State structure of Bhutan. “There are not many differences between people in the state of inner peace. What affects butane

Butane- the only country in the world where there is Ministry of Happiness, and Tantric Buddhism was proclaimed the official religion. According to a population survey, only 3% of residents are not very happy, all the rest are quite satisfied with their lives. As the example of this country shows, poverty does not always mean unhappiness, and the presence of modern goods is not the only path to prosperity.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is one of the most mysterious countries on our planet. This state is located between India and China, on the southern slope of the Great Himalayan Range, which rises to an altitude of 7000 meters above sea level.

Depending on the altitude, Bhutan has different climatic zones, from highlands to subtropical jungles.

The Bhutanese themselves call their country Druk Yul or Druk Tsenden, which translated means “the country of the thunder dragon.”

For many centuries, the country was reliably isolated by the Himalayas from the outside world, which allowed a unique, authentic culture to be preserved here. Tantric Buddhism is declared the official religion and “spiritual heritage” of Bhutan.

Ministry of Happiness

The government of Bhutan, considering it absurd to rely on such financial indicators as Gross National Product (GDP) when determining the level of well-being of the country, created the Ministry of Happiness.

The government of this country established the state “Commission for General National Happiness” (Gross National Happiness Commission) headed by the Prime Minister.

The government declared the main goal to be the pursuit of happiness for each of its citizens. This is even enshrined in Article 9 of the Bhutanese Constitution. When determining the development strategy of the state, the leadership of this country relies on such an indicator as the “Index of National Happiness” - Gross National Happiness.

The Ministry of Happiness held several international conferences, to which many Western economists were invited (including Nobel laureates in economics), with the aim of developing methods for calculating the National Happiness Index, based on a combination of the economic situation in the country and the life satisfaction of the population. The smile of the population is one of the indicators in the developed formulas.

Are you happy?

The question “Are you happy?” asked during population censuses. In the last census in 2005, 45.2% of the population answered this question “very happy”, 51.6% “happy”, and only 3.3% “not very happy”.

What else is characteristic of a country that considers the happiness of the population to be a category of economic development?

Respect for traditions

The most noticeable difference is that Bhutan carefully guards its age-old cultural traditions. Sometimes it’s funny, for example, one of the laws requires Bhutanese to wear national clothes.

Tourism and mountaineering are limited in the country. Expensive, non-extendable visas: 2 weeks - $100. Any movement around the country outside the capital, only in organized groups, with an official guide.

Until the end of the 20th century, television was banned in the country; in 1999, Bhutan became the last country on the planet to begin television broadcasting - when the only state television channel began operating.

There is virtually no corruption in Bhutan. In the 2006 Transparency International ranking, Bhutan ranks 32nd in the world for corruption, behind only Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and the UAE in Asia.

Lawyers are outlawed here! According to the king’s decree: “Do not allow people into the courtroom who are capable of making black white and white black.”

The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, is the youngest monarch in the world, (born 1980) very popular in his country and abroad. All over Asia, and not only in it, there are clubs for fans of the young monarch, from India to Indonesia, brochures and posters dedicated to him are sold everywhere, and several societies of girls in love with him operate on the Internet. The royal wedding raised Bhutan's happiness index by several points.

His Majesty is fighting for the health of his subjects - Bhutan has become the only country in the world where smoking is prohibited throughout its territory.

The government is actively concerned about the environment (half of Bhutan's territory has been declared national parks, in which, for example, hunting is prohibited), for this reason, industrial development is not included in the plans of the Bhutanese authorities.

Bhutan is an agricultural country. For more than 80% of the population, agriculture and forestry are the main source of income. The main export products are organic rice, fruits and electricity generated by hydroelectric power plants.

The country is still very little studied, and vast territories in the south and central part are completely undeveloped by people and represent huge reserves with amazing flora and fauna. Bhutan has preserved all this for very simple reasons - hunting is prohibited and deforestation is practically not carried out. The kingdom is fully self-sufficient in food and clothing. At the same time, almost the entire population wears national clothes - kho.

