His Majesty's visit.

My tryst with Gautama Buddha.

Buddha and I just had this conversation the other night. In his usual serene, composite manner, The Enlightened One with his calming smile and distant eyes remarked at me.

“Son, Have you realized what is wrong with the world and its inhabitants?”

“Oh! All knowing one! We have become greedy and ever more desirous,” I quipped in, proud and content at my answer.

“Indeed,” pointed out the Great Teacher, gently arranging the fold of his holy saffron robes.

“Humans have lost their inner conscience. They walk and commit actions in their confusion and dreamy state.”

Mesmerized and amazed, I continued to listen to every word He spoke, grasping and etching it in my memory.

The Great One, with a deep sigh continued,

“People have more vices than the values that I want them to inherit. Money governs our families and relatives more than their concern and care. Human loathe the stricken ones and praise the rich. They have no end to their desires.”

An in depth and abysmally long silence followed, accompanied by grievous sadness and desolateness in His eyes. The Master lost in His own answers.

“Oh! Learned Master,” I whispered, least I usurped His mysterious silence. “How can the Humans overcome this disease?”

With a warm smile and a gentle sway of His hands, he proceeded.

“The answer is in each and every one of the human. All you have to do is find them and use them to arise from your confusion.”

Leaning closer to me, He whispered in my ears,

“The answer to find yourself my son is YOU.”

The Blogging (Blocking) Effect.

Mr Sonam demonstrating how to start a blog.

A blog created by one of the teachers.

The Blogging (blocking) effect.

Teachers' learning how to create their own blog during the ten day Chiphen Rigphel Workshop at Paro.

The Royal Wedding Tournament

The Runner Up Team. (Royal Wedding Cup, 2011)

Rinchen Phuntsho with the Cup.

Moonlit Night @ Mothithang.

Thoughts on Movies and Cinemas.

The other night I was home with a couple of friends, sharing episodes of our monotonous life, our concentration and attention all glued on STAR WORLD which showcased and was immortalizing Rajnikant (The famous South Indian Actor) over his preposterous and over exaggerated actions and dialogues.
What mesmerized and enthralled me the most was this one particular scene; where the protagonist (Obviously Mr. Kant) drives his 4 wheel car accompanied by his virtuous lady, and a gang of bloodthirsty hoodlums (so I assume) equally pumped up, chasing him in cars, jeeps (GP) and other enchanting machines circling on and on, creating a mess of the place....

Wow! A classic Bollywood tale.

However, what struck me as imminent and important was; "How much would have that particular scene contributed to environment pollution with its emission of toxic fumes."
Each year more than a 1000 movies are made in India more than that of Hollywood.(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_movies_are_made_in_Bollywood_each_year)

Another salient factor contributing to pollution (I am not ostracizing Bollywood).

Bhutan has already embarked into the saga of epic battles and love stories woven intricately. And very soon there will be car chases, fumes, explosions and the list goes on. Movies are good and entertaining but we should at the same time ask ourselves whether our sole purpose of entertainment disrupts the environment or not.....

Individuals all across the globe are working and coming up with different organizations and groups to promote a greener Earth and to help sustain life in the years and generations to come.

Entertainment is necessary, I do agree but let us not entertain ourselves at the cost of our up-coming generations.

ORGANIC all the way.

Inspirations come in different ways, forms and through different means. "SATYAMEV JAYATE", Toxic Food Episode 08: Poison On Our Plate? its impact and organic farming was indeed very informational and opened up my window  to whole new outlook and perspective.
Change can happen at any period of time, considering one has the right attitude and the willingness to accept change and to move along with it.

A lot of people and children across different nations succumb to different illness and physical deformity due to prolong intake of fruits and vegetables containing high amounts of pesticides and harmful fertilizers. Our government's initiative to discourage all vegetable and fruit import is without any doubt our nation's initial step to a healthy Bhutan and healthier Bhutanese. However, price consideration on all organic food has be worked out so that the consumers as well as the farmers are content and happy.
Sikkim showcases a very good and inspirational example by pursuing organic farming. A fine example that can also be implemented in Bhutan.
The next time I shop for essentials I plan to be organic all the way.


What About You!

Modernization and Us.

We live today in a critical situation when modernization, urbanization and western influences have begun to get the better of our old age culture, customs and traditions. Rapid development has brought about many changes, which has suppressed and are suppressing our tradition and culture. The glamour and the glitz of the western world has so influenced and blinded us that we are thus deviated from our own identities. 
Ladakh, years before was a virgin and pristine valley, untouched and unknown to the western chasms of modernity and technology. Ladakh now has been robbed of her chastity and purity owing to her opening up to a new facade of western living.
Bhutan-The Last Shangrila sadly awaits the same fate perhaps. Our generation lives in a false world of make believes. Those alien life style make us great impostors and not innovators that would certainly and utterly disgrace our ancestors. We prefer shirts and trousers to ghos and kiras. The discotheques and parties attracts us more than any adage religious ceremonies. The language we use betrays our own culture and our melodious folk songs hushed up and defeated by those loud noises of drums and savvy instruments.
What we need now is that inspiration from history, which will make us proud to call ourselves Bhutanese; an inspiration that will reveal our true identity. Cultural dilution can result in the changes of familiar old traditional ways and perceptions and the dire consequences can only be understood over time.
A new challenge awaits the generation to remove the soul-less veil that has been draped over our eyes. Unity amongst us will certainly help in our strive to preserve our priceless gems. Holding firm to our values, customs and beliefs, in the years to come will affirm our status and identity as Bhutanese. Awakening from the lure of westernization and embracing one's own genealogy can enhance a better and secure future for the upcoming generations and make us feel proud to call ourselves as Bhutanese not merely by birth but as true Drukpas from the core of our hearts.

