The Bhutanese diaspora in Australia witnessed an exhilarating month this October. The opportunity with eagerness and excitement to participate in the Royal Audience with His Majesty, Her Majesty, HRH the Gyalseys, and HRH the Gyalsem captivated the southern hemisphere.
His Majesty endearingly addressed the gathering, stating that the primary purpose of His visit with the Royal Family was to meet with His subjects and inform them about the latest developments, including the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC). His Majesty shared that GMC as a project was designed to create a living environment embedded in sustainable and humanistic principles, while also creating an economic gateway for the well-being and prosperity of all Bhutanese.
His Majesty emphasised the importance of every Bhutanese to participate in consultation as this mega undertaking takes shape and highlighted the crucial role of Bhutanese living abroad in bringing home their knowledge, skills, and talents for greater project that is nation-building.
The congregation of the Bhutanese diaspora took place against the backdrop of Australia’s vibrant multiculturalism, symbolising an precious bond between the Monarch and His subjects. His Majesty’s presence was an emotionally charged and sentimentally reaffirming one as it reminded the Bhutanese community that regardless of geographical boundaries, they remain close to His Majesty’s heart and integral to the national fabric of Bhutan.
His Majesty’s words evoked memories of parents, children, relatives, and friends back home, moving many audience to tears. Despite the emotional weight, His Majesty’s address conveyed inspiration and optimism to enable the citizens to navigate the complexities of life in a foreign land with greater confidence and a sense of purpose.
The blessings bestowed by the nangtens and His Eminence Dorji Lopen added value to the sanctity of the Royal visit.
In the consumerist Western world, the opportunity for such an opportunity for veneration was therapeutic to weary souls that ultimately fortified faith in our spirituality.
The Royal visit also provided an opportunity for introspection regarding our sense of identity, belonging, and conduct. While the Royal Family’s mingling with nearly every Bhutanese individual present exemplified regal hospitality, the sight of crowds seeking direct contact with His Majesty was a bit unsettling.
Such developments can be viewed as subtle infiltration of cosmopolitanism into our Bhutanese consciousness and ignoring it could result in the adulteration and even erosion of our national character.
While a quick remedy for this emerging trend is necessary, a lasting solution resides within our homes and schools. Although our modern education is fundamentally anchored on the Buddhist principles of interdependence, equanimity, selflessness, and purity of thought, speech and action, our values are confronted with changing challenges spurred by globalisation. This complex situation has led to a growing emphasis on instrumentalist-based knowledge focused on economic utilitarianism, often at the expense of disciplinary-based knowledge ingrained in human values. The polarisation of educational objectives, shaped by various external influences, has resulted in policies that promote liberalism and individualism. Unfortunately, this neoliberal approach to education poses a threat to our treasured wisdom and practices of Driglam Namzha.
Our Monarchs have consistently reminded the faculty of education to impart the best modern education without compromising our local culture and values. Additionally, His Majesty has underscored the need for young Bhutanese to be grounded in our country’s culture, tradition and value system. His Majesty has commanded through the Royal Edict that our youngsters must live with our native grit and intellect, which embody our ideals and values as a unique nation. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that contemporary education practices aimed at fostering social-emotional competencies rooted in our native culture are often more tokenistic and transactional than transformational. While modern competency-based education to suit the needs of the 21st century is essential, it is important to transmit ethics-based education in equal measure.
With increasing connectivity, interaction, and integration alongside socioeconomic advancements in our country, travel and migration can be vital. As people continue to explore livelihoods overseas, immersing in the Western lifestyle of the capitalist world may be unavoidable, but it is entirely possible to deliberately instil national values and cultivate cultural mannerisms from an early age through our education channels.
During His Royal address, His Majesty passionately shared that the GMC will implement a “Diamond Strategy” which outlines 20 years of divergence to establish “one country, two systems”. This will be followed by 20 more years of convergence to re-shape into “one country, one system”.
Our policymakers could draw inspiration from this vision of our King to strengthen our local wisdom, cultural values and traditional practices.
For instance, foundational Driglam Namzha programmes could be introduced in primary schools and further diversified and complemented during secondary education. The Royal University of Bhutan could converge the programme by developing an advanced and targeted programme at the tertiary level.
As education reform progresses, a multifaceted strategy involving both intra- and inter-sectoral collaborations can be implemented to institutionalise structured teaching, learning, and the practice of our deeply ingrained value systems, all while maintaining the principles of 21st century education.
This approach will not only reinforce our national ethos but also enhance moral consciousness, integrating these values into our homes and lifelong behaviours. Eventually, this move can well contribute to realising His Majesty’s vision for enlightened citizenship within a knowledge-based society.
Contributed by Phuntsho Wangdi
Canberra, Australia