karmachoden

Spontaneous expression of thoughts and emotions in words.

Archive for the month “December, 2012”

19 Dec 2012
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105th National Day Celebration- bringing in an ERA of new meaning for Democracy

 

On 17th December 2012, we witnessed one of the most memorable National Day event graced by both the Majesties.  It was probably the first time that the Desups took part in the marching ceremony instead of the school children.  And most importantly it was the first time when 112 teachers were recognized for their dedicated service to the Nation.

 

 It was overwhelming to see many of our long serving teachers who have given most of their lives in the cause of education got finally recognized.   National Order of Merit in Gold was awarded to these teachers. Teachers who served for longer duration with unwavering dedication and teachers who were creative and innovative in teaching were chosen to receive the medals. 

 

The award comes at the time when the Nation is celebrating Sherig Century- 100 Years of Educating the Nation. There is no better way to celebrate Sherig Century than to receive the highest level of award from His Majesty the King.  This is the best gift our teachers received. The honour bestowed by His Majesty the King on teachers simply indicates that teachers are in the core of His Majesty’s Heart. This is also an indication of His Majesty’s trust in our teachers and the education system to serve our children well so that they can become responsible citizens.  It’s an indication that teachers play a much greater role in shaping the nation’s future generations.

 

My only hope is that this kind gesture of His Majesty the King inspires many others who are aspiring to become teachers and motivate the ones who are in the system to rededicate themselves in the cause of education.

 

His Majesty also stressed on the importance of democracy and how the whole nation should participate in the promotion of vibrant democracy in our country. With s wide smile on his face, he asks the crowd whether they will participate in the 2013 Election and the crowd roars affirmation in unison. His Majesty’s message that we should put national interest before our personal goals and ambitions reminds us to foster a sense of community, brotherhood and oneness in times of need at the same time not forgetting what lies ahead of us.

 

Later that evening, I watched a moving recount of the 97th National Day Celebration in 2004 at Mongar. It was graced by His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo along with Queen Mothers Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wanghuck and Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck, His Royal Highness Princes Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, and Dasho Ugyen Jigme Wangchuck and Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Dechen Wangchuck.

 

It was a year after the country led by His Majesty the fourth King had to flush out the insurgent militants out of our country in December 2003. It touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes to see some of the arm forces disabled during the flush out period. It was even more touching to see His Majesty the King meeting with the families of the army personnel who gave their lives fighting for the country.

 

I thought Bhutan Broadcasting Service did a great service by rebroadcasting the whole 97th National Day Celebration at Gyelposhing in Mongar. It served as a great reminder at least for me to be grateful for where we are today and for what we have now. All thanks to our great leader His Majesty the fourth King and the arm forces of Bhutan.

 

I also felt very nostalgic as my husband (in the form of militia personnel) was a part of that great victory over the insurgents.  It brought in flood of memories of how I ran from one monastery to another to offer loads of butter lamps and prayers for the safety of the King, my husband and all the arm forces involved in the operation flush out.

 

I never felt so worried and so proud of my husband knowing he was there fighting for the country alongside His Majesty the Fourth King. That evening when we got the news that we won the victory I cried tears of joy, hugged my two little kids and cried for a long long time.

 

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07 Dec 2012
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An encounter of an AMAZING kind with Pranic Healing

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A young passionate healer and a patient with full faith in receiving the healing