Life of people

People live in large and beautiful two- or three-story houses scattered along the mountain slopes along small valleys. There are not many cities, but the largest is Thimphu, which is also the residence of the king and the capital and has about 40 thousand people.

There are about 200 dzong monasteries on the territory of the kingdom, some of which were built back in the 7th century. King of Tibet Songsten Gampo. For several centuries they served as a refuge from Tibetan invaders and wild animals. Over time, settlements arose around the dzongs.

This is a truly amazing country without hunger and crime, where people live in joy, without knowing wars and poverty. The Bhutanese themselves, of whom, unlike other countries in the region, are quite small, are open, hospitable, completely uncorrupted by the modern world and carefully preserve their unique culture.

It is forbidden to kill animals here, and therefore almost everyone is vegetarian. The import of chemical fertilizers is prohibited here, and everything that grows on this land is itself environmentally friendly. Another interesting feature of this state is that forests in Bhutan are not cut down, but rather planted. It is not enough to say that this is a country of Buddhism, it is a country of purity and enlightenment.

Despite the fact that the early history of Bhutan is still poorly understood, scientists, through archaeological excavations and examining stone tools, have come to the conclusion that civilization existed in the territory of modern Bhutan as early as 2000 BC. Although there is almost no written evidence of ancient times. The history of the country is known mainly in episodes, due to the fact that in 1827 the largest library in the then capital of Bhutan, Punakha, burned down. Historical events are now inseparable from legends.

History milestones:

III century BC e. - The Thepu tribes lived on the territory of Bhutan.

9th century - the beginning of the settlement of the country by Tibetan tribes.

XVI century - emergence of an independent Bhutanese state.

XIX century - establishment of British control over the country.

1949 - the country gained independence.

Source: veda-journal.ru

- What exactly does the Minister of Happiness do?

The name of my title in Russian is a translation error. In fact, Bhutan has no minister or ministry of happiness. I'm in charge. Gross happiness is not just a philosophy, we are putting this knowledge into practice so that government can use it in their work. First of all, we define the criteria of happiness, then we contact the population and the government, and laws are made based on this.

Our country is very small (population 743 thousand people. - Note ed.), and we can easily get into some trouble. For example, factories can completely deplete natural resources, and nature is one of the factors of human happiness (in Bhutan, until recently, there was almost no industrial production; now there is a factory that produces Coca-Cola under license. - Note edit). In this example, the concept of VNS allows you to control the work of factories, manage internal processes in the country so that everyone lives in harmony. A bit like how the commandments in your culture tell Christians what they should and shouldn't do. Our research helps to develop universal awareness, to be a civilized country in caring for its culture, nature, and society.

- Well, okay, you can close an unenvironmentally friendly factory - but can you interfere in family affairs?

For research, we have to ask questions about whether a person is divorced or not, whether the child grows up with one parent or is an orphan. About 5% of the total population is divorced, which is an acceptable figure for Bhutan. We know where these people live and what projects aimed at improving their lives can be offered to them. There are hundreds of such indicators that determine the strategy for working with the population.

What if what makes one person happy is not what brings joy to others? Can such a person be called unhappy?

Gross National Happiness is an evolving philosophy, very modern, and the approach is comprehensive. What you and I - you and I, the participants in this interview - consider happiness is important, but it is only a drop in the bucket. The happiness that you experience when you see your family members, your spouse, is also important, we do not diminish the importance of this. But there is a huge range of indicators. At the everyday level, happiness seems to be something very simple and achievable. We think about happiness in a deeper sense - we contemplate happiness and try to understand priorities.

- Everyone has their own.

Absolutely right. The GNH has nine areas of happiness (the website says these are standards of living, education, health, environment, community vitality, leisure time, psychological well-being, management effectiveness, sustainability and cultural development. - Note ed.). We are trying to ensure that the government meets these needs of citizens. Plus we have the values ​​of the Buddhist community - Bhutan was not colonized, we have 1000 years of unbroken tradition. However, in the name of globalization, we have become an open country and we understand that our values ​​are far from, say, American ones. We don't think their values ​​are bad - they just don't match ours.

