Dec 28, 2024 – Day 5 of Bhutan Survey_ Exploring Budhashi, Lamtang, Mewagang, Meeting with Tarayana Foundation Staff
Hello, today is the fifth day of the Bhutan visit. In the morning, Sunim plans to move to Goshing Gewog to visit Budhashi, Lamtang, and Mewagang Chiwogs, where he will have time to talk with residents. Later, Sunim is going to meet with staff from the Tarayana Foundation at the Pantang JTS Center.
Sunim completed his morning practice and meditation, then proofread manuscripts. After finishing the proofreading, he had breakfast at the accommodation and departed for Goshing Gewog at 8:30 AM.
Today, instead of a temple, Sunim met the villagers in a school auditorium.
“It’s nice to meet you all. I’ve passed by Budhashi Chiwog several times while traveling between Rebati Chiwog and Pantang Chiwog, but this is my first time actually visiting Budhashi Chiwog.
I came to Bhutan last summer at the invitation of the King of Bhutan. At that time, the King talked a lot about how to develop the new city of Gelephu. However, development often leads to the destruction of nature and the disappearance of traditional culture. On the other hand, if we focus on preserving nature and traditional culture, it becomes difficult to escape poverty. That’s why the policy has been divided into two approaches.
First, Gelephu will be developed in line with global development trends, while the rest of the regions will focus on preserving nature and traditional culture. This plan will be implemented for the next 20 years, and then the two approaches will be merged for the following 20 years.
The reason for doing this is to preserve both nature and tradition while also pursuing development. If this succeeds, Bhutan will become a global model for a new development approach in the era of climate crisis. However, preserving traditional culture and protecting nature can sometimes lead to inconveniences in daily life. That’s why I’ve come here to help improve some of these inconveniences in your lives.” 
“The Bhutanese government is making significant efforts and investments to improve your living conditions. However, government budgets are limited, so they cannot fulfill all your needs.
Therefore, while the government handles large projects like road construction, we propose that instead of waiting for the government to take care of smaller tasks like house repairs or irrigation channel construction that make our village more convenient, we should do these things ourselves. This is a movement to ‘create a new village,’ and it’s not a government project but a civilian one.
When you voluntarily plan and execute necessary village projects, you’ll need materials. If I provide the materials, you should carry out and complete the planned work yourselves.“
Sunim explained in detail about sustainable development projects. The villagers listened intently to his words.
“We renovated a warehouse-like building in Pantang to create a JTS center. We raised the kitchen counters and installed shelves. If you’re planning to build a new house, please visit it later. And if you find the house structure comfortable and well-designed, you can make similar changes to your homes.” (Laughter) 
Then, the villagers discussed areas for improvement.
In our village, 14 households don’t have houses. Everyone wants to build new homes.
We need partitions in our houses.
The school needs a water supply.
It would be good to partially pave the road for vehicles.
“House repairs are the most urgent need in our village. However, many can’t start because building materials are expensive. When repairing or building houses, material costs are usually high. If you provide the materials, Sunim, we will do everything else. We promise.”
The Gup of Goshing Gewog addressed the villagers.
“Everyone, you make promises now, but when the materials arrive and it’s time to start work, there’s often a tendency not to follow through. This time, please don’t do that and make sure to complete the work well until the end. If you break your promises, it’s very difficult for us officials. It’s hard for the governor, and it puts the planning officers in an awkward position. So, I hope you’ll maintain the same sense of responsibility you have now until the work is finished, just as you’re promising.”
After listening to the Gup’s words, Sunim said.
“You’ve made an excellent point. We can’t have a situation where materials are received to build houses or repair roads, but then there’s no one to do the work, and the materials go to waste. Once a plan is made and work begins, all villagers must participate. That’s why I ask you to request only what you absolutely need and can accomplish.” (Laughter) 
After concluding the meeting with residents in Budashi village, Sunim moved to Ramtang. About 20 residents had gathered at the village kindergarten. After Sunim’s greeting, the residents of the Ramtang area began to speak.
Because we have 8 children, we need a big house. Our current house is too small and has no toilet.
Our fields were damaged while making the road. We request support for water pipes.
We need wood to build a house.
“When making requests, those whose houses are somewhat livable should try to manage on their own. This project should provide opportunities for the poor.”
The villagers responded with laughter.
After concluding the dialogue with residents in Ramtang, Sunim moved to Mewang. The forest path leading to Mewang was lush.
After traveling about an hour into the mountains, the Mewang village hall appeared. About 30 residents had gathered in the hall.
The entire Mewang village hall was beautifully constructed with bamboo. The residents here had the skill to make furniture from bamboo.
Thirteen villagers who had some skill in bamboo weaving formed a cooperative and requested educational support from the Tarayana Foundation. They reportedly completed about a month and a half of training in bamboo furniture-making techniques, finishing an expert course. After acquiring the skills, with support from the Tarayana Foundation, they built five bamboo houses and even earned 50,000 Ngultrum in income during the two-day Bird Festival.