Last evening I was at the Youth Development Fund (YDF) for my Thursday group meditation. I met many new faces who had taken up Pranic Healing classes after us. They were there for the same purpose. Before we started off with our meditation programme, we sat around the warm heater interacting with each other and sharing the experiences of Pranic Healing. One new healer shared with us how she got into pranic healing. She has a mother who has been suffering from asthma for a long time. It had been quite a stressful time for the mother and daughter. While the mother coughed severely every night there was nothing that the daughter could do apart from the normal medical treatment that was prescribed.
As faith would have it when she shared her problem with her friend, she was told that the friend would do the healing. She thought the friend had gone nuts. The same friend would say that she would do the healing whenever she met anyone with pain. This is the recount of what the lady told me when we met last evening, “At one point we met another friend who had neck pain and this friend of mine happily came forward to do the healing. I thought she must have really gone out of her mind to go around telling all the sick people that she can do the healing. She persisted that I bring my mother to her for the healing.”
Well that was when she decided to take her mother and see what happens. Her friend did the healing and amazingly that night the mother did not cough at all. The next day the mother was moving out and around happily. It brought so much faith to her that she then decided to take up the classes herself. And today she is a regular at YDF though she has just started practicing.
There is another story the two young regular healers at YDF shared with me. Both of them are regular healers and mostly attend to elderly people. They said that the elderly people go home so happy and relaxed after the healing. When they come for healing the next day they are full of praises and blessings for the healers. This keeps the two young ladies on their toes all the time. There is a greater motivation to heal others and heal oneself. In making others happy one feels the deepest sense of happiness and satisfaction. And I say there is no greater healing than the great sense of fulfillment.
By the way I noticed that both the young ladies were glowing with brightness and they were filled with smiles-smiles that come from within, smiles that we smile when our inner self glows. Service to others is service to god. And in this case they are making many lives easier to live by. We say in Bhutanese that “a horse cannot carry the load of the blessings that comes from making a person happy.” And may this be truly reflected in the service of these two young passionate and compassionate healers. Hail to Miss Thinley of YDF and Miss Dawa. And I am so grateful for the opportunities to be with these willing people. I am already looking forward to the next Thursday.

Quote for the day: “Be grateful for every moment because it can be taken away in an instant.” ~ Ann Tran

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06 Dec 2012
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Kids, Examinations and the Chaos

Yesterday my son finished his exams. I am the one who is feeling the most relieved more than anyone in the house.  From today I no more have to go after him telling him to study.  It’s such a tedious thing having to constantly go after your children asking them to study for the exams. Sometimes I wish there were no such things as examinations.  Even my son was re-sounding the same thought to me when his sister finished her exams and he had to wait for his board exams to start.

Day before last evening I sat with him to revise his last paper-social studies. Before I could finish asking him the questions he would come out with the answers. I was amazed. He had learnt by heart the entire social studies. Such an amazing memory capacity at this age, I thought to myself.  But when I asked him to spell some of the words he could not spell all of them right. He learnt the words and sentences by heart but I wonder if he can even explain what he uttered.

A few days back when I went o office I had given him some past question papers in mathematics to be solved. Told him I would check the answers soon after I came back from office. As obedient as he is, he brought the answers to be checked. I went through and noted that he had ticked and crossed the answers. I asked him to solve and show me how he got the answers. He had no answers. He went grumpy when it came to solving the questions.

Now that is where the war between the mother and son starts. I hate teaching this new curriculum mathematics. It’s so cumbersome.  And many a times I have echoed this to many of the colleagues working in the Curriculum Department to revisit the curriculum. Whenever I sit down to teach mathematics to my children I turn out looking like Dorji Drolo (the wrathful version of Guru Rinpoche) and my kids like the subdued demons. I hate this feeling of having to put fear in my children. So I stopped teaching mathematics. I shared my concerns with my husband that if I continue teaching mathematics to the children, the relationship between the kids and I will be blemished and I didn’t want that to happen.

Sometimes I tell my husband, why to push him so far at this age. Let him learn at his own pace. We were not even at his grade when we were much older.  I tell my husband why we want our two children to mature much earlier than their age. It’s their childhood and let them enjoy their child hood like we enjoyed our childhood.

At one point I was even telling my husband to let my son fail in his class instead of pushing him too hard. Who cares? After all at the end of the day it’s not how much he has scored that determines his values in life. It is what he has learned that really will put him under the test of life. For me education and schooling are two different things. I would never want my kids’ schooling to interfere in their education. Education for me is learning how to lead a better life filled with compassion, kindness, respect, honesty, and all the values that one needs to be a better human being. Whereas schooling is making our kids top the examinations so that they can excel in the professional world. But what if our children excel in academics and fail in personal lives?

