Purnima is a UN award-winning writer and blogger. She is a fellow of Journalism by The International Reporting Project of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the recipient of the BlogHER International Activist Award 2013. The is one of five senior editors at World Moms Blog, a Forbes Top 100 website for women writing from 30 countries. She is a Heartfulness practitioner and trainer, and on the Heartfulness Magazine editorial team.&nbsp;

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Purnima Ramakrishnan

<h4>PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN went on a family holiday to Bhutan in 2016, and the impression it left has stayed with her. She shares some of the important lessons she learned during that visit. &nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;I visited the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan almost a year ago. Today, I am still transported back to that land of the Thunder Dragon from time to time. Reflecting on my time in Bhutan, I see how it taught me lessons that I find myself applying every day. After my trip, my life remains the same on the outside for anyone who saw me every day, but my heart is open in such a tender and simple manner. Below are some lessons I picked up from Bhutan.<hr><h4>Happiness is the highest factor</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mindfulness_lessons_from_bhutan_941c06f5ef.jpg">Dr. Saamdu Chetri, the Executive Director of the Centre for Gross National Happiness in Bhutan says, “It only takes 10% of a group to decide to make a change, in order for it to make an impact on the whole group.” Bhutan does not measure the country’s well-being and success by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but by a measure known as Gross National Happiness (GNH).Gross National Happiness acknowledges that material wealth is important, but it equally values the importance of community well-being, including culture, governance, knowledge, wisdom, health, spirituality, psychological welfare, a balanced use of time, and harmony with the environment.Now, that is not a tall list. When I landed in the country, I was transported to a beautiful place where there was so much joy. The attitude of the people did not feel materialistic at all. Their attitude was filled with love, care, concern and they always smiled. It was a genuine smile, one where you could feel an uplifting energy all around the person.When I think about it, what is the reason we do all that we do, throughout our lives? We work hard, get good jobs, pursue relationships, and achieve success. Ultimately, we do all this to be happy and to make our near and dear ones happy as well. So why not be happy in the first place, and allow the rest to automatically follow? That is perhaps the law of Nature, which the Bhutanese people have already discovered.I was reminded of the words of the modern-day saint, Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur who says, “Joy attracts Grace.” Yes, it does indeed, and Bhutan is a fine example of that. &nbsp;<hr><h4>Technology is neither a want nor a need; it just has its place</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mindfulness_lessons_from_bhutan3_73ea284314.jpg">We stayed in a wonderful hotel, in one of the finest and best in Bhutan, according to travel sites. No, it was not expensive at all. That is one thing I liked about the country. One evening there was a power cut. We were strolling around the hotel grounds, enjoying the scenery and waiting for power to be restored. “Please come inside for dinner sir,” the Maître requested, seeking us out. “Maybe after an hour, it is so early,” we insisted. “The power may not be back until midnight, so we suggest you have an early dinner,” he insisted. I kept wondering all the time, why was there no generator or back-up power installation? When I enquired, he looked at me like I was asking an unusual question, and said, “But Ma’am, it will be back in the night. There must have been some avalanche in the mountains and the lines must be cut. It will be restored soon. And we have a lot of candles. Why should we waste fuel?” Yes, of course, his rationale was sound. Why should we, indeed? With our own cozy first-world lifestyle, we can’t imagine such an answer from hotel personnel. It was not that they did not care for power back-up. They just didn’t think it was worth having; it was seen as a waste.Did you know, Bhutan got its first TV in 1999 and access to Internet only a few years ago? By that time many of us were already arguing over which channels to watch, and who should have absolute control over the remote, and perhaps even buying separate TVs for the bedroom and the living room.I observed that for the Bhutanese, TV or Internet was not the center of their lives. Rather, they are tools that can be used intentionally to get information or connect with each other. I never saw a single Bhutanese checking his mobile phone in my entire trip. When I finally enquired whether they owned mobile phones, the receptionist took out his iPhone and asked me if I would like to make a call or borrow it. So they did have phones, but they only seemed to use it when they had to.Similarly, there was no Wi-Fi available in our rooms, only in the hotel lobby, even though we stayed in a wonderful place. When I enquired about the Wi-Fi, one hotel staff member responded, “But Ma’am, do you want to use the internet? Do you want to check for flights or emails or perhaps do your official work?” I am sure he would have laughed if I had said, “I think I have 500-odd messages in my WhatsApp from today which I want to check, lest it becomes 1000 tomorrow.”