Warmest Gratitude and Wishes to Her Majesty, the Queen Mother, Tshering Yangdoen Wangchuck on the Auspicious Occasion of her 60th Birth Anniversary, June 21, 2019.
On behalf of Buddhist nuns around the kingdom, the Bhutan Nuns Foundation (BNF) would like to wish Her Majesty the Gyalyum, Tshering Yangdoen Wangchuck, the Founder of the BNF a most heartfelt Happy 60th Birth Anniversary. We pray that Her Majesty has a very long and meaningful life so that she may continue to stand as an exemplary driving force for good behind every movement that is involved in benefitting society and the progress and growth of our nation.
The blessing of her constant presence as a mentor and guiding light for the BNF underscores her genuine concern for the nuns and senior citizens of rural Bhutan. In her travels to the nunneries, Her Majesty always encourages and even teaches them with basic exercises to help improve their physical health and wellbeing. Moreover, she always encouraged BNF to provide proper necessities and skills wherever it has been found lacking, thus accordingly, we were able to find supporters and improve the lives of many nunneries throughout Bhutan.
In addition, Her Majesty has long been a dedicated guardian and advocate for the revival and preservation of traditional methods of landscaping and architectural design. She is constantly seeking and applying innovative ways to integrate the old and new, the traditional and the modern, to create a natural harmony between manmade structures and the natural environment for the benefit of all Bhutanese.
Her Majesty has always been the first to step forward and work hands on with the personnel on the ground for any worthy project large or small, whether it be beautifying the environs of our sacred Dzongs with flowers and plants, or participating alongside laborers and nuns in constructing the BNF Training & Resource Centre and helping us make this essential project a reality.
She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the well-being of the Bhutanese public, making every effort to improve their lives and society at large. I, personally, have witnessed firsthand how not even the smallest details escape her attention when it comes to ensuring peoples’ safety and protection—such as pestering road engineers to put up extra crash barriers whenever she can.
Her Majesty has been a particular source of inspiration to those of us who have had the opportunity to work closely with her. We enjoy the privilege of seeing her touching humility and caring nature firsthand through her sincerity, dedication, and focus, and in the multitude of ways she expresses her genuine compassion and loving-kindness for all, founded in the Dharma, and the pride she takes in being there for her country.
As we honor Her Majesty’s 60th Birth Adversary, we are also happy to announce and inaugurate June 21st as the Bhutan Nuns Day, which we intend to observe every year with a prayer ceremony and organize Dharma talks and retreats by qualified nuns of Bhutan at the Training and Resource Centre temple.
Thank You, Your Majesty, for guiding, mentoring, and sheltering us under your wing, and for being an ever-present inspiration and source of motivation to us all!