Though this world is becoming very competitive which is why there is a lot of pressure on our young minds, I still would not agree that academic is the only thing in life. Many great people in the world are not academicians. They have become great by their sheer creativity, passion and interest. I strongly feel that parents should provide platforms for their children to find out their talents, interest and passions and build up on them. Nothing is better than making money with one’s sheer passion.

Life skills and values should be taught at home. After all home is where everything begins. I have seen children who graduated from the universities and yet not knowing how to cook for themselves. There are children who are not able to identify what they are good at and comb the town in search for jobs. I have heard of children scoring the highest in academics yet committing suicide. There are graduates who have come out of the colleges and universities with colorful results and getting into work place yet not being able to stay on jobs. These are the lack of education and the result of schooling.

Therefore, as parents it’s important to ensure that your children be educated alongside schooling. Education is not the end; it is the means whereas schooling is the end.

Quote for the day:

“No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.” – Emma Goldman

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05 Dec 2012
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The Power of Twin Heart Meditation

There is a Bhutanese saying which roughly translated goes like this, “if the members of the family are not in favour of each other, nothing will go right in the house.” This is truly sounded in the negative and positive thoughts and vibrations that we rub on to each other.  When we are not in favour of each other it means we are sending out negative thoughts to that person which in turn sends out negative energy to the entire house. If we think positive of the person then it generates positive thoughts and energy from the other person as well.  I strongly believe that our thoughts create out living conditions and situations.

For the last six years I have had troubles in my relationship with my husband, have had financial problems, felt betrayed by my own blood sisters and brothers, which made me feel so miserable and lonely. It had direct implication on my health. I complained of constant abdominal pain, developed freckles on my face, and had dark circles and huge lines under my eyes.  At times I would go broke for days on end.  Sometimes I would go thin as a stick and sometimes I would put on extra weight. All these had impact on my self confidence and self esteem. I would eat large plate during meals and at times I wouldn’t have appetite at all. And I drank an extra beer all the time. Sometimes I would stay awake the whole night in front of my lap top chatting with strangers to get rid of my loneliness.

My close friends shared their concerns for me especially when they learned that I was taking more than the right quantity of beer. Thank God, I did not let these factors affect my work in any way. No matter how disturbed I was and how much beer I had consumed the other night, I was always there on time for my work and performed it as efficiently as I always used to. My work and my two children kept me going so far. At home my husband and I were almost like strangers.  A man I met some 22 years when I was just a grade 7 student in a high school and fathered two beautiful children from me turned out like a distant star. We had created so many gaps in our relationship that reaching out to each other was near to impossible. There came a point when we even separated for a while. The only thing that kept us together was our daughter and son who is now 13 and 11 respectively.

All these have changed now. Thanks to Pranic Healing through which I could practice Twin Heart Meditation.  I don’t get time to practice pranic healing; having attended the classes itself brought immense change in my outlook. However, I do Twin Heart Meditation on a regular basis and this has played major role in changing my life. Now when I look at things I see that nothing has changed. I get the same salary, I have the same husband, same two children and live in the same house. The only thing that changed is my outlook in life, the way I look at things, the way I send out positive thoughts and get positive thoughts in return.  Now the atmosphere in my house is so much different from what it used to be some 6 years back. It is back to its life. There is so much fun, loving kindness and happiness and a kind of aura no one wants to get away with. Though I get the same salary, I don’t go broke any more. I give away so much yet I have enough to show in my bank balance. We never run out of things. Everything seems to fall into place. My husband and I share the same loving relationship that we used to share when we first met.  My two children are so much happier and we laugh a lot together.  No one now shouts at each other at the same time we don’t take each other for granted. We give space to each other and we respect the privacy of each one in the family. Now I don’t get angry at little things that at one point used to bother me a lot.

Today, I am a lot happier and more contended person. I have my sisters calling me and visiting me. I have my nephews wanting to spend their vacation at my place. I feel healthy and fit as a fiddle. My abdomen pain has disappeared and I don’t complain of any discomfort.

WHAT MORE CAN ONE ASK FOR?