Every religion is beautiful, but ours happens to be Buddhism, so we try to use it to cope with the complex life of modern society. In addition, we do not neglect Western research in the field of psychology - they help us understand the complex mental problems of the population. Here is a man living on the hundredth floor of a skyscraper near Central Park in New York. If he is suffering from insoluble problems, he can go out the window, and our task is to make sure that he goes down for a walk in Central Park. Therefore, we work primarily on the state of the inner world, in which there are not many differences between people. Some are richer, some are poorer, but each of us still has the same 24 hours to spend the time of our lives.

- And yet, how can your developments help the rest of the inhabitants of the planet where ISIS operates (the organization is banned on the territory of the Russian Federation. - Note ed.)?

This goes beyond the scope of the ANS issue. I respect other religions, I am familiar with the tenets of the Koran and I am one hundred percent sure that Islam is a good religion. Terrorism is its wrong interpretation. This is probably a reaction to the demands of the times. It seems to me that after 20–30 years of interference by other states in the culture and life of Islamic countries, it is logical that someone began to get angry.

Bhutan is far from all this. If sleep finds me in the middle of the night on the street of Thimphu (the capital of the state. - Note ed.), I can calmly close my eyes, confident that nothing will disturb me, except that it will be cold in winter and hot in summer. My friends are all around me in this city. If the whole world took the concept of national happiness seriously and tried to use our principles, then I am sure that the problem of global terrorism would recede into the background. But who are we? Bhutan is too small - less than one percent of the world's population knows about our existence.

Tsoki Zangmo and Dorje Penjo - expert and director of the Gross National Happiness Research Center of Bhutan

Bhutan is a country of traditional values. Does modernity and the changing role of women in society affect you in any way?

We fully share feminist views. For example, my colleague Tsoki Zangmo from the Center for the Study of the VNS, with whom we came to Russia, is a real feminist. However, I believe that feminist values ​​can best be conveyed by a man. You know, when a man speaks, other men listen to him. And when women speak, men doubt.

At the same time, I see how relations between the sexes in our country are changing. In my family, men traditionally did hard work in the fields and looked after the livestock: to work as a shepherd in the mountains, you need to be physically strong. And women did housework - cooked, looked after children, washed clothes. Thanks to the spread of education, women began to go to the office just like men, and men do not have to walk with a plow - Bhutan has tractors. We have women doctors, women pilots. But my wife doesn’t cook - I like to cook myself. Recently, a woman can become a prime minister in our country, but tradition prevents this.

Tsoki Zangmo: There is a generational problem here. Women were given equal rights when my parents were young. But their generation was not properly educated, and older women have no confidence that they can succeed. Today we have roads, infrastructure, and education, so there are no obstacles to development as such.

We fully share feminist views. However, I believe that feminist values ​​can best be conveyed by a man

- What is the approach to childbearing in Bhutan? What about abortion?

Tsoki Zangmo: Abortion is prohibited by law, but having or not having children is everyone's choice. Compared to our neighbors Nepal and India, Bhutan is a fairly liberal society. Moreover, traditionally, property rights in Bhutan pass to daughters, not sons.

Dorje Penjo: We are very flexible! We are actively promoting family planning policies that encourage additions, of course. Several years ago we discussed giving women a thirty percent quota in parliament. Some were delighted, while others said that they did not want quotas and such charity - they needed open competition. That is, the introduction of the quota seemed offensive to Bhutanese women.

- Let's return to the discussion of world politics - what do you think about Trump and Putin?

Politics are basically terrible. The art of political diplomacy is to tell sweet lies. But I believe Trump speaks from the heart. Clinton lied, but Trump was straightforward. Outwardly, Americans are very politically correct and support Hillary, but somewhere in their souls there is a haven of nationalist ideas and the concept of white supremacy that Trump personifies. And he addresses those who suffer from the forced political correctness of society. I think he won only because his time had come. Personally, I generally wanted Bernie Sanders to win - as soon as he dropped out of the race, I stopped being interested in the outcome of the election.

