From Rooster to Tshed-thar: A Tale of Friendship and Ethical Dilemma

"One beautiful night..." That's how stories usually begin, and this trend would continue in our time. Allow me to share my short narrative in the tradition passed down to us.

One night, perhaps during my fifth-grade year, our group of friends planned a simple celebration as winter approached. After discussing the need for food (and, of course, some drinks), one friend—whose name I've forgotten—suggested chicken. "Chicken!" I thought aloud. "Where would we get it?" I asked. In those days, obtaining chicken wasn't difficult, but we were broke. Despite being the sons of civil servants, their pocket money often vanished on useless things. "Not very difficult," one friend broke the silence, looking at me. "We'll eat the one we've been waiting for since last year." Another friend clapped his hands together and declared, "We'll need to catch and prepare it tonight," he continued, "Tashi, your mom shouldn't find out. If she asks, we'll lie." I nodded, unable to speak a word at first, but I masked my discontent and assured them that my mother had no business interfering with our plans. Soon, we headed to my house to capture the rooster.

A year earlier, the same group of us returned from Kalikhola after a day of winter swimming. We were soaked below the waist, eyes red, and faces dried from hours in the water and sun. Hungry, we always found reasons to swim, often without our parents noticing. Chungku took out Nu. 85, if I remember correctly, and gave it to Ngawang for junk food. Suddenly, someone suggested buying chicken. Ngawang and Chungku ran to a nearby house, while the rest of us eagerly awaited their return. I noticed Chungku smiling, but not Ngawang,who was behind him. "Chick!" I exclaimed. I couldn't fathom what we were doing, or what we would do next. Chungku explained, "Our money isn't enough to buy a grown chicken." He gently placed the chick in his palm, patted it, and said, "The uncle was kind enough to give us this little one to raise until it's grown." I thought to myself, "Hell!" "Tashi, can we raise this at your house?" asked Ngawang, and the others nodded eagerly. "We'll tell your mother it's a Tshed-thar." I didn't object, but I didn't show approval either. I listened to everything they said and managed to convince my mother.

I peered through a hole to check for my mother. She wasn't home, and no one bothered to inform her, even if she had been there. Our collective mission was to find the rooster. I probably knew where the rooster slept, but I followed them, mimicking their actions and hoping to see my friends lose hope. Unfortunately, I didn't notice any of them losing interest. They were doing everything they could to find it. Finally, a friend spotted it on a branch of a small mango tree that had grown in front of our thatched house. My heart sank. I couldn't utter a word that would save the rooster's life. I could only wear the mask they wore. But catching a rooster wasn't as simple as you might think! Hours of chasing were no easy task. My friends were sweating, and some even quarreled over missed attempts. At one point, I took advantage of their exhaustion and suggested we try again the next day. Somehow, the rooster ended up inside the stacked firewood on our ground floor. There was no chance of getting it then. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was all over.

But that wasn't the end. Plan B? We would somehow acquire a chicken that night. So, we decided to sneak into a neighbor's house. I trembled as my brave friends slipped in without a second thought. I was only concerned about how we would escape if caught. Ironically, they returned not with a chicken, but with homemade pickle. "Run!" whispered one, "towards the school." I never once thought about turning back. I can't recall how I made it to the school campus. When I looked back, I was alone. Finding a place to sit, I couldn't help but laugh. A few minutes later, I heard my friends approaching. "What were you guys up to?" I asked in a hushed voice. "Bring it here. Let me taste it," I demanded with a chuckle. "We must try again tomorrow. Let's keep watch during the day. Our chicken is a Tshed-thar; we can't kill it," Ngawang explained. The four of us silently ate the pickle, although that didn't mean we disagreed! It felt like hearing a magical word. Embracing them, I departed as it was already late at night.

I wasn't there for the second night's hunt. I heard they only managed to steal more pickle from the same house. What they did next remains a mystery to me, as well as to you, dear reader. The chance is never zero.

Was this fate or karmic connection? Although we raised the rooster to eat, it ironically earned the title of Tshed-thar. We couldn't bring ourselves to eat it because of a white lie. I believed in the philosophy that intent matters, but in our childhood story, our intentions and reality were contradictory. We intended to kill it, but in the end, we raised it as a Tshed-thar. Our family was awakened every morning by the rooster, replacing the alarm clock of the modern world. Nearly five years later, my mother's acquaintance needed a male chicken for breeding purposes. She gave it away while I was away. The story doesn't end here, but my narration does.

