Feb 4, 2025- Day 1 of Trongsa Survey in Bhutan (Nabji, Baling)
Hello. This is the first day of the Trongsa Dzongkhag survey in Bhutan. Today, along with agricultural experts from Korea, we educated the residents of Nabji Chiwog on organic farming methods, then moved to Baling Chiwog to have conversations with the residents and visit extremely poor households.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim had breakfast at the lodging. Afterwards, he held a meeting with agricultural experts from Korea: Joo Hyung-ro, Bang Mi-sook, and Lee Young-sun. These three are agricultural experts specializing in organic rice farming in Korea, invited to help improve agricultural productivity in Bhutan. They plan to stay in Nabji village from February 2nd to 7th, educating villagers on rice planting methods and experimenting with growing organic crops like grass and canola in winter as fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers.
The agricultural experts, who arrived in Nabji Chiwog a day before Sunim, shared the status of the farmland they had surveyed so far.
During the meeting, the Governor of Trongsa visited the lodging and greeted everyone warmly. The Governor agreed to accompany the group for most of this survey trip.
After the meeting, Sunim visited the irrigation canal construction site, which is part of the Nabji project. The Tshogpa (village representative) of Nabji Chiwog led the way, saying that the residents wanted to show Sunim how well they had constructed the canal this time.
Before surveying Zhemgang Dzongkhag last January, Sunim had briefly stopped by the irrigation canal construction site in Nabji village. At that time, he was worried about how the residents would transport heavy cement as there was no road to the construction site. However, when he visited today, he found that the irrigation canal had been neatly completed.
Sunim walked along the entire length of the irrigation canal. The canal was straight and well-constructed. He commended the residents for their hard work and encouraged the Tshogpa for his efforts in motivating the villagers.
“Good job!” 
After inspecting the irrigation canal, Sunim moved to the Nabji temple to have a conversation with the residents of Nabji Chiwog.
After paying respects at the main hall, he explained to the group that this temple is a sacred site where ‘Guru Rinpoche’, revered as Buddha by the Bhutanese people, had summoned two warring kings and made them sign a peace treaty.
Afterwards, he came out to the temple courtyard to have a conversation with the residents.
“How have you all been? How was the autumn harvest?”
“It went well.”
“How was the cardamom harvest?”
“It was good.”
“Did the festival go well?”
“Yes, we had it without any fights.” (Laughter)
“I heard that you invited me and the JTS activists to the Nabji festival. Thank you. I wanted to attend, but I couldn’t because I was leading a pilgrimage of about 400 Korean Buddhists to sacred sites in India. If the timing works out for the next festival, I’ll definitely attend.”
“Yes, we would be grateful if you could come, Sunim.”
“Did you perform mask dances up in the trees?” (Laughter)
“Yes.” (Laughter)
Sunim discussed the irrigation canal made by the residents and encouraged them.
“I had a good look at the irrigation canal with the Tshogpa’s guidance. You all worked hard. How many households participated?”
“15 households worked for three weeks.”
“Then, did the rest of the households not participate?”
“We plan to start work on another canal next week. The remaining households will participate then.”
“I see. But where are all the men? I only see many women sitting here.” (Laughter) 
“They all went out to work.”
“What kind of work did they go to do?”
“They are cleaning up the land where we planted cardamom.”
“Was laying the canal very difficult? Was it manageable?”
“It was hard, but we did it joyfully because it’s for our benefit.”
When only one person kept answering, Sunim smiled and said.
“It seems like only this person has a mouth, and the others don’t. Why are the rest of you so quiet?” (Laughter)
“We’re all thinking, but we don’t have the courage to speak up.”
Sunim explained about organic farming methods and introduced the agricultural experts from Korea.
“This time, three agricultural experts from Korea have also come. In Korea, most farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides when farming. However, using chemical fertilizers acidifies the soil, and spraying pesticides kills not only pests but all living organisms in the rice fields. These experts, however, are practicing organic farming without using pesticides or fertilizers to preserve nature and the soil.
