#EightPlacesAssociatedWithBuddha
70 km north of Bodhgaya is the town of Rajgir. It literally means “King’s House” and probably refers to King Bimbisara who had this place as the capital of his ancient kingdom of Magadha. King Bimbisara, and his son Ajatasatru were the first patrons of Gautama Buddha.

Rajgir is mentioned in Buddhist texts and stories as the place where the Buddha gave certain sermons such as the Heart Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra. In particular, the sacred site mentioned is the Vulture Peak, nicknamed since the rocks look like a vulture.

Of the various teachings, the Heart Sutra (Dzo: Sherub Nyingpo) is of prime importance to us – the Mahayana and the Vajrayana schools because it introduces the concept of Emptiness. The text is included within the larger volume of Prajnaparamita sutras (bum in Dzongkha).

The most famous line from the short scripture is:
Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form (གཟུགས་སྟོང་པའོ། །སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་གཟུགས་སོ།)

My experience.

It would be an understatement to say that it was a feeling of extreme satisfaction, reverence and a sense of fulfilment that I could sit and read the sacred texts of Heart Sutra, which I commissioned in gold script and subsequently got it blessed and thumbprinted by my lama Dorje Phagmo Rimpoche.

While Bodhgaya is the site of Buddha’s enlightenment, Rajgir is the site of Buddha’s activities. To visit the Bamboo Groove (Venuvana Park), which was the venue of Buddha’s first Sangha, felt emotional. To be standing and walking on the same soil as the Buddha and Sariputra (he was born here and attained enlightenment as per some sources) was a great feeling of being fortunate.

I also sat and said a few mantras at Saptaparni Cave, where the First Buddhist Council was held after Buddha’s paranirvana. I dedicated my prayers for all sentient beings to find peace and happiness and free from suffering.

I recited the mantra:
Tadyatha Om Gatey Gatey Paragatey Parasamgatey Bodhi Svaha (ཏདྱ་ཐཱ། ཨོཾ་ག་ཏེ་ག་ཏེ་པཱ་ར་ག་ཏེ་པཱ་ར་སཾ་ག་ཏེ་བོ་དྷི་སྭཱ་ཧཱ།).

It is translated as:
Oṃ, Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, Gone Altogether Beyond, Awakening, So Be It”
✌️✌️✌️

As an aficionado of history and academia, sitting under an Ashoka tree among the ruins of Nalanda is an awe-inspiring, and humbling experience. To think that this place gave rise to all the knowledge, understanding and elaboration of Buddhist thoughts and teachings sent a moving feeling of reverence, admiration and gratitude. I hope the place is restored to its former glory.

At its peak, Nalanda hosted 10,000 students and teachers. Between the 4th and the 10th century, supported by Dharma Raja like Ashoka and Harsha, Nalanda was perhaps the world’s first university where extensive Buddhist studies, logic, medicine (Ayurveda), mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and literature were taught.

Every thinkable master and scholar taught or studied here. Guru Padmasambhava, Nagarjuna, Shantarakshita, Asanga, Vasubandu, Chadrakirti, Shantideva among other mahasiddhas. Their subsequent contributions not only kept the words of Buddha alive, but gave new meaning and relevance to everyday life. Their works dispersed into all the eight directions of the universe and created several schools and traditions that are all practiced and lived to this day.

Of all the teachings the Way of Bodhisattva (Choenjuk in Dzongkha) is an 8th-century by Shantideva stands out for me. It is a comprehensive guide to cultivating compassion, wisdom, and the altruistic mind of enlightenment (bodhichitta) through logic and rationalism.

Coming to Shantideva, a paragraph from him inspired me all my life. It goes:

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

(Shantideva)

To the north of Bodhgaya, some 10 kilometres away, is Dungeshwari Hills — named after the Hindu goddess Dungeshwari (a form of Maa Durga). To the Tibetans and the Bhutanese, the place is known as Mahakala Cave, after the Mahasiddha Shrawarigpa (Ritro Wangchuk in Dzongkha) is supposed to have had the vision of the Six-Armed Mahakala.

Here there is a cave where Siddhartha Gautama almost died after practicing extreme austerity. An image of a self-mortified Buddha can be seen in the cave.

