Word: paros
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...COMO Shambhala Retreat Uma Paro, Bhutan...
...some extent imposed from above. No citizen was allowed to hold foreign currency, no school trips could be taken out of the country, and Bhutanese women who married foreigners lost rights. Behind the sound of clashing cultures on Freak Street in Kathmandu, beyond the carless emptiness of Bhutan's Paro Valley, both countries have long been dealing with the same problems of severe illiteracy, deep poverty and centuries-old regional divisions...
...region, they embody the national marriage of Buddhism and politics. Non-Buddhists will find a peek into the courtyard is often all they are allowed: at Wangdue Phodrang, a village in central Bhutan, we were deterred from entering by stories of the regional administrator's fondness for whipping. In Paro, however, some high-ranking officials were happy to guide us around their temple. Inside, a sweet fog of cypress incense fought with the stench of butter lamps, which threw out flickering spokes of gold across mandala paintings on the crumbling walls...
Matching his woven knee-length gown with Nike sneakers and wraparound shades, Tempa was the picture of Bhutanese cool. "I prefer a T shirt and jeans," he said as he met us at Paro airport. "But the King says we have to wear traditional dress until 8 o'clock." As we drove to the capital Thimphu, it became clearer from his conversation?the latest Hollywood releases, Prince Charles, Britney?that a quarter century after opening its borders to the outside world, Bhutan is losing some of its splendid isolation. But while satellite TV may be superseding story-telling, and Internet...
...imperfect Buddhist bound by vows and aspirations, I can only sit calmly through my frustrations and exercise reluctant tolerance. But I do wonder if I haven't given in to a bully yet again in the name of compassion. D.J. KHYENTSE RINPOCHE, LEADER United Non-Sectarian Buddhist Front Paro, Bhutan...