Back to Buddhist Shambhala, Himalayas

(Positive Momentum)

("Mystic Mask")

Bhutan building Mindfulness City, eating

(60 Minutes)

• What is "mindfulness" (sati)?

Sati (Pali sati [1], Sanskrit स्मृति, smṛti), literally "memory" [2] or "retention" [3] [previously rendered "vigilance," "bare awareness," "wakefulness," "presence of mind," "presence," "to bear in mind"] is commonly translated as mindfulness, "to remember to observe" [4].

It is an essential part of Buddhist practice [occurring 14 times in the list of the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment].

It has the related meanings of calling to mind the wholesome Teachings (Dhamma) such as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthanas), the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the attainment of insight [5].

What is there to mindfully eat?

(South China Morning Post) What people eat in Bhutan? Cheese

Moreover, it means observing and remaining aware of mental and physical phenomena (dhammas), which is the actual practice of maintaining lucid heightened-awareness of these dhammas [6].

The bodily and mental phenomena one practices to remain aware/mindful of are these processes/"things." This is done in order to counter the arising of unwholesome states, the removal of unwholesome states [7][8], to develop wholesome states, and to sustain wholesome states to attainment of insight (vipassana).

It is the first factor of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. "Right" or "correct" mindfulness (Pali sammā-sati, Sanskrit samyak-smṛti) is the seventh factor (limb or element) of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Definition

The Buddhist term translated into English as "mindfulness," "to remember to observe" [4], "to remember to remain observant," originates in the Pali term sati and in its Sanskrit counterpart smṛti.

According to Robert Sharf, the meaning of these terms has been the topic of extensive debate and discussion [8].

• Ven. Analayo strives for an academic definition from the ancient texts.

Smṛti originally meant "to remember," "to recollect," "to bear in mind," as in the Vedic tradition of remembering [memorizing slokas of] sacred texts.

The Pali term sati also means "to remember" the phenomena being observed in Sattipatthana, that is literally "the fourfold setting up of mindfulness," as well more generally remember the Teachings of Tipitaka ("Three Baskets" or collections of the) texts.

In the "Discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness" (Satipațțhāna Sutta), the term sati means "to maintain awareness of reality," where sense-perceptions are understood to be illusory and misleading so that the true nature of phenomena can be directly seen [8] and penetrated.

• [What is their true nature? It is tilakkhana, marked by the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence, which are impermanent, disappointing, and impersonal, a lakkhana being a "mark" or "characteristic" of all phenomena, all dhammas, all "things."]

Sharf refers to the Questions of King Milinda (Milindapanha), King Menander I, which explains that the arising of sati calls to mind the wholesome phenomena (dhammas) such as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness...and the attainment of insight [5]. More

• 60 Minutes, Jan. 2025; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wikipedia Wiki edit

Happiest Place on Earth: Buddhist Bhutan

(60 Minutes Australia) Is Bhutan the Happiest Place on Earth?

• Bhutan's economy: Gross Domestic Happiness

Buddhism in Bhutan

Guru Rimpoche Padmasambhava

(World Travel Guides) A French man journeys to Bhutan to become a Buddhist monk. Buddhism in Bhutan. Vajrayana Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Bhutan. It is the state religion of Bhutan, and Buddhists comprise 75% (with Hinduism at 23%) of the population. Although the Buddhism practiced in Bhutan originated in Tibet, it differs significantly in its rituals, liturgy, and monastic organization.

What lifestyle leads to longevity?

The state religion has long been supported financially by the government through annual subsidies to Buddhist monasteries, shrines, monks, and nuns.

In the modern era, support for the state religion during the reign of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck includes the manufacture of 10,000 gilded bronze images of the Buddha, publication of elegant calligraphic editions of the 108-volume Kangyur (Collection of the Words of the Buddha) and 225-volume Tengyur (Collection of Commentaries), and the construction of numerous chorten (stupas) throughout the country. Guaranteed representation in the National Assembly and the Royal Advisory Council, Buddhists constitute the majority of society and are assured an influential voice in public policy.  🔔 @travel-guide

THIS IS LIFE IN BHUTAN: The most isolated country in the world?

