A Bounty

Another magical tale from Bhutan.

One day I thought, wouldn't it be great to have a library of literature for teachers to learn about sustainable development and mindfulness? I went online and made a wish list of books. Within about one week, sponsors from around the world had donated all the books on my list. The mailing address we used was my very kind Bhutanese friend's apartment in Queens, New York. But it all happened so fast, I didn't really have a plan how to get them to Paro.

Another week passed and I was at the Dzong in Thimphu, meeting the Secretary General of the GNH Commission, Dasho Karma Tshiteem, who had just returned from the big UN Conference on GNH in New York. I shared information about the Lhomon Education Curriculum Development Workshop, and he discussed poverty alleviation. It was thrilling to be in the Dzong, by the way. There's nothing trashy about Trashichodzong, with its men marching and the gloved soldiers in glass boxes. I was in my best suit but was told to take off my scarf before entering the hallowed fortress. 

Just as I was leaving, Dasho remarked, "I think we have your books." He made a quick call and then told me that I would find the box at Am Yangchen's house, of all places. Am Yangchen! She's an old friend who I met when she played a small part in Travellers and Magicians (the village woman who detains Tshewang Dendup, forcing him to have tea with her as he tries in vain to catch the bus). I owed her a visit anyway so I walked to her house and we had a lovely catch up.

And there they were, my books. Almost 30 of them, neatly packed in a box and delivered, just 2 weeks after they entered my consciousness as a possibility.

Bhutanese resourcefulness at its best!

Many thanks to all who made this bounty possible, all the book donors, and all the couriers - I cannot imagine how they got from my friend's place Queens to JFK, through customs, off the plane, from Paro to Thimphu, then into my friend's house. And also thanks to all the writers. We are still interested in building our library so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. Our library now includes these books and more:

Affluenza – De Graaf

Big Ideas – The Center for Ecoliteracy

The Botany Of Desire – Michael Pollan

Buddhism Textbook by Dominique Side

Building Emotional Intelligence in Children - Linda Lantieri

Charlotte's Web – E.B. White

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed – Jared Diamond

Cooking For Geeks - Potter

Ecological Literacy – Stone and Barlow

Educating for Wisdom and Compassion - John P Miller

Education and The Significance of Life - Krishnamurti

Food Inc - 2 Copies

Food Rules - Michael Pollan

The Great Disruption – Paul Gilding

A Guide To Green Housekeeping - Strutt

Hungry Planet - What The World Eats - Menzel

The Holistic Curriculum - John P. Miller

Kalakshetra Reflections

Literature Based Maths Grades 4-5

Look to the Mountain – Gregory Cauete

Mind Up Curriculum - Pre K-2, Grade 3-5, Grade 6-8 - The Hawn Foundation

Mindful Movements – Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A guide - Shoeberlein

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel Siegel

No Impact Man – DVD

Omnivore's Dilemma – Young Adult Edition – Michael Pollon

A Pebble in your Pocket – Thich Nhat Hanh

Present Moment Wonderful Moment – Thich Nhat Hanh

A Proposal for GNH Value Education in Schools – Karma Ura

Quality Education in Bhutan – Jagar Dorji

Seeds Of Deception

Seeds Of Deception - 3 DVD set

Teaching English as a Foreign Language For Dummies

Think on These Things – Krishnamurti

What Einstein Told His Cook - Wolke

What's The Economy For Anyway? – De Graaf

Where There Is No Doctor - 3 Copies

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies - Daniel Siegel

Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens - Diana Winston