We knew our guests Randy and Angella liked each other when they came on our annual Blessings of Bhutan journey. What we didn't know was just how much! Randy finally let the cat out of the bag two days before the end of the trip. He had decided to pop the big question! But that didn't leave us very much time! Fortunately, like Randy, we had saved our best for last. With barely 48 hours left before departure, we drove everyone up to a high pass with simultaneous views of two of Bhutan’s loveliest valleys. Soon, we were picking our way down an ancient mule track that winds its way through tall groves of murmuring prayer flags. Guests Randy and Angella at their secret "Proposal Spot," 2011 Descending into forests of pine and cypress with moss on either side of the track, we took the group past sparkling streams fed by mountain springs, to a high monastery overlooking the valley. There, we secretly asked the high priestess to bless the young couple. Then we led them down the path to an ancient stupa some distance from the main monastery, with a magnificent view of the snow-capped peak of majestic Mount Jomolhari. The stage was set: Randy nervously fingering the hidden ring in his pocket; Angella completely unaware of what was about to happen! Surrounded by multi-colored prayer flags, the sun slowly turning gold, we left the pair, praying for Randy's sake the answer would be a "yes". We knew right away it was time for another celebration when we came back sometime later to find Randy grinning from ear to ear and Angella blushing happily! The party that night involved a huge celebratory cake, many rounds of Bhutan's K5 Whiskey and happy toasts to the lucky couple!

Avid birders Dayton and Sheri were an instant hit on our annual Wings of Prayer signature journey. They were willing to get up earlier and go farther and later than anyone in the service of getting in some serious birding every day without missing out on the daily cultural activities. Toward the second half of the journey, we stopped to attend a beautiful mask dance festival in a small village in central Bhutan. We dressed Dayton up in traditional Bhutanese finery and Sheri approved. On the way back to our lodge in the Jakar valley, we stopped beside the road for a final look back at the lovely Ura village. That was when they decided to sneak a kiss; but not before we spotted the lovebirds! Above: Guests Dayton and Sheri steal a kiss outside Ura Village, Central Bhutan

Rare and endangered, Black-necked Cranes are celebrated in Bhutan as the souls of virtuous monks who have returned to the world in an elegant form. In Phobjikha, a high valley hidden among the folds of the Black Mountain Range, local residents believe this is why the cranes circle the valley's beautiful 13th century Gangtey monastery three times—in the traditional fashion of religious circumabulation—when they first arrive in the valley on their annual return migration from the Tibetan Plateau. Over the centuries the Gangteps—as the local people are known after their beloved monastery—have evolved a set of complex beliefs that enable them to coexist peacefully with the cranes. The folklore includes stories that reinforce the belief that the arrival of healthy numbers of cranes each year from beyond the high Himalayas promises good harvests to come. A decrease in the number of returning cranes are seen as indications of a leaner year. They are celebrated in song and dance and the national sport of archery where winning teams of shooters mimic the preening dance of the cranes, their hands akimbo like the outspread wings of the cranes. The local legends even go so far as to say that the cranes have an inherent understanding of the traditional astrological calendar, intuiting their arrival in the valley and departure from Bhutan, in other words the timings of their annual migratory patterns, in accordance with the days and hours deemed favorable in the astrological charts. This particular bit of intelligence on the part of the cranes is especially endearing to most Bhutanese people who enjoy a passion for the national pastime of using astrological charts to secure advantageous timings for nearly every aspect of travel and (archery) competition. ​Black-necked cranes or Grus nigricollis (as they are scientifically known) were first identified by the 19th century Russian explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky. Since then human encroachment into their habitats and environmental degradation of their roosting grounds have resulted in a dramatic decline in the Black-necked crane population. Today the estimated number of Black-necked cranes left is believed to be between 8,000 and 11,000. In the early 1990s their population in Bhutan was recorded at 1,743 individuals. The numbers dropped to 1,664 between 1996 and 2000. Largely because of ongoing conservation efforts the numbers have gone back up to 2,352 cranes as recorded by Bhutan’s Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN). While the cranes are also found in other valleys of central and eastern Bhutan, Phobjikha is the best place to see the cranes because much of the work to protect their habitat and provide