Family Office Elite Spring_16

HOW A DREAM CAME TRUE
Himalaya kingdom of Bhutan
By Dr. Rieki Crins
During Spring 2009 I guided a group of wealthy
Dutch people through Bhutan. On a regular base I do
this work once or twice a year as a cultural tour. I like
doing this work because I can visit Bhutan, travel the
country, stay at many hotels and share my knowledge
about Bhutan with people who want to learn about
the country.
I have a long relationship with Bhutan as an
anthropologist. My first encounter with Bhutan was
25 years ago: I was invited by the Bhutanese Ministry
of Agriculture to conduct research in a remote village.
During my stay in the village, I learned so much about
Bhutanese culture and spirituality. In those days,
village life in Bhutan was like a time machine that
brought you back 200 years. There was no electricity
and no indoor plumbing. Most children did not attend
school, bartering was the main way of economic
exchange and nature provided what people needed
for their daily lives.
Spirituality played an important part of the people’s
lives in the village. It was the guideline for the people
in their relation with nature. Still, today nature is
considered sacred, there are deities everywhere;
in mountaintops, lakes, forests, rivers, rocks and
lands are the abode of the gods. These deities can
bring abundance of crop and protection or can bring
diseases and destruction when offended. Specialistlike
shamans can communicate with this deities and
advise people what kind of rituals are needed to
maintain the harmony.
In this way, the villagers treat nature and their fields
with respect and never abuse the soil. It is an ancient
way of sustainable agriculture. Also in Bhutanese
Buddhism respect for nature and all living beings
is an important value, hence the sustainable policy
towards preserving the forests of the country and the
ban on hunting and killing of animals. Every house
has a protective deity and also this deity needs to be
worshiped and respected. In most houses there is
a special shrine for this deity next to the Buddhist
altar.
Many tourists who visit Bhutan do not know about
this Bhutanese sacred world and the rich cultural
heritage that makes Bhutan so unique to the world.
Coming back to my story: We were driving to Jakar
in Bumthang and arrived late in the afternoon
at our lodge. This lodge is run by a family who is
dedicated to giving their guests quality service
and food. I always stay there with my guests, and
its one of the best lodges in Bumthang. On our
second day at the lodge, one of my clients had a
tantrum – he is a wealthy investment banker and he
was upset because he needed to check the Dollar-
Yen situation. He needed access to a computer and
he wanted to have a gin tonic. Tonic water was
not available in Jakar and there were no computer
connections available either. On top of this, he
was very upset because there was no closet in
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