The Last Buddhist Kingdom

(WOW) From ethic polyamory to royal monogamy: marriage in Bhutan

(Lifeder) This video embarks on a journey full of charm and mystery through Bhutan, a majestic former kingdom (now a constitutional semi-monarchy) located in the heart of the Himalayas. Its culture is preserved in its purest state due to its geographical isolation and its strong devotion to Buddhist traditions. Get to know what life in Bhutan is like, from the serenity of its ancient Vajrayana Buddhist monasteries to the joy of the colorful festivals. Discover the impressive fortresses called dzongs, silent witnesses of Bhutan's rich history, understand the monarchy and why it stepped aside to invite modernization, as it was formerly an integral part of the country's history, ethnic groups, what the people are like, and much more.

• LIFE IN BHUTAN: Most isolated country in the world?
• Museum quality Buddha statues (HD Asian Art)
• Lifeder, June 10, 2023; World Travel Guides; 60 Minutes Australia, Oct. 2025; Buddhism in Bhutan, May 6, 2022; WOW; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Baseball begins, LA (Buddhist Bhutan)

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits first home run of the season to win big – NBC Los Angeles

America brings us hegemony I mean baseball.

Hegemony means cultural influence. The USA may have too much of it. Buddhists in Bhutan, the last Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, play baseball in front of the giant Buddha Dordenma statue in the capital Thimphu, and MLB couldn't be happier.

Buddhist Bhutan obsessed with Western sports

The Cup (Bhutanese film about Buddhist monks' obsession with football for Western audiences)

The Cup (Bhutanese film)

The Cup (Tibetan ཕོར་པ། or Phörpa) is a Tibetan-language film written and directed by Khyentse Norbu in his feature directorial debut. It's about two young football-crazed Tibetan refugee novice Buddhist monks who desperately try to get a television for their remote Himalayan Buddhist monastery so they can watch the 1998 FIFA World Cup final. Though not nominated, The Cup was Bhutan's first-ever submission for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

In the Buddhist mountains of the world's most remote country, baseball takes hold

Baseball in Thimphu, Bhutan (Major League Baseball/Matthew DeSantis @matthewrdesantis)

.

King Pop Warner Bhutanese Little League?

(MLB) High up in the Himalayas between Tibet and [Buddhist] India sits the small Buddhist country [former kingdom] of Bhutan.

Sometimes known as the world's last Shangri-La, this nation of snowy alpine peaks and untouched mountain streams has fewer than 700,000 people who call it home. Yet, what is perhaps the most remote country in the world is on its way to being a baseballing nation, growing from a few dozen kids playing on a concrete slab after school to more than 6,000 children who are fast becoming baseball fanatics despite few having ever seen a Major League game.

• Sports obsession, addiction, gambling? • Buddhist-based healing at Recovery Dharma (JewBu-based recovery)

Bhutan Baseball and Softball Association (X)

"Everything from the friendship I grew with my father to my brothers to everyone in my town growing up, it was all based around baseball," Matthew DeSantis, the co-founder and chairman of the Bhutan Baseball and Softball Association told me during a recent visit to New York.

Why are American so rich and pretty? Maybe

it's our karma (deeds) of giving (dana)

Angelic Shohei Ohtani used to get the US girls

"From a community perspective in Bhutan, it was a way for me to both be involved stronger, and also to give something back that I thought the kids would love and connect over," Matt went on to say.

• Shohei Ohtani dates, marries, reveals he and wife Mamiko Tanaka pregnant

Ohtanis are expecting a baby girl (People)

Soft-spoken and thoughtful, the American was dressed in a warm brown gho -- a robe cloth that is part of the national dress, the traditional Bhutanese garb, on the day we met.

Though his trip to capitalist New York brought him close to where he grew up in nearby Wilton, Connecticut, one got the feeling that Buddhist Bhutan is where he always belonged.

Asian fans celebrate AAPI Dodgers representation thanks to Shohei Ohtani

Paro Taktsang, Tiger's Nest Monastery, Bhutan

Oddly enough, baseball wasn’t how DeSantis first discovered the small Himalayan country, but rather its young leader, Prince Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, whom he met on the school basketball team while attending Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford.

(Bhutan is now a parliamentary democracy, but the royal family still holds its titles -- similar to the monarchy in England).

After DeSantis’ first three weeks in Bhutan, where he trekked through the dense and pristine southern rainforest and stayed in roadless villages, he decided to move there for good.