“Hello everyone. You live in a place with such beautiful scenery. Living in a place like this, it seems like you wouldn’t have any worries. Somehow, I feel like there might not be anything for me to do in this village.” (Laughter) 
Sunim said with a smile. He explained why he came here and what sustainable development means, then listened to the residents’ stories.
The roads here are not good, and it’s difficult to travel without bridges.
Poor people don’t have houses.
It would be good to have toilets that are convenient for the elderly to use.
We have prepared wood to build houses, but we need roofing materials and cement.
I live alone and don’t have a kitchen.
The residents of Mewang also expressed various opinions, but the atmosphere was less intense compared to residents from other areas. After the conversation with Sunim ended, the Mewang residents brought gifts of local specialties in bamboo baskets they had made themselves.
Sunim took a basket of boiled cassava from the gifts given by the villagers and shared it with everyone who had participated in the conversation.
After having lunch prepared by Mewang, Sunim moved to Pantang JTS.
In the afternoon, Sunim met with staff members from the Tarayana Foundation. Last September, Sunim visited the foundation and met with foundation officials. Today, seven foundation staff members came to the Pantang JTS center to meet Sunim.
After introducing their roles at the Tarayana Foundation, the person in charge of the water project gave a detailed 50-minute presentation about the Tarayana Foundation and the projects they are currently working on.
The Tarayana Foundation was supporting projects targeting poor people in rural areas.
Their main projects were focused on three main directions: building houses for the poor, supporting village residents’ self-reliance, and environmental protection.
The Tarayana Foundation was also aiming to move towards sustainable methods by identifying and solving the root causes of problems, rather than ending with one-time support projects. As this approach was somewhat in line with Sunim’s sustainable development work, the Tarayana Foundation showed great interest in Sunim’s activities.
“After hearing your story, I see that the projects we want to do are very similar. However, if I were to point out a few differences, firstly, you cover all of Bhutan, while we focus on Zhemgang and Trongsa Dzongkhags. Secondly, you operate as a private organization, but we work together with the government and local residents. Therefore, when we proceed with a project, we need permission from the Dzongkhag or the government. The Tshogpa holds the responsibility for implementation. 
If we only think about results, it’s easier to work independently as an NGO without government involvement. However, to carry out sustainable development projects, improving the awareness of public officials is also important, which is why we work with the government. However, the current system is difficult to make quick decisions when we implement sustainable development projects.
Residents are more likely to repair their houses and engage in community work when they have free time, during the off-season rather than the busy farming season. In other words, when individuals have time available. Therefore, support should be provided immediately according to the villagers’ preferred timing, but this is difficult with the current system.
Also, while budgeting for building houses is possible, it’s difficult to budget for house repairs. House repairs involve buying materials as you go along, with the budget being determined during the process. When we ask residents to set a budget in advance, they don’t know how much to allocate. That’s why house repairs are not progressing well right now.
If materials run short during construction, they need to be procured quickly, but having to submit a new project proposal and get it approved again causes the entire construction to halt. There are advantages to working with the government, but there are also these disadvantages. (laughs) We need to research more on how to complement these issues.
The goal of the sustainable development projects that JTS is currently undertaking is to find a ‘sustainable living model in the era of climate crisis’, even though the result may end up helping the poor. In other words, it’s about how happy humans can be while consuming minimally.
Why We Don’t Support Projects Without Resident Participation
We aim to revive the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) introduced by Bhutan’s fourth king. Currently, in Bhutan, the GNH concept seems to exist only in theory, not in reality.
The joy that comes from receiving something is pleasure, and it doesn’t last long. However, the joy that comes from helping someone or achieving something is not pleasure, but fulfillment. It lasts longer and builds confidence. That’s why we ask residents to plan and implement projects themselves, and why we don’t support any programs without resident participation.
However, until now, the government has been doing everything unilaterally, so when we talk to residents, they approach it from the perspective of ‘do it for us.’ Changing this mindset is the most difficult part now. That’s why I keep saying that we should do small things by ourselves.
I see sustainability as two main issues. First, it must be environmentally sustainable. For example, like the water supply project Tarayana is currently doing, the solution to water problems shouldn’t end with providing pipes, but should include managing the water source so that it can continue to produce water in the future.
Second, residents must be able to manage it independently and continuously. We use local Bhutanese materials for construction and limit the technology to what local residents can handle because if problems arise later, they need to be able to fix and use it themselves. We’re experimenting from this perspective. If the experiment in Zhemgang proves effective, it could spread to all regions of Bhutan.
However, it seems difficult to create a pilot process that is low-cost and highly satisfying to people. That’s why funding is needed when expanding to the whole of Bhutan or to other countries.
After the experiment is over and it’s time to expand, I don’t think JTS needs to do everything. At that point, I believe various organizations should cooperate to spread it. But creating the initial model is difficult. That’s why I come to Bhutan so often.” (laughs)
Sunim provided detailed explanations about the current situations, problems, and concerns to the Tarayana Foundation staff who are interested in sustainable development. They also discussed potential collaboration if the pilot project succeeds and expands. After spending about two hours meeting with the Tarayana Foundation staff, Sunim concluded his day’s activities.
Since there was no Dharma talk today, a conversation between Sunim and a questioner from the Jungto Society Weekly Dharma Assembly held on September 25th will be introduced.
