Jul 6, 2024, First Day of Bhutan Visit, Paro ▶ Trongsa
Hello. Starting today, we will be visiting Bhutan for 5 nights and 6 days to explore sustainable development opportunities.

After completing his morning prayer and meditation, Sunim departed from the accommodation at 5:30 AM for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. He arrived at the airport at 6 AM, completed check-in procedures, and checked in boxes of soap and toothpaste to be distributed in Bhutanese villages as luggage. Before heading to the gate, he bid farewell to Ms. Hwang So-yeon, who had prepared accommodation, meals, interpretation, and the soap and toothpaste during his stay in Bangkok.

“Thank you for your hospitality during my stay.”
The plane took off at 7:30 AM. It passed through the gorges of the Himalayas and landed at Paro Airport in Bhutan at 10:50 AM.



Upon arriving at Paro Airport and collecting luggage, Dr. Tashi, Monk Dorji, Rinchen Dawa from Korea, and Ishi and Kesang from the central government’s Economic Stimulus Program (ESP) department warmly welcomed us.

“Sunim, welcome back to Bhutan.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome.”

“I couldn’t bring gifts this time as I’ve been traveling to various countries.”
“That’s alright. You are the gift, Sunim.”

We loaded the soap and toothpaste to be distributed in the villages, along with our luggage, into the car and departed for Trongsa. The journey from Paro to Trongsa takes 7 hours by car.



On the way, we stopped for lunch at Wangdue Phodrang at 1:30 PM.

“Let’s have a simple meal.”
We each ordered a bowl of noodles. Ishi, the central government official, apologized for the delay in opening the bank account.

“Our supervisor is very meticulous, and this is a project we’ve never done before. The budget execution method is also new to us, so the project has been significantly delayed. We apologize.”
Sunim smiled and replied.

“It’s alright. I had anticipated this. That’s why I waited for a week and then immediately started the project using a different method.”
After lunch, we set off for Trongsa again.
To reach Trongsa from Paro, we had to cross two mountains with elevations over 3,000 meters. After experiencing the heat in Southeast Asia, it was now cold as we ascended to higher altitudes. Along the way, we encountered landslides and fallen rocks on the roads.


During the rainy season, accidents often occur due to landslides and falling rocks. Many people had advised against Sunim’s visit to Bhutan during this season. Nevertheless, we arrived safely in Trongsa at 5:40 PM without any incidents.

Upon arriving at our accommodation, we found Jamyang, the planning officer of Trongsa Province, waiting for us. We had a warm conversation over tea.

“How is the Governor of Trongsa doing?”
“He’s well. He wanted to come and greet you today, but something urgent came up, so he couldn’t make it.”
“It’s fine if he didn’t come. My philosophy is to focus on practical matters rather than formalities.”
The original plan was to travel to Nabi Gewog today, but everyone was concerned about the risk of landslides during night travel, so we adjusted the plan to spend the night in Trongsa. Jamyang, the Trongsa planning officer, welcomed Sunim’s safe arrival in Trongsa and said:

“It seems we made the right decision not to go to Nabi Gewog tonight, as there are landslides in many places. This is why we advised against visiting during the rainy season.”
Sunim smiled and replied:

“I need to experience the dangers to understand what problems exist. How can I know without seeing? I always believe in verifying things on-site. I need to see for myself how severe the landslides are, how the rocks fall, and directly confirm these things.” (Everyone laughs)
Everyone shook their heads and smiled at Sunim’s words. Sunim praised the Trongsa planning officer for rapidly progressing the pilot project and said:

“Originally, JTS planned to conduct the pilot project mainly in Zhemgang Province and do only a little in Trongsa, but from the reports I’ve seen, Trongsa has made much more progress. How is the collapsed water channel in Kuengaarabten village?”
“We’ve made temporary repairs to the water channel. Currently, there’s no hindrance to farming.”
Jamyang showed photos of the repaired water channel.

