Dadar Arrow Scarf
Bhutanese homes usually have a shrine room in which a common artefact one finds is an arrow with scarves of five colours attached to it called the dadar (མདའ་དར་). The ceremonial arrow is used for the...
View ArticleBe aware of the situations that cause mood swings
I am easily affected by others’ words and this makes me very moody. Even a negative comment about something I posted on Facebook can put me in a bad mood for days. On the other hand, I’m really happy...
View ArticleLung Authorisation and Transmission
The culture of giving lung (ལུང་) or authorisation and oral transmission is very popular in Bhutan and the Himalayas. A religious teacher would often read out the scriptures for months in order to pass...
View ArticleGenuine wisdom destroys all prejudices
My brother is a transgender, but I am a devoted Buddhist and so I don’t feel comfortable with these things. Is it a sin to act like this? I feel embarrassed to be around him. How should I treat my...
View ArticleJangchubsem Thought of Awakening
Jangchubsem (བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་) or Bodhicitta in Sanskrit is the thought of enlightenment or awakening. It is a desire to take all sentient beings, leaving no one behind, to the ultimate state of...
View ArticlePrepare your mind for change rather than resisting change
After I graduate college, I want to travel and then look for a place where I can develop life skills. After that I hope to join a CSO, either in Bhutan or overseas. However, my parents are really...
View ArticleLife naturally contains both suffering and joy
Last year I graduated from college in India and returned to Bhutan. I was happy to come home, but I had not realized that in my absence my parents were having major problems and are now planning to get...
View ArticleOur original nature is pure and cannot be contaminated by negative action
Once, when I was an addict and high on drugs, I committed a burglary and assaulted the owner of the apartment that I was breaking into. I was caught and now I am in jail. My whole life has been a...
View ArticleHeaven and hell in Buddhism
I recently met some tourists at the Paro Tshechu. They asked me about the Wheel of Life painting that we find at the entrance to lhakhangs. I tried my best to explain, but their questions made me...
View ArticleWhat is success?
I’m in my final year of college and I fear that I will not succeed. Actually, my grades are passable, but I feel continuously anxious and am always comparing myself with my classmates. When the anxiety...
View ArticleUnderstanding not Tolerance
When I was studying overseas, I used to dye my hair and shave the sides. As soon as I got back home, however, my parents and relatives started to nag me about my hair. I seriously don’t know what their...
View ArticleThe teachings of the Buddha are not to make our lives comfortable, but to...
My father died recently, and even before the cremation was held, my father’s younger brother arrived to take our house and land and to evict my mother and me. Previously, I was close with my uncle’s...
View ArticleThe teachings of the Buddha are not to make our lives comfortable, but to...
My father died recently, and even before the cremation was held, my father’s younger brother arrived to take our house and land and to evict my mother and me. Previously, I was close with my uncle’s...
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