Customer Reviews (10)

Rings True for People Who Have Been There
When my husband returned from Bhutan on a hiking excursion, I gave him this book.#1He is actually reading it!#2Occasionally he'll point out some parts to me and say "Yes, it was exactly like this."

delivery service
The shipping service that was used had a ridiculous amount of trouble finding our house!It took 3 attempts, over a weeks' time and numberous calls to find us.I would suggest that you find another delivery service!

I loved it - But check out this Scholar's point by point Review!
RUSS and BLYTH CARPENTER.
The Blessings of Bhutan
Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2002. v, 186 pp. Colour plates, notes, glossary, index. US$24.95, paper.

It is rare that one has the chance to review a book so inadequate that one is hard-pushed to find a positive word to write about it.

The Blessings of Bhutan is, most unfortunately, such a book. One cannot imagine why University of Hawai'i Press, an otherwise reputable press that previously released the charming Painter's Year in the Forests of Bhutan by A. K. Hellum, has now published the Carpenters' recycled clichés and Orientalist imaginings. The authors start out on a hapless tack "... visitors often feel altered by Bhutan ... their inner selves are stirred ... [and] many come home with a nagging feeling that they
were at the edge of learning something important, something primary" (p. 1).With this Conradesque backdrop in place, Russ and Blyth Carpenter enter the Heart of Lightness with their readers in tow. Their account of travelling and working in Bhutan is so personalised that those of us who have never visited their home in the USA wonder why they so frequently refer to it: "Bhutan reminds us of Vida, Oregon. Our hometown has a store ..." (p. 7).

Their rambling anecdotes come across as impressionistic accounts from a journal, and are surely more suited to family archives or a Christmas letter home to friends than to publication as a monograph by an academic press. The authors trade in stereotype and are partial to a disparaging kind of anti-intellectualism, embodied by the statements:

"only a masochist would want to know the names of all the languages spoken in
Central and Eastern Bhutan" and "Bhutan's geography changes from challenging to
nearly hopeless" (p. 8). As if this were not disturbing enough, their hagiography of the kings of Bhutan as embodying "wisdom, strength, vision, and selfless behaviour" which they "daydream about the United States borrowing" (p. 9) is surely at odds with the sentence handed down by a previous king who had a citizen "whipped with peach branches until he convulsed and fell unconscious" (p. 18).

While this book has no scholarly pretensions, and readers would do better to travel to Bhutan with the Lonely Planet guidebook, the lack of engagement with issues that affect contemporary Bhutan, such as the activities of Indian rebels along the southern border or the plight of the Lhotsampa refugees (Bhutanese Hindus of Nepali origin) is simply negligent.

In only one place are these issues touched upon, and then shrouded in euphemism and dodged in an amateurish and unconvincing way: "Many of the things we could say here about the southern problem would be out-of-date by the time this book is published" (p. 168).

In short, this book fails to deliver at all levels. The obvious delight the authors have in Bhutan is marred by their thinly disguised condescension: "in our view, the Bhutanese do not understand the insidious and destructive consequences of television" (p. 174) and platitudinous generalisations such as "we have no hesitations about the essential intellectual capability of the Bhutanese people" (p. 169). At best, perhaps the Carpenters could recycle their text for an in-flight magazine on Bhutan's national airline.

MARK TURIN
University of Cambridge

The Soul of Bhutan
The Carpenters' book is not the first one that I have read on this magical Asian kingdom but it is definitely one of the best summaries out there. The authors succeeded in bringing the abstract closer to us; they offer an easily digestable, very interesting and engaging reading about Bhutan. What is even better they bring up further topics of interest and discussion that may make you look for more reading on the country itself, some of the characters from Bhutanese history or Buddhism in general. However, if you would like to find out more about tourist destinations in Bhutan I recommend that you get Pommaret's book or the Lonely Planet guide, as this book is more about the spiritual side, the soul of Bhutanese people and its manifestations in everyday life, religion and culture.

An Intriguing Introduction to Bhutan
"The Blessings of Bhutan" is a personal and fascinating compilation of very short, and very readable, essays (or "sketches") about authors Russ and Blyth Carpenter's experiences and understanding of Bhutanese life.The book is separated into eight parts covering Bhutanese culture and geography; ancient Bhutanese religion and its relationship to Buddhism and Bhutanese archery; Tantric Buddhism; Bhutanese art and medicine; reincarnation (especially as it applies to the environment); sexuality in Bhutanese culture; women in Bhutan; and the Carpenter's reflections on Bhutan's policy of "Gross National Happiness" and on Bhutan's future.The book also has a very useful glossary of terms that makes reading much easier as well as a recommending reading list.

