Gross National Happiness, Saturday, October 22, 2016

We started the day with a presentation on Gross National Happiness (GNH) by Mr. Norbu Wangchuk. GNH seeks to measure not momentary happiness, but deep, enduring and abiding happiness that comes from multi-dimensional life experiences. The policy goal is a harmonious balance among material well-being and the spiritual, emotional and cultural needs of society.

The four pillars of GNH are as follows:

1.       Sustainable and equitable socio-economic development

2.       Preservation and promotion of culture

a.       Strengthen family ties

b.       Promote mediation

3.       Conservation of the environment

a.       60% of the country under forest cover

b.       Carbon neutral

4.       Good governance

a.       Trust in media

b.       Fighting corruption

A GNH index is created based on 124 variables in the following categories:

1.       Psychological well-being

2.       Health

3.       Time use – work, leisure, sleep

4.       Education

5.       Cultural diversity and resilience

6.       Good governance

7.       Community vitality

8.       Ecological diversity and resilience

9.       Living standards – assets, housing, household income

A survey is conducted every 2-4 years and the resulting GNH index is used for planning and policy development.

A four-point scale is used to evaluate whether a proposed policy will increase or reduce stress. The scale is as follows:

1.       Will increase stress

2.       Do not know the effect on stress

3.       Stress-neutral

4.       Will reduce stress

The first two are viewed as unfavorable and the latter two are viewed as favorable. The result is a comprehensive measure of progress.

“All joy in this world comes from wanting others to be happy. All suffering comes from wanting only oneself to be happy.” – Shanti Deva

My weather app called for a 60% chance of rain in the afternoon, and apparently Raaz’s did, too. We boarded the bus for the world’s largest, outdoor seated Buddha. We wanted to see the Buddha before it rained. This statue has eclipsed the one in Hong Kong that Abby and I had seen in 2003.

We walked up the stairs and entered the temple inside the Buddha’s “throne,” after removing our hats and shoes. No photographs were allowed inside. The temple is designed to contain thousands of small statues of Buddha; dozens of them were in place already, even though the site is still under construction. There was a throne inside, on which a picture of the head abbot of the Bhutanese Buddhist religion rested.

Back outside, we walked around the base of the  Buddha's throne. Buddhist images in high relief projected from the walls – horses, peacocks, elephants, and a man with cymbals. The temple was surrounded by golden statues of female attendants. From the road outside the temple was a great view of the city of Thimphu. In the distance we could see the Tashicho Dzong, the great fortress built in the 17^th century to defend the city. This is one of a chain of dzongs built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel to secure the country.

Our next stop was the farmers’ market, where a vast variety of grains, vegetables, and dried fish are sold. To my amazement, the vendors spoke good English. We asked one about a large fruit that looked like a cross between a squash and a cucumber. The vendor said it was more like a cucumber, though not exactly. I took photographs of various squashes and peppers that did not look like those we see in the United States.

We then stopped by the national archery competition, but only in time to see one arrow be shot before the competition ended for the day. We would stop by again the next day to see more of the Bhutanese national sport.

We then drove to a restaurant and gift shop called Simply Bhutan. Here we would have lunch and be treated to a dance concert of various types of Bhutanese traditional dance. But first we passed a rather startling display of male fertility symbols. We were served bowls of Ara, the traditional Bhutanese liquor. Raaz described it as similar to the Japanese drink, sake, and I was inclined to agree. The beverage carries a reddish-orange color that comes from being cured in sandalwood. We ended with a dance not unlike the hora, where we stood in a circle and danced in and out with a kick at the end. It was great fun.

We drove to the Tashicho Dzong, the fortress that is both monastery and seat of government. Sonam and Kun demonstrated the additional garment, a kind of beige shawl, that they are required to wear with their traditional Bhutanese attire while inside the dzong. We did see monks walking around inside the dzong, and could hear monks chanting and playing horns in one of the buildings we were not allowed to enter. The younger monks walked by carrying buckets and doing chores.

We took our shoes and hats off to enter the main temple. No photos allowed. We proceeded in a clockwise fashion around the inside. We came up on three monks making a decoration for the altar out of different colors of paste made from flour. A young monk who looked to be about 11 years old wandered around. We admired the large statue of the Buddha in the front of the temple. In front of the Buddha was a throne for the chief abbot, and a similarly majestic seat for the king. On either side were lesser seats for the various ministers. There is little separation between state and religion in this country. We took a brief tour of the courtyard and then headed back to the hotel.