Page 23 - BHUTAN 2007

One of the most fascinating things about Bhutanese Buddhism is the fact
that there is no Supreme Being in the religion—Buddha is certainly

venerated and respected for his spiritual achievements, but he is not

worshiped in the sense that Christians understand worshipping their God.

Rather, Buddha in all his guises is viewed as a supreme model and exemplar

for human beings to follow in their own quest for Nirvana—release from
samsara—the endless reincarnation cycle which returns all creatures to this

world of unavoidable suffering. The only way to free oneself from this

“wheel” is to attain enlightenment by following the precepts set down by

Buddha and his many lamas and priests. These monastery festivals with

music and dance bring devotion to Buddhist principles close to the people
and make real to them the teachings of the Buddha.

ARCHERY - THE NATIONAL SPORT

Because the country is unique in so many ways, we were not surprised to

find that the national sport is such a singular one: archery. There are two

types practiced: 1) traditional bamboo bows constructed with natural

materials available in the country and 2) modern composition bows

(titanium, etc.) like those used in the Olympics. Teams are fielded by every
village as well as by the bigger cities. Archery contests occur every day in

some part of the country. The “natural bows” and the “composition bows”

are not used together in these contests however. The most amazing things

about archery here in Bhutan are the diminutive size of the targets (about 1-

foot square) and the distance between the shooting line and the target
(from 100 to 150 yards)! A bulls-eye scores 3 points, hitting the target at all

earns 2, and closest ground shot to the target gets 1 point. The teams and

the spectators interact with much cheering and dancing when good shots

are produced. There is always a scoreboard alongside the archery field to

indicate how the shooting is progressing. We were thunderstruck at the
confidence teammates exhibit when one of their number is shooting.