How Can Buddhism Help Overcome Consumerism?
“Everyone has desires. Not just humans, but animals too. We live according to our desires, such as the desire to eat or sleep. The world inhabited by beings with desires is called the Desire Realm. That’s how the world is naturally structured. So we can’t label desires as good or bad. Desires are just desires. In a way, desires can be seen as the driving force of our lives.
However, when we become excessively attached to our desires, suffering arises. The desire to eat is fine, but when it becomes a craving that ‘I must eat this,’ suffering occurs if we can’t eat it. Having a desire to possess something is okay, but if we develop a craving that ‘I must have this’ in a situation where we can’t have it, suffering arises due to things not going our way. So it’s not the desire that’s the problem, but the attachment to desire, or craving, that is the cause of suffering.
That’s why Buddha said that freedom from craving is true freedom. We can say that conquering oneself is a greater heroic deed than defeating a million external enemies. Here, ‘oneself’ refers to our cravings, karma, and habits. This is because following our desires has become habitual. The Buddha spoke of this freedom from craving. He abandoned his life as a prince of excessive consumption and lived on the bare minimum for survival – eating alms food, wearing discarded clothes, and sleeping under trees. From the perspective of desire, this lifestyle is no different from extreme poverty. Living in conditions where one can’t eat properly, dress properly, or sleep properly is the epitome of suffering. However, from the perspective of freedom from craving, the Buddha’s lifestyle represents true freedom, unhindered by anything and liberated from desires.
How about us today? We feel we must eat delicious food, wear nice clothes, live in good houses, and our desires never end until our last breath. Nowadays, especially with social media and TV, new terms like ‘mukbang’ (eating broadcast) have emerged, emphasizing the act of eating. Wherever we go, we take pictures of food and post them on social media. We share information about where we ate, which coffee shop is delicious, which bakery is good. What about clothing? The term ‘wearing’ includes not just clothes, but also bags and accessories. We’re addicted to wearing expensive brand-name items. It’s the same with houses. A house is just a place to sleep, but it has become so luxurious that apartments worth tens of millions of dollars are appearing. Looking at this, it seems we’re racing towards the extreme of consumption. People who like cars or wine spend a lot of money consuming them, those who like jewelry collect expensive pieces, and those who like bicycles or cars drive vehicles worth millions. They form clubs and associate with like-minded people, brainwashing each other. This is a symptom of consumption addiction. It works on the same principle as drug addiction.
Firstly, there’s the problem of consuming too much, and secondly, as consumption becomes more luxurious, we end up spending enormous amounts. As a result, the CO2 emissions from this consumption are tens of times higher than that of ordinary people. In this era of climate crisis, such people are serious offenders. It’s equivalent to taking numerous lives. Yet, while we worry about the climate crisis, we also envy these people. The Buddha voluntarily gave up his princely status, which allowed for excessive consumption, but we, who aren’t even princes, desire to be kings. We should live frugally and free ourselves from addiction even when we have the means to consume, but instead, we crave consumption even when we can’t afford it, leading to suffering. As a result, we become slaves to consumption.
Therefore, the new movement that Jungto Society aims to create is, firstly, to become free from attachment to desires according to the Buddha’s teachings. Secondly, it’s about consuming less and sharing the remaining resources with others. It’s about becoming a giver rather than a beggar. By consuming less, we can reduce CO2 emissions and live a life that helps overcome the climate crisis. By giving instead of fighting to possess, we can bring peace to this harsh era. Thus, the Buddha’s teachings not only help individuals overcome suffering but also serve as a foundation for solving social problems. Through the Buddha’s teachings, we can resolve the environmental crisis, war crisis, and many other conflicts that humanity currently faces. Many deep-rooted conflicts in Korean society all stem from insisting on one’s own opinions or trying to fulfill one’s own desires.
Living according to the Buddha’s teachings is a way to solving many of society’s problems while simultaneously resolving our own suffering. Living a life that brings peace to human relationships, protects nature, and helps the extremely poor is a sustainable life. The project that Jungto Society is trying to implement in Bhutan is precisely about sustainable development that helps people in need without destroying the environment. If we destroy the environment in the name of helping people, we’ll ultimately invite greater disaster. In the past, we only focused on helping those in need, but now we need to conduct our volunteer activities within the limits that don’t harm the environment, based on environmental values. If we used to only discuss human values in the past, now we need to establish a new set of values that considers the principles of natural ecosystem circulation by adding environmental values. The Buddha’s teachings stand precisely at this position. For example, ‘Do not murder’ is limited to relationships with people. However, the Buddha said, ‘Do not take life.’ This can be seen as a statement that includes environmental values.
If we look at the natural ecosystem, when a dog gives birth to puppies, some have white fur, some black, some yellow. But dogs don’t discriminate against each other based on fur color. When dogs interact, they don’t discriminate based on gender. However, humans discriminate based on skin color, gender, and class. This means that racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and class discrimination are not natural. They are distorted values created by human misconceptions that have formed into culture. Awakening to these distorted facts and acting with right understanding – this is the attitude of a practitioner.”
“Thank you.”
