Seeking solace in Bhutan’s temples and rituals After a major loss, a writer finds hope amid Buddhist customs, beautiful mountains, and the beliefs of a mad monk. ByEmma Thomson Email Three years ago I had a late miscarriage. I’d just returned from an assignment in Iran and was making a cup of tea in my kitchen. The cramps made me drop the tea bag. A flame that once flickered had vanished. “It’s fairly common,” the doctor had said, as comfort, but it didn’t heal the hollow space inside. I went back to work. A few months later I was sent to Bhutan. Squeezed between two giants, China and India, it’s the only country in the world to rank Gross National Happiness above GDP—perhaps not surprising given the predominant religion is Buddhism. Locals call the country Druk-yul, meaning “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”