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Friday, November 18, 2016

From Sumthrang to Bemji (Bonbi), Trakhar & Ugyenchoeling, a Genealogical Journey


  Sumthrang Choje a family of religious nobility, where my this life is born to have known to me as an acclaimed source of many families in Bhutan. I never use to talk nor do I try to tell people we are relatives because it is always uncomfortable as it sounded trying to find a way to relate for some benefit.  I knew this fact since my childhood because of conversations with my father. Almost every family somehow has some blood relation to sumtrhang and ends up being one or the another our ‘Ngew’ or the relative.

Of many families that have a kinship relation to Sumtrhang, Bemji and Ugyenchoeling are among those families and Trakhar often came up in relation to the family line of Terton Pama Lingpa. I heard of the relation we share several years ago but I never understood how?  I did not know much of Bemji Chojey but I knew this much that it may have its own history of origin different from Sumthrang. Ugyen Choling we know is the decedents of Terton Dorji Lingpa. The question was then, how did these families inter-relate?

Monday, November 14, 2016

Here comes the Sun

Nyilo the Solstices: Some parts of Bhutan will celebrate winter solstice (guen nyilo) today, to mark Nyilo, the return of the sun.
Nyilo, according to the Bhutanese lunar calendar based on Buddhist astrology, is the first day of winter and the shortest day, after which the days start getting longer until the summer solstice.
“It’s celebrated as New Year, since this is the day when a new season begins,” lecturer for astrology with the Institute of Language and Culture Studies in Taktse, Trongsa, lopen Samten, said.