“You’ve done well, just as I had envisioned.”
“At first, when you mentioned JTS’s project principles, I was quite worried. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible for villagers to participate as required. But once we started, the villagers are actually participating well, just as you intended. Previously, they were just waiting for 100% government support, but now the villagers are happily participating. We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“That’s great. Have you also gone to inspect Nabi Gewog?”

“Yes, I went with the governor to inspect. Compared to work done by professionals, the villagers’ work wasn’t quite up to par.” (Laughs)
“You’ve done well. From the beginning, we shouldn’t assign technicians; the villagers should try first. Then, when technicians assist, the villagers’ skills can gradually improve. This way, when something breaks in the future, the villagers can repair it themselves. If technicians do all the work, the residents won’t know how to fix things later when they break. That’s why I said to let the residents try first, even if the work isn’t perfect. I plan to go and see for myself tomorrow, check how usable it is, and then make adjustments.”
Sunim expressed gratitude to the drivers who safely navigated the dangerous roads without incident.
“The drivers worked hard today. We have to travel on even more dangerous roads tomorrow. Will that be okay?”
“It will be fine.”
Tashi smiled and said:
“Isn’t it too late to ask now?” (Everyone laughs)
Sunim also smiled and said to the Bhutanese officials:

“Weren’t you officials scared of dying in a landslides?
“We weren’t worried because you were with us, Sunim.” (Everyone laughs)

After the conversation, we unpacked in our rooms. As the sun set, the Trongsa Dzong bell tower lit up outside the window, revealing its beautiful appearance.


At 7 PM, we had dinner together and continued our conversation. With Rinchen Dawa interpreting directly from Korean to Dzongkha (Bhutanese language), we were able to have extensive discussions.

We discussed various topics, including the progress of road paving in Korphu Gewog, considerations for developing profitable tourism products for each village, and the possibility of creating a park at the entrance of Taktshang Monastery.

“How is the road paving in Korphu Gewog progressing?”
“Yes, the construction is currently underway.”

“When paving roads, you need to dig the ground slightly and then add cement to prevent the edges from cracking later. If you just pour cement on top of the ground, the edges of the road will crack eventually. Even if it’s late, you should add more soil to the edges to finish the construction. When I saw the video of the residents working, it was clear they had no expertise in road paving.” (Laughs)

“Let’s leave the construction as it is for now. After the road is fully paved, if the edges start to crumble, we’ll explain what caused it. This way, the residents will clearly understand how to carry out construction in the future. Although there’s some waste of materials, it’s necessary as a learning cost. If the road to be paved was longer, I would have suggested using an effective method from the start. But since it’s a short distance this time, I’ve left it as is, considering it a learning expense.”
Why Residents’ Participation Is Most Important
“The importance of this project doesn’t lie in how well the road is paved. What matters most is that the residents embraced this as their own work and participated joyfully. When residents cooperate to create a waterway and see water flowing smoothly through it, how good must that feel? However, if they don’t participate and the government builds kilometers of waterways for them, they’ll simply think, ‘Oh, water just flows down.’ Our goal in sustainable development is to increase GNH (Gross National Happiness). For that to happen, village residents must participate.”

The night had grown late. Sunim had been in conversation for an hour and 30 minutes.

“Alright, let’s wrap up now as we need to depart early tomorrow. Tomorrow, we’ll load the luggage at 5 AM, have breakfast at 5:30 AM, and leave at 6 AM.”

