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I Finish My Book Proposals and Learn to Do Laundry

Well, today I finally finished ALL my book proposals. The last proposal was for the Bhutan Travel Cookbook, which I decided to call “Footprints of the Enlightened Ones”. This one was a challenge, including sample chapters and 75 MB of 90 pages in Word. I believe it will be a lovely book, like a multi-media portal into the Soul of Bhutan through memoir, stories, photos, and food flavors. All is well and I’m feeling a bit tired. Now I’m actively looking for an agent and publisher. All my book proposals are online here. Buddha Speaks, Channeled Conversations with the Master.…

Book Proposals from Srijana in Bhutan

I am seeking a publisher for six important books. Click on proposal links below. Srijana /Jane Barthelemy FiveSeasonsMedicine.com jane@fiveseasonsmedicine.com Paro, Bhutan, 975-1796-7830 Buddha Speaks, Channeled Conversations with the Master. 36 chapters of advice from the Buddha. Buddha Speaks, Illustrated Quotes for Children and Adults. 36 quotes direct from ancient writings, with images. Buddha Speaks, Oracle cards. 54 colorful cards with authentic quotes to uplift and guide Buddhists and non-Buddhists. Buddha Speaks, Weekly Oracle Planner. 52 weeks of inspiring quotes, with Srijana’s original art images. Heal Your Past Lives, How to Dissolve Past Trauma that Conditions Your Life and Causes Unhappiness.…

Riwo Sangchö, Mountain Smoke Offering

Called the ‘Mountain Smoke Offering’. Lama Dungtsho does the Puja for Riwo Sangchö. Riwo Sangchö means ‘An unceasing offering to the mountain gods’, but it is much more than that. It is a ceremony, a puja or practice of generosity and offering that frees your heart and inspires generosity to others. It is a practice of prosperity that also brings confidence. It is a practice of healing through which we repay all our karmic debts and heal our relationships. Riwo Sangchö is also a practice of purification in which all our obscurations are purified and burned away in the sweet…

We Visit Paro Dzong and Spend Time with Family

Whew! English summer school with my extended family is over, and all projects are finished. To celebrate, we visited temples, museums, gathered with family and ate lots of Bhutanese food. I’m saying good-bye to my friend Baby, whose English has improved vastly in the three weeks we held our home school. Here we’re at the National Museum in Paro overlooking the town and valley. The National Museum of Paro sits on the hill overlooking the city. It contains a wealth of rare information about Bhutan’s history, traditions, and natural beauty. This is the Rinpung Dzong, the largest Dzong and fortress…

Bhutan Greeting Cards with Buddha Quotes from the Kangyur

These art greeting cards illustrate some of the cultural beauty of Bhutan. I designed the cards from many of my photographs with other added elements. Each card contains a Buddha quote from the Tibetan Kangyur, the sacred book of the Bhutan Drukpa Lineage, translated into English by the Khyentse Foundation.

Clear Skies and Summer School in Bhutan

This is the final week of English summer school. Baby and Kunga worked very hard to finish their projects. Baby finished her eight essays in English. Kunga did a book report on the novel “Heidi”, and made a model of the solar system. Kunga finished his model of the solar system. He used paper mache over balloons, painted each planet and arranged them in their orbits – an excellent accomplishment! Kunga wrote a lab report to describe how he made the solar system model. This is one of many pages in Baby’s essay book. She wrote many many pages. This…

Who is Zhabdrung, the Father of Bhutan?

By Tshering Yangdon. A large statue of a smiling bearded Lama with a red hat dominates the hall of every monastery in Bhutan. Who is the father of Bhutan? Zhabdrung Rinpoche was a brilliant Tibetan Lama of royal birth, named Ngawang Namgyal. Destined by dynastic lineage to be the spiritual-political head of state in Ralung, Tibet during the 17th century, he was forced out of Tibet due to power struggles and disputes over rightful succession to the throne. Invited to Bhutan, he eventually became a powerful force for spiritual and administrative unification, establishing peace and harmony in the face of…

The Buddha’s first sermon after his awakening

Yes, this is the famous Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The Buddha’s first sermon, word for word, in English, after he attained enlightenment. This sutta is called “Setting the Wheel of Dharma in Motion”. With the power of his deep contemplation and very few words, he effectively set the “Wheel of the Doctrine” (and Destiny) in motion in such a way that it could never be turned back. There’s so much complex writing and analysis on Buddhism throughout history. I’m looking for utter clarity by going back to study his direct teachings. A Dharma wheel represents the eight spokes, and eightfold path of the Buddha’s first…

We Visit the Buddha’s Birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal

We took a trip to Lumbini. It’s an eight-hour drive from Kathmandu. Yep, we left at 4am with the Lama, his daughter Baby, myself, and Lama’s trusted driver Manbadhur. I didn’t know what to expect. It was an amazingly beautiful and surprising trip. Yep, it was 8-hours to Lumbini and 8-hours back. Fortunately Manbadur’s car is comfortable, and he’s an excellent driver. The drive through the Nepal countryside was dusty and dirty. Finally we reached the gate to Lumbini, also dusty and dirty. But once we entered the arches into the site of the Buddha’s birthplace at Lumbini, it was…

What were Milarepa’s last words?

The great monk Milarepa has a presence in Tibet and Bhutan. Read about the life of this amazing saint. Milarepa is one of the most famous saints of Tibetan Buddhism. He lived from 1052-1135 CE, and was admired for his songs which are still popular in Tibet. He is generally considered one of Tibet’s most famous yogis and poets. Milarepa practiced as a layman and never took monastic vows of a monk. Milarepa literally means “cotton clad”, referring to his austere life style. Traditionally depicted as wearing white cotton, often his skin was a greenish hue from a constant diet…