Tibetans reborn white in America

Reborn in America, 1973, after being killed by Chinese in Tibet in 1960.

Tibet was once a Himalayan empire made up of 25% Buddhist monastics:

Rebirth of tulkus (Tibetan monastic incarnations) in America.

• 

  Fresh to US from Bhutan: DragonHerbs.com

  American Ron Teeguarden married a Bhutanese woman to access pure herbs for his tonic concoctions, which he used to sell from a tea shop in Santa Monica, California: Dragon Herbs
• Bhutan used to be one of the hardest countries in the world to visit, due to severe limits on visas (and a necessary commitment to spend hundreds of US dollars a day when visiting) to keep it pristine and to limit hegemony and decadent outside influences. It's stilly pricey: MyBhutan

Asian American Pacific Islander Dodger fans proud of AAPI representation

Rich Ron married Bhutanese beauty for access

It was while founding the tech company and luxury travel operator MyBhutan, which helped visitors explore the region, that DeSantis met Karma Dorji.

Dorji, now the president of the Bhutan baseball association, "had a strong passion to bring sports to the kids and make it accessible and free."

Shohei Ohtani dating Cal Berkeley's K Dung?

They had no grand design on establishing a baseball association, though: The two simply loved baseball. DeSantis learned the game back in America, while Dorji fell in love while attending the World Children's Baseball Fair in Japan. They wanted to offer it to the children who lived nearby the military barracks in Thimphu. More: mlb.com

Los Angeles environmentalist to protest Dodgers

Dodgers vs. Detroit Tigers opening day game at Dodger Stadium (Sierra Club Angeles | IG)

.

Sierra LA World Water Day

The Sierra Club's next protest [against Phillips 66 petroleum polluting corporation and sponsor affiliated with the team] will be at the Dodgers' first home game, today, Thursday, March 27th, 2025, at 3:00 pm.

We meet for the pre-game outside Dodger Stadium on the south-east corner of Stadium Way and Vin Scully Avenue. Recommended parking: Lot 13 south of entrance on Stadium Way. All environmentalists are welcome. Wear Dodgers logos and fan gear if available. More

Protesting the Dodgers at a game

LA demonstrators are at Dodger Stadium to protest against Phillips 66

• Dodgers: End your sponsorship deal with criminally indicted oil giant Phillips 66 NOW! | MoveOn
• Dodgers fans against fossil fuels gains a new champion
• Sierra Club Angeles protest at Dodger Stadium for first home game Thursday, March 27th, 2025 meet pre-game at 3
• California Senate leader urges Dodgers to drop oil and gas advertisers (Los Angeles Times)
• Bhutan's Gross National Happiness over GDP
• Baseball on front of the Buddha : r/Buddhism
• 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers - Opening Day Video; Michael Clair (@michaelsclair), mlb.com, Aug. 3, 2023; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hippie Trail: Katmandu, drug paradise (video)

What were we looking for? Enlightenment. What did we find? Ganja-smoking Hindu sadhus.

Rock singer Bob Seger sang about Katmandu, whereas Led Zeppelin wrote a paean to Kashmir

(Hare Krishna Hare Ram) "Dum Maro Dum" (1971) In this Bollywood song about the detested hippies coming to India to smoke weed and worship Krishna devotionally like the Beatles, a brother searches everywhere for his hippie Indian sister who has fallen in with Western miscreants.

How the drug war destroyed a hippie paradise in Kathmandu

(ReasonTV) Sept. 13, 2019. Pres. Dick Nixon's pursuit of draft-dodgers and pot smokers fueled the communist ideology it was trying to contain.

In the 1970s, Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon tried to nip "communism" in the bud by destroying Nepal's Himalayan hippie Shangri-La.

In stopping the pot smokers, he sparked a Maoist blowback. As the last country on earth to forbid the sale, cultivation, and consumption of drugs, Nepal promised a mind-bending trip.

Hippie trail from Europe to Central and E. Asia

But in an era when few could afford round-the-world airfare, frugal flower children took a rougher route to the most far-out destination on the planet: The Hippie Trail followed the footsteps of the ancient [Buddhist] Silk Road.

Some travelers fled the U.S. War on Vietnam draft; others came to the Himalayas to find themselves. For whatever the reason, from 1965 to 1973, tens of thousands of young people hitchhiked or bused the overland route from Istanbul, Turkey, to Kathmandu, Nepal, annually.