<hr><h4>Wealth is Nature</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mindfulness_lessons_from_bhutan4_fb51797ab9.jpg">Bhutan is also the only ‘carbon-negative’ country in the world. Its constitutional laws have declared that, at all times, its forest grounds should be greater than 60 percent of the total land area. At present, the green area is 70 percent.When Bhutan’s Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck was born in 2016, the country gifted 108,000 saplings to the prince. In Buddhism, trees are providers and nourish all life forms. Planting a tree is the most wonderful gesture for someone we love. A tree symbolizes longevity, health, beauty and even compassion.Bhutan doesn’t allow any smoking in public, public product advertising or large-scale mining or extraction projects. In addition, plastics are completely banned. These are huge steps to improving the environment. The country has also remained completely organic; there are no pesticides or insecticides used. I could go on with my endless list of things that Bhutan does for the environment, rather, avoids doing to prevent spoiling the environment.<hr><h4>An everyday routine of meditation</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mindfulness_lessons_from_bhutan5_d73d4a0ad8.jpg">Buddha Purnima is the day Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and passed on to the Brighter World. I had a great curiosity to visit Bhutan on Buddha Purnima. So we planned this trip to happen on that day to see how Buddhists celebrated. I noticed that on this day people meditated a lot. It was not a festival but rather a day of rumination, a day of meditative silence and contemplation, spent deep in prayer. Spirituality felt like an integrated part of their lives. It is not a unique or special concept, like a mindfulness class you might join, once a week. For them, they meditated as if it was an everyday routine.Similarly, the Heartfulness meditation I practice has a routine of morning meditation and evening rejuvenation which has been so effective for me personally. I noticed that the disposition of such Heartfulness practitioners was so similar to the Bhutanese people. They have this all-encompassing super calm around them, a disposition of cheerful acceptance, and a balance in their life. For them, everyday is a Buddha Purnima because of their regular practice of meditation and rejuvenation. If you haven’t tried Heartfulness meditation yet, I sincerely encourage you to try it .It was also interesting to observe how the Bhutanese people did not have to motivate each other to meditate. I think that is the key to maintaining their kind of peaceful disposition.Before visiting, I had wondered why Bhutan was listed as one of the happiest countries in the world.After visiting I know the answer – they know that the purpose of human existence is to learn how to love. And therefore, they’ve placed their efforts in the right direction by creating an environment of peace, care and joy.Traveling to Bhutan for me was a unique, life altering experience. I felt transported to an alternate reality, like a paradise situated in the mysterious mountainous kingdoms of Shangri-La.It wasn’t that the Bhutanese have no challenges. I observed that in spite of challenges, their hearts were always open and their attitude loving.These lessons do not end here. They have helped me strive to improve from day-to-day and begin a journey towards my own Ultimate Reality, as Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur describes in his book, Reality at Dawn. But that is another article for another time.&nbsp;

Mindfulness lessons from Bhutan

<h4>PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN shares a list of 51 small acts that will make a difference in the lives of others and yourself. See which ones resonate with you, and try one or two this week.</h4>&nbsp;Have you met a stranger who completely changed the way you looked at this world?That someone at the departmental shop who let you ahead of him in the queue, because your child was losing patience, or that someone in a public transport who offered you a seat because you looked so exhausted, or a vendor who waived you away the change you owed him, just because you had no coins in your pockets.Well, this world is full of such compassionate – kind and beautiful souls! This everyday kindness is a blessing; it gives an instantaneous joy, which is refreshing, and pleasant.Today, in our current lifestyle, how could one make a difference in this world? As the New Year dawned, when the whole world made plans and resolutions, what did you chose to do?Here are 51 ways to make a difference in the world.<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>GIVING</h3><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”&nbsp; ―Mother Teresa</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/51_giving_img_80ce55473f.jpeg?updated_at=2023-03-29T15:16:34.271Z">&nbsp;1. 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. You can save 3 lives if you choose to donate blood.2. Got a lot of shoes and clothes, gathering dust in the closet? Donate them to an orphanage.3. Donate a month’s color pencil supplies to the kindergarten class of your local school. Kids love colors. See the joy in their eyes.4. Pay-It-Forward to assist the local farmer. And motivate him/her to go completely organic.5. Feed stray animals. Make one of them your pets, if you like to.6. Say sorry to someone from whom you expect an apology. Yes, that is the only way to mend fences. Give, don’t expect to get.7. Blog about a social issue which needs attention. And share it on Social Media.8. Dedicate a complete day to help out a friend in his/her aspirations and goals.9. Grow out your hair for a couple of months religiously. Cut it all out, and donate to an organization which makes cute wigs