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Linda Leaming
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Married to Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said 'I Do,' and Found Bliss Kindle Edition

by Linda Leaming (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 587
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
See all formats and editions
Tucked away in the eastern end of the Himalayas lies Bhutan: a tiny, landlocked country bordering China, India, and Nepal. One of the most remote places in the world, Bhutan is rich in natural beauty, exotic landscapes, and ancient wisdom, where people are genuinely happy with very few material possessions and the government embraces "Gross National Happiness" instead of Gross National Product.

As one of the few Americans to have lived in Bhutan, Linda Leaming offers a rare glimpse at the peaceful mountain kingdom so many have only dreamed of. For over ten years, Leaming has lived and taught in the small town of Thimphu, where there are fewer than 100,000 people and no traffic lights. "If enlightenment is possible anywhere," she writes, "I think it is particularly possible here."

The Bhutanese way of life—quieter, slower, and more tranquil—can seem daunting to most Westerners, consumed with time, dates, speed, and efficiency. In Bhutan, people rarely check their e-mail and take their time answering their telephones. But, as Leaming shows us, a little patience—over a cup of warm tea and friendly conversation—can help soothe the most distressed mind and soul.

In this funny, magical memoir, Leaming takes us with her on her travels through South Asia, sharing her experiences as she learns the language, customs, and religion; folklore of a revered Tibetan holy man who gave blessings to the people by whacking them on the head with a big wooden phallus; her unlikely romance with a Buddhist artist; and her discoveries about the unexpected path to happiness and accidental enlightenment, where true bliss resides.

Married to Bhutan is a reminder that following our dreams is the way to be truly happy.
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  1. Print length
    266 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Hay House LLC
  5. Publication date
    April 1, 2011
  6. File size
    1001 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chronicling her realisations about the path to happiness and her unexpected enlightenment along the way, it's an incredibly entertaining memoir that will have you laughing out loud from the first page."
-Soul & Spirit 

"At its core, Married to Bhutan is a romance; it's the true story of Linda Leaming's love affair with both her Bhutanese husband and with Bhutan itself. Leaming, from America, visited the Buddhist nation of Bhutan for the first time when she was thirty-nine. It would be 'a nice diversion,' the travel agent had told her. But as soon as that first trip was over, Leaming was devising ways to return. The country was to become, not a diversion, but her life-a life full of hilarious linguistic bumbling, a flexible sense of time, and a sharp awareness of impermanence. 'In the West, it is possible to live and be asleep,' she writes. 'In Bhutan one is compelled to wake up.' Leaming's husband is a renowned thangka painter and I very much enjoyed the intimate look at his artistic process."
-Shambhala Sun 

"Married to Bhutan is wonderfully wise and endearing, much like the Himalayan kingdom that is its subject. Leaming's graceful, witty prose captures the magic of Bhutan, a place where happiness is more than just a nice idea. It is a way of life."
-Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss

"Paradise exists and it can be found within the pages of this book, which provides a delightful and charming trek through the happiest, most beautiful, and serene place on earth: Bhutan. A must-read for all those who know that the best journeys take place in multiple dimensions simultaneously."
-Arielle Ford, author of The Soulmate Secret 

"After reading this book, I wanted to marry Bhutan-and Linda Leaming.... In the end, her book is about openness and love and how they are expressed in the caring actions of ordinary Bhutanese people. Linda shows us the beauty of Bhutan and expresses a tenderness toward her earthy in-laws that inspires me to open my own heart more and helps me realize that we are all bigger and more capable of love and adventure than we can imagine."
-Cyndi Lee, Founder, OM yoga

About the Author

Linda Leaming is a writer whose work has appeared in Ladies’ Home Journal, Mandala, Guardian UK, A Woman’s Asia (Travelers’ Tales), and many other publications. Eric Weiner included her in his bestseller, The Geography of Bliss. Originally from Nashville, she has an M.F.A. in fiction from the University of Arizona; and she regularly speaks about Bhutan at colleges, churches, seminars, and book groups. She is married to the renowned Bhutanese thanka painter, Phurba Namgay.Find her at: www.marriedtobhutan.com and www.twitter.com/lindaleaming.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004SAC9N4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hay House LLC (April 1, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1001 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1401928463
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 587

About the author

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Linda Leaming

Linda Leaming

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Linda Leaming first traveled to Bhutan in 1994, and moved there three years later. This tiny Buddhist country hidden away in the Himalayas is a very happy place for many. Its king believes in Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product. Leaming writes about her life in Bhutan and how she learned to live more simply, how she laughs at herself instead of getting mad at others, and how she slows down to look for magic-- because it's everywhere. In Bhutan, she's known for using a salad spinner instead of a washing machine, and her village man makeovers.

