While living in Thimphu for the last five months, one of my favorite places has
proven to be a monastery that is about a three to four hour hike from Thimphu’s
highest point, the BBS tower. The
monastery is called Phajoding, after a lama from Tibet called Phajo, who was,
as far as I understand, the main conduit for the Drukpa school of Vajrayana
Buddhism to be carried to, and established in, Bhutan. Drukpa is now the name of the country for
many, as well as the state religion.
Lama Phajo, though, has in many ways fallen into the
recesses of Bhutanese history it seems.
He is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Guru Rinpoche,
Zhabdrung, or the great Terton, Pema Lingpa.
And consequently, Phajoding has fallen into disrepair. Phajoding, let me be clear, is a huge place,
with at least a dozen buildings, and at least two lakhangs. Some of the these buildings are now falling
apart, if they have not already.
Enter Lama Namgay, a, interesting, energetic and enigmatic
young Bhutanese man, who recently completed his 3 year, 3 month, 3 day
meditation in one of the country’s many tiny meditation huts, undisturbed for
this period. Lama Namgay is also highly
educated, charismatic, speaks excellent English, and is in many ways on a mission. I am told that he could have had any posting
in the country, and he chose Phajoding to everyone’s surprise.
Phajoding has become, it seems to me, as much a social
project as a religious one. Of the 20 or
30 monks there, most are under 20, and many are orphans or young men with
nowhere to go. They are quite secluded
there, way up above Thimphu at some 12’000 feet. When I went in April, it had just
snowed. I was also lucky enough to
encounter two women who were doing a mapping project for their geographical
sacred site organization, and I got to sit with them and Lama Namgay and his
kitten to observe.
Anyways, to bring it back to the theme of this blog:
development for me is not just about material welfare, it is much more than
that. I have recently penned an article
that I hope to have published about just this, in which I argue that GNH looks
backwards as much as it is forwards-looking.
It comes from a time that is in some ways pre-modern, and explores a
spiritual sensibility that notes that humans are here for more than just
material gain/enjoyment/servitude or what have you. It observes that human development has a
spiritual purpose, which is something that has never been taken note of in the
history of international development, at least since 1945 when it became part
of international studies at the global level.
So, how does Phajoding fit into this? Well, I bring it up because it is a place
that strides these two worlds: a traditional religious institution, but also a
social project that protects and educates young men. Phajoding, thanks to Lama Namgay, now has a
great website, as well as a Flickr account and a Facebook page. They make various call-outs for support through
items needed, money, and the like. But
is this taking away from their vocation as monks? Is it wrong of me to think that this focus on
material welfare may actually endanger some of the spiritual realities and
benefits of living as fakirs, in Indian-Islamic terminology, that is, in
poverty (the Prophet Muhammad noted, if I remember correctly, that ‘my poverty
is my wealth’). And both Jesus and
Buddha noted the perils of wealth and materialism on the spiritual path. This is why I ask ‘which society?’, the
society of this world, or the one beyond it?
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against these monks
wanting to be warm, fed, and comfortable.
But since I’ve been in Bhutan, I’ve seen TVs, radios, and cel phones in
monasteries, and can’t help but think these are distractions. I worry that some of the great aspects of the
monastic traditions are being lost, that the focus on the Sacred is being carried
away, dissipated by radio waves. It’s by
no means just Phajoding, but I bring it up in relation to this place because I’ve
heard people complain that this place has received less support from the
government and royal family than other monasteries. But I guess it’s a matter of priority in many
ways, as not all can be supported, and shouldn’t places where the religious
traditions such as learning (like Tango goempa, site of the most important
Buddhist university in the country, and place of significant patronage) be
given some priority? I don’t know the
details, and don’t want to pass judgment, but am just making an
observation. Sadly, Phajoding does
contain some unbelievably beautiful sites, that do need to be preserved, as
well as some needy and worthy young men, so I do hope there are enough
resources to go around, eventually.
For now, I am thankful to be able to visit this wonderful
place, and take in the view as well as the sites. I pray that the prayers of all sentient
beings are answered, and that someone like Lama Namgay will help inspire the
conservation of Phajoding, and support his fellow monks in the process.
