e-Sangha discussion

Greetings e-Sangha members—

I am new to Goodreads, and would like to introduce myself. I am a longtime student of Theravadan Buddhism and Vipassana, as well as an investigative journalist and editor based in Boston. I would to tell you about my new e-book—A Splendid Isolation: Lessons on Happiness from the Kingdom of Bhutan. The book—really, a 50-page reported essay—examines Bhutan's intriguing policy of Gross National Happiness and how it plays out in a culture poised between devout Buddhism and encroaching consumerism. It is available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.com and sells for $2.99.

On February 18, WBUR, the National Public Radio affiliate in Boston, aired an interview with me about A Splendid Isolation. The conversation took place on the Radio Boston show.

I look forward to corresponding with this group and swapping book recommendations (of which I have many!).

Thank you!

—Madeline Drexler

PS: To get a better sense of A Splendid Isolation, here is the Amazon promotion text:
What does Bhutan understand about happiness that the rest of the world does not? Award-winning journalist and author Madeline Drexler recently traveled to this Himalayan nation to discover how the audacious policy known as Gross National Happiness plays out in a fast-changing society where Buddhism is deeply rooted—but where the temptations and collateral damage of materialism are rising. Her reported essay blends lyrical travelogue, cultural history, personal insights, and provocative conversations with top policymakers, activists, bloggers, writers, artists, scholars, religious leaders, students, and ordinary citizens in many walks of life. This book is sure to fascinate readers interested in travel, Buddhism, progressive politics, and especially the study and practice of happiness.

Thank you, Madeleine--it does sound fascinating and I'm going to read it.

Thanks so much, Stephanie!

I'll be interested in your comments -- particularly your perspective on the Buddhist elements of the narrative.

-- Madeline

I just finished Madeleine's book. It really brings Buddhism down to the ground by exploring how basic Buddhist values actually get lived out as political goals. As Western practitioners we may try to bring Buddhist values into our work or family lives, but essentially we practice in a sort of enclave separate from mainstream values. In Bhutan Buddhism is mainstream values. The country's development plan actually includes dimensions of well-being such as meaningful work. But still there are wrinkles that aren't easy to iron out.

The book raises many questions and evokes profound issues. For example, Bhutanese she spoke to had a contempt for our society which they imagine consists entirely of lonely individuals, in comparison to their dense web of social connection. But is it fair to compare their small, homogeneous nation with our extraordinarily heterogeneous one? Lots of things to think about.

Hi Stephanie –

Thank you for reading A Splendid Isolation. As you noted, I discovered much to admire and envy in the Bhutanese culture – as well as a strain of naivete in their assumptions about the United States.

When I traveled through Bhutan, I found it hard to disentangle the country’s Gross National Happiness policy from the devout Vajrayana Buddhism at the heart of the culture. There is dharma on virtually every page of the book because it suffuses daily experience there.

The Bhutanese conviction that life in the U.S. is lonely and atomized is indeed facile – as you describe, the product of an isolated and somewhat homogeneous culture. But there is also an element of truth in their belief. The “social capital” about which we grandly theorize is not theoretical in Bhutan. One of the themes that I explore in the book is the fraying of that country’s rich social weave as consumerism and other forces start to take hold.

With Gross National Happiness, Bhutan turned the metrics of the material into the metrics of the spirit. At the moment, however, the country is poised between centuries-long traditions and an understandable rush toward the material security and comforts that the affluent West takes for granted. I felt a poignant sense of impending loss – and of fresh possibilities.

– Madeline

A Splendid Isolation: Lessons on Happiness from the Kingdom of Bhutan