His Majesty's visit to the school, 2010.

Cupid Struck.

Across horizons of Dusk and Light,

Every men will upon their sight,

Remark in a trance with zealous eyes,

That you were meant to be loved.

Enchanted and in a trance now,

Stark naked your beauty lies, and

Helen would only with fury sigh.

Oh! For you I would willingly die,

Cease my living; Bid it my final adieu.

Hades will never reach it's mark

And I no serf to its oblivious lull.

Rather in its every pint,

Pictured countenance of your luminous beauty.

And thoughts of you till the end.

Men do gape in awe

Their very movement fixed in Sand,

Orpheus broken charm,

Upon the heavenly sight of you.

Oh! Lovable Dame,

Sadly His lute in vacuum played.

Cupid lipped with those lustrous eyes,

Pygmalion on his creation tries,

And set an artifice that age do defy,

With his constant prayers bring to life,

Where men do applaud and do fall,

Struck by Cupid, never to rise

But all men ultimately do realize

Oh! How you were meant to be loved.

A Son's Song.

Rock me by my cradle,

Oh! Mother,

Gentle to the call of dreams,

For my time has come.

Sing me a lullaby, hush!

Oh! Mother,

Soothing to my ears.

My heart has grown cold,

Ripened with the jest of time,

My time's now.

Lead me by your hand,

Oh! Mother,

The road lies ahead,

Untrodden and unmade.

Tuck me in your warmth,

Oh! Mother,

A bereft of bare winter's come.

Hold me in your arms,

Oh! Mother,

The abyss is here,

All the pains I need to endure,

For my time has come.

We Have....

And when I shall pass into eternity,

Traveling in the abyss; the vacuum of time,

And so I shall seek:

To swim in the darkly covered brooks,

Feel the sun as of never before.

Travel miles under the gentle light of the moon,

Arrive at the holy place: The Earth,

That mankind strive and lament to find.

Existence, then will be the same, perhaps

Just a new drab of change.

Men as men and women as women.

The same as Almighty's mighty hands created.

And when I shall merge myself into my footing's dust,

Raging in the windy sands of time.

And so I shall seek, that I am certain,

To drink from the Holy Grail,

Declare my brotherhood and humanity,

Practice and not preach,

Of abundant love and gentle touch.

Listen to the call of the wild,

Dance to the rhythmic songs of the Larks.

And I shall truly declare,

"This is life."

This is to have lived an extraordinary ordinary life.

 Oh! My heart bleeds.

Upon such poor sightings of you!

Lament not, brothers!

Bring it back, bring it back.

Life is being blown over.

Lets not seek for the bell, 

Nor the guiding beacon of light.

When life runs by you.

Hasten and Hark! The sails are dropped.

Retrieve life and embrace it

And when you shall pass forever into eternity,

Traveling in the vacuum created in time,

You will remark,

You have lived Yours,

Just as I have mine.

The Counterpart!!!!

Poker Face,

Deeply set eyes.

Eyes...that has a lot,

No lies but truth to tell.

Ragged and beaten; so he seems,

Painful, heavy and leaded.

But his soul stands pinnacle high.

Looking at me,

Stealing glances, 

I asked!

Who are you, Stranger?

Who are you?

Who are you that usurp,

This peace and solace of mine!

A friend or a foe?

Stand and Unfold yourself.

I questioned and commanded the intruder.

Standing in the reflection.

Of the mirror I was staring at!

Who are you Stranger?

Who are you?

A friend or a foe?

What teaching means to me.

In the six years of my life as a teacher in various schools, in addition to the year and the prescribed months as an apprentice and a practicing teacher, I have undergone fabulous manifestations and awakened to new commitments and driving factors in life.

Teaching has helped and enabled me to lead an examined life and surface through my own ignorance and material blindness. My students have helped me and still help me, each and every living day to find and know about the true me and the way I need to perceive the world at their best. Every day as I wake up to a new dawn, and step into the threshold of my class, I perceive countless pairs of quizzical and eager eyes, beseeching to learn about life’s  mysticism adding up to my drive to strive for better and to serve to my utopian best.

The countless minute satisfaction I derive as a direct result of my students, inclusive of how to read a paragraph or how to spell a word reveals that I have achieved humble greatness and success in life. My existence revolves around my students, my successes and downfalls attributed to all my students.

Teaching has facilitated me to accept the fact that the human life is composite of faults and errors, and further assisted me to learn from my own mistakes and move further ahead in a much slower but conscious pace in achieving excellence and pleasure in my own life.

Teaching, the building upon on one’s dreams and aspirations has given me the magical potion to see through my students’ eyes and be awestruck at their infinite dreams and aims woven delicately over years and be confounded at their zeal for life and their expectations from it.

Over the past years of my career as a teacher I have been a painter, a potter, a mason, an architect, a sculptor, a philosopher, a magician, a healer, an orator and most importantly of all a guide and a friend on whom my students can adeptly rely upon. Looking back down the memory lane of my experience as a teacher, I realize now that I have chiseled away many of the rough edges of my own and of my students’ life and worked towards being respected and proud individuals.

Teaching in all my honesty and integrity is the elixir of my life.

Untitled!!!

Memories of Bygone Days,

In formless dreams do haunt me,

Drained out I am

Visibly Powerless I seem,

Pleasant days into Nightmarish dreams.

I am exhausted the other day,

So heavy a price to be in love and to pay.

Weird dreams, weird dreams,

Do me harm in my hapless times,

When heart and soul not at ease.

Weird dreams, weird dreams,

Do unfold a story,

A greater enigma, a mystery,

Of lives slipping by.

Weird dreams, weird dreams,

Make me seek out for you,

And then I do realize,

That the distant stars are,

Too far for mere tiny mortals to hold.