February 6, 2025 – Third Day of Trongsa Exploration in Bhutan (Dangdung, Samcholing Chiwog)
Hello. This is the third day of our Trongsa exploration in Bhutan. Today, after visiting Dangdung Chiwog in Langthil Gewog, we moved to Dragteng Gewog to have conversations with residents of Upper Samcholing (Samcholing Khatoe) and Lower Samcholing (Samcholing Khamay) villages.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim proofread manuscripts and had breakfast in the lodging’s dining room.
Meanwhile, JTS activist Park Sihyeon and three agricultural experts arrived at Sunim’s lodging for breakfast on their way to Thimphu after completing agricultural training in Nabji Chiwog.
While Sunim was out exploring, the agricultural experts conducted organic farming education, including organic compost production, for about 20 Nabji residents. The three experts are scheduled to move to Thimphu today and return to Korea tomorrow. Sunim presented prayer beads to the agricultural experts as a token of gratitude.
“Thank you for coming such a long way to provide education. These are prayer beads from Bodhgaya.” 
After taking commemorative photos, Sunim departed for Dangdung Chiwog at 8:40 AM. Sunim arrived at Dangdung Chiwog about 10 minutes later. Sunim arrived early, before all the residents had gathered. It was decided to wait for everyone to arrive before starting the conversation.
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After paying respects at the temple, Sunim sat below the Dharma seat to communicate more closely with the residents while waiting for them to arrive.
After about 10 minutes, the temple gradually filled with people, to the point where there was barely enough room to sit. As it was winter break, many students also came.
“With so many people here, I should give a Dharma talk today.”
At 9:20 AM, Sunim ascended the Dharma seat and began his talk. For an hour, Sunim spoke on two topics: how we can live without suffering like the Buddha, and what kind of deeds we should do to accumulate great merit, equivalent to the merit of making offerings to the Buddha.
“Everyone has a mind. The mind can be bright or dark, clear or cloudy, light or heavy. When we suffer, our mind is dark, cloudy, or heavy. When we become foolish, we can’t see anything clearly, and our mind becomes dark. When we have too much greed, our mind becomes cloudy. When we have an overly strong sense of duty, our mind becomes heavy. However, when we attain enlightenment, everything becomes clear and our mind brightens. When we let go of greed, our mind becomes clear like a mirror. When we let go of the thought that we are right, our mind becomes light. When a child is born, their mind is clear because they have no greed. Children’s minds are light because they have no stubbornness. However, children’s minds are dark because they don’t know much yet. In other words, their minds are clean but not bright. Therefore, we cannot say that a child’s mind is the mind of a Buddha. To have the mind of a Buddha, it must be bright, clear, and light.
As we live in this world, our minds become increasingly cloudy due to greed. As we develop more stubbornness, our minds become heavier. We may know more than children, but our minds are still in a dark state. However, our original mind is bright, clear, and light. Our original mind is the mind of a Buddha. We all can become Buddhas because we were born with minds. But as we live in this world, our minds become dark, cloudy, and heavy, and we end up with the minds of ordinary beings.
The Buddha, born as a prince, did not experience the same kind of suffering from unfulfilled desires that we do. However, his mind was not yet enlightened, so he still had many afflictions. This led him to leave his royal life and practice. After six years of practice, he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya. Enlightenment means that his mind became clear. From that point on, no matter what happened, he no longer suffered. The goal of learning the Buddha’s teachings is to live without any suffering. To achieve this, our minds must become clear, pure, and light.
How Can We Live Without Suffering?
We too can live without suffering, just like the Buddha. To do this, first, we must let go of our greed. This will purify our minds. People without greed have clear eyes, while those with many greed have clouded eyes. Second, we must let go of the notion that we are always right. When we strongly believe we are right, we tend to get angry easily. People have different thoughts, but we keep thinking others are wrong. The Buddha taught that the reasons for our mental suffering are attachment (貪), aversion (瞋), and delusion (癡). Attachment refers to greed, aversion refers to anger, and delusion refers to foolishness. Our minds fall into suffering due to these three causes.