Masked Face

"Lopen you're looking smart." Atsara comfortably sat beside me.

"Who is the most," said I, "you or me?"

"Abviously you," he pondered, "no no. I'm the most."

I requested him for a picture, clearing throat, he immediately granted my simple wish. Indeed he embraced me.

Folks, who has the best mask? We're wearing our own mask, therefore, it is difficult to assume/predict the real truth behind mask. Probably wooden mask and flesh mask are deceptive. What you and I see is not a true revelation to what is hidden inside the two fake faces. We look at atsara with contempt! His role is to entertain and primarily is a laughing stock; without him festival is incomplete? Question is, are we confident that he's meant to be a joker? Or perhaps there's a concealed reason, we don't know. Our life is mixed with a preconceived informations thereby limiting us to know and experience the actual truth. Perceiving things not as they're but as we're is the root cause to our problematic life? I am not sure.

Our assumed perception is like a mask which doesn't expose the true identity.

Life has never been a cup of tea and it never will be. Do not get hope less when things doesn't go your way. Sometimes it is meant to come exactly the way you wanted but from a different way.

Reminder

I was simply sitting, crossed leg, coffee on my hand, and mind loitering uncontrollably. Out of nowhere, I heard a news, of course its shock, at least for me. But then after few minutes, I was trying to analyze the things properly. I could realize how uncertain this human life is. Yet we never keep aware of things for eternity. Whatever happens, it happens and goes away in due course of time. What it matters is a time. This emotion of our changes, no matter even if it is a tragic one.

How many of us are aware of death? Definitely all of us. Every being is afraid of dying. Frankly speaking, even ants try to escape from any external dangers. Fact is not even stone remains as stone. It dies to become a different form and then formation after formation. Oftentimes we are reminded in life. I am sure some of you know. Sad part is most of us are ignorant. So ignorant that we even skip morning alarm.

Human life is too short to experience everything. Perhaps that could be the reason why we are reminded to learn through other’s mistakes. And perhaps that could be the reason why we never get to excel in all the things we attempt. Nonetheless, death is a powerful reminder for us. What would you do if this were your last moment? It could be after reading this line. Would you do what you were doing so far?

Most tragic part is leaving behind our own body; the one you and I have cared from any form of dangers. Aren’t we guest for a night or tenant for a month? Why do we attach to a thing that doesn’t belong to us? Why do we express different emotions? Can’t we stick entirely being happy or sad? We change our emotion and that change has molded us, improving our life. For me death is inevitable. Without death I wouldn’t be who I am. It is death that has always guided me, religiously saying, from eons and eons of years ago. And death shall improve me until I leave this samsara.

Today I gets a reminder upon uncle’s demise, tomorrow it could be anyone. May be I’ll not get another reminder. We don’t know. That’s the fact.

Rest in Peace!

Buddha Face

Few years ago I heard from some people about the face of Buddha on a stone in Wangdue Phodrang. I have been dreaming of visiting it once ever since I heard. Recently I was in search of house for a rent with my friend who is newly recruited as an Inspector of mining under DGM, precisely Department of Geology and Mining at Wangdue. Fortunately we reached to a discussion to visit a Buddha face which is a minute’s walk from the bridge but it can be seen even from a highway which lead to Tsirang. We zoomed towards the cliff. Chencho pointed towards cliff describing components and structural form of face. I could simply see stones dangling above me while he could easily tell me “this is nose, look at eyes, the brow, see how would it look if bush were to weed out from chin area.” Poor me, I was adjusting my eyes only to get an image he was describing. With my perseverance I could find the image, it was so authentic jigsaw done by a nature. An artisan is really going to look in awe for nature has created such an amazing monument.

View from Wangdue-Tsirang Highway

The very moment I had a goose bumps instinctively prickling a thought of wonder. A wonder that might have been stored deep in my subconscious level. I have seen nature’s creation but this is something unique to express. This is a mighty piece of nature’s art lying there millions of years ago, perhaps even before that. Only people with destined fate are to discover such a monument.

Anyone aspiring to visit? It is not difficult. One need not have to climb mountain or cliffs. Simply stop by the Wangdue gate and get help from taxi driver, they will help you for sure.

