“I think Bhutan is way ahead of everyone else in terms of preserving their biosphere and their culture and taking care of their citizens” plan,” he says. “And not just talking about it, it’s in the legislation,” he continues and then mentions how China had approached the King with an offer to buy a swath of the country’s forests. Not only did he reject the deal, the King introduced into the constitution the mandatory protection of a minimum of 60 per cent of the country’s forest cover for all time. That, along with its investment in hydropower, has allowed Bhutan the elite green status of being the only carbon negative country in the world. Of course, it is easier to lead a country that is small and fertile, especially when a constitutional monarchy is in place. But the concern with environment protection and traditional culture, as well as its longterm thinking, has as much to do with the fact that the primary religion in Bhutan is Buddhism. When the Bhutanese pray, explains our guide, Tashi Delek, who always wears a gho – the traditional male costume of knee-length, robe-like cloth wrapped around the body and secured with a belt – they ask not just for the wellbeing of their family and community, but for all sentient beings. In Western religions, we believe our good deeds will allow entry into a final stop called heaven; Buddhists believe we return to this earth again and again, which must certainly encourage a more long-term, custodial role of our planet. We have reached a stone wall with steps that led up to the entrance to the monastery. At the top of the steps was a giant prayer wheel painted with a mantra; Kent takes a few clockwise turns. After passing through the entrance, we finally arrive at Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, a three-storey stupa built about 20 years ago by the Queen Mother, with the purpose of warding off evil spirits and bringing peace to the world, which took artisans almost a decade to construct. (“Can you imagine any of our world leaders doing such a thing?” asks someone in our group.) Inside was the most spectacular 4.5m-tall statue of Vajrakilaya, a fierce, monstrous deity with six arms, a face wearing a crown of skulls and a necklace of decapitated heads. It was carved and painted with so much detail it made one dizzy to look at too long. “It’s what we call yidam which has the capacity to destroy any force hostile to compassion and can remove the obstacles on one’s spiritual path to enlightenment,” explains Delek. On the second floor we came upon a monk in a haze of incense chanting and playing a nga, a doublesided sacred drum, and Delek gave us a brief history of Bhutan, which was officially founded in AD747 with the introduction of Buddhism to the country by the hallowed religious leader Guru Rinpoche. Considered a saint, Guru Rinpoche was said to have flown to Taktsang (where the Tiger’s Nest is located) from Tibet on the back of a tiger to conquer the demon spirits there. He then meditated in a cave on which the Tiger’s Nest temple is now built. For centuries, Tibetans dubbed the country the “Southern Valley of Medicinal Herbs” or the “Lotus Garden of the Gods”. The Bhutanese themselves called their land Druk Yul, which means “The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon”, and it was only well into the 20th century that outsiders were allowed to enter this last remaining Himalayan kingdom. We wander to the top of the stupa, which gives us a stunning view of the whole valley, and then make our way in silence back down the stairs and outside. Cameras and phones are not allowed within Bhutan’s holy buildings; the result is that one is more attentive and in the moment within these mystical spaces. “This destination is more about experiencing its people and culture than tracking the big five,” said Kent, soon after we had started on the path back down the hill. “Bhutan’s living culture is what makes this country so unique.” Later he says, “I don’t believe in organised religion for various reasons. If anything, I am more of an animist and believe in the healing power of nature.” We stop at a curve in the path to look out over the rice terraces, “That is probably why Bhutan as a destination resonates so deeply with me,” Kent muses. On the way back down, Kent explains how the immediate goal of &Beyond is to conserve a footprint of about 405,000 hectares of key biosphere and to double its revenue and profit in the next few years to fund its ambitious impact goals. Those include heading on a path to net zero by 2050, supporting local communities by building schools, investing in women’s health and education (“you focus on women, who are the foundation of their communities, and you touch on all the core issues”) and investing in frontier areas, like the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, that are important to protect, which it would not normally do 116 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
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