When we were invited to a Nepalese wedding, we quickly added Bhutan to our itinerary. Our good friend Amanda, who spent decades traveling the world as a flight attendant, often shares that Bhutan is her favorite country.
I added a personal goal: hiking to Tiger’s Nest, a 17th-century monastery perched on a cliffside.
Our guide Karchung and his nephew Kunley met us with smiles and bows. We drove an hour on a well-maintained scenic road to Thimpu. The country is nearly 99% mountainous, ranging from the Great Himalayas, over 18,000 ft., to subtropical Himalayan foothills.
Sprinkled among the breathtaking mountains are small hamlets with large, beautifully designed and decorated homes and apartments reminiscent of Swiss chalets.
We spent the first evening with Jigme Drukpa, the country’s first ethnomusicologist. A composer, musician, and singer of traditional songs, he performed zhungdras, accompanying himself on Bhutanese flutes and guitars he had handmade.
We learned he had composed the soothing song we heard while making the steep landing on our Buddha Air flight.
Buddhism is the common element cohering Bhutanese society. On our first full day we visited one of the largest Buddhas in the world: a seated bronze towering 169 feet above the mountainside. Visitors have donated more than 125,000 small Buddhas, which are displayed inside the statue.
Karchung related stories of Buddha and his followers recorded in mandalas: colorful geometric circular designs.
Buddhism encourages prioritizing the present – focusing one’s actions on finding peace in the moment. This mindset was everywhere in the gracious ways we were treated.
Our meals were artistically arranged, as well as delicious. They were diligent and creative with my gluten-free diet.
In a handicraft school students worked mindfully at the ancient crafts of sculpting, painting, and sewing. A textile museum nearby displayed traditional dress and exquisite fabrics from many areas of Bhutan.
The beauty of both public and private buildings, backdropped by the Himalayas, delighted me. For several nights we stayed in Punakha, overlooking the Punakha Dzong, a lovely historic building used for government and monastic functions. It had the feel of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse with an Asian flair.
Visiting a typical farmer’s home dispelled any notion that the country is wealthy.
The hand-decorated walls and architectural flourishes on the outside embraced extremely bare-bones interior. Decorations were absent save for the most important place in the house: the shrine room (choesham). This elaborately festooned sacred space for daily prayers was rich with Buddhas, gongs, sacred texts, offering bowls, incense, and butter lamps.
I hadn’t had much exposure to Buddhism since a comparative religions class in college, so the similar themes of some Buddhist stories to Christian ones surprised me.
Both Jesus and Buddha are said to have miraculous conceptions, were miracle workers with a dozen disciples, and taught compassion, striving for excellence, and overcoming desire. Both men faced temptation by a devil figure.
One 15th-century Buddhist saint revered in Bhutan seemed like a “No Rules” version of 13th-century Francis of Assisi.
Drukpa Kunley used “crazy wisdom” to expose hypocrisy and challenge convention. He taught that enlightenment lay in spontaneity and authenticity.
This “Divine Madman” is honored by many households and businesses in the form of large paintings of phalluses on the walls to ward off evil and ensure fertility.
We saved the Tiger’s Nest hike for our final day. Officially named Paro Taktsang, the stunning cluster of temples and caves is one of the most famous and sacred Buddhist sites in Bhutan.
Light rain the previous day produced a dusting of snow on the high peaks. With the aid of hiking sticks, soft knees braces, and our guides’ help with backpacks, we joined hikers and pilgrims from around the world encouraging each other in many languages.
As we reached the temple complex, nearly 4,000 feet elevation gain in three miles, we watched some hikers become pilgrims. Donning traditional dress retrieved from their backpacks, they entered the site with prostrations.
Inside, Karchung recited more stories illustrated by beautiful mandalas. He also shared that earlier in his life he had doubts, but now believes in reincarnation.
He thinks he’ll have enough good over evil on judgement day to stay human. His hope is to return as a monk. The goal, typically reached after many lifetimes, is nirvana, defined as a state of no suffering; emptiness.
I, conversely, felt full. Full of accomplishment at achieving my hiking goal, at the beauty of the mountains and the day, and at the privilege of learning first-hand about other cultures.
I felt integral to the world, though, not a conqueror. It was a sense of appreciation without desire. I may not have achieved Buddha wisdom, but perhaps a little enlightenment.