As the light of life was deeming away from him, Buddha heard a sitar player tuning the instrument. When the musician tightened the string too much, the string broke. When the string was too loose, the sound was terrible. It was only when the string was somewhere between being too tight and too loose that the sitar sounded perfect.

It then dawned on the Buddha that enlightenment can neither be found in the hedonistic princely life, nor in the extreme self-mortification of one’s body. He needed to find a middle way — a path between the two extremes.

He then got up and went looking for something to eat. Descending to the village, a milkmaid named Sujata offered some kheer — a traditional Indian dish of rice and milk pudding. Another farmer offered him a kusha grass mat to Buddha. He then got the strength to continue his search for enlightenment, which he achieved under a Bodhi tree in present day Bodhgaya.

Both the Mahakala Cave and Sujata’s house have become destinations of Buddhist pilgrims today.

The Middle Path

The Middle Path philosophy was later expounded by Nagarjuna in the first century and became the main foundation for the Mahayana, and later Vajrayana, schools of Buddhism. Nagajuna, and his student Shavaripa, visited the cave, which perhaps provided him with the inspiration and motivation.

For me, the middle path philosophy is one of the most important teachings of the Buddha. While the Four Noble Truths and Eight-folds Paths are indisputable, the middle path philosophy is practical and of greater use in life, where we are reminded to avoid the extremes and also find a moderation – a limit in whatever we do. Traditionally it is called Tsham tshey and it is a popular value we teach.

Is it relevant today? You bet!

As children grow up with all sorts of imported values and beliefs, they will increasingly be wary of parents and elders telling them not to do this or that. This is where middle path philosophy comes in, whereby we can advise them to know the limit (tsham tsey) in anything they do or pursue — money, materials, social media. To tell them not to do this or that would be futile.

Furthermore, the world is burning. There is so much hate and division – all because we can’t find a middle ground, no compromise, no acceptance of the other. Those of us, and those nations and communities that practice it are in a way fortunate.

My pilgrimage in 2026 continues for a week in India starting from the spot where Prince Siddarta attained enlightenment and became Gautama Buddha 2500 years ago.

The dust and air is stifling but I guess this is the price we pay for seeking something greater.

There is a Nyingma Moelam going on. What a beautiful coincidence. I hadn’t planned for that but happy to contribute and pray on everyone’s behalf.

I just realised it has been 30 years when I was the first time in 1996. Time flies, as they say.

Dorje Dhen: the meaning

The literal meaning of Dorje Dhen, to refer to Bodhgaya , means Vajra Seat (Vajra Sana in Sanskrit). It refers to the seat on which Buddha sat as he achieved enlightenment. While the Mahabodhi temple is famous and revered, it is the seat one should not miss to get a blessing. It is near the Bodhi tree.

The seat is believed to have been found and restored by King Ashoka.

Tshe-bumpa

There are four very sacred tshe-bumpa that were put on four miniature stupas by a Tibetan rimpoche and consecrated by late Dudjom. Look out for them. They are towards the right as you enter the main gate. You will meet them only if you do the middle circle.

#EightPlacesAssociatedToBuddha

#Pilgrimage2026

My earlier post on the works of Bhutan Stroke Foundation garnered some interest. Thank you all for your responses and wishes.

One frequent comment our people get at the foundation is why we need to exist because we have free medical service in the country.

Yes, that’s true. However, stroke is not just a medical case. It is a traumatic personal, social and financial situation. It leaves a person debilitated for months or for years and requires constant care and attention. It disrupts the life of the whole family. The recovery, where possible, takes time. It requires skills and patience, and it requires lots of resources.

The free medical service more or less stops once the patient is discharged from the hospital and is told to go home, and to return to continue the physiotherapy and in many cases speech therapy. For the urban poor and for people from rural areas it is marked by a huge economic strain.

Furthermore, people are often rushed to Thimphu in an ambulance in a medical emergency. And because it is an emergency the patient and the accompanying person go from a district hospital to Thimphu – without any preparation for the journey – no food, money, or extra clothes.

And once the patient is discharged and shown the Exit door, many don’t know where to go. They don’t know where to stay to continue with physiotherapy sessions and follow-up treatment.

This post-stroke care is one area where we are trying to expand our services, besides the massive awareness campaigns and health screening we have conducted so far.