The end of The Hippie Trail was a single bustling urban lane called Jhonche, rechristened as Freak Street by its new colorfully dressed inhabitants.

Far Out: Countercultural...in Nepal

Over time, the Western hippies created their own community in Kathmandu. In a fascinating look at Nepal's hippie history, Mark Liechty, author of Far Out: Countercultural Seekers and the Tourist Encounter in Nepal, describes Freak Street as a Haight-Ashbury or Greenwich Village on the other side of the world.

Hippies lived in a fantasy Nepal that existed in their imaginations: a land where old [morals or] traditions did not apply, where they could live freely and create themselves anew.

A youth culture that was too shocking for 1960s North America found a welcome home in a faraway religious monarchy [nominally Hindu but very Vajrayana Buddhist].

But "paradise" is not of either side of this earth. Two years after Pres. Dick Nixon declared an international "war on drugs," U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew was dispatched to Asia.

VP Agnew toured every country on The Hippie Trail before arriving in Nepal. Pres. Nixon threatened to withhold economic aid from countries that held a permissive attitude toward the drug trade.

Maoist rebels start Nepalese Civil War

Months later, Nepal enacted the first anti-drug laws in its ancient history. Kathmandu's hashish shops were closed. American narcotics agents roamed Freak Street, surveilling drug takers and draft dodgers for arrest on their arrival back in the United States.

And in a move that would have consequences for decades to come, Nepal's natural marijuana fields (where it grows freely for anyone to pick) were torched.

The hippies weren't the only ones angered by the new prohibition.

In Western Nepal, far from the capital city of Kathmandu, hashish cultivation (made from the sticky, oozing sap of budding cannabis flowers) was the main source of income.

Musk: Why was this ever illegal? (Joe Rogan)

Sellers and growers were arrested. Private property with strains of the hemp (Cannabis sativa) plant growing on it was forfeited to the state in a land grab using the drug war as its pretext.

Tens of thousands of farmers were pushed to the brink of starvation. Promised development aid to the region never arrived from outside or materialized from the monarch.

Seeing political opportunity in economic collapse, the Communist Party exploited local grievances and persuaded residents that only a violent overthrow of the oppressive royal government would solve their problems.

"Dum Maro Dum/Dam Maro Dam" Hare Krishna Hare Raam original song

Dick Nixon's global war on drugs fueled the communist ideology it was trying to contain. By 2006, the communist Maoists controlled 80 percent of the country. The insurgency based in the agricultural heartland had grown into a national political force that paralyzed the nation with a series of national strikes and armed resistance to the bad king.

After a decade-long civil war that claimed 17,000 lives, Nepal's monarchy was abolished and the Communist Party were elected to power.

Today, the civil war is long over, but Nepal's war on drugs continues. It remains a hub for heroin (derived from the naturally growing poppy plant) and hashish (cannabis resin), with stories of drug busts, addiction, and violence, mainstays of Nepal's TV news coverage.

Freak Street or Hippie Row still exists in Nepal

Despite a small political movement to legalize hashish, cannabis is legal one day a year for religious purposes only. The rest of the time, locals and tourists take their chances in the black market.

These days, the real action has moved to Thamel. A short walk from Freak Street, Kathmandu's new nightlife hotspot offers visitors every kind of indulgence that was available during Freak Street's heyday and many more that the hippies couldn't have imagined on their wildest trip.

• Full story text and links: https://reason.com/?post_type=video&p...
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: reasontv
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magaz...
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
• Subscribe to podcast at Apple Podcasts: https://goo.gl/az3a7a

Reason.com is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a Libertarian perspective. Produced by Todd Krainin. Music licensed under Creative Commons, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US. "Malashree Dhun" by Sringar Nepal. "Bass Bansuri" by Hamsadhwani. "Eastern Thought" by Kevin MacLeod. "Holiday (instrumental)" by Silence is Sexy. "Aspirato" by Kai Engel. "Long Time Gone" by Amaya Laucirica. ReasonTV

The Singing Bowls of Katmandu, Nepal (video)

Jet Lag; MATW; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Kathmandu, Nepal: Watch an authentic Tibetan singing bowl demonstration

(Jet Lag) Summer 2015. This is a handmade singing bowl demonstration from the Kathmandu Valley of officially Hindu, mostly Buddhist Nepal, which borders and is completely dominated by India.