Close view

I am neither philosopher nor religious minded yet it gave me a lesson to accept everything in life without complaining. One may view Buddha in the form of stone while another may view stone in the form of Buddha. We are seeing the same picture but only the difference is when individual of us judge differently. Encountering different obstacles is not an end but beginning of another mysterious journey. There is always another way to face the problem, in life!

P.s I am posting because of my passion and no other intention.

Picture that shall remind me

Gaeddu College of Business Studies 

GCBS Library

Tashi Wangchuk

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Buddha

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh

"The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I've received it." Hubert H. Humphrey

At Punakha

A Proud Vegan

After many years, I met my childhood friend, Menda, in a restaurant in Thimphu. We have changed a lot; indeed, nothing was same. Meeting her was a memorable moment, at least for me.

In the restaurant, other people were sitting and busy talking and eating foods. My childhood friend threw a swift look at me, and instantly, I learned that she was disappointed.

“What happen?” I inquired her. “It’s a taste of meat,” she reacted grumblingly. Then she stood up, dragged her chair away to walk out of the cosy restaurant room. I simply scrolled my eyeballs around the room to see if other customers were paying attention to our conversation.

Many of them were engrossed on their own, but a few were looking at Menda when she was returning to the room after vomiting everything outside. “You don’t take beef?” I asked her in a low tone and with concern. She didn’t answer me; instead she drank a glass of water. Feeling a little better she looked at me, smiling and then she talked, “Actually, I stopped eating meat about five years ago. It was a forgotten taste in my mouth. I took an oath never to take animals’ lives for my pleasure. Not even leather jacket, fur cloths and even refraining from taking cheese and butter.”

She called out a waiter to bring her vegetable momo (dumpling). “Sorry,” I said apologetic and added hesitatingly, “I didn’t know.” She looked at me, seemingly unease in her mouth and stomach. She said, “Doesn’t matter Rinthel, it has been almost eleven years since we had departed. I can’t wait anymore to hear from you about our friends.”
Surprisingly, she can remember everything about our past. She told me about everything; moreover, she wanted to know more from me. I was dreaming. I couldn’t concentrate on her talk, our conversation. How could she stop eating meat for so long? This question occupied my mind. The truth was that she was the most active hunter when young.

After reaching out we walked towards the Memorial Chorten. Menda suggested me a novella cuisine, some veg restaurants, how to become a vegan and its benefits. Immediately, I observed her physique and noticed her skin was very fair and her face was like a child’s vivacious face, glowing bright. In fact, her inner beauty was shown in her physical appearance.

“I am a vegan. The vegans not only avoid meat, but also don’t wear products made out of animals. We love animals as much as we love our parents. Becoming vegan is not about torturing your life. There are many religions that refrain from eating anything that is produced from the soil,” she explained me further. I stood silent, listening to her carefully. As she saw me listening to her, she continued, “You know what? Gandhi nearly died from illness because he denied his doctor’s advice on taking milk. Not only Gandhi himself but Kasturba Gandhi too was strict about her diet. Upon the doctor’s insistence Gandhi asked Kasturba whether she was willing to take nutritious soup made from non-vegetarian product. She defended by saying that human life is precious so do not want her life to be poisoned by taking the life of another being. Like Gandhi himself, she would choose to die rather than living a poisonous life.”
She firmly closed her eyes, stretched out her arms and murmured, “Make a wish, this Chorten fulfills everyone’s wish. Yours too!”

Once back home, I lied on my bed and tried to remember the wish I made in front of the Great Chorten:“I will never eat meat”.

Still lying on my bed, I dreamt about my past behaviour as a young boy. Being a farmer’s son, I wasn’t aware about life as much as I am at the moment. After the school, I would be already with my catapult to shoot at birds or chase deer accompanied by my dogs. Sometimes, I would quarrel with my friends over the issue related to hunting birds. It still gives me a nervy feeling to recollect how I had escaped from forest officers when I was fishing in a river. I used to catch four kilos of fish, sometimes more.

It was wrong; I shouldn’t have done. Menda’s words and her perspective impacted me hugely. I became rational now and started believing the existence of karma and its connection. I even dedicated my time in reading more books. That way, I was able to learn more and came across many good books on vegetarian, especially from Buddhist books.

Hence, my interest widened to know more about vegetarian and its impact. There are scientific, religion and philosophical concepts to look over the matter on eating animal meat. In a nutshell, none of them encourage eating meat. Killing any living being is a crime, no matter what. Yet, we live in a world where millions of animals are being killed for consumption everyday. Are we too selfish that our encroachment reached in taking the lives of other beings?