We are taking small steps. Some of our volunteers are visiting patients lying at home to clean them of sweats and bed sores, help them do physio exercises, and cheer them up. There is a lot we can do, and a lot of work and ways we can help.

The foundation is struggling in terms of resources, but it is doing well in volunteerism and goodwill. As a communication practitioner I know I can write the story of each successful case we have handled, or the misery that someone is going through. If we do that millions will be raised in a matter of days.

But we continue to resist the temptation, and respect the privacy of our beneficiaries. We don’t splash them on Facebook. We won’t take selfies when we rescue the patients from the hospital doors. We mustn’t show off feeding the sick. We will not update delivering food and clothes to the affected families.

Hence, for some time we will go about with the face value of the foundation team. Besides the faces of the foDawa Tsheringhering, our new ED Rinchen Khandu, and of our goodwill ambassadors and the medicals professionals supporting us silently, my face will be what you will see for some time – seeking alms. 😎😎😎

(By the way I am on a month-long pilgrimage – starting and ending with sacred sites in Bhutan. Do you like my monk bag? 😁😁😁)

On the eve of the Sharchop Losar (New Year), I convened the first Board Meeting of the year for Bhutan Stroke Foundation where we welcomed the new Executive Director, Rinchen Khandu — who was formerly a teacher and university lecturer, and the Project Manager, Tandin Chogyel.

We also created a space in the foundation for the founder and former Executive Director, Dawa Tshering. He will continue as Advisor and Goodwill Ambassador on pro-bono. In the organizations I lead, I have begun to honour those who have come before us by assigning emeritus and advisory roles. And not to simply write them off. Besides, Dawa’s story is the story of the Foundation. After his wife got a stroke, he decided that no one should go through what he went through. Isn’t this inspiring?

What does the Foundation do?

The Bhutan Stroke Foundation fills the gap between the clinical services provided by the state and the time people make a full recovery. From the day they are declared out of danger till they are fully reintegrated to the society it takes between six months to two years.

For those in the higher socio-economic status, things are okay. They manage. But for economically distressed families and rural folks, having a stroke patient at home suddenly turns life into hell. Their livelihood is hampered, career is disrupted, and their full recovery is not guaranteed. Only those who face this know the gravity. The government cannot reach everywhere and to everyone. We must do our bit.

We pride ourselves as a Buddhist nation, and make happiness our brand. But Buddhism is not about seeking happiness. It is about removing or helping remove the causes of suffering. In the words of His Eminence Zuri Rinpoche, there is no greater Dharma than helping someone in distress and living a life of hell. As a pop song goes, heaven is a place on earth. So is hell. What the foundation is doing is putting Buddhism into practice.

For me, with two spiritual projects at GMC on my shoulders, I am hard-pressed for time and energy. But, thinking of all the suffering, I just decided that I need to find both and keep going with this.

In gratitude.

As we welcome the new year, we would like to thank Zuri Rinpoche for keeping us afloat by granting us the Endowment Fund of Nu. 4 million. We thank our two other spiritual patrons – His Highness and Eminence Kathok Situ Rimpoche of Kathok Yoesel Samtenling Monastery ཀཿཐོག་འོད་གསལ་བསམ་གཏན་གླིང་དགོན་སྡེ། and Her Eminence Dorje Phagmo Rimpoche, whose donations and blessings keep us all safe and strong.

We thank the Government of India for supporting projects for the CSOs, including the BSF, and all the individual donors and friends in Japan, Italy, Australia and in the US.

2025 has been a fairly successful year for BSF where we consolidated a small young foundation and made our presence by reaching out to 10,000 people in 13 Dzongkhags through advocacy programs. For the first time, the foundation didn’t close the year in red.

Looking ahead.

ADVOCACY. We will continue to create awareness about stroke and cardiac arrest, which is no longer a disease of the elderly. Incidences of stroke now affect people as young as 12. Cases have skyrocketed after Covid-19. Everyday there is one or more people admitted in Thimphu hospital from stroke. Noticing the signs and symptoms is crucial. Prevention is the key. Check the health advice in the footnotes.

