Ghost Stories from Bhutan by Lingchen Dorji (2025)
“The truth is a dangerous thing to seek.”
Lingchen Dorgi in “Wangfu Pass” (p.58)
Not everyone gets the privilege to travel to the world’s oldest and most remote Himalayan Kingdom, but that’s exactly what I got to do this Fall with a team from the States as we traveled into Bhutan. In preparation for this trip, I tried to access as many books as I could online about this Buddhist paradise, but let me tell you: books about Bhutan are few and far between!
I was so happy, then, to peruse some bookstores in country and purchase 8 books while there. Ghost Stories from Bhutan by Lingchen Dorji was the first to draw me in.
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Some Introductory Notes
Before I delve into my own notes for each story, I wanted to make a few comments—first about the author’s writing style, then about my own curiosities as a Christian reading “Buddhist horror”, and finally a few thoughts on “happiness.”
The Author’s Writing Style
Lingchen Dorji’s writing style is clipped and he manipulates line-spacing to add suspense to many of his tales, which I liked. He also includes several stories that are progressively time-stamped, which is another creative tool that adds thrills and intrigue.
Reading one story right after another, though, made it too easy for me to notice recurring tropes—especially in the way physical sensations were described or how certain story endings tended to resolve in similar ways. If these pieces were encountered individually, say in a magazine or as occasional one-off reads, I doubt I would have picked up on those commonalities at all. Taken in chunks, though, they stood out.
I really appreciated the definitions this author included for words with either Bhutanese or Buddhist roots. Perhaps these stories were written for foreigners like me, perhaps not, but those definitions sure helped me understand what the heck was going on!
Why Is a Christian Reading Buddhist Horror?
I don’t think I’ve ever in my life read a book of ghost stories from any culture—even my own! The appeal to me in this case was spiritual, because already in my visit, I had heard stories from our guide of strange happenings in the spirit realm. My Christian perspective gave me another lens through which to view the stories, and when mixed with the author’s Buddhist context, it was little bit like wearing those red-and-blue 3D glasses. Certain things stood out.
One caveat I must mention before proceeding is that I can’t discuss my viewpoint without being offensive to Buddhists. It’s not my intention to offend, but rather to open the dialogue. Hope that’s understood.
I most certainly do believe in the spirit realm. While the “good and evil spirits” discussed so much in Bhutan might find similarities with biblical angels and demons, I recognize both the good and the evil in Buddhist spiritual mythology as purely demonic. Angels are messengers of the one true God, so any “good spirit” that thwarts belief in Him is not truly a good spirit.
Demons lie. Satan, whose name means Deceiver, is “The Father of Lies” (John 8:44) though he appears as an angel of light (2Cor 11:14).
As a religion that emphasizes heavily the spiritual realm, Buddhism is ripe for attack by demonic forces—and in my opinion was and is a “doctrine of demons” (1Tim 4:1-3), that is, a doctrine that draws people away from the Truth, and it has since its founding captured the souls of billions. And for those who think my viewpoint is far too narrowminded, I agree. So did Jesus, Who Himself told us Truth is narrow:
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6, NKJV)
Thus, from a Christian viewpoint, every page of this fictional book seems to describe demonic behaviors and the grip that evil spirits have in the flesh of people totally sold out to Buddhism as their only chance at happiness.
A Note on Happiness
And speaking of happiness, Bhutan is globally known as “the happiest nation on earth”, because they were the first nation ever to track their people’s levels of happiness with their GDH—Gross Domestic Happiness—report. The people definitely appear happy, and many of the folks offer strangers a warm smile of welcome. Everyone also seems to share a distinct pride in their culture, King and country. Bhutan certainly is a happy place.
But happiness isn’t joy. There’s a palpable lack of joy there, because there’s a distinct lack of hope. Everything about Buddhism (as with most religions) boils down to fear: fear of the spirits (animism), fear of the future (gods of wealth and success), and fear that their pursuit of karma just isn’t enough to change their next life for the better (reincarnation).
