MEDITATION, ARTISAN SCHOOL, AND A BHUDDA
The morning started with a great breakfast with fellow travelers. Porridge for me.
I then did a walkabout the grounds of the hotel and found the Archery Range. I also found a stupa with a big prayer wheel. I did spin the prayer wheel so as to have a good start for the day.
Next we drove to a local temple where more prayers were spun offering our prayers.
We then entered the temple. One takes off their shoes and no photos are allowed. Here we sat before the Buddha of Compassion and learned about meditation. For some, myself included, it was a very positive experience.
Then we went to the local artisan school where we saw students working on their various projects. There were classrooms on woodcarving, silver smithing, slate carving, embroidery and appliqué as well as painting.
We did spend some time and money in the shop where our purchases contributed to the school.
Next we were off to the Textile Museum. Here we learned about the dress and weaving styles of different parts of Bhutan. These intricate woven patterns are not made from any form of template or written pattern. They are created in the minds of the artisan.
Then to a nice local restaurant for lunch.
Then a drive to the Big Buddha.
Atop a hill in Thimphu, the capital and largest city of Bhutan, is a massive, golden Buddha sitting atop a gilded meditation hall. But the monument holds an invisible secret: Unbeknownst to many people viewing the statue, they aren’t actually looking at one Buddha, they’re looking at 125,000 of them.
Inside of Thimphu’s 169 foot Buddha Dordenma statue, there are 125,000 miniature Buddhas encapsulated inside of its enlightened bronze chest, ranging from 8 to 12 inches tall. This means that in Thimphu, which has a population of around 100,000, there are more Buddhas than there are human beings.
Like the large Buddha, these thousands of miniature Buddhas are also gilded and made of bronze, a major reason that the statue cost almost $100 million to build when it was constructed in 2015 to honor the 60th birthday of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan.
The statue also fulfils two prophecies. The first, foreseen by yogi Sonam Sangpo, is that a Buddhist statue would be built in the region to “bestow blessings, peace, and happiness to the whole world.” In addition, the statue is said to have been mentioned by Guru Padmasambhava, widely referred to as the “second Buddha,” in the eighth century. This statue kills two birds with one stone by fulfilling both prophecies in glimmering fashion.
Again no pictures inside, but I did get some nice ones outside, with very difficult light.
The group was the driven back to a handy craft emporium located next to the hotel.
We decided to make the walk down the hill to see the one traffic control device in the country. (There are no stop lights in Bhutan) We found the smartly dressed officer with white gloves direction traffic. They did try a traffic light at one time and the people did not like it replacing the officer. Thus the officer remains.
Back to the hotel where we will be dressing in local attire for an evening dinner party with local officials. I will wear the Goa and Lynn will wear the Kira.
Photos of us all dressed up tomorrow. I will say I am not a fan of these sort of dress up things, but here in Bhutan it is expected and welcomed as a respectful thing to do.
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