Her writing has appeared in Ladies' Home Journal, Huffington Post, Mandala, Guardian UK, A Woman's Asia (Travelers' Tales, 2005), and many other publications. Eric Weiner included her in his 2008 bestseller, The Geography of Bliss. Originally from Nashville, she has an M.F.A. in fiction from the University of Arizona, and she regularly speaks about Bhutan at colleges, churches, seminars, and book groups. She is married to the renowned Bhutanese thanka painter, Phurba Namgay.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
587 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gabriella West
5.0 out of 5 stars A brave story about a woman's leap of faith
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2013
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Married to Bhutan is the best book I've read this year so far. And I stumbled upon it by accident. I was looking at Eric Raff's "No Sense of Direction" and this was one of the "customers also read" choices. Since Leaming's memoir is about following your intuition and about choices, I like the fact that it fell into my lap.

When I was about 13, my English teacher at my school in Ireland left and went to Bhutan. She came back and did a slideshow for the whole school. I just remember how happy and relaxed she seemed. There was one picture of her sitting in an outdoor bath, smiling, with a grinning young Asian man pouring water over her. All the girls laughed nervously. I never forgot how she had "followed her bliss." I can't remember if she came back to teach, or returned to Bhutan. But it was a rare glimpse of someone daring to make an unconventional choice.

To get back to Leaming's memoir. It's beautifully written. A tongue in cheek humor comes through in the first part, where Leaming describes her experiences teaching English at a school in Bhutan. Her efforts to learn Dzongkha, the Bhutanese language, are truly hilarious. I guess I wondered why she was so desperate to fit in in this foreign country. The funny thing about the book for me is that as it progressed, I really didn't take to Bhutan! I realized that I would be quite unhappy there, what with the isolation, the crazy roads, the religious conformity, not having water on a regular basis, and so on. But I never for a moment doubted Leaming's love of the country. And I found her description of her relationship with her now husband, a thanka painter at the school, quite touching. There is a picture of them together at the end that melted my heart. They look right together.

The book is not so much introverted and psychological as it is a meditation on happiness and making choices. Leaming says, "In the West it is possible to live and be asleep. In Bhutan one is compelled to wake up." She has certainly made what many people would think of as a crazy leap, to leave behind all that she knows and fully adopt a foreign country and its ways--and yet it makes perfect sense. In the end Leaming suggests that we can all find our own version of Bhutan, off the beaten path.
7 people found this helpful
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Kev
4.0 out of 5 stars HIts the mark
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2011
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase
Married to Bhutan reads like a series of letters from a beloved yet batty aunt who left all the conveniences of America to live in a peaceful, unconquered Shangri-La halfway around the globe. Erratic, funny, with prose that sprawls all over the place like the landscape she loves, it's a thoroughly transporting read.

The book overflows with details about daily life in this tiny Buddhist nation. Leaming's efforts to wear, clean and flirt in the traditional garments form a charming sub-theme that runs through several chapters. Her courtship and marriage to a traditional painter (who works while chanting!) provides a unique window into Butanese family life. She struggles with completely alien social norms: rather than chatting up houseguests, for example, she learns that one should treat them to a solitary (contemplative?) meal while hiding quietly in the kitchen.

Leaming dresses up her chapters with cute titles ("From this Day Forward," "Engaged," etc.) and opening quotes from mostly English authors (e.g. Winston Churchill). These devices seemed contrived and not well connected with the contents of each chapter. She's also a little preachy, especially for the need to escape America's addiction to comfort.

