Open letter on About last Rites of H.E Shamarpa

Late Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche

Dear Nepal,

This is to send words that we the aficionados of Karma Kagyu are wounded when your government decided not to permit the entry of sacred body of H.E Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche for his last rites. Though acres of land in hundreds of Karma Kagyu monasteries are on hand for the cremation of our late master, we are still trying to win the heart of Nepal only to have the soil of Sharminub Foundation in Nepal be endorsed for the mentioned purpose. The government having turn deaf to the call of devotees, the ultimate voyage of Kudung Rinpoche to Nepal which earlier was scheduled on 14^th July failed and thereby making all the globe wait in Kalimpong for such a long days. If Rinpoche during his lifetime had not made wish in front of thousands during world peace ritual ceremony in Nepal few years back on about his last rites to ensue in the land which gave birth to father of Buddhism (Buddha), we like insane would not at all disturb the ears of your government. But we still have hope in our hearts that your great government will understand our sentiments very sooner and therefore having trust in our own thoughts, the administration of Sharminub Foundation in Nepal continued with all necessary preparations as per the wish of our late master though decision from your state was not yet clear.

Due to political workloads, your government may have forgotten the pending spiritual issue which I thought is necessary to once again remind as the date line for final rites is very near. The Kudung Rinpoche shall be cremated on 31^st July coinciding to first sermon of Lord Buddha which I believe is very near now. Whatever the reason may be for rejection of the proposal, we as devotees would not be very comfortable to stand in front of the next reincarnation of our master in future for having not fulfilled his only wish when he during his lifetime worked hard to fulfill the wishes of all the sentient beings.Though he the late master is Bhutanese by citizen, I don’t support the move to bring the sacred remain here in Bhutan or back to Delhi on taking consideration of the wish made by him. Every Bhutanese (including me), Indians, Germans or any other Buddhist States would wish to have the final voyage of Kudung Rinpoche be in their home but it’s lucky that he the great one had chosen your nation for his final rites, and I am sure your countrymen felt the same as what rest of the globe felt.

To support our proposal, it is not necessary to reflect history of how 4^th, 6^th, 8^th and 10^th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche were associated with the soils, people and kings of great Nepal because we have just read about his hagiographies in papers but it was your holy country that got opportunity to experience such blessing in the times of yore. Forget the tales of ancient times, just call to mind of how the late 14^th Shamarpa contributed to spirituality of Nepal in recent years. 

So, may I appeal at this moment to your great nation to find solutions in nullifying the retraction order for the entry permit of Kudung Rinpoche issued by Home Ministry?

Looking forward for your great and kind support please

Thanking you

Yours Dharma Friend

Karma Thinley

  

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Amla; Off Farm Business in Eastern Bhutan

Usually in mid November, farmers fully clad in eye catching outfits get together in Drametse to witness annual festival. The event marks the start of dry season where men need not have to chase monkeys in the sunlight or wild hogs in the moonlight as their farmlands are bare without corns or paddies.  With no worries of their farm animals being beaten by landlords for having encroached into the fields or their people being troubled by irrigation dispute, farmers dance to the rhythm of the festival. During the occasion, I have seen men gaming with cards and dices, women cheering with goblets and bottles, and children fooling around with lately bought playthings.  Those notes they pay out for their festivity are not earned with the paper works like nearly the entire civil servants do. Every fifty pence piece was earned by ploughing the unbreakable earth, terracing the steep slopes and watering the scorched plants.

Cautiously Harvesting amla

Now with the end of the festival, farmers usually do not have on farm duties until the thunder cracks through the shady clouds with salutation for the monsoon to pour out its initial shower or unless the flowers blossom in every wild lands. During this sleeping phase of the year, some men travel poles apart in search of off farm works and some stay at home helping their neighbors to erect houses. But few farmers, mostly women stay at home doing only kitchen works and those people otherwise will reach to dormancy stage like seeds of plants if not intervened at precise point of time by extension agents like us.

Boiling of amla friuts

So, during this dry winter season, a group of sixteen members from Bikhar hamlet of Drametse decided to reap amla (Emblica officinalis) from Dozam Community Forest under strict supervision of Geog Forestry Extension Office. In a couple of day the group successfully harvested 2560 kg of fresh amla which when processed in dried form yielded approximately about 436 kg. The semi-processing and packaging task was completed only after ten working days and in the end a merrymaking rice wine gathering was arranged by the coordinator of the group. 

Deseeding of Amla with wooden hammer

But before wrapping up my article, a number of readers may possibly be eager of how semi-processing of amla is done. So, at first the fresh amla needs to be boiled in big pot and on cooling the stones of the amla fruits have to be removed by cautiously hammering on the deseeding table. Then it should be sun bathed for many days, and sorting has to be done before packaging in food grain polythene plastic. This then needs to be pressed by sealing machine and weighed. 