for kids.10. Rescue stray animals to hand them over to an animal shelter like the Blue Cross.Save<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>DOING</h3><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“Stop doing what is easy or popular. Start doing what is right.” ―&nbsp;Roy T. Bennett,&nbsp;The Light in the Heart</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/51_doing_img_121ee04972.jpeg?updated_at=2023-03-29T15:21:57.305Z">&nbsp;11. All that trash lying around in your neighborhood? Organize a weekend clean-up drive.12. Got some talent? Is it singing? Or dancing? Or playing the lute? Teach a few kids for free.13. Visit the old-age home in your locality and spend an hour reading out books to the elders. Their smile would warm your heart.14. Volunteer at the Suicide Hotline in your city. Save a life.15. Plant a tree (sapling) in your backyard.16. Volunteer to babysit a few hours at the orphanage.17. Collect reusable plastic for recycling. Clean up the environment.18. Bake cookies for a relative whom you have not met in a year. Surprise him/her.19. Gift a tree (sapling) to your best friend on his/her birthday.20. Babysit to help out a single-parent. Tell him/her to go have some “me-time.”Save<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>SHARING</h3><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” ―Brian Tracy</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/51_sharing_hfn_mag_img_a8b5f92519.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T15:22:40.255Z">&nbsp;21. Share your snacks, lunch or coffee with a friend at work.22. Show an embarrassing photo to friends. Give them a good laugh.23. Have a lot of grocery coupons? Give some to the first person you meet on the sidewalk.24. What is your aspiration? Share it with a complete stranger and ask him/her what he/she thinks about it. Their no-nonsense response could change your life.25. Upgraded to the latest iphone? What did you do the older model? Give it to someone who needs them.26. Buy two copies of the <a href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/subscribe/">Heartfulness Magazine</a>. Give one to a friend who does not yet read it. And subscribe your friend to the free digital version of the e-magazine.Save Save<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>COMMITTING</h3><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality." –Abraham Lincoln</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/51_committing_img_ddc007aaaf.jpeg?updated_at=2023-03-29T15:23:25.343Z">&nbsp;27. Mentor someone.28. Avoid plastic bags for a month. If you can create the habit, avoid them for a year.29. Plant a vegetable crop in your porch and water them every day.30. Create vegetable/fruit waste compost for your vegetable garden.31. Save an hour’s electricity, than your usual consumption, every day.32. Do not waste leftovers for a week. Save food. At the end of the week, you would have learnt to cook adequately, not more than what you need.33. Have you heard of the of the United Nations Foundations? Lobby for at least 2 of them. I chose #5 and #16. Check out what they are.34. Teach a girl child to write. Take a tiny step towards women-empowerment.35. Sponsor an entire year’s education for a girl child, if you can afford it.Save Save<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>LOVING</h3><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” ―Robert A. Heinlein,&nbsp;Stranger in a Strange Land</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/51_loving_friend_img_f3ea0286a3.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T15:25:19.554Z">&nbsp;36. Cook for a friend.37. Tell someone they look beautiful. And mean it. And if they smile back at you, you meant it.38. Launder for your spouse. Give him/her a rest.39. Share favorite recipes with complete strangers and follow up to see if they cooked them.40. Buy a cup of coffee for the person standing next to you, at Starbucks.41. Give a hug to a homeless person today morning.42. Sing nursery rhymes to your neighbor’s toddler.43. Surprise your spouse with a gift he/she would cherish for all his/her life.44. Say “Thank You” and “I Love You” to 10 people today.<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>MEDITATING / FEELING</h3><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” ―Helen Keller</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/51_masterclasses_banner_img_135edae2dc.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T15:27:13.380Z">&nbsp;45. Make a list of things you are grateful for, at the end of the day. How do you feel when you thank God for those? Write your feelings in your diary.46. Hug a tree. Feel the energy. Ask a friend to do the same. Make this a weekly habit.47. When you wake up, count the number of people who would be happy to see you. Call one of them randomly to say “Good Morning.”48. Help a child relax. If necessary, recite the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuiV395xI4I">Relaxation</a>. Give a mental hug!49. Learn to meditate by getting in touch with a <a href="https://heartspots.heartfulness.org/">Heartfulness Trainer</a>.50. Take a friend to meditate along with you, to your Heartfulness trainer.51. Enroll yourself for three masterclasses in Meditation through this link - <a href="https://en.heartfulness.org/masterclass/">https://en.heartfulness.org/masterclass/</a>. Resolve to achieve something amazing through the science of meditation.Save SaveSaveGo on. Do more. Let the list grow to #101. And share it with us.Write to <a href="mailto:contributions@heartfulness.org">contributions@heartfulness.org</a> and tell us what you chose to do from the above list, and why. Share with us your experience of making a difference in the world.Save Save Save