Suffering and compassion

I had a wonderful meeting with Bhutan project team and a monk from Bhutan in the first day of my visit in Singapore. While I was quite exhausted by the long travel, I was so glad to spend the time with them. During our discussion, the Bhutanese monk shared his thoughts regarding caring for elders in Bhutan. He truly hopes that this project will initiate reducing the suffering of people who have no roof over their head, no food to eat, and no clothes to wear when they get old. He described his ideas with using the term “compassion” Then, I realized how fortunate I am to exercise my thoughts […]

Learn the rules well, so you know how to break them properly

Learn the rules well, so you know how to break them properly. Dalai Lama This quote reminds me that we who are involved in culture change movement need to remember not to be too blindly critical of the current system. If we want to improve the system of long-term care for the elderly, we need to know about both the positive and the negative aspects of the current system, so we know what to keep and what to change. We need to follow the Dalai Lama’s wisdom in order to make effective changes. I would like to pay sincere respect to all the knowledgeable people who are working hard to change […]

Wisdom from Bhutan

In this time of modernization, when so many of us are so focused on material things, the people of Bhutan recognize the increasing need for deeper values to foster wellbeing, security, and happiness. When I was in Bhutan for the project to create a community for elderly monks, I encountered a short description that captures that spirit at a small village elementary school. The time to be happy is now The place to happy is here The way to be happy is to make other people happy   What a beautiful message for children to learn at school. People in Bhutan did not have much in the way of material […]