The way to eliminate the three poisons of attachment, aversion, and delusion is to practice the threefold training: virtue (戒), concentration (定), and wisdom (慧). First, we must observe moral precepts. We should know when to stop even if we want to do something that leads to bad results, and we should know when to act even if we don’t want to do something that leads to good results. Second, we must calm our minds. When we calm our minds, the anger that comes from being caught up in the idea that we are right disappears. By practicing these two alone, we can become good and calm people. However, to become a Buddha, we need to gain the clear vision that comes with enlightenment. To become a Buddha, we must gain wisdom that dispels ignorance, based on observing moral precepts and practicing meditation.
Many of you are primarily engaged in mantra practice, which is a form of meditation that falls under the second of the threefold training. Seon meditation, mantra recitation, Buddha-name recitation, sutra reading, and even Vipassana practice in Theravada Buddhism are all forms of meditation training. When practicing meditation, the most important aspects are: First, maintaining a calm mind. Trying too hard can easily lead to tension. Second, concentrating the mind on a single point. When reciting the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum,” focus should be on that. Third, maintaining clear awareness. When concentration deepens, illusions may arise in the mind, making one mistakenly believe they have gained supernatural powers. This is like a dream, occurring due to a lack of clear awareness. With proper practice, there comes a moment when the mind becomes peaceful, clear, and everything becomes bright. In this state, one can live without suffering, regardless of whether they have money or not, high status or low, or whether their environment is good or bad. The reason our minds suffer is due to the three poisons: greed, anger, and ignorance. By eliminating these three poisons and cultivating the three trainings of morality, meditation, and wisdom, we too can live without suffering, just like the Buddha.
Why We Should Work Together to Help the Poor
If we practice diligently according to these teachings, the notion that life is uncomfortable disappears. However, when we stop practicing, we start to worry about all sorts of issues, thinking, “My house should be better,” or “I should be more attractive.” That’s why I could just give Dharma talks without needing to help those in need. Because if you practice and attain enlightenment, living conditions become less important. But simply listening to Dharma talks doesn’t instantly lead to that state. We aim for enlightenment, but we’re in the process of getting there. During this journey towards enlightenment, it’s natural to want to eat tasty food sometimes or have a better house. The reason I support you is not because your house needs to be better. It’s because you’re in such difficult circumstances that we need to make some improvements. The intention is not for you to “become rich” or “gain high status.” That’s why I help those who are truly poor, but for the majority, you should help the poor yourselves, following the Buddha’s teachings. If I provide the resources, you should work together to help those in need. This act of giving is equivalent to making offerings to the Buddha and carries the same merit.
For example, let’s say there’s a homeless person in our neighborhood. We all want to help, but we don’t have the money to do so. In this case, I could provide materials for the roof and windows. Then, you could contribute your labor for a few days to build the house. Those with carpentry skills could do woodwork for a few days. Those who are good at laying bricks could do that. If you don’t have any particular skills, you could carry stones. You could also mix sand and cement. The idea is for us to work together to build a house for someone in need. The homeless person benefits by getting a new home, and we benefit by accumulating merit equivalent to making an offering to the Buddha by helping someone in need. I’ve gathered you all here today to propose that we do this kind of work together.
If we work hard farming, but animals come and eat everything, it becomes difficult for us to survive. Other religious groups might easily solve this by shooting the animals. However, we’ve decided not to kill animals, right? So the only solution is to build fences to keep animals out of the fields. But buying wire fencing is expensive. Since you don’t have money for wire fencing, I’ll provide that, and you can cut trees from the mountain to make posts.
This is how we can work together. I’m not doing this unilaterally. Here, it’s a joint effort between you and me, but in the broader perspective, it’s a collaboration between Buddhists in Korea and Buddhists in Bhutan. That’s why the organization doing this work is called ‘Join Together Society (JTS)’. It means coming together to work as one.
Helping those in need brings great merit, equivalent to making an offering to the Buddha. So, we should join forces to help those in need in our community. I’ll provide the materials, and you’ll provide the labor. Let’s work together to make our neighborhood a better place to live.
Continuing, Sunim discussed ways to improve living conditions with the villagers.
