Bhudism in Bhutan

IWe are leaving Bhutan tomorrow for a couple do days in Sikkim in northern India and a night in New Delhi before arriving in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. 

Bhudism is the state religion of Bhutan, and it permeates all aspects of Bhtanese life. We have spent much of the last ten days in Bhudist temples. Many of them date from the eighth century, when Bhudsim was introduced to Bhutan. 

One recurring image in just about every temple is the wheel of life. In the centre are the three evils - the snake represents anger, the pig ignorance and the rooster represents desire / greed / lust. The next wheels shows those who have lived a life of evil being dragged down to hell, while those who have preformed good deeds and have accumulated karma are lead to a higher realm - the world of animals, humans, demigods or gods. 

One temple that we went to was built in the 15th century by a famous monk known as the "Divine Madman". He was the one repsonsible for the popularization of phallus symbols in the country, and his temple is dedicated to fertility. While at the temple, a monk stroked each of on the head with a pair of large wooden penises. 

I don't think that's going to work on us, but I admire him for trying. 

The most spectacular temple in the country is called the Tiger's Nest, based on a myth that a Bhudda flew there from Tibet on the back of a winged tiger to subdue an evil spirit.  

This temple is 900m above the valley floor. We were fortunate that our guide got us there early, so we beat the crowds of tourists and got to visit all nine chapels all alone plus a cave where the wife of the temple builder spent many years meditating. 

 At one of the nunneries that we visited, we were sitting listening to the nuns chant when one of the nuns came by with a bowl full of treats. Our guide said that it was polite to accept something, so we had treats to eat with the delicious local Red Panda brand beer ( much like Belgian Leffe, for those who know their beers!).

Q

Our trip to Bhutan has been fantastic.  The scenery, the culture, the people, and especially our amazing guide and driver have been awesome.