[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-148545-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":85,"doc-detail-148545-en":135},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":78,"head_meta":80,"extra_data":82,"updated_unix":84},105,"en","buddhist-contributions-to-human-development-tshering-tobgay-vesak-day-keynote-address","Buddhist Contributions to Human Development - Tshering Tobgay - Vesak Day Keynote Address","","The text presents a keynote address on how Buddhist teachings shape human development, focusing on Bhutan’s Vajrayana Buddhist context and the spiritual significance of Vesak. It explains Bhutan’s sustained Buddhist influence since the 8th century and outlines how governance and leadership are informed by Buddhist ideals. The address highlights leadership qualities such as compassion, strength, and specific knowledge about suffering, linking them to governance and societal well-being through principles drawn from scriptures and revered figures.",{"@graph":14,"@context":77},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/buddhist-contributions-to-human-development-tshering-tobgay-vesak-day-keynote-address/148545/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/buddhist-contributions-to-human-development-tshering-tobgay-vesak-day-keynote-address/148545.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Logic","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-08-26",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",17,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69,73],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why is Vesak Day important in the Buddhist calendar?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Vesak Day commemorates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing. It is celebrated worldwide to remember these three sacred events and encourage learning from the Buddha’s life.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What role has Buddhism played in shaping Bhutan?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Buddhism has influenced Bhutan’s governance, culture, and lifestyle since the 8th century. Religious practice is deeply integrated into daily life, education, and the activities of monasteries and communities.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does Vajrayana Buddhism influence human development in Bhutan?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The address identifies governance and leaders as the two main channels. Buddhist ideals shape leadership and governance, which in turn affects human development in society.",{"name":74,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":75},"What qualities are expected of Buddhist leaders according to the text?",{"text":76,"@type":64},"A leader is expected to embody compassion, strength, and knowledge. The key knowledge concerns understanding suffering and how to end it, while compassion is presented as the central requirement guiding leaders toward benefiting all beings.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":79,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":81,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":83,"site_id":7},148545,1787781067,{"code":4,"msg":86,"data":87},"success",[88,92,96,100,105,110,115,119,124,127,131],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},8,30,"research-report",{"id":120,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":122,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":126},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":128,"slug":130},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":133,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":134},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":86,"data":136},{"doc_id":83,"user_id":137,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":138,"doc_module":4,"category_id":116,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":139,"file_id":140,"file_url":141,"file_type":142,"file_size":143,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":144,"language":145,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":146,"faqs":147,"seo_title":148,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":84,"read_time":149,"preview_page_count":4},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","Buddhist Contributions to Human Development+  \nTshering Tobgay *  \nIntroduction  \nThe birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha all happened in the second month of the Buddhist calendar, which is known in Sanskrit as Vaisakha. The Vesak Day has been known by different names in different countries and it has been celebrated for the last two thousand years by all Buddhists around the world to remind them of these three most sacred events in Buddha’s life. Vesak Day is a great occasion for an international gathering to meet, celebrate, remember and learn from the life of Buddha.  \nSeveral global issues were discussed in the previous Vesak Day celebrations. In particular, the past Vesak celebrations have brought out certain future directions for all Buddhist communities. This year’s Vesak celebrations will be similarly fruitful and stimulating, with its theme on Buddhist contributions to human development.  \n+ This paper is a keynote address delivered by Tshering Tobgay at the 15th Vesak Day in Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University Conference Hall, Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Thailand, abridged and edited for this journal.  \n* Dasho Tshering Tobgay was the Prime Minister of Bhutan from 2013-2018.  \nJournal of Bhutan Studies, Vol 38, Summer 2018  \nBhutan’s Spiritual Background and its Significance for Human Development  \nBhutan is the last Vajrayana Buddhist Kingdom . Bhutan has been Buddhist continuously since the 8th century. In that long period, Buddhism has shaped its governance, culture, and lifestyle. The three highest teachers who left deepest spiritual imprints on Bhutan are the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, and Zhabdrung Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche is the considered as the second Buddha because he brought Buddhism to Bhutan and the Himalayas from India in the 8th century. Zhabdrung Rinpoche, a monk, founded Bhutan as a nation in 1626, with the intention to make its citizens benefit from Buddha’s teachings and to influence governance of the country by Buddha’s teachings.  \nWhat is the state of Bhutan as a Vajrayana Buddhist Kingdom? Both private and state Buddhist institutions are still vibrant and influential. The support of lay people and the state is very strong for monks and priests. Society in Bhutan is still steeped in the tenets of Vajrayana Buddhism and the citizens of Bhutan are spiritual. About 80 percent of the Bhutanese are Buddhists; the rest are largely Hindus. Monasteries and hermitages are very active. Buddhism is taught also in schools. People spend substantial time every day on spiritual activity. According to a national survey on time use in 2015, people spent 36 minutes on average every day mantra, prayers and meditation and this daily average increased to two hours 25 minutes per day for those over 60 years of age (Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies, 2015) . People spend more time on spiritual activities such as mantra and prayers as they grow older .  \nBuddhist Contributions to Human Development  \nLeadership  \nHow has Vajrayana Buddhism influenced human development in Bhutan? What are Buddhist contributions to human development in general? As a Vajrayana Buddhist state, the main influences on human development in Bhutan has come from two sources: governance and leaders. Buddhism have influenced critically both the governance and its leadership in the country, and through these two institutions affected human development.  \nLet us take a look at leadership in Vajrayana Buddhist Bhutan . The Buddhist model of leadership has deeply influenced its leaders and our monarchs (Karma Ura, 2010) . Historically, everywhere in Asia, all Buddhist monarchs have aspired to live by the ideals of Buddhist monarch. The exemplar of a Buddhist monarch is the chakravartin, the universal wheel-turning king. This concept of Buddhist ruler has been an inspiration also among Bhutanese monarchs. They have tried to live and rule from an enlightened attitude, as if following the original ‘Ten Duties of the King’ found in the Buddha’s teaching","cbCaiuMXuAjCyyuV","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuMXuAjCyyuV","pdf",5956913,85,"English","# Introduction\n# Bhutan’s Spiritual Background and its Significance for Human Development\n# Buddhist Contributions to Human Development\n## Leadership\n## Governance","[{\"question\":\"Why is Vesak Day important in the Buddhist calendar?\",\"answer\":\"Vesak Day commemorates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing. It is celebrated worldwide to remember these three sacred events and encourage learning from the Buddha’s life.\"},{\"question\":\"What role has Buddhism played in shaping Bhutan?\",\"answer\":\"Buddhism has influenced Bhutan’s governance, culture, and lifestyle since the 8th century. Religious practice is deeply integrated into daily life, education, and the activities of monasteries and communities.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Vajrayana Buddhism influence human development in Bhutan?\",\"answer\":\"The address identifies governance and leaders as the two main channels. Buddhist ideals shape leadership and governance, which in turn affects human development in society.\"},{\"question\":\"What qualities are expected of Buddhist leaders according to the text?\",\"answer\":\"A leader is expected to embody compassion, strength, and knowledge. The key knowledge concerns understanding suffering and how to end it, while compassion is presented as the central requirement guiding leaders toward benefiting all beings.\"}]","Buddhist Contributions to Human Development - Tshering Tobgay - Vesak Day Keynote Address | PDF",214]