“Today, I’d like to discuss improving your living environment. We’ll help build houses for those without homes. If you have stones and soil but lack roofing materials, we’ll provide them. If you need materials that must be purchased to build a house, we’ll supply those. For existing homes without partitions, we’ll install them, and if shelves are needed, we’ll make them. We’ll add ceilings to kitchens without them, and repair unsanitary toilets. If there’s a shortage of drinking water, we’ll secure it, and if irrigation channels are needed for farming, we’ll construct them. We’ll install fences where wild animals are causing damage. If the elementary school toilets are dirty, they should be repaired.
For the elderly with poor eyesight, we’ll arrange surgeries; for those hard of hearing, we’ll provide hearing aids; and for those missing teeth, we’ll support dentures to improve their quality of life.
If village paths are slippery, we’ll pave them with cement, and if steep unpaved sections on vehicle roads are causing inconvenience, we’ll pave just those sections. This isn’t a request to the government; we’ll do it ourselves. JTS will provide the materials, and you’ll do the work. Let’s join forces to make the village a better place. This is the essence of today’s meeting. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
A villager said.
“Seeing your activities, Sunim, I’m deeply moved, thinking this must be how Buddha acted when he was alive. Our Dangdung village isn’t extremely poor, but some residents are struggling. I have two points to make.
First, it’s difficult to irrigate the fields. Although Dangdung village’s fields are in the best condition in Trongsa, we can’t farm properly due to insufficient water. The government built waterways, but there’s not enough water from the source to supply the fields adequately.
Second, there’s a path within the village that people use, but it becomes muddy and slippery when it rains. We would be grateful if you could support us in improving this path.”
Sunim responded:
“I’ve heard your concerns. The first issue falls under government projects, while the second could be a JTS project. Road paving or electricity installation are tasks for the government, not individuals. Therefore, these require government support. On the other hand, what I’m proposing to you should be ‘things we can do ourselves.’ For example, we can repair houses or install fences. If necessary materials are lacking, JTS can provide support. Bringing water from the source is a government project. However, if small channels leading from the main waterway to the fields are made of soil and losing water, reinforcing those sections with cement could be a JTS project.
For instance, in Nabji village, the government handled the task of bringing water through large pipes from 4km away. But JTS supported the construction of small cement channels to prevent water loss near the fields. Among your suggestions, ‘bringing water from the source via pipes’ is a government responsibility. However, ‘paving village paths’ is something we can do, so support for this is possible. The principle of JTS projects is ‘what we can do with our own strength.’ The approach should be ‘We will do it,’ not ‘Please do it for us.'”
After an hour and a half of conversation, Sunim told the Gup and Dzongda:
“After surveying, it seems Baling Chiwog and Jangbi Chiwog are particularly underdeveloped. It would be good to pay special attention to supporting these areas.”
At 11 AM, Sunim and his group left Dangdung Chiwog and arrived at the green tea house in Samcholing Chiwog at 11:30 AM.
Residents from upper and lower Samcholing villages were waiting at the tea house. Sunim listened to the Tshogpa’s explanation of the village’s current situation and began a dialogue with the residents.
“After cultivating tea, is the income per unit area better compared to other crops?”
“Yes, green tea is better because animals don’t eat it.”
“Assuming there’s no animal damage, how does the income per unit area compare when planting green tea, rice, and corn?”
“Even without animal damage, rice and corn are mostly used for self-consumption, so they don’t generate much income.”
“Do both upper and lower Samcholing villages cultivate and sell green tea?”
“Currently, only the upper village is cultivating, but the lower village is preparing. Initially, the green tea business started only in upper Samcholing. However, recently, a green tea cooperative has formed in the lower village, and they’ve begun cultivation, but sales haven’t started yet. Samcholing has a large population, but residents own very little land. Most actual landowners are from Bumthang. As in other villages, cultivating regular crops results in severe damage from monkeys and wild boars.”
“Is all the produced green tea sold, or is there surplus that goes to waste?”
“It varies yearly, but last year we had a slight surplus, and this year we expect to sell almost everything.”
“How is the production trend?”
“It’s increasing every year.”
“Then, since the lower Samcholing village has also started cultivation, production and sales will begin soon, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. A green tea cooperative has been formed and is in the preparation stage.”