All human beings are born herbivore, so what is the extra benefit of eating meat? Scientists have discovered many disadvantages of eating meat and eating more meat leads to heart disease, kidney failure, breast cancer, and stroke. The constitution of human body is built in such a way that only plants, vegetables and fruits meet best than preying on animals can. Mahatma Gandhi and Gary Yourofsky said that humans don’t possess canine, claws and other important factors the carnivorous have.

The existence of this world is built in such a way that everything comes as per the seed you have sown. There is no way one can escape from your actions. It is wiser to sow a good seed. I am vegetarian not by birth but by ethics, by choice. I am not guilty to look at animals because I have learnt to love them as dear as my own life.
Albert Einstein once proudly stated, “So I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, but I am feeling well this way. It always seems to me that man was not born to be a carnivore.”

Dear friends, today I’m vegetarian. And I feel proud too.

Boundless love

There were many friends who used to wonder why I was single and often they had criticized me for being single. They would shoot interesting questions at me. The most common questions are: “Do you have a girlfriend? Or have you ever made a love?” But all the time, I would defend myself, rather wittily.

As a kid, my thinking was immature. One such immature question that was on my mind was: are the women purposefully made for men’s gratifications? Or men are made for women? I needed a satiating answer for this.

To console this deep quest, I had accepted the worldly affair of LOVE. Girls were supposed to be housewives, where husbands are the breadwinners. As men were supposed to be the head of the family, women were largely subjugated and they hardly had any say. This stereotypical view had been injected in me since I was brought up in a patriarchal society.

I could still visualize my father ordering at my mother, “Where is my shoe?” My submissive mother would respectfully respond, “It’s behind the door; hung outside”. Sometimes my father used to come home drunk and hit my mother, wounding her badly. Still I had thought it was the right of men to do so and an universally accepted norm. Later, I came to realize the actual truth about it. Everything had been created - our culture, traditions, social conventions and human perceptions. The environment where we are brought up shapes us; its ideologies direct our perception.

We are human and everyone serves purpose, no matter what gender you are. We are interdependent and must respect and complement each other without suppressing one another or without conquering other’s right. In fact, men and women are the two sides of a same coin. There are strict religious cults against the rights of women in different societies: denying education, restricting them joining into politics, and objecting them from doing manual work. It undermines their capability and deprives their rights. Thus, it is because of this that women couldn’t make a good impression like men had done in our history.

As a responsible man, it is necessarily important to reflect on and think critically about those unfair and deluded orthodox and conventional practice. Women shouldn’t be viewed as opposite sex or inferior but an important part who can make one’s life bright as radiant rays of the mighty sun.

Fortunately, I got a chance to study at Gaeddu College of Business Studies. During my first day at the college, a friend of mine received me and allocated a room. There was a trend of ragging in the colleges and I too feared. But thank god, nothing such happened to me. There were a handful of friends from my previous school, so it made my stay possible and ease at the hostel.

Being a new student in the college, we had a bumpy ride for the first few months. The method of studying was totally different from the schools, friends were new and the culture of the college was different. I had to learn how to adjust myself in this different place.

And now, let me share you about a love. I’ll take you to this new exciting story, which I consider as love and don’t know exactly how you would react. I don’t know when I first met her, the girl I loved. Is it her or me who first saw? Nevertheless, I don’t think that is important to recollect.

Like most students of the college, I also used to visit social networking sites often and update filial status about life. All the time, she would comment positively. Once I updated a quote from Calvin and Hobbes, which reads, “It’s funny how day by day, nothing changes. But when you look back everything is different.”
After a moment, I saw her comment on my status, “Wow, nice status! Yes, life is uncertain and you keep smiling as usual.”

I read her comment, and it brought me a sweet feeling. Whenever we met at the academic block, we would spend our time reading books on philosophical topics and Buddhist philosophy. I learned to spend time on learning new things from her. She inspired me to read and now I have become a voracious reader.

“Do you know the Dalai Lama?” she asked me one afternoon. “No, I don’t know. I know Tenzin Gyatso,” I replied. She laughed hysterically, until she could hold her breath to tell me, “You are hilarious.”