POST-STROKE CARE. Our centre in Thimphu continues to host some 20–30 people who are recovering and slowly reintegrating back to the society. People from rural areas are often rushed to Thimphu in an ambulance in a medical emergency. And once they are declared out of danger, they are discharged and shown the Exit door. Many don’t know where to go. They don’t know where to stay to continue with physiotherapy sessions and treatment that can go on for months. Some don’t even have extra clothes or money. We try to help all the cases. To respect their privacy, we don’t splash them on Facebook. We don’t take selfies when we rescue patients from the hospital doors. We don’t show off feeding the sick.

NEW CENTRES. In the coming years, we look forward to creating three more such centres for post-stroke care and information — in Gelephu, Mongar and Trashigang. We are aware of many stroke patients in villages without proper care – lying in bed for years – some with bad bedsores. Hopefully we can reach out to them.

Furthermore, the need for such centres will only increase with one fifth of the population living overseas and ageing parents left on their own here.

Looking forward to all your goodwill and support.

I am ending the Year of the Snake on a high note. A few more temples and statues built here, a few more differences I could make in other people’s lives there, and a couple of big deals I could broker elsewhere (at pro bono, though).

One thing that I continue to do is not to differentiate between things, occasions, moments, experiences or people, and to embrace everything and cherish everything that comes my way. I have learnt that there is no absolute, although life as seen by us the mortals and the unenlightened is still relative, imperfect, and dualistic. However, we make every effort at every moment to see the impermanence, emptiness and perfection of nature that really is.

In a few days time, those of us who are from the East will welcome the New Year.

To all who have walked with me, thank you for the company. Let’s keep going.
To all who have supported me, thank you for fueling me up. Please keep it coming.
To all those who were unkind to me, I thank you too for, it made me more stubborn – more committed, while really my compassion.
To all those who sought my help and benefited in some ways, I thank you because you made me come alive. You made me feel that I mattered.

Wishing everyone a Happy and a Harmonious Year of the Horse.

Buddhism, whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, has diverged quite a bit into various schools and sects – often characterised by dogmas and divisions, and us-versus-them attitudes.

While these variations are natural evolution (and by the way, Buddha never restricted anyone from moving away from one path), this development has nonetheless taken away believers and practitioners from the core fundamentals of concepts and conduct, and of mindfulness and wisdom, which are all emphasized in the early texts.

For instance, the two concepts of impermanence and emptiness are almost forgotten as people relentlessly seek power and wealth as if they are unchanging, solid and permanent.

In my own analysis of why the younger generation of Bhutanese feel alienated from the religious traditions points to situation of dichotomy between where they try to access Buddhism from, what they are faced with every day. In other words, the proliferation of technology has brought about the translated teachings of the sutras such as Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra to the smartphones of the tech-savvy Bhutanese, who then see no connection between the basic philosophical tenets and the ritualistic traditions they are invited to. What is the relation between emptiness and disposing off the torma?

Furthermore, the GenX and the various Buddhist teachers and institutions of our time would do Dhama a favour if we all once went back to what Gatama Buddha taught, and then resume our spiritual journey. Meaning, we refresh our memories and mindset with some dose of impermanence and emptiness, rather than over glorify power, fame and fortune. This would make us a little more Buddhist, a little more humble, and a little more content. Otherwise, mindlessly conducting rituals and going about with all the mundane vices is confusing our younger generation.

Along this thought my sitting room will now have this large statue of Buddha Shakyamuni – and nothing else, to greet visitors coming to my humble place in GMC. At least, to all the chhilips who come there will be told to start their mindfulness residency by understanding the Four Noble Truths.

Of course, the statue is laden with all the precious zung and relics to honour our own Vajrayana tradition.

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Buddhism, whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, has diverged quite a bit into various schools and sects – often characterised by dogmas and divisions, and us-versus-them attitudes.

While these variations are natural evolution (and by the way, Buddha never restricted anyone from moving away from one path), this development has nonetheless taken away believers and practitioners from the core fundamentals of concepts and conduct, and of mindfulness and wisdom, which are all emphasized in the early texts.

For instance, the two concepts of impermanence and emptiness are almost forgotten as people relentlessly seek power and wealth as if they are unchanging, solid and permanent.

In my own analysis of why the younger generation of Bhutanese feel alienated from the religious traditions points to situation of dichotomy between where they try to access Buddhism from, what they are faced with every day. In other words, the proliferation of technology has brought about the translated teachings of the sutras such as Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra to the smartphones of the tech-savvy Bhutanese, who then see no connection between the basic philosophical tenets and the ritualistic traditions they are invited to. What is the relation between emptiness and disposing off the torma?