I’ve tried organic farming myself, and it wasn’t easy. First, too many weeds grow. Second, due to lack of fertilizer, crops don’t grow well. Third, when pests appear, we can’t use pesticides, so crops are easily damaged. So while organic farming has good intentions, it’s not easy to practice in reality. (Laughter)
However, the teachers we’ve invited today have overcome these difficulties and are successfully practicing organic farming. It’s possible to increase production without using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. To do this, you need to make good organic fertilizer and manage the fields thoroughly. For example, you shouldn’t dry out the fields completely like you do now. You need to maintain appropriate moisture for microorganisms to thrive. Also, you should plant rice about a month earlier than you do now, and manage the fields so that wind can circulate well. If you plant too densely as you do now, it’s easy for diseases and pests to occur because wind doesn’t circulate well, and it’s also difficult to weed. If you plant rice in rows, it’s easier to weed and harvest. But I know it’s not easy to change farming methods that you’ve been accustomed to for a long time.
Still, it’s important to learn how organic farming is done in Korea. Mr. Joo Hyung-ro will explain organic farming methods today. Based on what you learn today, you can first experiment on a small scale, and if it’s effective, gradually expand.
Above all, to produce good rice, you need good seeds. You also need to secure sufficient production. And when you sell in the market, you should be able to get a fair price. Furthermore, you should consider ways to process and commercialize rice. These experts have extensive experience in all these processes, so it would be good to actively ask questions and share opinions.”
Mr. Joo Hyung-ro explained organic farming methods, including duck farming, and the residents showed deep interest and listened attentively.
After Mr. Joo Hyung-ro’s explanation, Sunim took questions from the residents. One resident explained four aspects of the village’s current situation and asked a question.
“First, Nabji Chiwog has a large population and more flat land than other villages, so rice farming is well-developed here. We have a tradition of starting rice planting on the same day and harvesting on the same day. This is because if someone harvests early, birds will eat all the rice left in the other fields.
Second, we’re already planting rice about a month earlier than when I was young. But if we move it a month earlier than that, we’d have to plant in April or May, which is the hottest time in Nabji Chiwog. The water temperature in the fields also rises, and if young seedlings are put in hot water, it hinders their growth. That’s why we haven’t moved rice planting earlier until now. Also, if we plant rice in April, the harvest time would be in July, which is the rainy season in Bhutan. We’re worried about whether we can harvest if it rains a lot.
Third, there’s the water issue. Although we have more water now with the new irrigation canal, we still lack water if it doesn’t rain. We start rice farming at the same time, so all fields need water simultaneously. Even if we have canals, they’re meaningless if there’s no water at the source. If we plant rice in April, it’s just before the rainy season, so there might not be enough water at the source.
Fourth, thanks to the new irrigation canal, we’re hoping we might be able to do double cropping. Is double cropping possible?”
Sunim listened attentively to the resident’s words and then responded.
“Those are good points. First, we must consider the climate conditions. If the water becomes too hot and kills the seedlings after planting, we obviously need to adjust. We also need to consider if the harvest time overlaps with the rainy season. Basically, planting rice earlier increases yield. However, climate conditions need to support this for it to be effective. Therefore, it’s best to experiment first and make decisions based on the results.
With well-maintained canals, we can solve the water problem to some extent. In the past, you could only prepare seedbeds when it rained, but now with canals, you can prepare seedbeds in advance even if it doesn’t rain. However, if there’s not enough water for rice planting, you should time it with the rainy season. Also, instead of flooding the fields all at once, if you start moistening the soil from February, you can reduce water usage. So while you plant rice simultaneously, it’s good to prepare the fields by retaining water in advance. Currently, there are four canals, but if you use them all at once, there might not be enough water. Therefore, you should consider using the canals sequentially at one-week intervals. It’s important to operate according to the amount of water currently available.
While using the methods suggested by the Korean experts as a basis, you must consider Bhutan’s climate and water conditions. So, I suggest conducting construction work in winter to secure water in the canals. Measures should be taken to regulate the river flow to ensure a stable water supply to the canals. If there’s currently not enough water, you need to research methods such as expanding water sources, minimizing water loss, and storing water in the fields in advance to distribute usage.
Before the entire village moves rice planting earlier, it’s better to experiment with a few fields first. Check what actual problems arise when planting rice early, and decide on a direction based on those results. And with these climate conditions, double cropping should be quite possible.”
To this, a resident asked an additional question.