As for Putin, in Western media he is presented as a bad person. It has its weaknesses, but it has proven strong enough to crack American influence on the world. One country cannot decide what to do for the entire planet - someone had to stop it.

- How does mass culture influence your country? Do Bhutanese people watch Hollywood movies?

We didn't have national television until 1999, but some homes had dishes installed. Television has only become truly widespread in the last decade. Broadcasts of American wrestling and films about Superman and Batman are especially popular. There was even a story when one boy imagined himself to be a superhero and jumped out of the window. Of course he died. But these are all isolated cases - the Himalayan ice and mountains play the role of a natural barrier between us and Western countries. Our main influence is from Indian television. When I was finishing college, I remember everyone watching Indian movies and listening to Hindi music.

- Do you listen to rock music yourself?

Certainly! I have three favorite English-speaking musicians: The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan. What I don’t like is modern songs – they’re kind of empty. I'd rather listen to Bruce Springsteen or Tchaikovsky's The Seasons. You turn on “Spring” and somehow come to life, renew yourself, even if it’s winter outside.

- Do you think you are capable of experiencing happiness?

Vajrayana Buddhism is practiced in Bhutan. If you explain to the uninitiated, then imagine how in science one theory replaces another, it is replaced by a third, postmodernism emerges from modernism. Vajrayana is something like post-postmodernism: there is no absolute good or evil. You use reason, wisdom, to train yourself and improve yourself. Even trash can be turned into jewelry. We try to keep ourselves at a distance from harmful emotions - as we gain this distance, a transformation of the mind occurs. For example, cloning is not a problem for Buddhism at all - let them clone! It is not discussed as a moral issue. Buddhism can be thought of as a religion that perceives reality as it is - in practice we do not seek to organize society in some "Buddhist way." When we think about religion in general, we think of theistic religions - belief in God. But in Buddhism, at the level of practice, such things are secondary - they are not discussed.

- What makes you personally happy?

If we talk about ANS indicators, then I am a very happy person. I was lucky to be born a Buddhist in Bhutan, where there is a wonderful king. I got a good education, I have a great job. I have a wonderful family, no health problems. The only thing that bothers me is migraines, an annoying inconvenience that I experience several times a week. Another trouble is processing. And so everything is fine - both with my wife and with my relatives. I have no enemies.

I studied at an Australian university in the department of anthropology - it was extremely useful for my profession, helped in my career, but it turned out to be completely meaningless for my consciousness. I find it more beneficial to wake up at 4-5 am while the family is sleeping and walk around the stupa as part of my daily spiritual practice. When I look at the clock, time reminds me to calm down, temper my anger, tame my ego. I am 44 years old according to your calculation system - 45 according to the Buddhist calendar. If I were to die in the next few years, I would not regret anything: I lived a very meaningful life.

The Ministry of Happiness was created by the Government of Bhutan, which considered it absurd to rely on financial indicators (GDP) as the level of well-being of the country. The Bhutanese leadership is guided by the Gross National Happiness Index. The Nationwide Happiness Index is seen as a key element in building an economy for the Kingdom of Bhutan that is consistent with Buddhist spiritual values.

The Ministry of Happiness held several international conferences, to which many Western economists were invited (including Nobel laureates in economics), with the aim of developing methods for calculating the NHI (National Happiness Index) based on a combination of the economic situation in the country and the life satisfaction of the population.

The smile of the population is one of the indicators in the developed formulas.

What else is characteristic of a country that considers the happiness of the population to be a category of economic development? This information is worth spreading.

The most noticeable difference is that Bhutan carefully protects its age-old cultural traditions. Sometimes it’s funny: for example, one of the laws requires Bhutanese to wear national clothes. Tourism and mountaineering are limited in the country. Expensive, non-extendable visas: 2 weeks - $100. Any travel around the country outside the capital only in organized groups with an official guide. Until the end of the 20th century, television was banned in the country; in 1999, Bhutan became the last country on the planet to begin television broadcasting, when the only state television channel began operating

There is virtually no corruption in Bhutan. In the 2006 Transparency International ranking, Bhutan ranks 32nd in the world for corruption, behind only Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and the UAE in Asia.

