Ep152: Voice of Bhutan - Ashi Kunzang Choden

Being the eldest daughter-in-law of the Dorjelingpa lineage (the 13th generation) here at Denjong (Sikkim) I feel highly honored to watch this video. When I got married, I was told the stories about their lineage and how their ancestors decided to part ways to Denjong(Sikkim), Bhutan, Nepal and Sri-Lanka- four brothers to preach & spread the teachings of Lord Buddha. The monastery here is known as Doling Gyumpa located at Rabongla, South Sikkim, which is still looked after by our family.

These are treasures! Bumthang and Bhutan owes Ashi a debt of gratitude for lovingly preserving the temple, the structure, statues and paintings for future generations of Bhutanese. This will be my holy site to visit the next time I am in Bumthang... if it is allowed.

I’d like to express my gratitude to you and Ashi Kunzang Choden for this interview , especially as a Bhutanese. There is so much I learned here today about Ugyen Choling and her family. It is wonderful how at ease you both were with each other

Thank You so much Steve for having the Wisdom and good karma to record this very special interview with the most Wonderful being Ashi Kunzang Choden..a Hug thank You to Her for granting this ......i for one am extremely grateful .....its so important that we preserve the Wisdom and insights of those beings who have lived through the transition period from the old world to the "Modern"...a most wonderful interview...We are all highly blessed to have the opportunity to hear some of the details of this most delightful Womans incarnation....as well ,to have a glimpse at some of the most remarkable sacred spaces and Artworks......fond memories ... Loved it ...❤️🙏🙏❤️

She sound very kind and genuine. Thank you.!

Ashi Kunsang Choden, I know and from judging your vast knowledge in Buddhist, you can read your own script, I like to say སྙིང་ནས་གུས་བཙི་དང་ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེ་ཞུ་རྒྱུ་ཡིན་། I went through this interview with full attention and learned a depth of knowledge, very inspiring and like to see more of this type of documents for the benefit of our younger generations to take care of only home our MOTHER EARTH ! Thank you from my ❤️ with great respect !

Thank You, so much, Guru Viking, for doing this far journey for you followers - and interviewing this precious and most wonderful khandro-women. And the images and paintings are so much more beautiful in real. It is really worth to visit that place of Ogyen Choeling, in Bhutan, for everyone who can do this. ❤

Glad+Happy to hear your voice!

This video is such a great treat. Got so immersed and didn't even realize how 1 hour 12 minutes 27 seconds passed by. Thank you for sharing.

Kardin che, Ashi Kunzang Choden la for sharing your wisdom with the world. We're grateful for being able to see your historic residence and understand your lineage of Dorjee Lingpa. Hope to visit you someday. Tashi Delek and Aloha from Maui, Hawaii.

✨One of the best writers in Bhutan ✨

Thank u for beautiful podcasts with such unbelievable people. I wish there will be more interviews with her. I think she has a lot to tell about her life.

I have been there before, it is such a beautiful place and the view from the museum towards Tang valley is magnificent.🥰🥰😍😇

came by your channel by chance through this vlog, and felt the urge to watch this vlog from start to finish. I have been to the commercial side of Bhutan in early May, 2019 and ever since my return back home in Goa-India, I have a pull to revisit Bhutan, and other places too. Bumthang is among them. Thank you for the beautiful vlog, and my best wishes to Ashi Kunzang Choden in her endeavours, and her long and blessed life.

Many blessings for Ashi Kunzang Choden and for you Steve. This video is remarkable for it's visuals and for the testimony by Ashi. The possibility of a interreligious sharing between Catholicism and Buddhism seems clear. As a Christian that found in Buddhist practice the methodology that was lacking in my upbringing, I also couldn't help from noticing what was missing in the Buddhist traditions I encountered. I see a natural affinity in Tibetan Buddhism to aspects that are organic to Catholicism such as devotion, prayer and ritual. But not so much in other traditions. People seem to be trying to fill in the gaps with brahmavihara practices that echo central tenets of Christianity. Regretfully they are just given lip service by many Christians. I like to entertain the concept of collective unconscious that Carl Jung espoused. It seems to be a difficult enterprise to go against the collective unconscious to which one belongs but there is no impediment to enriching it with other knowledge. Ashi Kunzang Chodi seems to have realized this as she fully embraces her heritage.

Great talk! A very peaceful lady.

Voice of Bhutan : democracy, human rights, civil rights, Freedom of speech n culture/ religious freedom.

Always proud Bhutanese 🇧🇹 Thank you for sharing wonderful video to the world. Sending lots of love 💕

Amazing story of Ashi Kunzang. Her story is similar to mine. I too was taken on horseback and a car from Shigatse, Tibet, via Sikkim to Kalimpong in 1958. I too studied in St Joseph's Convent and realised in later years that I went through cultural shock. I was terrified of the white faced Irish nuns covered in white and black gowns. Later years, I saw the transformation of Catholic nuns who discarded their white covering thus exposing their hair. It was amusing to see the nuns with blonde or dark brown or silver hair. A year or two later I was transferred to a boys' school, St Augustine's run by Swiss missionary in Kalimpong, India.

Katinche Ashi la, such a privilege to see all those important, sacred paints and figures along with your thorough explanations which was so insightful.