The authors' love and admiration of Bhutan and Bhutanese people is very apparent in their sketches.While many things about Bhutan can easily baffle a tourist (like the almost contradictory sexual attitude of the Bhutanese or the concept of "Gross National Happiness"), they explain these things in terms of the Bhutanese culture.I found the book extremely easy to read and engaging, and appreciated the experiences the Carpenters shared as well as the facts.You can read the book back to front or just skip around and read about which aspects of the culture you're interested in.

This is the first book I have read about Bhutan, and I'm glad I got it! ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of essays on Bhutan. ... Read more

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This book is the story of ancient times in Bhutan, their history religion, culture, beliefs, politics. It is a complete source of informations and a reference tool on Bhutan. ... Read more

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Tibetan folksongs sometimes sing of beyul - hidden lands that can only be seen by those of pure heart and mind. Tucked into the towering peaks and steeply forested valleys of the Eastern Himalayas, the Bhutanese believe their country to be such a place.

Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness is a geographical and cultural passage from the yak pastures along the Tibetan border to the rice lands in central Bhutan. Guiding the reader through the districts of Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gasa, Laya, Lunana, Wangdi, Bumthang and Trongsa, the book reveals remote hot springs and isolated hermitages and ends in the streets and nightclubs of the country s capital, Thimphu Town. 108 black and white images narrated with stories, journal entries, folklore, dharma teachings and oral history create a portal across centuries. Clear, skillfully composed and rich in depth and detail, these flawless images illustrate an intimate tale of Bhutan told by an artist who is deeply familiar with his subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Bhutan is beautiful and so is this book
This is a beautiful book and an amazing story. Highly recommend this to go with the documentary film the author made of the same name.

Bhutan Book Comment
"The portraits are as wonderful as the words and the people are so
beautiful. They definitely loved posing and being photographed. I hold
off reading BHUTAN until the end of the day when I need and want a
mental boost and not once has 'Hiddens Lands of Happiness' failed."
- Woodfin Camp

Searching for Life's Missing Ingredient
There is something qualitatively different about the happiness depicted in this book.The people of Bhutan have a quiet, bemused look about them that is so different from the forced, frenetic smiles we see in photographs of ourselves in the west.

We see their rustic dwellings and simple clothes and think of them as backward, yet their peaceful countenances speak of values different from our own.While they're satisfied with taking care of their basic needs, we clamor incessantly for more.

I was so initially taken by John Wehrheim's photographs of the Bhutanese that I couldn't wait to discover what he had written about the culture.His telling character sketches whetted my appetite for a deeper understanding of the Buddhist way of life.

With a book so beautifully packaged, the danger is to judge it as mere travelogue, memoir, or coffee table bric-a-brac.Rather, it is an opening on a true Shangri-La culture that points in its simplicity to missing aspects of our western way of life.

Bhutan - hidden lands of happiness
Congratulations to John Wehrheim and the publisher to this book. Black and white photography is very rare in the field of illustrated books from exotic countries nowadays. You feel on every page how close John was to the people and how he loves them. Great portraits are accompanied by fantastic landscape photographs. John not only is an excellent photograper. He is a very good writer too, a rare combination. I hardly can remember when I read the text in a photographic book from the first line to the last one. John's humour and knowledgemade the reading a great fun! My own travels to the places John visited became present as if they would have happened yesterday. It is the best book on Bhutan I ever had in my hand!

It's wonderful!
John's window into another culture, his new book entitled Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness, is bright and clear.His book is filled with marvelous stories of his travels and the legends and history of this amazing country.His exquisite photographs look through the lens into the very soul of a traditional Tantric Buddhist culture and its remarkable people.

His stories are filled with great humor and portray the Bhutanese people - of all ages and stations in life, from a child to a Senior Abbot and the soon-to-be King - as playful, respectful and devoted to their culture.I've followed his work for more than thirty years, and this book - together with his new film "BHUTAN -- Taking The Middle Path To Happiness" - make a bright and welcome package into a world "where happiness is the guiding principle of government.Imagine a people who see all life as sacred and the source of their happiness, a place with an abundance of clean and renewable energy, a nation committed to preserving its culture. Imagine a Kingdom where the King lives in a simple wooden cottage and judges his progress by the country's `Gross National Happiness.'"

