14/06/2026
THE Search-Inside-Yourself (SIY) Person….
Hearts of 108: Mr Chade-Meng Tan
To the rest of the world, Bhutan is a country on a map. To Chade-Meng Tan (Meng), Bhutan is family.
Months ago, sitting around a dinner table with friends, a quiet conversation moved him. He heard, for the very first time, about His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck's vision for Project 108, Gelephu Mindfulness City.
At that moment, there were no blueprints. There were no architectural drawings, no grand milestones and no concrete plans. There was only the whisper of a dream.
Yet, before a single stone was laid, Meng knew in his heart that he wanted to be a part of it.
The reason wasn’t born from logic or strategy. It was born from a profound, quiet devotion to His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen.
"I have immense love and admiration for Their Majesties because they are genuinely wonderful people," Meng shared. "I don't have to support this project. I want to."
In a modern world where giving is so often a calculated transaction, driven by obligation, tethered to expectation, or bartered for recognition, there is something breathtakingly pure about a gift given simply out of love. It is a rare, radical act of grace.
For Meng, this connection is a sacred tether reaching back through his faith: "I made a vow to dedicate my life in service to Buddha and Dharma. Through that link, my relationship with Bhutan feels completely natural. I want to serve Bhutan because, for me, serving Bhutan is serving the Buddha and the Dharma."
While much of humanity races breathlessly forward, fracturing under the weight of modern progress, Bhutan has quietly stood guard over something timeless, a living spiritual tradition that places compassion, wisdom and the wellbeing of others at the absolute center of life.
When asked what he hopes a traveler will feel when they encounter the 108 Jangchub Chortens years from now, his answer came in a single, heavy word:
"Awe."
Not awe for the structures themselves, but awe for the invisible spirit woven into the mortar:
Awe that a nation, in the chaos of the modern world, chose to build something sacred together.
Awe that thousands of hands moved in unison to serve a shared aspiration.
Awe that Bhutan remained a living, glowing beacon of the Dharma when so much of the world went dark.
He imagines a future, generations from now. He sees a weary traveler walking among the chortens, feeling a sudden, inexplicable warmth, a reminder of our shared, beautiful human search for wisdom, compassion and inner peace.
Because underneath the noise of our differences, we all ache for the same things: We all wish to be happy. We all wish for the safety of those we love. We all seek meaning, purpose and peace.
Through his contribution to one of the 108 Jangchub Chortens, Meng chose a dedication of profound simplicity, "The people of Bhutan."
Because he knows that is where His Majesty’s heart has lived from the very beginning.
Perhaps that is the true, beating heart of Project 108. It is not about building walls to outlast time, but about leaving a trail of love for those who will walk this earth long after we are gone.
An offering of boundless faith. An offering of weeping gratitude. A love letter written in stone for future generations.
Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, movie producer and philanthropist. He is Co-founder of Buddhism.net, and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace, which has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also Executive Producer of the movie Walk With Me, and Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore. He co-founded the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI, pronounced “silly”). He retired from Google as its Jolly Good Fellow at the age of 45. His latest book is Buddhism for All.
Note: “Hearts of 108” is a series dedicated to the hearts behind Project 108. Every contribution, whether through labour, resources, prayers or support, becomes part of a shared act of merit. Because Project 108 was never meant to be about concrete, stone or numbers. At its heart, it is about people.
Buddhism.net