“What’s the most challenging issue in Samcholing village?”
“Samcholing is divided into upper and lower villages, but it’s actually one village administratively split due to electoral constituencies. The biggest problem here is drinking water.”
“Is the water shortage due to increased usage, or is the water source drying up?”
“Both are issues. Water has become scarce as the population has grown.”
“What solution do you think would work?”
“We believe water tanks could solve the problem.”
“Is it a matter of water tanks, or do you need a new water source?”
“Both are necessary. The current water source is 3.5km from the village, and a new potential source is about 8km away. Currently, the upper and lower villages share one water source, but it seems we need to separate them.”
“Wouldn’t it be difficult for residents to work on a project 8km away? The projects I conduct are collaborative efforts with you. I provide materials, and you do the work yourselves. Can you manage that? If I supply cement, are you certain the villagers can carry out the construction?”
“Yes, if you provide the materials, we can do it.”
“Lebati Chiwog also brought water from 7km away. There, 20 households worked together on the project. With your 100 households, you should be able to manage it easily. Are there any other difficulties? Are there households without homes?”
“There are two or three such households in upper Samcholing.”
Sunim explained the criteria for housing support to the Samcholing residents.
“Besides water and housing issues, is there any other support needed?”
Sunim checked if the village paths were slippery on rainy days due to being unpaved, and if fences were properly installed in farming areas. As he concluded the conversation with the residents, he said:
“Even if we’re not rich, our goal is to make our homes clean and convenient, and to enjoy a minimum level of cultural life, aiming to ‘beautify our village and live comfortably by our own efforts.’ If your homes aren’t clean, your grandchildren won’t want to visit in the future. (Laughter)”
An elderly man laughed and agreed.
“That’s absolutely right! (Laughs) I completely agree with you, Sunim. When grandchildren come from the city, they refuse to eat even when we prepare meals, saying it’s too dirty. When we ask them to stay overnight, they say they can’t possibly sleep here and want to return to Thimphu right away. (Laughs) It seems you’ve already seen this situation. (Laughs)”
“I’ve personally stayed in villages and observed what’s inconvenient. In some houses, there was so much smoke that it was hard to breathe. In others, the whole family had to sleep together in one large room. When I went to the kitchen, it was very messy, and the walls were blackened with soot. Even I found it difficult to eat there. The toilets were dirty, and I had to go far to wash my face.
We may not be rich, but we can improve these aspects. The elderly might not notice the inconvenience because they’ve lived like this all their lives, but young people find it challenging. If we don’t fix these houses, young women might not want to marry into the village. (Everyone laughs)
Building new houses is expensive, but repairs can be done with less money. We can do it ourselves. Let’s live well in our village instead of going to Australia or Thimphu. This is our goal.” 
The Trongsa Governor always accompanies Sunim on his visits, carrying a pen and paper. After conversing with the residents, Sunim continued discussing the issues identified on-site with the Trongsa Governor.
“Governor, should the upper village of Samcholing use the existing water source, and the lower village connect to a new water source?”
“The Samcholing village doesn’t need to connect to a new water source. The government has developed a new water source, but there are currently distribution problems. Despite securing the water source, distribution is not smooth due to insufficient government budget.”
Sunim further discussed with the governor whether Samcholing’s water problem was indeed a water source issue as the Tshogpa had mentioned, and what procedures should be followed when people without homes apply for support to ensure efficient administration.
Afterwards, Sunim and his group had lunch prepared by the tea house and visited the packaging room operated by the green tea cooperative.
The staff expressed their gratitude, saying that with the packaging machine donated by JTS, they were able to increase their daily packaging capacity from 500 to 5,000 units.
“Do the upper and lower villages have different tea labels and sales methods?”
“Yes, that’s because the brands are different. It seems they will be in competition.”
“Still, it would be advantageous to sell jointly. Advertising separately would be costly. Even if production and branding are different, cooperating might be better in the long run to respond to the international market. (laughs)” 
The afternoon plan to visit extremely poor households was canceled as all residents had gone to the Tshechu. Sunim decided to attend the Tshechu at Samcholing High School with the governor.