Today, Sunim departed from Bangkok, arrived in Bhutan, and traveled a long distance from Paro to Trongsa.
As there was no Dharma talk today, I will conclude this post by sharing a conversation from last week’s Weekly Dharma Assembly.
How Should I Care for My Father Who Is Facing Death?
“We can’t say that any specific prayer method helps the deceased because each person’s condition is different. If someone always called on Amitabha Buddha during their lifetime, calling on Amitabha Buddha together would make them comfortable. If someone always sought God, praying to God would make them comfortable. If someone always sought Allah, praying to Allah would make them comfortable. However, your father wasn’t someone who consistently prayed to Buddha or God. So, even if you call on Buddha or God, it doesn’t make your father comfortable. Your desire for your father to be comfortable is no different from wanting to change others.
You need to be at peace first as you look at your father. Whether your father says he wants to go with your mother, shouts, or complains, these behaviors are just some of the symptoms that appear in the process of human dying. When consciousness is not clear, the unconscious emerges. In an unconscious state, one might go back 35 years, blame or resent someone, or be joyful. When your father regains some consciousness, he might say to his children, ‘You’re suffering because you’re taking care of me.’ All of these are phenomena that occur as one goes back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness. It’s just your thinking if you react to each of these by thinking, ‘Father is suffering!’ or ‘Father likes me!’ The correct practice perspective is to keep your mind at peace as you look at your father.

It’s best for the questioner to quietly observe their father’s condition. Before my own father passed away, he was lying down when he suddenly said, “Oh my! Check the water in the rice fields. It’s all dried up. Water the fields!” This was his subconscious mind recalling memories from when he used to farm, as his consciousness was fading. Similarly, if your father suddenly asks, “Why is your father-in-law here?”, you can understand that he’s in a state of unconsciousness. I think it’s a very good decision for a 95-year-old to refuse life-prolonging treatments like IVs or oxygen therapy.
The human body can survive for about a month on water alone, even without food. When one stops eating, the body gradually loses weight and becomes emaciated, leading to the end of life shortly after. During this period of fasting, the brain doesn’t receive sufficient energy. As a result, one fluctuates between consciousness and unconsciousness. At this time, quietly observe your father’s process of concluding his life. Just as one would watch a child grow from conception to birth and beyond, observe the process of the body weakening and consciousness fading due to old age. By observing the final stages of a person’s life as it is, you’ll realize that “there’s nothing to suffer about in this world.” This realization will greatly benefit your own life. This is the attitude a practitioner should have when witnessing a parent’s passing.
If you don’t adopt this perspective, you might become confused, thinking, “My father is suffering and struggling, what should I do?” Holding your father’s hand and earnestly calling upon Amitabha Buddha might ease your mind, but it won’t help your father if he didn’t pray to Amitabha Buddha regularly. Instead, it would be better for you to silently call upon Amitabha Buddha and pray for your father, saying, “May you be reborn in a peaceful place and live happily in your next life.”
In Buddhism, there’s a practice called “imjongge” (臨終偈), which refers to the final verse left by monks facing death. They calmly observe their approaching death and leave one last verse at the end of their lives. Looking at the final verses left by Seon masters, we can see that they neither grieve nor fear death, but accept it as just another process of life, like birth.

Similarly, the questioner needs to adopt a calm attitude towards death. The various symptoms your father is experiencing are typical mental and physical signs that appear when a person is approaching death. If you can address the first question, “How should I care for my father who fears death?”, the rest of the questions become unnecessary. It’s because you can’t calmly face a person’s death and feel anxious that these subsequent issues keep bothering you. If you let go of your anxious mind and return to an observer’s stance with clear wisdom, all doubts will disappear. It’s due to your anxious state of mind that questions like “What can I do to make my father comfortable?”, “How do relationships dissolve, and what happens after they dissolve?” keep arising one after another. All of these belong to the realm of mental afflictions. For the wise who have no fear of death, even such questions are unnecessary.
Buddhism does not speculate about what happens after a person dies. The Buddha’s teaching is that there’s no need to fear death. Since the moment of death is also part of life, we should view it as calmly and steadily as we view the moment of birth. This is what practice and Buddhism are about.”
“Thank you. I understand now.”
Tomorrow morning, Sunim plans to move to Napji Chiwog to inspect the agricultural waterway construction and talk with villagers. Then, he will move to Kolpu Chiwog to check the road repair work. In the afternoon, he will visit Nimshong Chiwog to inspect households with improved housing and have conversations with the Choepa (village leaders).