Strength to Live

The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It is how good a buddy he is with his kids.

The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It is in how respected he is at home.

The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It is in how tender he touches.

The strength of a man isn't how many women he's Loved by.
It is in can he be true to one woman.

The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It is in the burdens he can understand and overcome.

Best or Worst?

2014 World Cup is almost coming to an end. Brazil suffered the worst defeat in the World Cup football history. It is a huge sadness to many of our fans. But, a thought intently came to my mind, ‘why only the best?’ I feel the best is selected because the worst is there. Life has two sides, and the credit goes to both. Because of the sufferings and worries, we know what calm, peace, and the god are.

Not only tops should be inscribed, shown and broadcast. We should also pen down the worst, they should be appreciated and announced. I am writing here because of bad, good things are here, and vice versa. Everyone must be appreciated or respected.

How does the world appears on to them; the worst things, or the ugliest?  This earth consists of pick and decline, fine and weak. You encounter people, animals, countries, trees, air, water, etc. They are always kind of departmentalized into opulent and hard-up or surpass and un-surpass. Suppose, there are many worst and deadly people around the world; besides our filmy villains, there are some who do scruffy and scrappy people in our own places. And the animals; which are the ugliest animals ever seen?  I vote it for Mr. Snail.  It is said that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, to be sure, but this animal wouldn’t win a beauty contest if it were the only one entered. They’ve got faces only a mother – Mother Nature – can love, and in the contest of life that’s really the only thing that matters. And I would vote Brazil for their worst game ever played, but I do appreciate their active participation.

In schools, students are only loved, if only they excelled in studies. There are teachers in my school who only talk about good students, and who try to put more afford into them. They forget weak, or nothing to do with students. They would call them flunkers and they hardly check their notes and books. How could they improve if they are left on their own?

The globe seems subtle if all the people learn each other. If they recognize what is optimum and wrong; to improve wrong and shape fairly with tops. In the seeming world, only the best are loved; our worst kind of anything like the best. One person has changed this rule. An ideal Lord Buddha left all the best things on this earth. He was a prince of a kingdom. He had an esteemed life. He didn’t want best but worst; when he renounced all worldly pleasures and wealth of life. Who would have ever guessed that he would become enlightened?

The case of mine will facilitate and light on the road towards what is the best and the worst. I was invariably brought up with an utmost- utmost love by my beloved parents. Worn the best-ragged clothes and I was treated well. I wanted the best and I got it the best. I was so fortunate to have a somewhat plentitude family; I say only in-store. What I needed was what I got. Required the best and expected the best. I lavished a lot of bread; wearing the best clothes, the best shoes, the best oils, etc on school days.

I was really up to my mind that I would always make it the best. But what I am experiencing now is purely contradictory. All this life… who will upkeep my best, like the unripe fruit must mellow and drop, trifle will go on my best. All the worst now; using less for worst clothes, shoes, etc. I have been well informed now that I am succumbing, elapsing, and relapsing to the worst with my meager monthly salary. If I do not give rise to the way.

I learned, thus, that one should know both sides of a coin. Accept defeats to know what is winning. Accept demeaning remarks to know praises. Accept hopelessness to know that there is still hope.

Busy Days

This mid-year has become quite eventful; there was PM Narendra Modi visiting Bhutan, and there is an ongoing World Cup, and the students are writing their mid-term examinations. And teachers too are busy doing paper corrections. And in this way, it has become saddening as everyone has to sacrifice time for mid-term examinations.

To make matter a bit light, we do group correction. We have Science, Maths, English, Dzongkhag and other departments. The good thing about group evaluation is that the works are done very fast, not only that we get to eat many different delicious dishes like momo, shaphalay, etc sponsored by the respective subject teacher. This type of evaluation is good if all answers are multiple choices. It saves time; a great deal.

The bad thing about group evaluation is marking. Especially, parts like essay types or letter writing, when marked by different teachers, marks also differ. Some, lets say do strict correction and award low marks, and some lenient give high marks. And there are some who give marks just by glancing handwriting, or the first sentence, or the last sentence. I think the same is happening in BCSE evaluation in Phuntsholing.

There is no way to do comparative analysis/study of essay types or answers. On the other hand, the moods of the evaluators depend so much while awarding. These days, World Cup is going on at night, which leaves evaluators to hang throughout the night. Because of this drowsiness or hangover, the letter ‘d’ may seems like ‘b.’ So, ‘bead’ may become ‘dead.’ I am afraid we are gonna hang somebody’s life, very badly. OR, it may be another way round, owing to laziness or sleepiness, in order to do away with the correction, and make time for enough sleep, one could give 24 out of 25. There is every chance. One thing is sure, if ones favorite country lost in the match, I am sure the marks would touch the ground level.

