Teachers Day Celebration, 2016

We could have never become a better person without teachers that we have come across in our lives. Today, we enjoy the fruits because our teachers have shed so much of sweet to make us a better person. We should be filled with gratitude for them. 

Teachers Day was celebrated at Gaeddu College of Business Studies on 2nd May, 2016 coinciding with the birth anniversary of fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. To mark the occasion, various cultural programmes were held by the staffs. 

The programme began with a recitation of prayers and offering butter lamps. The staffs of the Gaeddu College of Business Studies put on a scintillating cultural show. 

Director General and other staffs offering butter lamps to mark the occasion.

Cultural Programme by the Staffs

Teachers are the light that dispels the darkness of the world. There is no way that so much of development would have taken place around the world without teachers. Today, we know how to read and write because our teachers have taught us. We know what is good and bad because teachers have shown us the way. We should be enormously be thankful to teachers.

People who misinterpret and criticize their teacher is said that they will fault even in the Buddha if they were to live with him long enough. 

During Buddha's time, Buddha's half brother monk Sunaksattra served Buddha for 24 years. Sunaksatrra started to think negative about Buddha as time went by. He saw everything the Buddha did as deceitful, and eventually came to the wrong conclusion that, apart from an aura six feet wide, there was no difference between the Buddha and himself.

Apart from that light around your body six feet wide,

Never have I seen, in twenty four years as your servant,

Even a sesame seed’s with of special qualities in you.

As for the Dharma, I know as much as you-and will no longer be your servant!

So saying, he refused to serve Buddha and left. Then, Ananda became the Buddha’s personal attendant. He asked the Buddha where Sunaksatra would be reborn.

The Buddha replied, “In one week’s time, his life will come to an end and he will be reborn as a hungry ghost in a flower garden.”

Ananda went to see Sunaksatra and told him what the Buddha had said. Sunakstra thought to himself, “Sometimes, those lies of his come true, so for seven days I had better be very careful. At the end of the week, I’ll make him eat his words.” He spent the week fasting. On the evening of the seventh day, his throat felt very dry, so he drank some water. But he could not digest the water properly, and died. He was reborn in a flower-garden as a hungry ghost with all nine marks of ugliness.

We should feel deeply ashamed whenever we see faults in our teachers. Instead reflect that it is our mental vision that is impure, and that all the actions of teachers are flawless. We should increase our faith in teachers by removing negative thoughts. 

Enthronment of Dungsey Rinpoche Yangsi

Dungsey Rinpoche Yangsi

On 15th April 2016, enthronement procession of His Holiness Dungsey Rinpoche Yangsi was held in Paro. The Yangsi was officially recognized as the reincarnation of the Kyabje Dunse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche by His Holiness Dodrupchen Rinpoche. 

Dujom Rinpoche was the eldest of Dujom Rinpoche and the father of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse and Dungse Garab Rinpoche. 

Dodrupchen Rinpoche with Dungsey Rinpoche Yangsi and Garab Rinpoche

Discipline

Discipline can be described as training the mind. This is because the source of all our actions is mind. If mind is corrupt, putting in place any stringent rules and regulations would not prevent a person from doing wrong actions. Mind is the generator of good and bad thought. If our thoughts are positive, we have to be glad and do more and more good. If they are negative, we should feel bad and ashamed that we are entertaining such thoughts.

I feel that disciplining mind is more important than disciplining actions. This is because sometimes our thoughts or intentions may be good but the actions may be wrong and vice versa. For example a person with no selfish desire may steal from rich and miserly and, on their behalf, give them to the needy or make an offering to the Triple Gem. Similarly, we may lie in order to protect someone on the verge of being killed.

“Once in a previous life, the Buddha was a captain called Compassionate Heart. He was sailing upon the ocean with five hundred merchants when the evil pirate called Black Spearman appeared, threatening to kill them all. The captain realized that these merchants were all non-returning Bodhisattvas, and that if one man killed them all he would have to suffer in the hells for an incalculable number of kalpas. Moved by an intense feeling of compassion, he thought: “If I kill him, he will not have to go to hell. So I have no choice, even if it means that I have to go to hell myself.” With this great courage he killed the pirate, and in so doing gained as much merit as would normally take seventy thousand kalpas to achieve. On the face of it, the act was a harmful one, since the Bodhisattva was committing the physical act of murder. But it was done without the least selfish motivation. In the short term, it saved the lives of the five hundred merchants. And in the long term it saved Black Spearman from the sufferings of hell. In reality, therefore it was a very powerful positive act.” (Patrul Rinpoche, 2009). We may commit harmful acts but as long as our minds are pure and free from selfish desire, actions become less important. If our minds are pure, that is a true discipline.

Therefore, discipline is training one’s mind so that one does not let negative thoughts occur in.

Inactive Capital Market

Capital market is the backbone of an economy. It is the engine for economic growth that helps to mobilize the resources efficiently. The capital markets play a critical role in economic development since they are the principal platform through which businesses can raise low cost funds to finance projects thereby promoting industrial development. 

The Bhutanese capital market is one of the newest and smallest capital markets in the world. Bhutan's capital market can evolve and become vibrant like any other capital markets around the world. If we want to diversify investment from Hydro-power to other sectors, then, a vibrant capital market is necessary. A good capital market will encourage savings and investments helping investors to create wealth.

A good capital market will foster industrialization in the economy. Through industrialization, a nation can produce most of the goods and services. This would help to fulfill the Bhutan's goal of economic self-reliance. Today, Bhutan is in dire need of industrialization. The unemployment rate is increasingly steadily every year. Lack of industrialization is also putting pressure on the foreign currency reserves especially rupees. Poverty still remains in some nook and corner of the country. The only way to overcome these problems is to establish small, medium and large industries which the capital market has a major role to play. Most industries can thrive if they have access to enough funds for running the business. Therefore, capital market has a critical role in fostering industrialization.

There are many budding entrepreneurs who want to venture into a business. But setting up business require huge amount of capital. Though, Loden Foundation and some financial institutions provide capital, there are many regulatory hurdles that needs to be fulfilled. Moreover, the amount of capital these institutions provide is barely enough for the entrepreneurs to take up the project on a full swing. There is an enormous competition from firms from the neighboring country India. For our industries to thrive and compete with them, substantial capital is required either to develop or import technological know-how. Raising capital from financial institutions is not the best option for the entrepreneurs because many of the businesses involves long gestation period. It is the capital market that has the capacity to provide such huge sums of long term capital through the issuance of shares.

The capital market helps to pool the resources of the country and channel it to industrial activities. For economic growth, a nation requires a lot of domestic and foreign investments. The lack of access to capital has hampered the economic growth and industrial development in the country.

The government and public authorities must realize the importance of the capital market in the economy and start improving the functioning of the existing capital market. To stimulate people to invest in shares and other securities, the government should give greater tax incentives to the investors. The government should also raise funds in the capital market for its developmental activities to develop the capital market. There should be more awareness programme on the importance of making investment in companies’ securities rather than making investment in unproductive assets like cars and electronics.

Capital market plays an extremely important role in mobilizing funds and channeling it to businesses to enhance country's economic growth. It helps to minimize the risk by through diversification in different sectors.