That was the initial bonding of our friendship, if I am not mistaken. But I don’t know what she has to say after reading this; in case, if she is brilliant enough to know to whom I am referring to. I always loved looking at her face. Her eyes were like round and deep like marble balls.  Her head was like, what I usually teased her, ‘chicken head’ because of small size. Her hair resembled a bird’s nest, and her fingers were exactly like gingers.

I used to laugh hard looking at her different body parts. She always gave me a quizzical look and belabored for almost three days until I shared about her own physical description. She would laugh after hearing from me all those nasty comments. However, I never found her foolish.

“What do you think of yourself?” she asked me, rather calmly. I didn’t know if she was irritated or simply wanted me to describe about my body feature. To prevent myself from retaliation, I cleared my throat. However, she continued, “Do you have a girlfriend?” Easy question but difficult to answer, I thought. I was thinking hard to answer her; even the response I had to give was either yes or no. If I say ‘yes’, I didn’t have a lover, and if I say ‘no’, I was afraid of being teased in front of the class. I couldn’t decide what to say but I took the latter decision confidently. She came to my ear and said, “Impress girl. You won’t win her if you are always like this.” Girls already rejected me three times, I thought. “You are also single, aren’t you?” I asked her, in a low tone. She looked at me and said, “I like being single.” I nodded, and pushed on her, “That means you had someone before?” “Now stop asking silly questions. I had when I was in tenth standard,” she responded me with a smile. She squinted at her watch and walked towards the classroom, “It’s time for the class. See you.”

One Saturday two of us went out for a walk. We discussed on the importance of education. After walking for long distance, she brilliantly put forward my weakness saying that I was a lethargic fellow. “What is the most precious thing in this world?” she said and in a short moment added, “for me, nothing is important than time.” She threw at me a simple question, but I took sometime to answer her.“It’s food! I can’t live without eating,” I responded. She chuckled after hearing my response. Then, she continued to explain me how precious time is. “Rinthel, if I could hold time I would do anything. I would give you best organic vegetables by taking you to the eighteen century or back to the Buddha’s era and getting enlightened myself after hearing the voice of Buddha,” she said, counting her to-do list using her fingers. “Everything changes because we do not have control over time.” She explained further.
Immediately, I realized what she meant. Every second, we are aging. There is always change in our body feature and voice. As we grow older, wrinkles form, hair loss and our eyesight weaken. She is right, I thought. “You’re very wise and always ahead in thinking,” said I gratuitously. Grinning, she told, “How kind of you! Would you mind if I ask you to come class on time?” “Definitely, I am not bothered of the lecturers. Thank you!” I agreed diligently. “Wonderful!” she patted on my head affectionately.

Every day we would spend our time together. She had never mingled with other mates, except me. If I stayed absent, she would be in a library reading books. She suggested me to read Leo Tolstoy’s “God Sees The Truth, But Waits,” which ranks in top ten of my reading list. She told me that life is a whole process of learning and experiencing without attachment.

“The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is going to prune your thinking. Go for it! I finished reading within four hours,” her eyes glittered as she suggested this book to me by Robin Sharma.

Whenever I walked with her, she shared me the best things we humans have and the innate talents possessed by all the individuals. The more I spent my time with her, the more wise and happier I felt.

She neither regretted her past nor was worried about the future. Her sober and tranquil nature gradually had built a big good space on my mind. I don’t know whether I was in love, because I cannot coin a word to describe it, particularly my feelings.

My friends used to have their own girlfriends, where they would seldom meet in private. During their birthdays, they would wish each other, present gifts, have dinner together, and sometimes go out on a adventurous trip.

There are many legendry love stories from around the world and many lovers kept a legacy for their loved ones. Indian Emperor Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal for his loving wife Mumthas, Cleopatra had sacrificed for her beloved Mark Anthony and Prince Salim declared a war against his own father (Akbar) after knowing the ill-plan of separating from Anakarli.

So far I have seen these love legacies being told and retold through many new generations but I don’t think mine would be told, ever. My experience of love is mysterious and it cannot be said or explained to anyone. But it is love, for sure. I don’t care whether she is beautiful or ugly, tall or short, thin or fat, dull or clever. She is always in my heart, and always will be. I don’t need her to be with me in person; for me to love is something I have and cannot be snatched away by others. Her name, looks, and fame might be important but none are permanent than just love; therefore, I have loved her for a reason more genuine and bigger.

If I have loved her, I have loved enough to let her go away from me.