buddhist concepts, and how these are encapsulated in some of the common religious images and practices encountered in Bhutan. The Buddhism of Bhutan has a complex and rich visual tradition that can seem overwhelming. The bright and intricate mandalas decorating temple porches, wrathful protective deities and the Wheel of Life all serve the same purpose: to encapsulate basic Buddhist teachings.
Buddhism is perhaps the most accommodating of the world’s religions. As Buddhism has spread, it has adapted to local conditions, creating new schools of thought. However, its basic tenets have remained the same and all schools of Buddhism are united by their faith in the value of the original teachings of Sakyamuni (Sakya Thukpa), the Historical Buddha.
Vestiges of Bon, the pre-Buddhist beliefs of Tibet, can still be found in Bhutan. Moreover, Bhutan has a rich folk religion (luso) and Bhutanese folk beliefs are primarily concerned with a range of spirits, like nep or local deities who act as the custodian of particular valleys such as Chungdu in Haa, or Radak in Wangdue Phodrang. Other spirits reside in rocks or groves of trees; there are tshomen, goddesses who inhabit the lakes; lu, or nagas – snake-bodied spirits who dwell in the lakes, rivers and wells. Sadak are lords of the earth and tsen are air spirits who can bring illness and death.
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‘Buddhism is perhaps the most accommodating of the world’s religions’
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Not all Bhutanese are Buddhist. Many of the Lhotshampas, the descendants of Nepalese migrants, are Hindu – as are the majority of the casual labourers from Assam and Bengal. There are still traces on the earlier pre-Buddhist beliefs in the countryside and a small number of Christian converts. Bhutan is tolerant of all religions but does not permit proselytisation. The draft constitution upholds freedom of belief and does not make any religion the official religion of Bhutan. It does, however, recognise the importance of Bhutan’s Buddhist heritage to Bhutan’s cultural identity.
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HISTORY
Buddhism originated in northern central India around the 6th or 5th century BC, from the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha (at present, some historians consider that he lived in the 6th century and others in the 5th century). When he was born the local religion was based on Brahmanism. Some Brahmins (in order to purify themselves before performing rituals to their gods) would wander in remote areas and engage in ascetic practices – fasting, practising yogic techniques and meditation. The young Siddhartha Gautama, who would become known as the Buddha, was one of many such wandering ascetics. His teachings became the basis for a new religion, Buddhism.
Little is known for certain about the young Siddhartha Gautama. According to legend his parents, King Suddhodana