Buttertea at Sunrise (35 page)

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Glossary of

Frequently

Used Bhutanese

Terms

Abi

a term to address an older woman

ADM

Administrative Officer

Ama

a term to address an adult woman

Apa

a term to address an adult man

arra

an alcoholic beverage locally prepared from

rice, corn or other grains

atsara

a clown at the Bhutanese dzong festivals

called tshechu

bukhari

a metal woodburning stove used for heating

and cooking

butterlamp
a candle made out of hardened butter or vegetable oil in a solid dish

buttertea

(‘seudja’ in Dzongkha or Sharchhopkha)

– the local tea made from dark tea leaves

boiled and enriched with butter and salt

cham

religious dance

chorten

a Buddhist stone monument containing

sacred relics and treasures

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damaru

a handheld double-sided drum for religious

ceremonies

dharma

the teachings of Buddha

DMO

District Medical Officer; the medical

supervisor of a district hospital

dzong

a fortress-monastery which today houses

the government offices and the national

monk body

Dzongkha

Bhutan’s national language

gelong

an ordained monk

gho

the national dress for Bhutanese men

goemba

Buddhist monastery

gomchen

a spiritual villager who has received religious

training

Guru

Rinpoche – also referred to as

Padmasambhava, a missionary often

considered the ‘Second Buddha’ who

introduced tantric Buddhism to Bhutan

kharang

coarsely ground dried corn

kira

the national dress for Bhutanese women

Lam Neten
the head abbot of the monk body in a dzong

lama

religious master

Lhakhang

temple

Lopon

Buddhist scholar or teacher

Losar

Bhutanese New Year

mantra

a prayer which is repeated over and over; a

chant

Meme

title for an older man

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minakpa

villager

ngultrum

Bhutanese currency

prayer wheel
a cylindrical ‘wheel’ containing prayers
prayer flag
long pieces of cloth printed with religious texts and symbols

puja

a Buddhist or Hindu religious ceremony

rachu

a long scarf worn over the left shoulder by

women on formal occasions

seudja

buttertea

Sharchhop
(kha) language of Eastern Bhutan
Tata

Indian manufacturer of trucks

thangka

religious picture

thengma

dried and beaten corn

thondrol

a huge banner with the image of Guru

Rinpoche

toego

a jacket that is worn with the kira, the

Bhutanese women’s national dress

Trulku

a reincarnated lama

tshechu

a yearly religious dance festival held at the

dzong

wang

a collective religious blessing

zao

toasted rice

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• Contents
  
• Prologue
  
• A Road Leading East
  
• From a Distance
  
• First Encounters
  
• Where You Going, Miss?
  
• Don’t Close Your Eyes
  
• Lhamo
  
• Back-breaking Work
  
• Om Mani Padme Hum
  
• Choden
  
• Compassion For Little Things
  
• Chilli con Carne
  
• Friction
  
• Are You Feeling Boring?
  
• Minakpa Ama
  
• Buttertea is Warm and Salty
  
• Meme Monk
  
• Different Expectations
  
• Chortens and Prayer Flags
  
• A Trulku Star
  
• To School on Crutches
  
• Town Planning
  
• Dharma or Dollars
  
• Kadam Goemba
  
• The Dances of Light
  
• A Midnight Prayer
  
• Woes in Trashi Yangtse
  
• Losar New Year
  
• The Sound of a Conch
  
• Epilogue
  
• Glossary of Frequently Used Bhutanese Terms