This is also true of every false religion, which is why I wonder why so many people scoff at the idea of “narrow-minded Christianity” which promises in Scripture that we can both KNOW God and KNOW we have eternal life:
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31)
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1John 5:11-13)
Such knowledge produces hope. Such hope leads to joy. Joy comes from within, while happiness comes from without. It’s a wonderful things to celebrate Bhutan’s GDH, but but considering the fear that Buddhism instills, I wonder who’s counting their GDJ.
The Stories
I have reviewed many collections of short stories in my time, and my process has often involved commenting on each story based upon the notes I took while reading. I try to avoid spoilers, but I don’t always succeed. I hope my notes on these 21 stories inspire you to try the book out for yourself. It was a very entertaining read.
1. “Nima Drebu”
This first story sets the stage for those to come, I imagine. A traveler who dies on the trailway home haunts his wife as a zombie at night. More zombies enter the battle, as does a traveling Gomchen (a lay Buddhist practitioner who has committed himself to Buddhism without becoming a monk), though he may not be a regular human himself.
This story highlights Bhutanese beliefs about the afterlife—that dead human spirits need a place of rest and will haunt until they find release. It also shows that even the spirits of “good men” can turn harmful, if not properly released into the next realm, but that the spirits of “better men” (like Guru Rinpoche himself) still wander the earth, not to haunt but to bring peace between the realms of the physical and the spiritual.
A few other books about zombies include: Herbert West: Reanimator by H.P. Lovecraft (1922) Contamination Books 0-3 by T.W. Piperbrook (2013), and Fairy Godparents: Raising a Fairy Child by Indahari Setyo (2020).
2. “The Annual Blessing”
This second story is powerfully disturbing. It’s not a ghost story but rather something that feels true, a genuine tale of the grip that evil spirits have over a village even in the modern era. When Kinzang from the city speaks out against the ancient practice of human sacrifice, her father speaks these chilling words:
“Be careful what you say. They hear, you know. Especially when you doubt.” (17)
Remember what I said about fear above? Such fear seems to be the essence of Buddhism here—wishful thinking is part of it, sure, but fear of what could happen if wishes don’t come true is a far stronger motivator that keeps people locked into this religion that lacks hope.
Another great book on symbolic human sacrifice is Peace Child by Don Richardson (1974).
3. “The Last Bite”
Yowza, this one was pretty morbid. I’m a bit surprised that I’ve never come across something like it, but then again, this kind of “horror” reading is NOT my normal fare. This book is definitely cluing me into some of the beliefs here, but I’m sure the subject matter of this one is way outside the realm of most Buddhist beliefs!
A few other books about cannibalism include: The History of the Donner Party by C.F. McGlashan (1880), Peace Child by Don Richardson (1974), Alive by Piers Paul Read (1974), and A Father’s Story by Lionel Dahmer (1994).
4. “Yong Lam”
Ok, I’ll admit it. I didn’t think any of these stories would give me chills, but this one did. I didn’t like it, but as a ghost story, I guess that means I loved it. I hated it actually, but it was so good. Talk about a conflicting review! The feeling I got from this story honestly reminded me of certain fears I’ve had since childhood—and for once, I’m glad to be sharing a room while traveling!
For another great book on demonic oppression, see Lord Foulgrin’s Letters by Randy Alcorn (2000).
5. “Lugyen Gomo”
This one was more fictional than the rest so far, offering less the sense that it comes from a true local legend that could plausibly exist because of evil spirits. There’s a sci-fi movie that has this same theme of sucking people up into the sky, though I forget the name—and if I recall, the culprits there were aliens. Either way, it’s good that Dorji didn’t start the book with this one.
6. “The Road to Zomkha”
This isn’t that much different than “Lugyen Gomo”, and I suppose if a person believes in these spirits at all, he might get freaked out by this. But I don’t, so I wasn’t.