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Advance Pranic Healing course certification with teacher Bala

THANK YOU DIVINE SUPREME BEING AND ALL MY SPIRITUAL TEACHERS FOR YOUR DIVINE GUIDANCE, DIVINE PROTECTION, DIVINE LOVING KINDNESS, AND DIVINE ABUNDANCE. GREAT, GREAT THANKS AND SO BE IT.

Quote for the day: “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”- Oprah Winfrey

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03 Dec 2012
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LETTER TO A DAUGHTER- (3rd December 2012)

My little sweet heart,

You turned 13th on 1st December 2012. The only birthday gift you asked was an outing with your friends for a pizza treat. At first I wasn’t sure whether to let you go on your own with your buddies. But then on the second thought I felt I should allow you to explore things with your friends. Then there was your happiness to be considered.

Your brother and I went to Changangkha Lhakhang to offer butter lamps for you. Besides, your birthday is marked as International Day for HIV –AIDS. And I thought there wouldn’t be better day than your birthday to offer butter lamps for all the victims of HIV-AIDS. I prayed for your well being along with prayers for a peaceful living for all the people in Bhutan and around the world suffering from HIV-AIDS.

Remember, last year we dedicated your birthday to the five brave people suffering from HIV-AIDS who came out in the open to talk about themselves and to create awareness to the people of Bhutan.  It takes guts and balls to come out in the open especially in a society where little is known about the disease. People still stigmatize those with the diseases. It is a terrible thing to be living not only with the disease but to bear the stigmatization by the society.  So much needs to be done to create awareness so that the victims of HIV-AIDS don’t have to go through a hell.

My dear girl, as you grow up, I want you to realize that your birthday is a very special day. You grow up not only realizing the implications of getting affected with HIV-AIDS but you also grow up realizing the importance of supporting those affected with the disease. I thought it is worth sharing the following message of His Majesty Druk Gyalpo King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck that says, “I believe that the goodness of a person is at its purest in the young. And this is the root from which all hope and optimism about the future springs. After all it is the goodness in human nature that overcomes all obstacles. HIV/AIDS is no exception. The youth will use their strength of character to reject undesirable activities; their compassion to aid those afflicted; and their will to prevent its spread.”

Now you are entering into a teenage stage and it’s a very important land mark in one’s growth. This is also the stage where one may be tempted to experiment with different things and stuffs.  You may be faced with peer pressure. You may face the dilemma of entering into relationships. You may even be seduced into sexual relationship.

Yes, you may be put into test for all these but all you have to do is keep to yourself. Keep your self- restrain and maintain your self control.  However, should there come such a circumstances where things are unavoidable always make sure that you use preventive measures such as condoms. 

I have always felt that it is never too early neither too late to talk about sex education. Safe sex practice is very essential for a woman. Unsafe sex can bring about lots of undesired and unwanted problems. You may be at risk of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and most of all HIV-AIDS.  Though HIV-AIDS is also spread by use of infected syringe, through infected blades in the saloon, or through mother to the un-born, one of the foremost transmission is done through sexual intercourse with the affected person.  I take it as my responsibility to let you know of these facts so you can make the right decisions when you encounter any situations where you may be tempted to try out any sexual act.

My little sweet heart, teenage is also a time when one may experience lots of stress.  Stress from wanting to look beautiful, wanting to own beautiful clothes and shoes, wanting to own what others have, and not having enough money to buy all these. It is natural for a teenager to feel these wants.  However, whenever you go through this, remember I am always there for you. I want you to come and talk to me and together we can make it through.

Hey by the way, I am so glad I let you celebrate your birthday with your friends. I could see the shine on your face the moment you came home that evening. I did not regret my decision to let you go. In fact I was so happy that you had such a wonderful day out.

Lastly, I want you to always remember that no matter what transpires between us and no matter how old you grow, you will always be my little sweet heart, my greatest source of happiness and joy and my most treasured gem.

I love you and will be there for you whenever you need me.

 

 

 

Your Loving MOMZEE!!!!!!!

 

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