So, it is very important to do special rituals like ‘Wangta Lungta’ to bring the best of luck. It is all unfair, one needs some kind of luck, to make evaluators affect or blind them to award good marks by mistake.

I told my students that before any venture, or such kind of difficult task, like exam like this, that they must do some kind of rituals for it. If not, one’s Wangta and Lungta will be thrown like a piece of shit. I told them that if they don’t have anyone to do such a kind of special ritual, why do they call me. I can even perform mask dances for them. And the fact is; I don’t need any kind of mask!

Some funny answers from our students:

A rough vacation he had!!!

Sentu is dog or cat???

Open your Pandora box, so that i can enter inside permanently.

You gotta make your MUM very mad...

Tell Me Wai

From FB

I watched a movie called ‘Soong Na Oie’ yesterday. It is roughly translated into ‘Tell Me Wai’ (Soong Na Oie) and it is quite a run-of-the-mill one. Directed by an experienced filmmaker Mr. Tshering Wangyel is once again with one of his trite genres- love-story.  ‘Soong Na Oi’ reflects both sides of life; tradition and modern fashion. The protagonist, who seems to be an antagonist to his family needs shampooing his hair badly. Phurba Thinley, a swayer and pander monk says correctly that his hairs look similar to that of porcupine in the forest. This truly reflects our youth, a kind of Korean culture adapted by our youth, in which they love it. On the other hand, the female protagonist showcases the real simplicity of the village and the life in villages. So, we know that there will be an infusion of these two diverse lives in the end.

One dialogue that the viewers will remember is the frequent repeats of ‘Yeid May Na,’ and the rough translation could be ‘There is something.’ The moment he speaks, he starts with ‘Yeid May Na,’ and there is NOTHING in as such. The story is all told- run-of-the-mill and no different than his past movies. In fact, his past movies, that I had watched are far better than this one. The movie only becomes alive because of Phurba Thinley and Azha Namgay’s comedies, if not; this movie is not for elder citizens but a child-act-play. The movie has also many loud-earsplitting songs, which are mostly ‘I love you, you love me.’

The movie was shot mostly in the picturesque valleys of Bumthang and Paro. This striking background otherwise is the plus point for viewers. You got to see the greenery of Bhutan at least.

From FB

Other good part of the movie is in the ending part, as it is in other movies too. The side-splitting fights and dialogues keep one engage for a few minutes, then movie ends when it is supposed to be in climax. And as you know, the worst become good, and good overcome bad.

A Wise Tree-Jangchub Shing

Do you watch a program called ‘Jangchub Shing’ hosted by Mr. Karma Dendup every Thursday on BBS 2? This program is of immense benefit to our viewers. I take out my time to watch the show. I would like to thank him for this show. He asks rebellious, but real-world questions. Kudos for awakening us to the basics of the Buddhist religion. I learned that there is a vast difference between religion and spirituality; religion leads more often to egotism than to humility, and spirituality leads more often to humility than to egotism.

Out of my unawareness or interest, I have asked him two layman questions last time, that if he could ask for it for better illumination. My first question was; the only path to spiritual enlightenment is understanding and grasping one’s mind. We can attain this by constant meditation and mental contemplation called ‘gom’ in Dzongkha. In other words, it’s basically knowing your soul; what is the soul? Shape? Colour? Size? Empty?... To attain the level of full realization, that is knowing the soul, is the highest level, and that one can be borne in the nirvana. But, the process of identifying the nature of the soul, whether the soul is empty or not, whether the soul dies or not; what is the soul? The concrete meaning of soul and its whereabouts is difficult to get from any Rinpocheas, as they say, that it is a secret, a kind of not sharable, cannot be revealed. If religion is for the benefit of all sentient beings, and if Rinpochea, Lamas, and sages, are to liberate all sentient beings, why do our saviors say it’s difficult to get this? Why it is not allowed to share easily? Why can’t it be shown so that we become Buddha-nature and liberate from the sufferings?

My second question was about the Buddha-nature. We say every human; in fact, every creature living is a Buddha himself. We have Buddha-nature. If we have Buddha nature, what inclines us to do the most treacherous things…? Which part of the demon/inside makes us do unsolicited things? Does every creature, for example, an ant has Buddha-nature? If animals have Buddha-nature, how can we/ they awaken their true nature? Is there anyways for animals to attain a better position? For example, pigs offering bodily (meat) help them to lift their lives?

I hope he will ask the questions, which he said, he would for sure. I can’t help (with many such questions, which I am going to ask next time) but feel the questions are unfair without understanding its true intent or even its basic teachings. But however, they are entitled to my views cause and based on my experiences.

So, can anyone light upon these topics, or do you have such questions hanging like goiter in your throat? If so, say it. Say it for the benefit of all. We know that there are many paths and they all lead to the same truth. But where is that path called the same truth?