“Last time we tried winter rice farming as an experiment, but just before harvest, birds ate all the rice. That year had the worst bird damage.”
Sunim offered advice again.
“In that case, before attempting double cropping, we should first consider whether it’s actually effective. Side businesses using rice might be more advantageous. For example, you could research holding festivals using rice or making and selling processed rice products.
Recently, when I was on a pilgrimage in Bodhgaya, I noticed many Bhutanese visitors. This is a sign that Bhutan’s economic level is rising. As domestic travel increases in the future, pilgrims visiting Nabji Chiwog will also increase.
Also, when the new city of Gelephu is established soon, demand for premium food products will increase. At that time, you could create a brand called ‘Nabji Rice’ and sell it as premium rice. Many foreigners will also move into Gelephu, so you could target them as main consumers.”
A resident added to this.
“The King, anticipating increased fruit demand with the new city, distributed fruit tree seedlings to farmers. However, almost all the planted seedlings died.”
Sunim emphasized that organic farming could become a new opportunity.
“Until now, we’ve focused on producing food for ourselves, but now we need to create good products. If we grow the specialty crops we used to sell organically, we can get several times more for them.
The practice of organic farming in Bhutan itself could become a tourist attraction. Consumers might want to visit organic farms in Bhutan. If that happens, each household will need to pay more attention to eco-friendly living, starting with the issue of purifying wastewater.
These changes are quite possible. You don’t have to go all the way to Australia. You can live well right here. You need to create the reality that living in Bhutan is better than living in Australia.”
Sunim’s joke elicited laughter from the residents, and the conversation continued with increased enthusiasm. After two and a half hours of dialogue, the Korean agricultural experts distributed seaweed as gifts to the residents.
Sunim presented gifts brought from Bodhgaya to the Trongsa Governor and officials. Finally, he expressed gratitude and offered words of encouragement to the Tshogpa and officials.
“Working with the residents must have been challenging. Persuading and encouraging them couldn’t have been easy. Nabji village will now attempt organic farming methods, which is also not a simple task. However, let’s proceed together slowly.” 
At 11:40 AM, Sunim bid farewell to the Trongsa Governor and agricultural experts and departed for Baling Chhoekhor in Langthel Gewog. The agricultural experts stayed behind to make organic compost with about 20 Nabji residents.
At 1 PM, Sunim arrived at Baling Chhoekhor. A tent was set up at the temple entrance, and the ground was covered with pine needles. The subtle scent of pine needles permeated the air, reflecting the sincerity of the residents welcoming Sunim.
Inside the temple, the local monks were conducting a ceremony. While waiting for the ceremony to pause, Sunim enjoyed warm tea prepared by the residents. During a brief break in the ceremony, he quietly entered the main hall to pay his respects before exiting.
Upon leaving the main hall, Sunim found village residents lined up, waiting to receive his blessing. He blessed each person individually before taking his seat.
The Tshogpa of Baling Chhoekhor explained the current situation of the village. After listening to the Tshogpa’s account, Sunim began a dialogue with the residents.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m from Korea. Have you heard of Korea? It’s located far to the east from here. You need to take a plane and transit through Bangkok or Delhi to get there. There are no direct flights from Bhutan to Korea yet.”
Sunim explained the reason for his visit to Bhutan.
“My visit to Bhutan began with an invitation from the King. The King is concerned about young people leaving the country. After much deliberation on the need to create a new city within Bhutan where young people can work, the concept of ‘Gelephu New City’ emerged. While modern development has its benefits, it also poses problems such as the destruction of the natural environment, traditional culture, and local communities. Bhutan has made preserving nature and traditional culture a key objective of national policy. However, focusing solely on preservation can lead to disconnection from modern society, causing young people to leave the country. Conversely, modern development risks the loss of Bhutan’s unique traditions.
Therefore, the Bhutanese government is attempting to address these two issues separately. The plan is to develop the Gelephu area as a modern new city while managing other regions to preserve nature and traditions. The intention is to operate these approaches separately for 20 years before reintegrating them to achieve balance.
While protecting nature and traditional culture is important, if development is too slow, it leads to inconveniences in daily life. That’s why the government is making significant efforts to build roads and supply electricity. However, as Bhutan is a small country, the national budget is limited, making it difficult to progress quickly.”