Sorting of dried amla

This semi-processed product on reaching to market will earn Nu 131 per kg (latest revised rate, earlier it was Nu 109 per kg) which means the group will have gross income of Nu 57,116 without deducting cost incurred in transportation and paying 5% of its total amount to the Dozam Community Forest as incentive for resource consumption. During the marketing process, RAMCO (Regional Agricultural Marketing Cooperation Office) in Mongar plays vital role in connecting the value chain as marketing facilitator. The semi-processed products are then reached to Bio-Bhutan or ITMS as per their demand by RAMCO. 

Packaging and weighing of amla

ITMS processed about 20% of the dried amla into 37 types of traditional medicines and supplies to forty Indigenous hospitals, and remaining 80% are processed into herbal teas. However, Bio-Bhutan export dried amla to Taiwan at Nu 135 per kg and also process some of it into herbal tea.
These are stories of amla after having supplied by Eastern farmers and before reaching it to end consumers. However, back at home the farmers are happy with what they earn because such work coincide with lean winter season or otherwise it would not be profitably if it were to be harvested in the middle of monsoon when they are digging soils and sowing seeds.

Tea & Rice wine, its Party time

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Forest Fire Volunteers From Sherubtse

It was 5’o clock in the evening of 20^th December, and I could sense the icy air touching my dark skin. I saw someone quivering aside me and hear the chattering of teeth at the backside but none went missing from the freezing hall for hours. The goal behind tolerating the wintry atmosphere for hours inside old outsized hall was to ring the gong of alertness so to keep the communities awake about the causes and effects of wild flames. I thought if it were only an extravaganza then I would rather prefer to stay home and watch motion picture, but my innocent villagers may possibly have thought the other way. During the episode, I did not spot anyone dozing due to variety in the agenda of awareness or otherwise they would usually have forty winks even in the daylight. Usually during awareness gathering, the communities cannot wait long for age old method of monologue talking (blah, blah, and blah) but this time they were in high spirits to watch the angel like girls boogieing on the stage, and listen to the comedy of every boy. This group of artists, ladies and gentlemen, is ‘Forest Fire Awareness Volunteers’ from the oldest college of our Nation, the only legendary Sherubtse College or also known as ‘Shercol’. They are the final year members of disaster management team .

Relation between forest fire and Buddhism 

The awareness programme includes songs, dances, plays, presentations, and question-answering session. The show though presented in comic manner, in it the messages of how the wild flames starts and to what extend it spoils our livelihood were clearly in plain sight. The question and answering session was attention grabbing filled with laughter in every corner when answered wrongly and with a chewing gum as trophy aside applause. In other words, the programme is out of ordinary. The drama reflects of how wild flames starts by careless burning of agricultural debris, making fires for chasing wild pests at night, picnicking and throwing cinders into bushes after smoking. It also shows how the wild flames spread extensively when culprit after having fire accident leaves the scene without extinguishing it or informing to concern personal fearing about the penalties if caught.  At that very moment, the laughter was heard at the highest pitch which sometimes tells how true the drama was.

Drama on causes and effects of  Forest Fire

When the time stroke 8:30 o’clock, the college artists had lot more to display for the audience but gradually the applauding hands were lessening and cheering voices diminishing. The artists are to present the ‘Fire Rules, 2012’ which was the crux of the show but the walls and doors were not gifted with eyes and ears, so the anchor of the show thought that it would not be wise to continue the show with only about dozen of people as a audience. When majority of audience left the hall before the wrap-up of show, the artists felt dishonored by them. If I was one of them I also would have felt humiliated when suddenly huge audience disappears at a time. But I as a host official am here to typewrite my sorry message to dear artists (forest fire volunteers) of Sherubtse College, and also give explanation for why suddenly the hall was empty.  Unlike other places, any awareness show may not possibly be a hit in Drametse in night hours.  This is because most of the villages are dispersed far away from the Geog centre and they need to travel for more than an hour in the dark, and at home their children may sleep with empty stomach when they don’t reach on time to prepare dinner. Usually the farmers sleep early and wakeup when their cock makes the morning call. So, what I mean to say is that you my dear Shercol artists should not tell your junior mates in College about any show not working well in Drametse. This would otherwise be a discourage to any such informative and entertaining upcoming event in Drametse. Any forestry related awareness if scheduled in the day hours then I guarantee the coordinators with not less than 200 audience from my side and that’s a word of a man. Anyway, thanks to all the artists of Sherubtse for your show in Drametse.  

"Forgive for any grammatical errors"

Houseful audience before 8 PM

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