Rewo Sang choe. (Morning Prayer)

                     

Performing Morning Prayer

    

The College of Science and Technology is the only technical college in Bhutan and is located 5 km north of Phuntsholing town. There are many clubs in the college in which students actively engage, making each club productive. Nangpai Zhenu is one of the clubs that exist in CST.

Nangpai Zhenu is a Dzongkha term that literally means “young Buddhist.” It came into existence in 2013 during the summer semester. The Prayer Secretary, Ugyen Chopel, was the person behind the establishment of the club. He proposed the idea of forming the club to the authorities. The club was intended to benefit sentient beings not only in this life but also in the life to come. Within a short period of time, as the club was considered meritorious, the authorities approved Nangpai Zhenu as a new club of CST.

Lopen Gempo, Lop Tshering (Dean of Research), and the Director of the college were also equally important in helping the club emerge. They gave their full support in forwarding the club proposal. Therefore, on behalf of all club members, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and say thank you very much for your initiative. Your good initiative will always be looked upon by Kenchosum. Without their support, the club would not have come into existence as it is today.

The club was established for many reasons and purposes. Usually, technical students tend to neglect the practice of Dharma, which directly affects their way of thinking. It is only through simple practice of Dharma that we can stay connected to it. Practicing Dharma in a simple way with mindful thought is indeed a good practice. We cannot realize the true meaning of life unless we follow and understand Buddhism. Buddhism teaches the meaning of life. The club, Nangpai Zhenu, not only focuses on religious activities but also conducts small rituals such as ReoSangChoe (Morning Prayer).

As of now, there are more than 50 members in the club. The members can be described as simple, meaning humble, sympathetic, helpful, and kind-hearted. The members perform Morning Prayer regularly. Unlike last semester (summer semester), when the club conducted Morning Prayer every morning except on Tuesdays and Fridays due to class tests, this semester (winter semester), as tests are scheduled during a specific period, the club conducts Morning Prayer every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Morning Prayer is also performed on auspicious days, even if they do not fall on the scheduled days.

Members of Nangpai Zhenu 

Most of the members of the club were second-year students, but now they are in their third year. I am a bit worried about whether the club will be in a position to continue performing Morning Prayer as we are doing now. The existence of a club without meaningful activities is not worthy of the name Nangpai Zhenu.

It is not that juniors cannot perform the Morning Prayers—they have the ability to follow the seniors’ example. The only thing they need to do is observe the seniors performing with a willingness to learn. However, judging by the decreasing number of members in each batch, I can say that people are changing. My expectation for future members of the club is that Nangpai Zhenu should not just be a tradition to follow, but should also introduce more programs and activities.

The most recent activity of Nangpai Zhenu was a trip to Threlma Lhakhang. The trip was organized in order to clean the surroundings of the Lhakhang. The club’s motivation and goals are not grand, but are focused on serving the community.

In our daily life, the day should begin with Rewo Sang Choe, the Morning Prayer. Performing Rewo Sang Choe helps us in many ways. The misfortunes in our lives, the failures in our pursuit of success, and many other obstacles that hinder our progress can be reduced through faith in Rewo Sang Choe. It is a wonderful and powerful prayer.

It is not necessary that Rewo Sang Choe must always be performed with religious instruments. It can also be performed without instruments, depending on the situation, the availability of instruments, and the number of people present.

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