Sunim emphasized that with limited government support, residents should initiate their own efforts to improve their living conditions.
“That’s why I suggest you all work together on a life improvement campaign. JTS is not a government agency, so we can’t fulfill all your requests as they are. However, we can provide the materials you need to make improvements voluntarily. The conditions for support are, first, it must be something essential to make life more convenient. Second, it’s something you can do yourself but can’t proceed with because you lack the money for materials. In such cases, JTS will provide those materials to help with improvements. We should start with improving housing conditions. How many households in this village don’t have houses?”
“More than 10 households.”
“Are they all ready to build houses?”
“We cut wood from the mountains, but without money for transportation, we left it there and it all rotted.”
Sunim discussed housing improvements with the residents and proposed solutions.
“If you have stones and soil ready but no roofing materials, JTS will provide the roofing. If there’s no one to build the house, we can provide materials if the villagers agree to help. Are there any households with houses but no interior partitions?”
“Most don’t have them.”
“When living with parents, shouldn’t rooms be divided? There should be at least three sections for parents, children, and the couple. Do you have shelves in your homes to store things?”
“No.”
“You need shelves to use space efficiently. Putting things on the floor makes the house seem smaller.”
Sunim checked each aspect of the residents’ living environment, asking about house partitions, shelves, kitchen structure, chimneys, and toilets. He then inquired about agriculture and basic infrastructure.
“How many households have rice fields?”
“Most do.”
“Are the irrigation channels made of cement?”
“No. The irrigation channels in Baling Chiwog are made of soil.”
“When will the government provide funds for repairing irrigation channels?”
“We’re not sure.”
“If JTS provides cement, can you repair the irrigation channels?”
“Yes, we can.”
“It’s a lot of work and difficult.”
“Yes, but if cement is provided, the villagers will gather and build it together.”
Sunim also asked about roads and fences.
“Are the village fences well-maintained?”
“No, there are no fences.”
“Are the roads within the village dirt roads or paved with cement?”
“They’re dirt roads.”
“Don’t they get slippery when it rains?”
“Yes, especially children often slip on their way to school.”
“If you had cement, could you pave the roads?”
“Yes, we could.”
Sunim reiterated the goals of the JTS-supported living environment improvement project.
“This project aims to improve living conditions by enhancing houses, fences, roads, and irrigation channels to create a more convenient and cleaner village. It’s not about someone else doing it for you, but about you doing it yourselves. For example, if you’re building a house and lack roofing materials, JTS will provide them. If you want to build irrigation channels but don’t have cement, we’ll review if it’s necessary and if you can build it yourselves before providing support. Please consult with the Tshogpa and request things you can do yourselves. However, we can’t accept requests for support without any effort on your part.”
Sunim introduced examples of life improvement projects from other Chiwogs, encouraging the residents of Baling Chiwog to work together.
“Currently in Trongsa, we’ve conducted a pilot project in Korphu Gewog. In Nabji Chiwog, residents are reinforcing irrigation channels with cement, and in Korphu Chiwog, they’ve created cement roads on steep terrain to make it easier for vehicles to pass.
In Nimshong Chiwog, villagers came together to complete a house for a family where construction had stopped due to the sudden death of the head of the household. In Goshing and Rebati Chiwogs, they installed pipes to supply drinking water, and in Phumzur Chiwog, they repaired one household’s house. In Phumzur Chiwog, they also installed a toilet at the temple, and in Langdurbi Chiwog, they installed chimneys to allow smoke to escape efficiently when burning fires. These projects were carried out as examples for you to reference. This project requires village residents to work together. Can you do it?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t just answer well and then not do the work after receiving the materials you requested.” (Laughter) 
After finishing the conversation with the residents, we finally had lunch at 3 PM. After the meal, we moved to Bjangju, Baling Chiwog to visit extremely poor households. Upon arriving at the Chiwog, Sunim consulted with Trongsa officials and then surveyed two households.
Sunim carefully examined the interior and exterior of the houses, checking the living conditions. One household only needed roofing materials, but the other was in such poor condition that it almost needed to be rebuilt entirely. This household was classified as a Grade C house requiring complete renovation, and it was decided to repair it according to the owner’s wishes.
