Dendup Chophel
PhD Candidate, College of Arts and Social Science, Australian National University
Preparing for a good death is the primary focus of life in Bongo village. Based on a detailed ethnographic study carried over one year for a PhD dissertation, this paper presents findings on the cyclic nature of life in this rural Bhutanese community, where as soon as a child is born, they are considered a part of the four cycles of existence leading to birth, aging, sickness and death. An ideal life is one in which people consciously follow thoughts and actions that are considered appropriate for each of these cycles. All these stages are considered inevitable, as indeed they are. Therefore, instead of fearing the consequences of birth, aging, sickness and death, approaches to a well-lived life is explored through these life stages. In the changing milieu of Bongo, this means resorting to both traditional and modern life practices. It also means overcoming challenges accruing from these two sources.
This paper deals with how the people seek to align their life goals with these ideal-types, although quite often, they face issues that complicate this process. For example, the ideal-type of existence is based on an historical existence, while their life challenges are contemporary in nature. Thus, there exists a gap between the ideals and actual practices of a full life-lived well, which, however, does not detract them from the qualitative and quantitative pursuits of life.
(Presented in the 2018 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum : Culture of Longevity, 15-16 August 2018, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University)