environmentally sound ways of viewing them have been done in this valley. Black-necked crane conservation in Bhutan began nearly four decades ago when His Late Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (Bhutan’s third monarch and grandfather of the current king) invited the well-known Indian ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali to the kingdom to research and write a book on the birds of Bhutan. Dr. Ali's enthusiasm for the assignment was born of a longstanding personal quest to find the elusive Black-necked cranes. He was delighted when, traveling with the king in the Bomdeling region of eastern Bhutan, a feathery explosion of an estimated 300 Black-necked cranes filled the skies above their heads. The conservation of Black-necked cranes in Bhutan received a huge boost when Dasho Paljor Dorji, known affectionately as “Benji,” established the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) which continues the work of Black-necked crane conservation today. Dasho Benji began monitoring Black-necked crane populations in Phobjikha, Bomdeling and other parts of Bhutan in 1984. To highlight the plight of the Black-necked cranes and educate the public on their breeding and migratory habits, he helped produce and narrated the popular documentary On the Wings of a Prayer (the title of our trip is a nod to this seminal bit of conservation filming; for more on the trip, please visit the link to the trip page provided below). Black-necked cranes, also sometimes known as the Tibetan Crane, grow up to be around 55 inches long, with a wingspan of up to 7.8 feet and up to 12 lbs in weight. Full grown cranes sport bare red crowns and “lores” (the area between the eye and the bill) that are sparsely covered by black, hair-like feathers. The rest of the head and the upper part of the neck are black, except for a small white or light gray spot extending back from the rear and lower edges of each eye. Usually the body is mostly ash gray, becoming almost white underbelly and elsewhere. The tail is black, and the upper tail coverts are grayish. The primary and secondary feathers are black. Its eyes are yellow, legs and toes are black. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, although males tend to be slightly larger in size. Juvenile birds usually have yellow-brown feathers on the crown, and a gray abdomen. Like the adults, their primary and secondary feathers are black but their back is grayish-yellow while black and white feathers alternate on the neck. Graceful and elegant, the survival of the Black cranes is crucial to the culture of Bhutan where an annual festival celebrates their return each year from Tibet. To see Bhutan's graceful Black-necked cranes and celebrate their return to the Phobjikha valley this year or in the early spring of 2019, please visit: On the Wings of a Prayer, a journey celebrating Bhutan's Rare Black Necked Cranes. ~ #architecture #culture

The history of Bhutan is linked to the rise of the Drukpa or “Dragon” school of Himalayan Buddhism, a cornerstone of Bhutanese cultural life to this day​. The name Bhutan is believed to have come from the Sanskrit Bhot (which means Tibet) and Anta (which means "at the end of"), a compound word that described the geographic location of Bhutan. Bhotanta was later anglicized to Bhutan. The people of Bhutan themselves call the Kingdom Druk Yul, or "Land of the Thunder Dragon." The word Druk or "Dragon" alluded to the Drukpa or Dragon School of Buddhism whose teachers and masters established their influence over religious and cultural affairs in the kingdom. The First King of Bhutan His Majesty Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck (Front, third from right) with a British Officer, from the book The Raven Crown: The Origins of Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan Bhutanese history parallels Buddhism's spread in the Himalayas and to properly understand the history of the kingdom, one also needs to understand the overarching influence of Buddhism in the region. A degree of mystery shrouds Bhutan's distant past as multiple fires in temples, monasteries and archives down the centuries destroyed many significant records. A very strong predominance of the oral tradition of recounting historical events further complicates the matter. A great number of the the oral accounts as well as scholarly and liturgical texts point to the fact that Padmasambhava, known in the Himalayas as a second, though no-less-significant, Buddha arrived on the back of a "flying Tigress" in 747 AD. His legendary odyssey across the Himalayas left an indelible mark on the culture, practices and sensibilities of the people in the Himalayan sphere. As such he is revered as the principal founder of the Nyingmapa religious school of Buddhism. Many of Bhutan's most celebrated historical figures descended from the Nyingmapa School, including the forbears of the present royal family of Bhutan. Pema Lingpa, the best known among the later Nyingmapa saints died in Bumthang in Central Bhutan in 1521. He was believed to be a "heart-son" or lineage holder of Guru Padmasambhava's teachings and founded monasteries and temples at