Furthermore, the GenX and the various Buddhist teachers and institutions of our time would do Dhama a favour if we all once went back to what Gatama Buddha taught, and then resume our spiritual journey. Meaning, we refresh our memories and mindset with some dose of impermanence and emptiness, rather than over glorify power, fame and fortune. This would make us a little more Buddhist, a little more humble, and a little more content. Otherwise, mindlessly conducting rituals and going about with all the mundane vices is confusing our younger generation.

Along this thought my sitting room will now have this large statue of Buddha Shakyamuni – and nothing else, to greet visitors coming to my humble place in GMC. At least, to all the chhilips who come there will be told to start their mindfulness residency by understanding the Four Noble Truths.

Of course, the statue is laden with all the precious zung and relics to honour our own Vajrayana tradition.

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

My cousin, childhood friend, schoolmate, business partner, and a family friend passed away after a long battle with a terminal illness. He was just 64. His demise leaves a hole in my heart that will never be filled. 

The loss will always be felt by his family and the film industry, for Pema was the liveliest person, the most loving father, and helpful to everyone in the film fraternity. He was self-taught and gave everything to the art, and to others. He kept nothing for himself.

When we were growing up, he took care of me like my elder brother. He used to defend me fiercely, taught me many things. All my siblings loved him as our elder brother. Our families were thick and close. My mom and his mom were cousins from the Shongphu Chukmo clan.

He was a brilliant student but dropped out of school because classrooms bored him. He lived his life on his own terms – carefree and joyful, till my father found him a wife and married him off one evening and told him to settle down. He did listen, and raised a large family of four children and many grandchildren. His children love him. His grandchildren adore him.

He was a trained agronomist, a carpenter and welder, and self-trained film director (Bhu Tashi), line producer (Chepai Bhu, Nazhoen Chharo, and others), singer (Tshomo Tshomo), film editor, graphic artist, musician (he played saxophone and keyboard), three times award winning sound designer and cameraman. And many more.

In our adult life he cheered me at every success I achieved. He was happier and prouder, and had greater confidence and belief than I had for myself. We ran a successful production studio and the radio for a couple of years, where he trusted me and my judgments, and my decisions with his life. Never once did he challenge me.

But there is one thing that the world can learn from Pema – optimism and strength in the face of adversity. And to never lose one’s sense of humor no matter how bad life goes. In 2018, when he was diagnosed with a terminal disease and the doctors gave him a few months, he told my daughter that he would beat the odds and live much longer. He did and went on to live almost eight years. 

When he was getting the chemo and was recovering in a hospital in India, he kept sending me dirty jokes every day. He said that I was more stressed than him because I was in the middle of completing my PhD. 

He showed immense courage and strength that I had never known before. Even the doctors were inspired. This is something that will stay with me, this is something he has taught me as his final lesson as I will miss his presence, our long conversations, and his encouragements from the stands.

Fare Thee Well, my brother. The earth beneath me already feels weak without you. Although we have been preparing for this day, it still took one full day for me to compose myself and gather strength for this short piece.

And to the world, we are poorer by one good selfless person.

My cousin, childhood friend, schoolmate, business partner, and biggest fan passed away after a long battle with a terminal illness. He was just 64. His demise leaves a hole in my heart that will never be filled. 

The loss will always be felt by his family and the film industry, for Pema was the liveliest person, the most loving father, and one of the most helpful persons that walked on this earth. He lived his life on his own terms. He gave everything and kept nothing for himself.

He took care of me like my elder brother in school, defended me fiercely, and cheered me at every success I achieved. He was happier for me than I was for myself and had greater confidence and belief in me than anyone in the world.

But there is one thing that the world can learn from Pema—optimism in the face of adversity and to never lose one’s sense of humor. In 2018, when he was diagnosed with a terminal disease and the doctors gave him a few months, he told my daughter that he would beat the disease and live much longer. He did and went on to live almost eight years. As he was about to get chemo and was recovering in a hospital in India, he kept sending me dirty jokes every day. 

He showed courage and strength that I had never known before. This is something that will stay with me, as I will miss his presence, our long conversations and ideas, and his encouragements.

Fare Thee Well, my brother. The earth beneath me already feels weak without you.