Chapter 9 ("A Perfect Union") indulges yet redeems all of these minor flaws. With unhurried, simple prose, Leaming packs the very heart of her diary, an inspiring folk tale, and a rousing sermon into 22 short pages. This chapter provides a good portrait not only of the Bhutan, but the kind of American who would choose to live there. As a Bhutanese host tells her in a hilarious vignette, "you are the arrow that hit its mark."

So is her book.
5 people found this helpful
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Dry Bones
5.0 out of 5 stars Down to earth, very real and FUN!
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2023
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This was my 5th book about Bhutan and I am reading my 6th now. Without a doubt Linda's book was the best. It was raw and unvarnished and really made me look forward to a trip to Bhutan in the next few years. Linda pokes fun at herself yet she has embraced the culture and the language. Incredible lady. Her second book is in my cart and I look forward to learning more from her.
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Ralph Parker
3.0 out of 5 stars Not realistic about Bhutan
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2011
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While it is an entertaining story of a intercultural marriage and relationships, it does not deal at all with the negetives of Bhutan-that is the ethnic cleansing of the Nepali speaking Southern Bhutanese who spent 18 years in refugee camps before being allowed to resettle in the west. The author calls the king enhlightened-how can this be when so many people have suffered?

I did enjoy the book for what it was, but I believe that it was Gross National Sadness not happiness for the Nepali Bhutanese. I work as a volunteer with over 10 of the resettled families. My heart is heavy when I hear their stories.
17 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Informative memoir
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2013
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This memoir describes American Linda Leaming's adjustment to a very different culture and a much simpler life. How she came to love Bhutan would be an interesting story in itself. But this book goes beyond explaining Leaming's adjustment. It also describes the beautiful and severe natural environment and the beauty of the people and customs of this agrarian Buddhist society. The contrast with American materialism is striking, both in terms of the day-to-day hardships of life in Bhutan and the shallowness of American priorities in the grand scheme of things. The author describes her learning process and mistakes with humor, making the book very pleasant reading. Rather than trying to be exhaustive, she details particular experiences; some readers might disagree with her choice of what it is important to describe. And perhaps learning about Bhutan is less interesting to readers who never expect to be there. I'll be visiting Bhutan in the near future, and i found her perspective and information very valuable.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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freethoughts
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this. Have googled Bhutan several times
Reviewed in Canada on June 14, 2017
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I really enjoyed this. Have googled Bhutan several times since
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Jiya
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly inspiring spiritual journey into the unknown
Reviewed in Australia on April 15, 2023
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I cannot describe the feeling of peace and joy and surprise that this book has brought to me. It is a marvellous piece of work and great experiential teacher. Just what I needed to regain a balance of what is important and what is not, in life. We actually can do without some materialistic things we crave for. The best lesson I learnt was “doing nothing is an action too”. Wishing you love and blessings.
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Valdir Falcão
4.0 out of 5 stars Interessante visão desse país desconhecido
Reviewed in Brazil on December 2, 2016
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A autora é uma norte-americana que se mudou para o Butão e lá vive hoje em dia, casado com um butanês. Vale a leitura para conhecer mais daquela região bem desconhecida para nós, com um modo de vida bastante diferente do que estamos acostumados.

Nem tudo são flores ou utopia, e pontos negativos também são demonstrados, apesar de, no geral, a visão ser bem romantizada.
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maurizio
4.0 out of 5 stars Un libro di piacevole lettura
Reviewed in Italy on July 9, 2015
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Di ritorno da una breve visita turistica al Bhutan, ho letto questo libro.
Mi è piaciuto soprattutto perchè mi ha fatto ricordare alcuni dei luoghi appena visitati e che mi avevano dato belle sensazioni.
Interessante inoltre la descrizione fatta dal punto di vista di una occidentale.
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suchintya
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read ! A happy happy journey
Reviewed in India on June 4, 2015
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I was about to trip bhutan, when I found this book amongst other tripping books about bhutan. And at first sight, it looked different. I was in hurry and couldn't wait for days for the delivery. i ordered the kindle version and downloaded then and there.

It was an excellent read from unknown author, lovely journey to the unknwon country. Linda, the author, makes me visualise each and every short detail of how she came as a foreigner, fell in love, and became one of them. It was a lovely experience to read the book twice, i must say :)
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