Tshechu is a traditional Buddhist festival held annually throughout Bhutan. ‘Tshechu’ means ‘tenth day’ in Bhutanese, related to the birth of Guru Rinpoche, considered the ‘second Buddha’ in Bhutan. The timing and duration of Tshechu vary by region, typically lasting 3-4 days. During this time, residents perform sacred rituals honoring Guru Rinpoche through traditional mask dances and songs, wearing their finest clothes, receiving blessings from the village lama, and offering prayers while enjoying the festival. Tshechu is an important event representing Bhutan’s rich culture and faith, conducted uniquely in each village.
Upon arriving at the venue, the deep, resonant melodies of traditional Bhutanese instruments filled the space, and colorful decorations further brightened the festive atmosphere. Performers wearing traditional masks displayed solemn yet dynamic dance movements, enhancing the festival’s excitement, while villagers shared in the joy of the moment with bright faces.
As Sunim was about to take a seat in the venue, the village lama came down from his seat and offered his place to Sunim. Sunim politely declined and sat next to the Trongsa Governor to watch the festival performance.
After watching the traditional performance, Sunim gave a donation to the Samcholing Tshogpa for use during the festival.
Meanwhile, at the village entrance, a market selling various goods and food items was being held during the festival period. Sunim went to visit the market.
The village lama also accompanied Sunim as they explored the market together. While looking around, Sunim stopped at a shoe store and bought a pair of shoes as a gift for the lama.
“Thank you, Sunim.”
After touring the village market, they departed for the nunnery in Kuengarabten at 3:30 PM. Based on the survey conducted so far, Sunim held an interim review meeting with the Trongsa Governor and administrators.
First, they jointly identified which villages were in poor condition, and then Sunim proposed the order in which regional development should proceed.
Step-by-Step Plan for Sustainable Development
“First, it’s necessary to improve the current living standards. Priority should be given to building houses for those without homes, improving interior facilities, paving roads in neighborhoods, providing drinking water, fencing fields, securing irrigation channels, and improving school facilities. These seem to be tasks that residents can undertake immediately.
Second, we need to look for ways to increase income or explore more progressive methods. First, agricultural and fruit experts should come to conduct surveys and experimental cultivation. Firstly, we need to develop effective methods for rice farming. Secondly, we should develop methods to grow various vegetables. Thirdly, we need to develop methods for cultivating fruits suitable for the soil and climate of this region. Additionally, we should research what other agricultural products could be profitable. In Korea, for example, red pepper and garlic are highly profitable because they don’t spoil quickly and can be dried for sale. Accordingly, we need to build storage facilities for agricultural products.
Furthermore, support for health and medical care is needed. We need to treat people with vision impairments, those without teeth, and those with hearing difficulties. First, we need to assess the current situation, have doctors come to check, and then proceed with surgeries for treatment. 
Thirdly, we can consider developing areas such as processing, sales, and tourism. First, we need to establish an agricultural product processing system. Then, we need to research how to sell products like vegetables and oranges at fair prices. This requires effective marketing. If not done properly, merchants might make most of the profit, leaving farmers with little income. It would be good to develop a plan to improve residents’ lives in these three stages.”
Regarding the first stage of Sunim’s proposal for life improvement projects, JTS has already prepared a draft guidebook. After presenting the contents of this draft, the governor of Trongsa’s opinions were sought.
The governor of Trongsa also sought Sunim’s advice on various topics related to regional development, including the development of tourism products.
Sunim requested the governor of Trongsa to conduct a basic survey for regional development. He also shared his thoughts on the operation of a steering committee, lessons learned from pilot projects, expanding projects after initial trials, methods to expedite project implementation, ways to secure technicians, and JTS’s principle of not providing wages. Regarding the issue of paying technicians, it was decided to give it more thought. The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue discussions online after Sunim’s return to Korea.
By the time the meeting ended, it was already 5:30 PM. As there was a power outage at the accommodation, Sunim took a brief rest before organizing his notes, concluding the day’s schedule.
Tomorrow’s plan includes visits to Kuengarabten, Taktse, and Yuelsa chiwogs to engage in conversations with local residents.