Petsheling, Kunzangdrak and Tamshing in Central Bhutan, institutions that are still active today. More than a century later Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, from the Drukpa School of Tibetan Buddhism, came to Bhutan and designed the current dual system of government which entertwines religious and secular government. When he arrived in the kingdom in 1616 no central religious authority existed and regional conflict had troubled the kingdom for centuries. In his quest to unify the country, the Shabdrung, as he is known, gained the support of many powerful families and built a series of Dzongs (fortress-monasteries), which are still the cornerstones of religious life and secular administration in the kingdom to today. He eventually became the first secular and religious leader in Bhutan. The document with the seals of the regional governors of Bhutan, electing His Majesty Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck as the First Hereditary Ruler of Bhutan. From the book The Raven Crown: The Origins of Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan In the following two centuries after the Shabdrung's death civil war broke out frequently and the regional Penlops or governors became powerful figures. At the close of the 19th century, the Penlop of Trongsa in Central Bhutan gained the trust and confidence of most of the country, following an internal struggle for power. Soon he was recognized by all the regional governors and lords as a unifying figure who could bring back peace and stability in the kingdom. This was His Majesty Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck, who was crowned the First Druk Gyalpo (or Dragon King) of Bhutan in 1907. The monarchy has thrived since then and the Fourth King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, ushered in an era of unprecedented prosperity and development for the Bhutanese people based on his idea of Gross National Happiness. His son, currently the Fifth King of Bhutan, introduced a parliamentary system of democracy along with his father, fulfilling an ambitious legacy of handing power to the people through a democratic government led by a Prime Minister elected every five years. This is just a quick over view of the complex history of Bhutan. For a comprehensive and well-researched book on the subject read The History of Bhutan by (Dr.) Karma Phuntsho.

A professor and longtime proponent of Sustainable Architecture reflects on the harmony of the Bhutanese building traditions following his visit to Bhutan. Traditional Bhutanese architecture is green, energy-efficient and aesthetically pleasing. The celebration and promotion of traditional building practices in the kingdom offers the western student of design the best present day lessons in architectural integration. By integration I refer to the exquisite connectedness possible between ecological setting, culture, settlement pattern, architecture and art. In Bhutan this connectedness exists throughout the spectrum of the vernacular to the monumental, the secular to the sacred, more so than in any present architectural tradition. Whether a farmhouse or a Dzong, the same architectural form, expression of materials, aesthetic compositions and incorporation of the arts exist together in a synergetic way. Synergy in architecture is where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts and the parts become optimized because of their relationships to the whole. Our guests help at saa-chaam (lit. "earth-pounding") which, like a traditional western barn-raising, is a communal event in Bhutan For those of us from countries where there is a tradition of contrast between the vernacular and monumental and secular and sacred buildings it is important to experience a tradition where these aspects are so integrated. Even more important, due to the industrialization in much of the world different architectural concerns like these have become fragmented in modern architecture. Therefore it is extraordinarily valuable to visit Bhutan and to be able to experience this degree of architectural integration, to be able to see the resulting aesthetic quality and vitality that is possible within this whole spectrum of architectural endeavor. The grand courtyards of the Thimphu Dzong are wonderful examples of form meeting function in traditional Bhutanese architecture A specific comparison of some changes required to develop more green architecture in both the USA and Bhutan will point out the differences in our prospective situations and to how we can learn from each other. Both countries have valuable contributions to make. One specific part of green design that integrates the energy, health, and material components of green architecture is passive building design. Passive design is where as much as possible of the metabolism of the building (heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, and electricity production) is provided by the design and the materials used for construction of the building. This can be accomplished by envisioning the building as a holistic system that creatively responses to the microclimate of the site, using natural energy sources and sinks on the