Lawyers are illegal! According to the king’s decree: “Do not allow people into the courtroom who can make black white and white black.”

The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the youngest monarch in the world (born 1980), is very popular at home and abroad. Throughout Asia, and not only in it, there are clubs for fans of the young monarch, from India to Indonesia, brochures and posters dedicated to him are sold everywhere, and several societies of girls in love with him operate on the Internet. The royal wedding raised Bhutan's happiness index by several points.

His Majesty is fighting for the health of his subjects - Bhutan has become the only country in the world where smoking is prohibited throughout its territory.

The government is actively concerned about the environment (half of Bhutan's territory has been declared national parks, in which, for example, hunting is prohibited), for this reason, industrial development is not included in the plans of the Bhutanese authorities.

And the streets are very clean. Compared to neighboring countries - simply ideal cleanliness! Garbage is collected separately here! Food waste is collected in green containers, plastic, glass and metal in blue. As I already said, they are very concerned about the environment here, so garbage is recycled and not scattered on the side of the roads, as in Nepal or India.

Bhutan is an agricultural country. For more than 80% of the population, agriculture and forestry are the main source of income. There are practically no large industrial enterprises in the kingdom. There are several wood processing and food industry enterprises

The first penetration of globalization is the Coca-Cola bottling plant. The main export products are organic rice, fruits and electricity generated by hydroelectric power plants.

Perhaps this is a country with an amazing culture for us, an incomprehensible rhythm of life and truly happiness. It is known to be in the dark.

Bhutan is the only state in the world whose official religion, “spiritual heritage,” is declared to be Tantric Buddhism. Therefore, the government declares that its main goal is the desire for the happiness of each of its citizens; this is enshrined in Article 9 of the Constitution. On August 24, 2008, the state “Gross National Happiness Commission” was created, headed by the Prime Minister. The question “Are you happy?” asked during population censuses. In the last census in 2005, 45.2% of the population answered this question “very happy”, 51.6% “happy”, and only 3.3% “not very happy”.

Interestingly, the generally accepted concept of gross domestic product has been replaced in Bhutan by a more relevant indicator - “gross national happiness”. This is the only state in the world in which there is a Ministry of Happiness, thus placing happiness at the forefront of national policy.

This is a truly amazing country without hunger and crime, where people live in joy, without knowing wars and poverty. The Bhutanese themselves, of whom, unlike other countries in the region, are quite small, are open, hospitable, completely uncorrupted by the modern world and carefully preserve their unique culture.

It is forbidden to kill animals here, and therefore almost everyone is vegetarian. The import of chemical fertilizers is prohibited here, and everything that grows on this land is itself environmentally friendly. Another interesting feature of this state is that forests in Bhutan are not cut down, but rather planted. It is not enough to say that this is a country of Buddhism, it is a country of purity and enlightenment. The country is still very little studied, and vast territories in the south and central part are completely undeveloped by people and represent huge reserves with amazing flora and fauna. Bhutan has preserved all this for very simple reasons - hunting is prohibited and deforestation is practically not carried out. The kingdom is fully self-sufficient in food and clothing. At the same time, almost the entire population wears national clothes - kho.

About Bhutan visa

The visa is issued only to organized tourists traveling in accordance with programs developed by Bhutanese tour operators accredited by the Department of Tourism of Bhutan, or to persons traveling to Bhutan at the invitation of government organizations. The Kingdom of Bhutan does not provide visas for individual travelers. All visas are processed through the Bhutan Tourism Corporation (BTCL). Traveling around the country beyond the scope of the program developed by the host party, or without the accompaniment of a guide, is prohibited.

The visa fee is $20 and will be collected in US dollars directly at the Bhutan airport.

Tourists are prohibited from accessing the area of ​​large monasteries and the territory of most nature reserves. Rock climbing is also prohibited in Bhutan.