President of Mahaboddhi society

“By serving as the president of the Mahabodhi Society, I, as the prime minister of Bhutan, a country that has been guided by the philosophy and teachings of Buddha, and the people of Bhutan, consider ourselves indeed privileged to have the honour to serve the society,” said Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley.

He was addressing a gathering of more than 200 Buddhist monks and members of the Mahabodhi Society gathered at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India on Saturday evening as they welcomed their new president.

The members have come together for their 113th annual general meeting on September 25.

Mahabodhi Society of India is a south Asian Buddhist society founded in 1891 by the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader, Anagarika Dharmapala. The organisation’s self-stated initial efforts were for the resuscitation of Buddhism in India, and restoring the ancient Buddhist shrines at Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinara.

Lyonchhoen said that he accepted the offer as the president of the society for the next three years, because he believes that the Mahabodhi Society has and can further strengthen its capacity to serve human society in pursuing happiness.

“In my three years, we’ll be able to work together with a purpose in mind and it will be my endeavour to raise interest towards the Mahabodhi Society, increase the number of members and to further consolidate the support the Mahabodhi Society has received from all sections of society,” the prime minister said.

The home minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji, ambassador of Bhutan to India maj. gen. V Namgyel, tsugla lopen Samten Dorji and drabi lopen Sangay Dorji of the zhung dratshang, members of the choedey lhentshog, Sri Lankan ambassador to Bhutan, who is also the high commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Prasad Kariyawasam, and chief sanghanayaka of Sri Lanka, venerable Agga Ratnapala, were also present at the annual meeting.

The outgoing president of the Society, who is from Sri Lanka, Prasana Jayasuriya, said that the 113th annual meeting was a historic occasion for the society, as such a meeting was being held in Bodhgaya for the first time, instead of being held at its headquarter in Kolkata. “The prime minister of Bhutan has also given his consent to take over the presidency, which is a privilege for the society,” he said.

The governing body of the Mahabodhi society has 75 members, who elect the president. Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley was called upon to undertake the duties of the president on August 24, 2009 during the secretary general of the society, venerable Dr Rewatha Thera’s visit to Bhutan.

Lyonchhoen, during the three-hour annual general meeting, congratulated the secretary general venerable Dr Rewatha Thera and outgoing president Prasana Jayasurya for their dedicated service to the society and to dharma.

Lyonchhoen also paid tribute to the founder of the Mahabodhi society, Anagarika Dharmapala. “It’s because of him and those, who supported his vision that today we find in India the birthplace of Lord Buddha, where the most holy of shrines have been restored and whereby, we as Buddhist are able to pay homage to Buddha and dharma - the way of life,” he said. “We as Buddhists are indeed grateful that the provisions of bodhisattva has been realised by the endeavours of this Mahabodhi Society, and by the support and patronage of the Indian government, government of Bihar and local governments in the districts, where these important places are located.”

[Courtesy:Kuensel]

Taj Hotel in Thimphu

Nestled in the heart of Thimphu Valley, The Taj Tashi reflects Bhutan’s rich heritage and architecture. Inspired by the Bhutanese Dzong architecture, the hotel has been built on three themes – the “Dhungs”, the “Double Dorjes” and “Clouds”, brought subtly to life by delicate hand painted details.
The medley of gastronomical experiences include the specialty Bhutanese restaurant, ‘Chig-ja-gye(108)’ which represents a significant number in the Buddhism. The contemporary Bhutanese bar called Ara, which takes its name after the local rice wine, offers drinks from various parts of the world. If you fancy a hint of the outdoors you could walk into the Thongsel, the all day dining facility below the lobby level, which offers a spectacular view of the mountains.

From Here you will explore magnificent monasteries and the pristine wilderness, and thereafter soothe away the rigors of the day with one of our traditional treatments at the Taj Spa.

Come and experience a unique kingdom in the Himalayas.

Snow Leopard found in the mountains of Bhutan

A camera trap set by a BBC Natural history film crew captures the picture of a baby snow leopard.

The young snow leopard walks right up to the camera lens, sniffing it before off-screen walking into the bleak, rocky snow swept landscape.

Snow leopards are the highest living of all big cats, and are among the most rare and elusive of all animals.

"No wonder hardly anyone sees snow leopards, they are just so well camouflaged. You could literally walk four metres past one and not notice," says BBC wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan, who took the images.

He believes the cub's mother had left it near or in front of the camera trap while she went off hunting.

"It is one of the most exquisite looking animals I have ever seen."

Mr Buchanan, who on the same expedition also filmed tigers are living at a higher altitude than any others, has filmed wild cats worldwide for more than 10 years.

Footage of the young snow leopard will be broadcast this week as part of the BBC One programme Lost Land of the Tiger.

The programme's makers cannot be sure, but they suspect it may be the first footage of a snow leopard cub filmed in the wild.

Only last year, scientists uncovered evidence that suggests snow leopards and tigers evolved at a similar time, with the ancestor of both branching off from other big cats around 3.9 million years ago.

That makes the snow leopard and tiger "sister species", say experts.

Both snow leopards and tigers are among the world's most endangered big cats.

Snow leopards live between 3,000 and 5,500m above sea level in the mountain ranges of Central Asia, but due to their elusive nature their exact number is unknown.

Estimates vary, suggesting that between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards survive in the wild.