site to perform these functions. This is in contrast to modern industrial architecture where buildings are seen as receptacles for mechanical and electrical equipment, which performs these functions using energy imported to the site. Passive buildings must creatively respond to solar radiation using it to heat when needed and protecting itself when cooling is needed. This means that orientation of the building to solar geometry is of primary importance. In temperate zones like the US and Bhutan this means facing the building toward the equator (south in the northern hemisphere). Passive buildings must be able to store the relatively diffuse on-site energies it uses so they must be well insulated and have enough thermal mass to prevent inside temperature swings outside the comfort zone. Insulation and thermal mass are often confused as the same thing. They are not. Insulation prevents the flow of heat. Thermal mass moderates the interior temperature swings. Insulation needs to occur on the outside skin of the building while thermal mass is most effective inside the building. Thus its better to have heavy interior walls and light highly insulated outside walls and roofs.Passive buildings must be able to breathe using natural ventilation to provide healthy interiors and cooling when needed. Passive buildings should produce their own electricity via the integral use of photovoltaic materials to provide for backup lighting and other needs. Recent advances in photovoltaic technology mean this material can be integral to the skin, or windows, or shading devices on passive buildings. The present state-of-the-art of passive design is such that we can, by using on-site energies with the appropriate construction materials, provide very high percentage of the energy needs of the building even to the point of creating zero-energy buildings. There are zero-energy buildings being built and operated at this time in many places in the world. Built entirely from locally sourced materials and without using a single nail, Bhutanese farmhouses are often allowed to disintegrate back into the earth at the end of their lives. © Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions. To illustrate the importance of this ability it is helpful to look at the magnitude of the effort that humankind must expend over the next 50 years just to stabilize our climate. One such study done at Princeton University in the US shows how much reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere must be made for the next 50 years just to maintain our present situation in regard to global warming. This study then breaks this formidable amount into seven segments or wedges and calculates the actions it would take to accomplish each of these. It is very interesting to compare the efforts we can take to the wedge reduction we can accomplish. Stopping all deforestation would give us one wedge. Bhutan is probably one of the few nations in the world that is doing this at the present time. Doubling the fuel efficiency of every automobile in the world would give us another wedge. Making all buildings worldwide high performance passive buildings gives us two wedges! Putting photovoltaic panels on all buildings worldwide gives us another wedge. From this we can see that by using present day passive design principles we can get three out of the seven wedges needed. Pushing the envelope a little further by creating a high percentage of zero-energy buildings would allow us to get the majority of the wedges needed to stabilize our climate. Now let us look at the situation in the U.S. in this regard. Although much of the scientific analysis that allows optimization of passive buildings was developed in the US in the 1980s the tradition of the scientific method has ironically impeded the application of these principles. Our society is so conditioned to look at parts first that we have a very difficult time collectively imagining a building as a holistic system. Architects and builders have had problems getting away from the dominance of pieces, especially mechanical pieces. For example in Central California, which for so much of the year has a very benign climate, we are still building buildings that are closed boxes with poorly oriented windows that cannot be opened, with all lighting, day and night, provided by way of electrical fluorescent lighting. These buildings are not very pleasant environments, are very expensive to operate and are generally unhealthy. These conceptual barriers mean that even twenty years after the development of the science of passive buildings and the development and testing of the analytical models that allow their optimization still only a small percentage of the buildings being built are passive. Now let us compare the situation in the U.S. with the situation in Bhutan. The kingdom has several advantages with regard to passive building application. There is still a living architectural tradition of building with high mass materials so the concept of thermal mass should not be so foreign. Natural materials from close proximity to the site, the recent use of concrete not withstanding, is also still traditional so life cycle