John Wehrheim's book "Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness" is marvelous! ... Read more

Product Description
Tucked away between China and India in the heart of the Himalayas, Bhutan remains a relatively little-known country.Few photographers have been granted permission to enter this remote kingdom, where life quietly unfolds to the rhythm of tradition amid the magnificent, unspoiled landscape. Nearly twenty-five years ago, Matthieu Ricard went to Bhutan to study with Dilgo Khyenste Rinpoche, a highly revered Tibetan Buddhist master and teacher. During this time, he also came to know the royal family. He has continued to return to Bhutan throughout his life, discovering on each occasion more of its treasures. 184 color photographs ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bhutan: The Land of Serenity
Beautiful images of a pristine land, valued by its people & protected by its government.Presents as a collection of images & text to deliver the beauty & serenity of a magnificent unspoilt landscape. Well recommended for those interested in this region of the world. ... Read more

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Predominantly on contemporary politics of Bhutan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Breathtaking
I am not much of a reader but this book simply took my breath away, the author did an excellent work that a thousand writers working for a thousand years could not have possibly realized. ... Read more

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This study of South Asia analyzes both the riches and struggles of the past and the problems and achievements of the present. It describes the painful struggles for independence, and today's political and economic realities. ... Read more

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Chapters: Tiger Hunting, List of Rulers of Bhutan, Estêvão Cacella, Bamboo Curtain, List of Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Battle of Five Lamas, Independence of Bhutan, United Nations Security Council Resolution 292. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 50. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Bhutan's early history is steeped in mythology and remains obscure. It may have been inhabited as early as 2000 B.C., but not much was known until the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism in the 9th century A.D. when turmoil in Tibet forced many monks to flee to Bhutan. In the 12th century A.D., the Drukpa Kagyupa school was established and remains the dominant form of Buddhism in Bhutan today. The country's political history is intimately tied to its religious history and the relations among the various monastic schools and monasteries. Bhutan is one of the only countries which has been independent throughout its history, never conquered, occupied, or governed by an outside power. Although there has been speculation that it was under the Kamarupa Kingdom or the Tibetan Empire in the 7th to 9th centuries, firm evidence is lacking. From the time historical records are clear, Bhutan has continuously and successfully defended its sovereignty. The consolidation of Bhutan occurred in 1616 when Ngawanag Namgyal, a man (lama) from Tibet, defeated three Tibetan invasions, subjugated rival religious schools, codified an intricate and comprehensive system of law, and established himself as ruler (Shabdrung) over a system of ecclesiastical and civil administrators. After his death, infighting and civil war eroded the power of the shabdrung for the next 200 years when in 1885, Ugyen Wangchuck was able to consolidate power and cultivated closer ties with the British in India. In 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck was elected as the he...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=42389 ... Read more

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Water is the medium through which the Bhutanese culture is explained, celebrated, and contextualized in this in-depth journey into the heart of Bhutan's central resource. Vibrant photographs display stunning native glacial and wetland ecosystems, ingenious wooden and chain bridges, traditional irrigation systems, and modern hydroelectric projects. The innovation and reverent spirit of the Bhutanese people emerges in this cultural tribute. ... Read more

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This catalogue accompanies The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, one of the most highly anticipated exhibitions of Buddhist art to be held in recent times. For over five years, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Little, has conducted ambitious fieldwork and research in Bhutan. Enjoying a close working relationship with the Royal Government of Bhutan, the Honolulu Academy of Arts research teams have been given unprecedented access to the nation s treasuries of sacred art and dance.

The Dragon's Gift offers a rare opportunity to introduce, to the wider international audience, some of the most sacred Buddhist images of Bhutan. From the wealth of material surveyed, the organizers of the exhibition have selected over one hundred objects of superior aesthetic achievement and deep religious significance, the vast majority of which have never before been seen in the West. Nearly all of the works of art presented in this catalogue are from active temples and monasteries and remain in ritual use. Most of the items are painted or textile thangkas or gilt bronze sculptures which date primarily from the 17th to the 19th centuries a golden age in the Buddhist arts of Bhutan. Ranging from depictions of Tantric deities to individualized portraits of Buddhist masters, the exhibition and catalogue present outstanding works of art with a wide iconographic scope. For the Buddhist people of Bhutan, these sacred items are conceived as supports along the journey to enlightenment, and are of vital spiritual significance.

Complementing the presentation of sacred works of art is the documentation of the ancient Cham dances of Bhutan, to which the dance preservation team was given privileged entrée. Having documented over three hundred hours of sacred and secular dances, they have made a first assay of one of the few surviving treasures of the trans-Himalayan movement tradition. These differing approaches to the visual and moving arts provide further insight into the unique experience of Buddhism in Bhutan. A brief sampling of the variety of extant dance lineages some many centuries old is included on the DVD contained within the catalogue.