[Courtesy:BBC]

Ta Dzong, The National muesum of Bhutan

The newly created Ta-Dzong museum gives a glimpse of Bhutan in the last 100 years with two galleries showcasing the history of Monarchy of Bhutan with many Royal possessions. The first gallery on the ground showcases the guardians of the four directions, which protect the entrances to monasteries and temples and ward off evil influences from all direction.

The second gallery describes the foundation of Trongsa Dzong, its deities and holy men. It houses a statue of Yongzin Ngagi Wangchuck (1517-1554) who founded the Trongsa Dzong in 1543, his jacket and robe, diamond scepter, bell and statues of Zhabdrung's father.

A special feature of the this gallery is the Raven Crown, designed by Lam Jangchub Tshedrue and worn by the first King of Bhutan, Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck. It also houses his ceremonial skill robe and four chest of the second King Jigme Wangchuck which were used in the Wangdue Choling palace in Bumthang to store personal belongings of the royal family and the King.

The fourth gallery has a silk kira and tego of the first Queen Ashi Choden, the oath of allegiance that was signed on a 3.5 meters scroll by the representatives of clergy during the Coronation of second King in 1926, his prayer book and silver box, the third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck's amulet, ivory flask, container for betel, areka and lime, and a zenith radio. It also showcases a sword, gho, scarf and traditional boots belonging to His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan.

The fifth gallery showcases the message of the sacred dances including the wheel of life, masks and costumes while the sixth gallery is about Buddhism and rituals.

On the seventh gallery are Khesar Ling Lhakhang and the statues of Guru Rinpoche.
The ninth gallery houses Guru Rinpoche's eight manifestations and Maitreya Buddha Lhakhang.

The five Tathagata Buddhas (Gyalwa Rignga) sit in the tenth gallery. Each of theBudhas represents one of the five transcendental insights, which are antidotes to the five mental poisons- anger and hatred, pride, desire and greed, envy and jealously, delusion and ignorance.

Bhutan, A country with strong sense of spirituality

This is a strong factor of Bhutan being a strong contender for being what is described by Hilton as a last Shangri-la. Bhutan has many active monasteries, with a rich tradition, which impart spiritual training to numerous monks. The official faith of Bhutan is Drukpa Kagyu, a tantric form of Tibetan Buddhism; but Buddhism of the Nyingma school is also practice. Spirituality is deeply linked with the festivals in Bhutan in the form of sacred mask dances. These festivals are definitely a tourist draw, but they are not the main spectators. The festivals are primarily staged for the Bhutanese. Though they are scare- the local seek blessing from real lamas from behind the mask.

Hilton's Shangri-la in Bhutan

Hilton's Shangri-La is an impossible composite- a remote temple with mixed Tibeten and Chinese Features backed by a towering snowcap and a fertile green Valley below. It is presided over by a wizened High Lama around 250 years of age, whose grand mission is to provide a sanctuary for preserving the values of civilization and cultural during times of warfare and destruction. And now, 75 years after the first publication of Lost Horizon, the legend of Shangri-La lives on in the imagination, more powerful than ever. Tourist officers all over the Himalayan region are keen to tap into the radiant Shangri-La mystique. The contenders range from enclaves like hunza Valley in northwest Pakistan to the newly created Shangri-La Country in the highland of Tannan in southwest China. But to my mind, the candidate with the most genuine aura of Shangri-La is Bhutan. Indeed, this nation often refers to itself in brochures as the last Shangri-La.' Here are some good reasons why Bhutan admirably lives up to that description.
Pristine environment
Bhutan went green and stayed green long before environment became a priority elsewhere on the planet. Bhutan’s system of national parks and wildlife preserves cover over 25 per cent of its total land area which is far more than you can say about neighboring India and China, both implicated in large-scale environment degradation (particularly deforestation). Bhutan embraces pristine forest and soaring snowcaps. Sheltered in its park sanctuaries, wildlife is well-protected with a complete ban on hunting of rare species like the snow Leopard. Bird-watchers love Bhutan which has over 700 bird species recorded and botanist are thrilled by Bhutan’s range of usual powering species.
Preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture
In the himalayans, bhutan is the sole self-governing entity with Tibetan Buddhism as its state religion. Outer Mongolia to the north, and the republic of Tuva, are also independent countries and follow Tibetan Buddhism but there the people and language are Mongolian. Once there used to be inter-marriages between the royal families of Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim-a situation now changed by political realities. Although Bhutan has strong links with Tibetan culture, it maintains its own distinct version of that culture. Dzongkha language for instance, is related to Tibetan but quite distinct from Lhasa dialects. Dzongkha is a compulsory subject in school, although the medium of instruction is English. Bhutan is the best place in Tibetan worlds to see traditional-style architecture, with sloping roofs (distinctly Bhutanese in design) such as the Tashichho dzong of Thimphu. These Dzongs at times incorporate the ancient skill of bridge-building, another art preserved in Bhutan.
Things you cannot find
The temple of Shangri-la is a remarkable for its remote high altitude location, nestled on the flanks of a soaring snowcapped peak. But it is equally remarkable for what is not there – no war,no sickness, no disease, no real concept of the passage of time. Shangri-la of Hilton’s novel has a kind of spiritual club Med atmosphere – remote, secluded, peaceful.