design is easier to put into place. Like the US, south orientation is not generally the rule but there are good examples of optimum orientation in some very influential buildings such as the Kurjey Monastery in Bumthang. What is needed is better glazing, which will come with more development, and better insulation to be used in conjunction with the existing high thermal mass materials. Perhaps material presently disposed of in agricultural burning can [instead] be used to provide insulation on the exterior of the traditional rammed earth walls, which can then be plastered with mud or stucco as in the [case of] straw bale construction in the US. This would use some cement but far less than the standard concrete construction. I am convinced the best advantage Bhutan has is the emphasis on interconnectedness that is such an outstanding feature of Bhutanese architecture. This longstanding tradition of appropriate cultural and environmental considerations in building practices in Bhutan should make it much more easier to conceptualize buildings as integrated systems than here in the United States. The present human condition is fraught with great problems but also great opportunities. In order to minimize the problems and enhance the opportunities we all need to learn from one another. The technological and analytical basis of green architecture can be learned from the US while the power of interconnectedness and synergy can be learned from Bhutan. It will take the best of both worlds to develop and apply green architecture on a scale appropriate to the problems and opportunities we all face as co-inhabitants of our increasingly fragile planet. *** Ken Haggard is a leader of the green building movement and a principal designer of San Luis Sustainability Group. He works and writes from an office that is housed in a zero-energy building that utilizes a micro hydropower scheme, photovoltaic cells and passive-solar construction. #architecture #culture

Yeshey Dorji, Bhutan's foremost birding enthusiast, and author of an authoritative birding book, on the joys and opportunities of bird-watching in Bhutan. Birding in Bhutan is an extraordinary opportunity when you see how it stacks up to the United States, a country nearly 167 times larger. The numbers are close to 700 species for Bhutan and 877 for the entire United States. Of the 700 found in Bhutan, 18 are considered “globally threatened.” Highly endangered Black-necked Cranes winter in Bhutan from fall through early spring. As of December 2012, Bhutan had an estimated 369 Black-necked Cranes in the kingdom’s protected areas from West to East Bhutan. Another critically endangered species found in Bhutan, the White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis), is considered the rarest heron. So rare, in fact, that the estimated global population is a mere 50 to 200 birds. Of those, an incredibly high percentage has been sighted in Bhutan. In fact Bhutan is one of the few places in the world where this highly threatened species can be seen relatively easily. Exotic and colorful, Bhutan's Satyr Tragopan ranks high on most birders' life-lists. © Yeshey Dorji The crimson and speckled (male) Satyr Tragopan (Tragopan satyra) (pictured above) is one of the most colorful birds in the world and Bhutan’s “must-see bird.” Bhutan is also home to a large number of other exotic bird species, such as the Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), Ward’s Trogon (Harpactes wardi), Beautiful Nuthatch (Sitta formosa), Blyth’s Tragopan (Tragopan blythii), Pallas’s Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus), Chestnut-breasted Partridge (Arborophila mandellii), Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola), Rufous-necked Hornbill (Aceros nipalensis), Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus), and Blyth’s Kingfisher (Alcedo hercules). In 2010 the Bhutanese non-profit Royal Society for the Protection of Nature, which is involved in Black-necked Crane and White-bellied Heron conservation, received the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (MACEI). Bhutan is also recognized as one of 10 bio-diversity ‘hotspots’ around the world. Environmental laws codified in the kingdom’s constitution seek to maintain a forest cover of 60 percent for all time while providing institutional support for a series of protected areas covering more than a quarter of the country (9,941 square miles). Forests currently constitute 72.5 percent of Bhutan’s total landmass. In recent times Bhutan has gained prominence on the world stage as the country that propounded the concept of Gross National Happiness. It may take a while for world leaders and economists to adjust to the paradigm shift, but for all the reasons stated above, a growing number of birders from around the world have already been finding their Gross Personal Happiness in Bhutan! ~ Yeshey Dorji is the author of Bhutan Birds. In the book, Yeshey Dorji has captured exceptional images of the birds of Bhutan in their native habitats. Each region of the country has its own chapter where he describes the area’s natural history, accompanied by spectacular photographs of the local birdlife.

