Bhutan Reading List

There have been many good books written on Bhutan.  The following are a few of our favorites.  You can order them from your local bookshop or online.

Guidebooks

Bhutan by Francoise Pommaret.

This book was written by a anthropologist who has traveled extensively and lived in Bhutan for many years.

Bhutan, Footprint Guide by Gyurme Dorje.

This guide gives a lot of good historical information on the things you’ll see in Bhutan, especially about the Buddhist attractions.

The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Paltrul Rinpoche.  This is the popular book on the practices of Tibetan Buddhism.

History of Bhutan Based on Buddhism by CT Dorji.  This book explains the Buddhist figures and how they figure into the history of Bhutan.

Icons of Awakened Energy: An Introduction to Bhutanese Iconography.  Put out by the Royal Government of Bhutan, this colorful book explains many of the paintings, gods and temples you’ll see in Bhutan.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, Patrick Gaffney, Andrew Harvey - A New Spiritual Classic from One of the Foremost Interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism to the West

General Books

Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan by the Queen of Bhutan, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck.  This new book gives an in-depth look at contemporary Bhutanese society.

Dawa: The Story of a Stray Dog in Bhutan by Kunzang Choden.  This funny tale gives a new look at the thoughts of an enlightened dog as he travels through Bhutan.

Bhutanese Tales of the Yeti by Kunzang Choden.  If the Yeti lives anywhere, it lives in Bhutan.  This book recounts many of the old folk tales surrounding the Yeti in this part of the Himalayas.

There are many more books about Bhutan on the market, including specialized interests like bird watching, hiking, history and more in-depth books on religion.

Bhutan Video

The Living Edens - Bhutan: The Last Shangri-La (1998). There is a place on earth where time stands still-where nature and religion have combined to turn a tiny Buddhist kingdom into the world's last Shangri-La. Locked between Tibet and India, Bhutan is the jewel of the Himalayas. To the north of the kingdom, towering virgin peaks rise to 25,000 feet. Beneath steep glacial walls, alpine highlands fall to misty forests. Mountain streams cut through gorges on their way down to warmer valleys and wide marshes in the heart of the kingdom. One distinct landscape drops to the next before finally descending to the jungle and grasslands of the southern plains. For the people who have adapted to this domain of extremes, Bhutan is a Living Eden where respect for life, in all its many incarnations, endures like the land itself. Narrated by Donald Sutherland.

Bhutan - Land of the Thunder Dragon (2001). An intimate video essay of one of the world's most mysterious and remote kingdoms. The remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan (pronounced "boot-tawn") has been isolated from the modern world for centuries. Videographers Jim & Kelly Watt, one of the first production crews allowed to film in this remote, pristine, and isolated culture, created this illuminating documentary capturing a brief look at the remarkable kingdom which until recently, was virtually a mystery to the outside world. In Bhutan, life is dramatically different than that to which most are accustomed in the modern world. Road construction only began in the 1960's, so travel is arduous and slow through the mountainous terrain of Bhutan. This is a subsistence agrarian economy where citizens must grow their own food, spin and dye their own thread, make their own cloth & sew their own clothes. Television was not allowed into the country until the end of the 20th century.

Mystic Lands: Bhutan & Maya (1997). Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon - Explore the tiny Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan and centuries of legends that are part of the Bhutanese spiritual life. The teachings of Guru Rinpoche, the second incarnation of Lord Buddha, guide the people in their devotion. Elaborate festivals are held throughout the land honoring Guru Rinpoche. From fluttering prayer flags to the rhythmic spin of prayer wheels during meditation, worship to Lord Buddha permeates every aspect of life in Bhutan.

Contact Amitabha for more information.