Phuntsho, Karma

Standing on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, the Kingdom of Bhutan has been described as the last Shangri-la. Its relative seclusion and natural beauty make it one of the world’s most desirable places for tourists to visit. But Bhutan is a low-income country facing many of the same problems and challenges confronting other developing countries: unemployment, inadequate social services, and the erosion of traditional values.

Despite being famous for Gross National Happiness, a holistic development philosophy which gained traction in some countries, Bhutan continues to face many challenges. About 12% of its population live below the poverty line and many youths are seeking greener pastures abroad. With rapid change taking place due to modernization and globalization, Bhutan has been experiencing serious tensions.

This reality has been foremost in the mind of KARMA PHUNTSHO, a Bhutanese thought leader who, as a former Buddhist monk, has a profound understanding of Bhutanese tradition. But PHUNTSHO—born in Bhutan in 1968—is also an Oxford-educated scholar who feels the need to bring Bhutan into the 21st century in a mindful and culturally sensitive way. His academic works in the field of Buddhism and Bhutan’s history and culture focus on reappropriating Bhutanese traditional knowledge and making them relevant to the present and future.

In addition to numerous academic publications on history, religion, and culture including his groundbreaking History of Bhutan, he regularly writes and speaks in mainstream national media as well as on social media on social and cultural issues. He is a leading member of the fledgling Bhutanese academic community and his village solidarity group. For the past twenty years, he has returned to his village in Central Bhutan annually to help put on the Yakchoe Festival, which is today attended by some 500 international tourists.

In 1999, PHUNTSHO founded the Loden Foundation, an educational charity “committed to promoting education, nurturing social entrepreneurship, and documenting Bhutan’s cultural heritage and traditions.” The works of Loden Foundation mirror PHUNTSHO’s own aspirations and interests as a scholar and changemaker. Loden literally means “possessing intelligence,” but it is grounded in the Buddhist belief that knowledge has no owner, and that empowerment through education is the greatest gift.

Begun as a scheme to support poor but deserving students in Bhutan, the foundation is registered as a civil society organization with partners in many countries. Until 2008, when the first staff was hired, the foundation was entirely operated by PHUNTSHO and other volunteers. Headquartered in the capital Thimphu, Loden Foundation has projects in all twenty administrative districts of Bhutan.

Loden’s accomplishments have been impressive and life-changing. In education, it has established five preschools, funded 219 students through school, awarded ninety-eight college scholarships, and held sixty-three Bhutan Dialogue Sessions for public education. In entrepreneurship, Loden has addressed the problem of youth unemployment in Bhutan by helping them to become social entrepreneurs through loans, mentorship, and capacity-building.

Veering away from traditional business approaches, Loden emphasizes social value over profit, and responsible and ethical business practices hoping to foster a caring economy and a culture of responsible production and intelligent consumption. The program has funded 295 entrepreneurs (ninety-seven of whom are women) creating 860 jobs, with 5,750 more aspiring entrepreneurs trained since 2008.

Acutely aware of the need to preserve and promote Bhutan’s rich cultural traditions, Loden has focused on documenting and digitizing its oral and written heritage. This has so far resulted in 3,348 hours of recordings of intangible culture, 4.55 million pages of digital texts from seventy-six libraries, 150,000 pictures of old art and artifacts, and sixty-one culture projects.

While these were achieved through collective effort, none would have been possible without the personal vision and dedication of PHUNTSHO, whose thoughts, words and actions guide these programs. Calling himself a “pracademic”—he practices what he preaches as an exemplar of humility, responsibility, and commitment, while nurturing young new leaders to take over from him.

As modern as his outlook is, his vision continues to be informed by his deep spirituality. “We really need to have this focus on the mind, the primary ingredient of happiness, because as soon as you start to think happiness is out there, then we will end up being more materialistic, just like others, and lose that traditional approach,” he says. “With so much distraction and confusion caused by the digital revolution, there is today even a greater need for such inward reflection and focus. That’s why Buddhist culture is so important for the future of Bhutan.” One of his current projects is establishing the Bodhitse Center for Study and Contemplation, using his own resources.

In electing KARMA PHUNTSHO to receive the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognizes his invaluable and enduring contributions towards harmonizing the richness of his country’s past with the diverse predicaments and prospects of its present, inspiring young Bhutanese to be proud of their heritage and confident in their future. Beyond his immediate horizon, his work engages all peoples and cultures around the world facing the same challenges, reminding them to look back even as they move forward.