A leading guru from the country often recognised as the happiest on the planet is seeking spiritual sustenance in the quiet of the ACT.
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His Holiness Dungsey Garab Rinpoche, spiritual head of one of the main Buddhist sects in Bhutan, is overseeing a retreat in the idyllic silence of the Naas Valley, south of Tharwa.
He and about 160 followers are meditating for three days. They interrupt the silent meditation with chanting but they are not allowed to talk. It is called a "strict retreat" because of the no talking rule.
The worshipers have come from all over Australia and from Bhutan. They eat Bhutanese food, particularly a special dish made of potato, cheese and chilli. Those in the retreat are not allowed to talk to the cooks.
The kingdom of Bhutan, wedged between India and Tibet, is invariably declared the country with the highest Gross National Happiness in the world.
Since the 1970s, it has measured factors like sustainable economic development, the gap between rich and poor, environmental conservation, and good governance. Its rulers feel that these measure contentment better than the usual economic indicators. Other countries have followed Bhutan's lead by measuring GNH.
And now one of the country's most revered gurus is on a retreat at Caloola Farm near Tharwa.
"In Buddhism, the mountains are the best places to do meditation, to achieve peace of mind," the guru told The Canberra Times.
In some ways, the hills south of Canberra resemble the eastern Himalayas in which tiny Bhutan sits, isolated from the outside world until the 1970s. They are close to nature and untroubled by the din of urban life.
The retreat is taking place in rows of blue and white tents. "The retreat should be done in a silent environment. There should be no disturbance. No insider can go out and no outsider can go in," Pema Thinley, a teacher of Buddhism in Canberra, said.
"This is the highest practice in Buddhism," he said. "It is very beneficial to mental health."
The extensive Bhutanese community in Canberra organised the retreat. There are about 4,000 people with a Bhutanese background in the ACT. There is clearly a connection: the University of Canberra has a campus in Bhutan and the prime minister and the foreign minister have UC MBA's from there.
On Monday, His Holiness arrived at Canberra Airport to be greeted by the ambassador for Bhutan in Australia (who graduated from the ANU). The guru was then driven to Namadgi Visitors Centre and then on to the site of the retreat.
The plan for the retreat has been there for a while but it kept being postponed by the pandemic.
"We've been trying to organise this for the past two or three years," Dorji Tshering of the Canberra Bhutanese community said.
Finally, it's all come together. The spiritual leader has arrived. "The guru is here as a reminder of our rich cultural tradition, and of the community coming together," Mr Tshering said.
"It contributes immensely to our emotional well-being."
Since Bhutan came up with the idea of Gross National Happiness, other countries have taken up the idea. It has prompted economists to think in broader terms than narrow economic indices.
"Happiness is the concern of everyone," one of the country's gurus said. "Whether or not you acknowledge it, this is the purpose of every human being."
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