After completing all survey schedules, we arrived at the lodging in Langthel Chiwog around 6 PM. Sunim checked documents sent from Korea before concluding the day.
Tomorrow, we plan to survey Jangbi Gewog, Langthel Chiwog, and Yuling Chiwog in Langthel Gewog.
As there was no Dharma talk today, we’ll conclude with a conversation between a questioner and Sunim from the Jungto Dharma School Q&A session on the 1st.
I Feel Burdened by the Daily Morning Practice
“Sometimes we are too bound by our own thoughts and rules, not others troubling us, but we troubling ourselves. It’s like a silkworm trapped in the cocoon it spins from its own silk. However, just as a silkworm becomes a moth and flies out by making a hole in the cocoon, the goal of practice is to break through the fence of our thoughts and concepts and fly freely.
But if this process goes wrong, it can easily lead to self-indulgence. At first, we restrain our desires, passions, and temperaments, but gradually we stop feeling the need for restraint and act as we please. For example, during the hippie culture of the 1960s in America, Buddhism was temporarily popular among young people. The teachings of Buddhism were misunderstood as ‘you can live freely without caring about others’ opinions’ and spread among young people. This was a primary liberation from the constraints of existing society. However, if this liberation flows into self-indulgence, it doesn’t align with the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha’s teachings emphasize not just thinking about oneself, but considering others in relationships. However, if we go beyond considering others and live excessively conscious of others’ opinions, constraining ourselves, we should also be liberated from that.
We need to consider others more voluntarily and autonomously. If someone hits or kills us, it would be extremely painful. So we shouldn’t hit or kill others. Also, if someone takes away something necessary for our survival, it would be very painful. So we shouldn’t take or steal others’ belongings. If someone forcibly hugs or kisses us, it would be very distressing. So we shouldn’t sexually harass or assault others. If someone verbally abuses or lies to us, it would be very painful. So we shouldn’t trouble others with our words either. This isn’t about suppressing ourselves, but about considering others. It’s also a way to reduce our own suffering by not receiving karmic consequences in the future. But if we see this as constraint, it means we’re leaning towards living according to our own desires.
Therefore, practitioners should live frugally even if they have a lot of money, give if they have excess, and always be humble no matter how high their position, without being arrogant. This is self-control. Self-control isn’t about gritting your teeth and enduring, but about regulating your own desires and temperament to maintain peace of mind and not cause harm or pain to others. Even if you’re liberated from living under forced constraints, you need to practice self-control to find true freedom within that.
True freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want, but about being free from your karma, free from your desires and temperament, and free from your ignorance. In that sense, the questioner has become free from living constrained by others’ gazes. However, if this leads to self-indulgence, not caring about others’ opinions and doing whatever you want, clashing with others, that’s not the right kind of freedom.
Practice isn’t about being tense, gritting your teeth, and enduring, but about letting go of tension and comfortably becoming aware of your words, actions, and mental activities to control yourself. Of course, someone who grew up in an overly oppressed state and has trauma from that experience might think that practice is oppressing them due to their rebellious feelings. I once lived in a temple with North Korean youth. Because they had experiences in North Korea of being forced to wake up early for morning star-watching exercises and participate in self-criticism sessions in the evening, they had strong resistance to morning prayer times and evening sharing times. When they woke up early in the morning, they would complain, saying ‘This is worse than North Korea,’ or when we had sharing time after finishing the day’s work in the evening, they would often express resistance, saying ‘This is just like North Korea.’
The questioner might feel similarly, but you need to go one step further from there to reach true freedom. If you think ‘This is practice’ just because your mind has become comfortable by not caring about others’ opinions, you might fall into another trap.
But since you’ve suffered from living while being overly conscious of others’ opinions, experience a bit more self-indulgence for now. (Laughs) After enjoying self-indulgence a bit more, you’ll start to think, ‘This has side effects too.’ Then you’ll be able to practice the middle way, free from both the oppressed state and doing whatever you want.”
“Thank you. I’m not very good at speaking, so my question might have been lacking, but you answered as if you had entered my mind and come out again, pinpointing exactly what I meant. I will become a Buddhist practitioner who practices self-control without oppressing myself.”
