February 20, 2009 – BIIB Blog

20 February, 2009 – Lam Shenphen Zangpo answers basic questions that every Bhutanese man, woman, and child on the street wants to know.

The recent lifting of the ban of meat sales during auspicious months raises questions about vegetarianism. Some people claim that Buddhists should not eat meat. Yet, even our lams take meat. What actually is Buddhism’s position on meat eating?
When discussing meat consumption, it is important to consider the debate in context. Buddhism is not a moral, but wisdom based path. When the Buddha rose from his seat of kusha grass under the bodhi tree, he did not intend to establish a religion called Buddhism, but instead point the way for all beings to awake to their rich, innate heritage of basic goodness.

When we consider any Buddhist practice, we should bear this in mind. Rules of conduct are subordinate to this ultimate goal. Continue reading Buddhist answers to common questions

A blight once decimated their only cash crop, now hope springs anew

The cardamom disease left Nabji-Korphu high and dry

20 February, 2009 – A sweet fragrance of cardamom fills the air in Nabji Korphu as the evening breeze blows over the quiet village. But the cardamom story is not as sweet as its fragrance when villagers recall how their main cash crop was wiped out a decade ago.

Located at the foothills of the rugged Black Mountain range between Trongsa and Zhemgang dzongkhags, Nabji Korphu was once famous for its abundance of cardamom, claim villagers. Not anymore.

Today, acres of cardamom plantation lie overgrown with bushes and farmers, who’d grown rich on the spice, blame a disease, which dried their source of cash.

It all started in the early 1990s, say farmers. “The plant’s leaves turned yellow, wilted and died; the fruit became hard and the juice white,” said a farmer. “It was all over.”

The blight (a plant disease), which affected many cardamom growing regions, did not spare Nabji- Korphu. “Within years, villagers started working as daily wage earners for cash,” said a farmer.

Villagers said that, a decade ago, people of Nabji Korphu were fairly rich. With cardamom as their staple cash crop, almost all of the 221 households earned about Nu 20,000 to Nu 150,000 a year. Continue reading Nabji-Korphu’s cardamom glory days