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- Feb 13, 2020
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Bhutan Snowman Trek: Buddhism in Bhutan
Blog and photos by Deana Zalbado
Around Paro, the capital Thimphu, and surrounding areas, we can’t pass a temple without my wanting to explore it. I’m gathering stories and looking for interesting out-of-way places to build into future trips…and Bhutan does not disappoint. Dark rooms are painted with winged wrathful deities to protect the land from disease. Centuries-old wooden ladders have steps worn smooth and sloping in the middle from thousands of feet climbing to higher altar rooms. Legends abound of evil spirits subjugated by Buddhist masters, and yes, sometimes they involve Tantric sex.
In remote monasteries, I meet young boys who chose at age 12 to leave their families and become monks. I meet a hermit who has left behind home, work, and worldly life to complete 100,000 prostrations (which will take more than 3 years of a few hundred per day). A monk stops our car because he is helping a caterpillar in the middle of the road onto a leaf so that he can put it out of harm’s way. Young and old, they possess a seriousness in their clarity and devotion to spiritual practice that impresses me.
![Buddhism in bhutan 3](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1826&q=80&w=2200&s=c25120f6db147ca3eb5b0d4ee6c7fde6 2200w 1826h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1660&q=80&w=2000&s=2b08e397c30f4aa8055df4490000cfd5 2000w 1660h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1494&q=80&w=1800&s=f4fe096ea91a761d0b34191b0b440e67 1800w 1494h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1328&q=80&w=1600&s=2041c6f23a11c72edfeec3b6641b31ce 1600w 1328h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1162&q=80&w=1400&s=cd77ca7780537e3b60b04a5ff2eb0a39 1400w 1162h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=996&q=80&w=1200&s=28090a1b3d2cf38feacec99e0b11cad6 1200w 996h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=830&q=80&w=1000&s=fd9bd0e7a5ff94e8d34e66369a1cb808 1000w 830h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=664&q=80&w=800&s=b5aafc39e71a3d6463ba1a772f32cf58 800w 664h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=498&q=80&w=600&s=35ba2618dec5497f967bbc0dd72b2bc8 600w 498h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=332&q=80&w=400&s=1adc95ce835a26916eac22b3bbe5b01c 400w 332h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=166&q=80&w=200&s=d273f25b500f5388b1b1edd05122aa17 200w 166h)
![Buddhism in bhutan 2](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1826&q=80&w=2200&s=3f8fda277a5c41331a8bfe05d9ebcea7 2200w 1826h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1660&q=80&w=2000&s=c82586e8eb1b5bd73518c0d79345fdcc 2000w 1660h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1494&q=80&w=1800&s=116013d5f803b8112087715eebd902f7 1800w 1494h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1328&q=80&w=1600&s=1ca39065d0984055260508318fe0f900 1600w 1328h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1162&q=80&w=1400&s=47bdc3eacd6de76024ae98f4de55a07e 1400w 1162h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=996&q=80&w=1200&s=1b73ae1698caf9943bd0eb2bcab43085 1200w 996h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=830&q=80&w=1000&s=02ab93e6466de333906945d1b2fa9af4 1000w 830h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=664&q=80&w=800&s=05d7d5a00abd03e5457ecfe93fb4d803 800w 664h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=498&q=80&w=600&s=dea3d44ff6e35d61761a76c57b210066 600w 498h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=332&q=80&w=400&s=5e665909d6d46b240e663dd39fd694b6 400w 332h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=166&q=80&w=200&s=dbb4184f9907e85f539ca5c840d45a91 200w 166h)
Spiritual devotion is not limited to monastics. Thousands of people turn up for a 3‑month reading of the Buddha’s teachings at the foot of a giant Buddha statue on a hill. A local political leader makes the 5 hour round-trip hike three times every month to a forest temple to make offerings at the altar of a powerful feminine deity. Villagers donate their labor to rebuild a local temple destroyed in the 2011 earthquake (which did serious damage to historic temples across the country). By labor, I mean they spend months hauling 60-pound sacks of dirt up three flights of stairs to pound into rammed earth walls or take turns providing food and cooking for the 30+ people working on any given day. A woman who was diagnosed with a serious heart problem at age 60 came to live near the monastery where she has chanted mantras and spun a prayer wheel for the last 20 years. A check-up last year shows no heart problem.
Spiritual practice pervades every part of life here. Rich and poor, educated and not, most people offer a little of every meal to the deities or recite a prayer before eating (and I fit right in, as I make my own offering of gratitude before every meal). Homes are blessed annually by monks. Prayer flags are strung on high passes.
Some of the best parts of Bhutan can’t be captured in a photo (although the picturesque country and self-possessed populace certainly lend themselves to photos). Every temple prohibits pictures inside, every person practices in their own way, but Buddhism is part of the daily fabric of life in Bhutan.
![Buddhism in bhutan 1](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1826&q=80&w=2200&s=445ce26dd6c677a19e93d320170f00c8 2200w 1826h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1660&q=80&w=2000&s=7efc718c8a5dbc66e0b67a31d97917a4 2000w 1660h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1494&q=80&w=1800&s=8da79e0efc15d793d54eb69eecc4ceee 1800w 1494h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1328&q=80&w=1600&s=2248681ce51248ee6813198f6dbd0f0c 1600w 1328h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1162&q=80&w=1400&s=6939dd72e23afab886b36b539166a607 1400w 1162h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=996&q=80&w=1200&s=78262aa2cdf89bbf8ed8e662cf657c22 1200w 996h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=830&q=80&w=1000&s=6f6de460eaa4a5589bdeea3a161aebd3 1000w 830h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=664&q=80&w=800&s=8879b20aafadd1375bc4a598e671328a 800w 664h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=498&q=80&w=600&s=3dd9e7378ba4cdb30ee629cf419985da 600w 498h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=332&q=80&w=400&s=3f928942c2e63b26362a86f2483bdf83 400w 332h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/buddhism-in-bhutan-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=166&q=80&w=200&s=7f1e28c0c58013185a0ea80cb10dc43b 200w 166h)
![Bhuddism in bhutan 4](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1826&q=80&w=2200&s=04ab35d0a0e892722ec7ca13a5bced59 2200w 1826h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1660&q=80&w=2000&s=8f45b10bb1d797d6ebbad3300c3b1faf 2000w 1660h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1494&q=80&w=1800&s=3ec9781a0eb8c42436c6a2483de4f152 1800w 1494h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1328&q=80&w=1600&s=97ef2fd6fe66f1f745034e70f77f4b37 1600w 1328h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1162&q=80&w=1400&s=eabbbc37ce42294d9b986ddb81068d3d 1400w 1162h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=996&q=80&w=1200&s=cce897d30c33c50f3e415bae68ee3b23 1200w 996h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=830&q=80&w=1000&s=c72de7dd2e28b54ae03c87d9e0817b6a 1000w 830h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=664&q=80&w=800&s=d1e5fe1530d377f8e2692dd9463c7501 800w 664h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=498&q=80&w=600&s=1b640e05d79dc872b0731e90248527d4 600w 498h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=332&q=80&w=400&s=85d857016f8281765aa241cea711817e 400w 332h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhuddism-in-bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=166&q=80&w=200&s=963da670b7cc020bf002543203135bed 200w 166h)