Beautifully illustrated, the catalogue also includes twelve essays contributed by leading Bhutanese and Western scholars, covering various aspects of the Bhutanese arts. Contributors include: Dr. Stephen Little, Ven. Lopon Pemala, Ven. Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi, Terese Tse Bartholomew, John Johnston, Dr. Karma Phuntsho, Dr. David Jackson, Dr. John A. Ardussi, Dr. Yonten Dargye, Dr. Per K. Soerensen, Dorji Yangki, Ephraim Jose, Mark Fenn, and Joseph Houseal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Rare visual treasure
This is an exceptional book with very beautiful full-page, glorious full color images of the sacred arts of Bhutan.It is the next best thing to seeing the art 'live', as it was presented first in an exhibit in Honolulu and then in New York at the Ruben Museum of Art.

A Gift For All Who Have Been To Bhutan or Long To Travel There
From the moment my husband and I set foot on the tarmac of the Paro airport in Bhutan, we knew we weren't, as Dorothy says to her little dog, in Kansas any more!With each step we took, we discovered more that drew us to the conclusion that Bhutan is like a shining jewel set in the Himalayas, inhabited by kind and colorful people. Since Buddhism is the nation's religion it is not surprising that its art has traditionally focused on the monastic centers of this enchanting kingdom -- the Land of the Thunder Dragon.This book is primarily the catalogue for an exhibition of Bhutan's Buddhist art, which was launched in Honolulu by the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and which will travel to New York this summer and on to San Francisco next year.What makes this book as absolutely stunning as the country from which it sprung is the fact that the majority of the art in the exhibition and book was borrowed from among Bhutan's 2000 monasteries and temples. What makes the book even more stunning is the fact that if one visits the Punacha Dzong, the source of several of these art treasures, one would not see these objects.They are so sacred and so treasured by their Buddhist caretakers that these statues and thonkas (sacred tapestries) are usually locked away and are rarely, if ever, on public display.What also makes this book impressive are the 12 essays which introduce the collection.These essays explain how the exhibition came about; explain how the sacred items were chosen and retrieved from mountain monasteries most of which are reached only by foot path; explain the religious significance and history of the chosen items; and explain how Bhutan's religious and governmental officials have teamed with the Honolulu Academy of Arts and others to develop a program to conserve and repair Bhutan's sacred items, especially the thonkas. I poured over the essays and learned much of the country's religious history.If the magnificent photographs and essays were not enough, the book comes with a CD focusing on cham -- dance and the substantial role it plays in the lives of the Bhutanese.Having been privileged to see several different dances at different monasteries -- masked monk dances, laymen's dance and traditional women's line dancing, before I read a word, I played the CD.To have tried to do justice to Bhutan's sacred art without including cham would have left a great hole in the story of this kingdom's art.My only disappointment was that there was not more.I wanted more CDs with more dances.I wanted pictures of the monasteries where the dances take place. I simply wanted more Bhutan! The dances are enthralling and the CD is not only entertaining but also is instructive!My hat is off to the Bhutanese royal family, Bhutan's government, Bhutan's monk body, and to the scholars at the Honolulu Academy of Art for undertaking this momentous project.Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this wonderful, beautiful and informative book.We can't wait to see the exhibition and, of course, to return to the Land of the Thunder Dragon! ... Read more

Product Description
During the early 1990s, about 95,000 people arrived in eastern Nepal. They claimed to have come from Bhutan, and they alleged that they had been forced out of their homelands by the Bhutanese government. Very few believed them, and even now, not a single one of these refugees has returned to Bhutan. This book explains who these people are and why they left Bhutan. It also examines the broader implications of their story for a world awash with refugees. ... Read more

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"Lands of the Thunderbolt: Sikhim, Chumbri and Bhutan". ... Read more

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The book presents comprehensive information on 80 sacred sites, 194 monasteries and temples and numerous other places of special religious and historical significance such as 58 holy lakes and 94 sacred springs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A COMPARTATIVE TREATMENT OF THREE HIMALAYAN KINGDOMS
THIS IS A COMPARATIVE SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY OF BHUTAN, NEPAL AND LADAKH.IT IS THE ONLY BOOK OF THIS NATURE IN CIRCULATION.THROUGH IMPRESSIVE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND INTERESTING TEXT IT DISTINGUISHED BETWEEN EACH OF THESE KINGDOMS: HISTORICALLY, IN RELIGION, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, IN ART, AND IN GOVERNMENT.ALTHOUGH NOT A TRAVEL GUIDE IT RELATES IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT WILL BE USEFUL TO VISITORS TO THIS ETHERIAL REALM ... Read more