Writer Dianne Shiner shares an excerpt of her meditations on Bhutan, published in the collection Second Journeys, following her visit to Bhutan with us. In the opening tea circle at the start of our two weeks of travel in Bhutan our leader Karma Dorji welcomed us to Bhutan by saying that “Buddhism is the air we breathe.” Indeed, every day, we experienced the freshness of a culture still immersed in a lively and shared sense of the holy. The sheer lightheartedness of the Bhutanese people manifested in easy smiles and twinkling eyes. Early in the trip, I witnessed our hotel clerk being berated by a dissatisfied guest. Never have I seen a young man with such gracious boundaries; he was neither stressed nor defensive nor obeisant. I came to find that this odd combination of amusement and respect was indeed the cultural norm, whether with children or with the wizened. Even government policy is deeply informed by an authentic religious view. Gray and wizened, an elderly Bhutanese man looks at the world from his window For example, their spectacular Himalayan peaks will never be scaled, and thus never [potentially] be trashed, by mountain climbing expeditions, because villagers asked the government to protect the sanctity of the peaks, the home of the deities, from intrusion. National parks and biological corridors comprise over 40 percent of the country, preserving Bhutan’s amazing biodiversity. Economic development is intended to be slow, sustainable, and balanced by priorities in art, education, health care, and ecology (some of the measurable goals of concrete Gross National Happiness). The Dzongs (magnificent fortresses) equally house each district’s monastic body and government offices. Prayer and devotion punctuate the day whether in golden rice fields, domestic temples, numerous monasteries, or casual businesses. Even the one and only golf course asks that you circle and apologize to a tree if your ball should strike it! As early as 1904, Max Weber (in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) was writing about the disenchantment of a secularized world, as opposed to traditional society where, for Weber, “the world remains a great enchanted garden.” For a brief 18 days in Bhutan, we were invited to reenter that garden of everyday mysticism, and to return home changed by its vigor and delight. Dianne Shiner, was the Executive Director of Lutheran Social Services, Holden Village, and the Whidbey Institute at Chinook before her retirement. A longer piece of writing from her trip with us appeared in the book Journeys Outward, Journeys Inward: Travel & Transformation, edited by Penelope Stuart Bourk & Bolton Anthony and published by Second Journey Publications.

Author Elie Axelroth learns what farewell sounds like in Dzongkha, Bhutan's national language, which gives her an insight into how Bhutanese people perceive the emptiness that one feels when friends say goodbye to each other. On a recent trip to Bhutan, I fell in love with the stark, snow-capped Himalayas, the orange and blue and green and yellows of the painted lintels on the houses, terraced hillsides littered with shaken rice sheaves, first-growth mossy forests, and black-necked cranes that migrate from the Tibetan plateau. The dragon kingdom, Bhutan, is a country of humble Buddhist people with tales of flying tigers and sorcery and incarnations, where mountains and streams are sacred, and the wind sends shreds of prayer flags from bridges and mountaintops up to heaven. Children playing amid the remains of a late season harvest in Lobeysa, Bhutan Roads are more potholes than pavement, phallic symbols adorn the sides of buildings, red chillies left to dry hang from windows and under eaves. Monks in red robes buff temple floors by sliding stockinged feet across square pads of black yak fur, archery is the national sport, and the wind is infused with the echoing of meditation bowls and drums and horns, and prayer wheels turned by river water. Whole communities dance away the evil spirits, praying in earnest. We were a small group on tour, our three weeks too short, and none of us wanted to leave. On the drive back to the airport, our guide Karma leaned over the front seat to face us with his olive skin and sculpted cheek bones accentuated in the morning light. Tong ha ha, he said. It’s an expression in Dzongkha—the language of Bhutan. It means "the sound of emptiness, like the reverberation of an empty pot that clangs with a dull thud." He tapped his fingers against his palm to demonstrate. "Tooonnngg." "Tooonnngg." "It is also the empty space in your heart when someone leaves." Tong ha ha. The sound of emptiness, like a sorrowful good-bye, a feeling one gets after saying a long Bhutanese goodbye.

