Thursday, May 8 2025 | Time 11:45 Hrs(IST)
WorldPosted at: May 7 2025 1:08AM


Bhutan attempts to bridge science, religion, culture in first of a kind nature preservation project

Thimphu, May 6 (UNI) In a first-of-its-kind project, Bhutan’s Druk Nyo Foundation has launched an initiative seeking to rediscover and document Buddhism’s deep reverence of nature, and laying the foundation of a new nature conservation movement by connecting the country’s ancient culture, spiritualism and modern science.
Part of a three-year project, the initiative saw five Buddhist scholars in Bhutan examine classical scriptures, oral traditions, ancient proverbs, spiritual songs, and sacred artwork two years ago to trace how Buddhist wisdom reflects nature preservation.
At the heart of their study was the tiger - the country’s iconic predator - which has found a deep place in some of its ancient folktales such as ‘Tag Seng Chuk Druk’. They have since found that the presence of the tiger runs far deeper in Buddhism than they thought, Kuensel reported.
Their research uncovered 396 references to tigers across 741 entries from 277 sources. In addition, there were 176 references to lions, and 66 references to leopards.
Sonam Nyenda, executive director of the Nyo Foundation, said, “This is the first time that such spiritual material has been gathered, analysed, and interpreted, not only for religious understanding, but also to support conservation efforts.”
One of the scholars, Khenpo Phuntsho Gyeltsen, said Buddha never separated his teachings from the richness of nature. He actively advocated for natural harmony for spiritual growth.
“The decline of the tiger population can also symbolically represent the decline of a great master”, he said.
“There is a great connection between spirituality and the natural environment,” he added. “However, this connection has largely remained within spiritual circles and has not been effectively communicated.”
Expressing his content with the research, he said that the data, which was gathered with the aid of many people “has the potential to reach far, even in terms of practical implementation.”
Nyenda, speaking of the research, said “Science speaks, but so does religion. The question is, how do we bridge the two? And the project aims to do that.”
The project’s ultimate purpose is to reconnect people with their ancestral environmental wisdom, though not by any external force, but instead through the rediscovery of their own cultural and spiritual heraldry.
Nyenda spoke about the many possibilities of the venture, and said “Imagine searching for ‘tiger’ or ‘medicinal plant’, and instantly see what Buddhist teachings, folklore, say about them. You could align them with scientific data to inform both policy and education.”
Another challenge facing this ambitious venture is to make the digital archive accessible to the general public. Currently, the texts – all of which are available only in Choekyi – will require significant funding to translate, curate, and build a user-friendly database.
The crux of this vision is to ultimately align the minds of Bhutan’s public, be it policy maker, or monks, to use ancient wisdom to guide and inform modern-day action.
A highly ambitious venture, it advocates for a complementary relationship rather than a conflicting one, where culture and religion guide ethical considerations, and science informs practical solutions. UNI ANV SSP
Tags: #Bhutan attempts to bridge science# religion# culture in first of a kind nature preservation project
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