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The Kingdom of Bhutan

Overview

This journey is a study in compassion. Not as a sentiment, but as a skill

Across eight days, we’ll explore Bhutan. You’ll meet political, spiritual and cultural leaders who think in terms of compassion. You’ll learn how care shapes how decisions are made, how power is held, and how the future is imagined.

Along the way, you’ll find yourself asking new questions about progress and your place in it.

Details

8 days | Max 20 participants | Once per year

Why Bhutan?

Most nations optimize for production. Bhutan chose to prioritize something else.

In 1974, its leaders introduced Gross National Happiness as an alternative to GDP. Since then, the country has used that lens to shape its policies, infrastructure, education, and economy.

It’s not a perfect system. But it is a rare one; where compassion is part of how things work. Where leaders are expected to think in terms of care, balance, and long-term consequence.

This trip is a chance to step inside that experiment. To learn from it. To see what parts of it you might carry back with you.

Curriculum Highlights

Impermanence & Emptiness
We begin with two ideas that shape nearly every aspect of Bhutanese life: impermanence and emptiness. They’re not abstract. They show up in how people relate to time, to self-worth, to change. Together, we’ll reflect on questions that bring us closer to ourselves: Who am I? What am I looking for? Where am I avoiding care? This is based on the assumption that nothing can be achieved without first fostering a deep connection with the self.

The Interconnected Self
Later, we’ll shift outward. Who are We? How do we show up in the lives of others? What does the world ask of us? In Bhutan’s traditions, your existence is not an accident and nothing you do is inconsequential. Everything is connected. We’ll explore how that lens reshapes responsibility and how it might reframe your own leadership.

Tiger’s Nest
We will climb to Taktsang, Bhutan’s most iconic monastery, built into the cliffs 10,000 feet above sea level. It’s said that in the 8th century, Guru Rinpoche flew to this spot on the back of a tigress to meditate and turn demons into protectors. The symbolic lesson embedded in the story of Tiger’s Nest—and the act of climbing to it—is one of transformation through courage, devotion, and elevation.

A Conversation with the King
You’ll have the rare chance to sit in a private audience with His Majesty the King of Bhutan. A conversation about statecraft, vision, and care, led by a head of state who thinks about national leadership in emotional and ethical terms.

Time with the Rinpoches
You’ll spend time with senior spiritual leaders who’ve studied the mind for decades, informed by centuries of wisdom. Their insights—on ego, distraction, pressure, and service—have shaped the culture here. They offer perspectives on leadership you won’t find in business books.

Dodedhra Monastery
You’ll spend one night at a working monastery. No guesthouse. No curated experience. Just the daily rhythm of monastic life. You eat what they eat, rise when they rise. The stillness is not empty. It’s alive with discipline, care, and purpose. By morning, you may not feel transformed. But you’ll know what it means to be in a place where every small act carries weight.

The Divine Madman's Temple
At Chimi Lhakhang, you’ll experience Drukpa Kunley—a 15th-century monk who taught through wine, wit, and irreverence. He believed truth was more important than manners. His lesson: compassion is not always quiet. Sometimes it comes dressed as disruption.

Inquiry and Application

If you’re at a moment of change and ready to explore it deeply: we’d love to talk. We seek leaders committed to personal and professional growth who will contribute to an exceptional group dynamic.

Photography by Alex Pflaum