In the eight century CE, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava, or the second Buddha) made his legendary trip from eastern Bhutan to western Bhutan on the back of a flying tigress to subdue the evil spirits who hindered Buddhism. After defeating them, he blessed them as guardians of the doctrine, thus introducing Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan.

The Charity has been working to support community development in Bhutan since 2009.  We have been working in collaboration with the government and local NGOs to help support the Buddhist community and its sacred gathering spaces.  We hope that our work is contributing to the “Gross National Happiness”, the holistic and unifying vision used by the country to measure success based on personal and societal well-being rather than purely economic factors.

Bhutan is a central historical space for the tradition of Buddhism and we are proud of our work to support this practice.  In the eighth century CE, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) made a legendary trip across Bhutan on the back of a flying tigress to subdue the evil spirits who hindered Buddhism. Since, Tantric Buddhism has been practiced and adopted as the official religion.

Restoration of Shingkhar Temple in Bhutan

Since 2009, the Hinman Charity has made several grants to support the restoration of the historic Buddhist temple in Shingkhar, Bhutan. This is one of the most exciting projects for the Charity,  as the restoration of the temple has served to bring communities together and create economic opportunities. We believe that the work to restore the structure of the Temple is helping to restore the heart of the community.

Shingkhar is known as the first seat of Longchenpa, a central figure in the Nyingma Buddhist tradition.The temple has long been an important part of spiritual life in the community. Construction is still underway, using local workers to help support economic development. Hundreds of local villagers and pilgrims will practice at this temple when it is complete.

The restoration combines both modern and traditional techniques and preserved the original architectural style. This project was spearheaded by Ngodup Dorji, the 12th Shingkhar Lama. Lama Dorji has supervised the construction, engaging local workers in environmentally sustainable methods. Aesthetically, the temple required the work of craftsmen skilled in traditional wood- carving techniques. At the same time, modern engineering was used to protect the temple against earthquakes, common in the Himalayan region where the temple is located.

Bhutan Nuns Foundation

In 2009, the Hinman Charity made a grant to support the Bhutan Nuns Foundation (BNF) which had been recently established. The BNF aims to provide Bhutanese women with improved living conditions and access to education, while teaching self-reliance to encourage the participation of women in Bhutan’s socio-economic development. The BNF plays an important role in educating and empowering women to strive for greater equality. Through its work, and supported by the Hinman Charity  the BNF ensures that each nunnery maintains adequate, healthy living conditions, provides a practical, useful education for girls and women, and achieves economic self-sufficiency.

Several Charity grants were used to construct dormitories and facilities so that the nuns could have safe, secure, and adequate housing while they pursued their studies. The Charity also supports an income generation project run by the BNF to produce wintergreen oil, which is used in the Buddhist practice. The Charity helped finance the purchase of wintergreen distillery machinery to enhance production. The proceeds from the sale of the wintergreen oil help to support the expenses of the BNF.

Loden Entrepreneurship Program

The Hinman Charity made a program-related investment (“PRI”) loan through the Bhutan Foundation to the Loden Foundation.  It supports the Loden Entrepreneurship Program, a program established to cultivate entrepreneurial skills, create employment, and promote a self-sufficient economy among young Bhutanese. The PRI provided interest free loans to entrepreneurs who are contributing to economic development in Bhutan who otherwise would not have had access to capital.