The sacred mantra of the Himalayas carries the potential for liberation and enlightenment, a wish for compassion and wisdom activity to manifest in the world. In a landscape of powerful spiritual resonances, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is one of the most powerful invocations. The word Om is believed to be the first sound heard in the universe and, therefore, the sound symbol of the very nature of reality itself. The second syllable Mani is thought to refer to beads or jewels, Padme (or the more commonly used Padma) refers to the Lotus, Buddhism's sacred flower, and a symbol of the highest human potential to achieve enlightenment. The final syllable Hum is believed to be a sound representation of the Enlightenment that manifests in an individual being. Uttering the four syllables together is believed to indicate the speaker’s desire to manifest enlightened actions in the world. Rocks gathered from river banks with ancient inscriptions of the sacred mantra of the Himalayas. A more detailed breakdown of the mantra describes Om as the sound or “vibration” of the universe, meant to destroy worldly attachments to ego and replace it with the impulse toward selflessness. Ma is said to reduce jealousy and replace it with ethical behaviour. Ni is believed to remove desire and cultivate patience. Pad is said to transform prejudice to perseverance. Me (or ma) diminishes possessiveness and generates concentration and, finally, Hum changes hatred to wisdom. The recitation of the mantra is most commonly associated with Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, also known as Guanyin in China. Avalokiteshvara is believed to have taken a great vow of compassion, promising not to rest until all beings had been freed from suffering. As such the name loosely translated means something like "The Lord Who Gazes Upon the World," a reference to Avalokiteshvara's promise to keep watch over all beings to reduce their suffering.

From one monarch to another, Bhutan's mythical Raven Crown passes from His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan to HM the 5th, the current ruler of the kingdom, preserving tradition. The Raven Crown of the Bhutanese kings is a sacred symbol steeped in the traditions and beliefs of Vajrayana Buddhism prevalent in the Himalayas. The mythology of the crown is a powerful statement on the relevance and the moral and spiritual authority of the Bhutanese monarchy. Our Travel Programs Coordinator Karma Dorji explains why to an audience numbering over 300, including many of our past guests. Part 1 of a two-part video talk on the connections between Himalayan Buddhism and the Raven Crown of Bhutan's Kings, delivered at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Speaker: Karma Singye Dorji, Travel Programs Coordinator, Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions. Topic: The mythological origins of the Raven Crown and Bhutan's "Protector Deities" Part 2 of a two-part video talk on the connections between Himalayan Buddhism and the Raven Crown of Bhutan's Kings, delivered at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Speaker: Karma Singye Dorji, Travel Programs Coordinator, Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions. Topic: The continuing role and relevance of Bhutan's enlightened monarchy, the concept of kingship and service to the people, introduction of parliamentary democracy in Bhutan, and a look to the future...

Watch a delightful video of the encounter between Rebecca and the Bhutanese schoolchildren at the end of this post Like many of our travelers, 2006 Bhutan Himalaya guest Rebecca asked us what kind of gifts we thought she should bring on her trip. Having previously had to ask guests not to hand out candy or pens (which are considered culturally insensitive in Bhutan), we gently suggested “items with light cultural or environmental footprint.” What she did with the information we provided surprised us all. In a good way. After days trekking in the mountains, Rebecca was thrilled to see friendly Bhutanese children heading home from school. She reached into her pack and pulled out a bubble blower from her pack. The children were fascinated. Bhutanese schoolchildren squeal with delight as Rebecca blows her bubbles Although they were a little shy in the beginning, Rebecca’s gift quickly broke the ice and soon they were giggling and laughing, chasing and popping the translucent spheres one by one as they floated by. One thing led to another and, before long, Rebecca and the group was teaching the Bhutanese children western nursery rhymes and dancing with them in a circle. In return, the children were treated us to Bhutanese Bhutanese folk songs they had picked up in school. In the end something as small and light as a bubble blower had paid huge dividends by sparking a genuine cultural moment, filled pure joy and shared laughter. Watch the video: Rebecca’s Bubbles