The Singing Bowl Book (Joseph Feinstein)

Many have asked where to get one. So Jet Lag has partnered with Himalayan Bowls, the top-rated singing bowl seller in North America/ 🇺🇸 Get 10% off with code JETLAG at bit.ly/JetLag_HimalayanBowls. International shipping available. 🇪🇺 Amazon EU stores below 🇬🇧🇩🇪🇮🇹🇪🇸🇫🇷🇸🇪🇵🇱🇳🇱

For over two decades, Himalayan Bowls has sold only the highest quality selection of authentic, handmade singing bowls from Nepal. Jet Lag chose to partner with these artisans because of their authenticity, selection, and reputation. One no longer needs to travel to Nepal to own a truly master crafted singing bowl treasure. 🇳🇵

Most singing bowls today are cheap, mass-produced brass (rather than bronze) bowls. 

Each purchase directly supports the artisans in Nepal, who have passed down this handmade bronze tradition for many centuries.

How to make a singing bowl

(Massage Around the World) Spring 2015. This is the arduous process of creating singing bowls in Nepal. The effort is labor intensive, taking up to four hours to create a single bowl. To learn more about singing bowls and about Tibetan singing bowl massage, check out: massagearoundtheworld.com.

📖 Transform into a master storyteller of Himalayan singing bowls with the comprehensive guidebook that covers all aspects of these beautiful meditative musical instruments. From the intricate artistry and playing methods to the cultural connections and traditions, this book delves into the full spectrum of singing bowls -- including brass, bronze, and antique mixed metal varieties. Find valuable shopping tips and advice to help navigate the modern market. Take this opportunity to deepen knowledge and appreciation of singing bowls. Order a copy now and use code JETLAG for a 5% discount: tinyurl.com/singingbowlbook.

We've also curated a selection of products from different European Amazon stores to give you more options: Amazon UK 🇬🇧 amzn.to/3kDzVtH, amzn.to/3R6FnBA, amzn.to/3H3Kz4r. More

Journey w/ Robert Thurman in Bhutan (film)

Journey with Robert Thurman; Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Tiger’s Nest Travel Guide - Epic Buddhist Monastery in Bhutan (magnificentworld.com)

Journey with Robert Thurman in Bhutan

(Journey with Robert Thurman) Journey with Robert Thurman in Bhutan: Buddhist Teachings and Meditations in the Land of the Thunder Dragon takes viewers on an inner and outer journey into the heart of the last remaining Himalayan Buddhist kingdom as it transitions into the world’s newest democracy.

Largest Buddha in Bhutan

Explore Vajrayana Buddhist Bhutan's sacred sites and temples, where Professor Thurman offers Buddhist teachings and meditations that illuminate central principles of Buddhism, and why it's essential for achieving Bhutan's goals of Gross National Happiness (GNH instead of GDP, "Gross Domestic Product").

To purchase the film, visit journeywithrobertthurman.com. Music SONG: "Flowering Seed." ARTIST: Dopekick. ALBUM: Something a Little Different.

Himalayas: Visit to Buddhist Bhutan (video)

Yes Theory, Dec 1, 2019; Amber Larson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Traveling to the Happiest Country in the World

(Seekdiscomfort.com) What country is the happiest in the world? Well, after hearing from many traveler friends that it might be the last Buddhist Himalayan kingdom in the world, Bhutan, I had to go see it for myself. I am personally on a mission to understand the basic parameters of joy and happiness, so going on a trip like this is a dream come true. Where should we travel to next? Thank you to Bhutan Peaceful Tours for hosting. Want to join the Yes Fam Facebook group, which is 100,000+ of our most engaged and badass community members? Apply.

Fairytale wedding in Buddhist Bhutan (video)

NDTV, Nov. 6, 2011; Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A fairytale wedding in Bhutan

Watch South Asia's version of the William and Kate wedding as the beloved monarch of the last Buddhist Himalayan kingdom in the world (Bhutan), King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, marries his bride, Jetsun Pema (not to be mistaken with the Dalai Lama's little sister, the elderly activist, author, and Central Tibetan Administration Cabinet Member Ama Jetsun Pema) in an ancient Buddhist ceremony at the country's most sacred monastery fortress.