7. “Mongling Gonpa”
A simple tale that again marries the ancient to the modern. I feel like this type of story could be made from any such local legend—researched to the point of one potential outcome. An interesting concept.
8. “Baki’s Place”
Mirrors are never a happy theme for me. It must have been something I watched growing up where someone who wasn’t really there appeared in the reflection of a mirror. Even into adulthood, I’ve had moments of fear in a new house with the possibility of seeing something in a reflection that’s not there. That goes back to the spiritual oppression I mentioned above.
Of course, I don’t believe that ghosts exist, so stories about ghosts as such don’t scare me. Logically and biblically, they’re impossible. Demons on the other hand that take the form of the departed is a whole other story…which is why mirrors can still creep a guy out!
9. “Wangphu Pass”
This story about curses suggests that the ghosts a man sees are not the real enemy, but the curse behind them is. In this story, the character fights the curse and maybe wins a battle but certainly not the war.
10. “Jili Lhakhang”
Of all the stories in this collection, I believe that this short venture into the mist is most suited for being turned into a full blown novel. I left it wanting more.
11. “Khochiphai”
As far as I remember, this one stands out for being the only story in first person. Short and inexplicable, it offers a touch of fear when the character finds something unearthly in his friend’s village home.
12. “The Tooth”
We heard a lot about relics during out visit to Bhutan, and this story is the first to include one. It also included a bit too many references to places, things, and names that were unfamiliar to me and without explanation. Still it held a clear and obvious premise that is often the source of great dreams—and perhaps nightmares.
13. “The Demon Village”
Perhaps all the stories in this book find their basis in ancient Bhutanese folklore, perhaps not. I had a sense for a while they were all original plots, but maybe I was wrong. This wild story seemed like two stories wedged together.
First is one that even a Christian could tell, since the Buddha statue and the Gomchen themselves were demon-controlled and the unwanted “answer” to an old man’s lifetime of patient worship and prayer to a statue of painted wood. The other, though, is entirely Buddhist, the animals being personified protective spirits whose dancing save a woman’s life. It’s a weird story (from my perspective) but in a style I thought I’d see more of in a book like this.
14. “Room No. 13”
I finally read a story in a place I was actually staying! I was in a tourist hotel myself in Bumthang when I read this story about a tourist hotel in Bunthang. Here I was, a Western writer interested in the stories—only I was staying in room 209, not Room No. 13. I also never met a “ghost.”
I don’t understand why in several of these stories, the person never speaks of their experiences afterwards and then inexplicably dies a few days later. It feels like we need more information than that, or else the Omniscient Narrator is the only one who has all the fun.
15. “The Conch”
I liked this brief one. It has the elements of all the others, but it’s nice and short and is a good representative of what the others teach.
16. “The Chorten Keeper”
Long ago, I once had a dream just like this story. My dream contained no chorten and no monk, but the same deadly spirit that steals children and haunts survivors with their voices was present. This once unearthed some long-forgotten memories of a nightmare I’d rather forget. Not cool, Dude. Good on ya, but not cool.
17. “The Crawling Woman of Pemayangtse”
This story especially utilizes spacing and quick lines, almost like a poem. In fact, I think Lingchen Dorji ought to attempt re-writing this one as a poem. A terror ballad, like “The Telltale Heart.” Frighteningly simple.
18. “The Thing Beneath the Dzong”
This story was too quick for my taste, and the disappearances were too…unreasonable. Not my favorite.
19. “The Singing Nun of Animo Gonpa”
This story was the first to really emphasize demonic possession. Since most other characters die in the end, this was a bit of a relief.
20. “The Weeping Woman of Mochugang”
This might be the first story that has an almost-happy ending—in a Buddhist way. Appealing to a lost and searching spirit with a simple butter lamp and a well wish seems to be the best option in a belief system such as this. Exorcism would be my own response, but then again, I’ve yet to find myself in such a situation.
21. “The Red Mask of Dragmar Dzong”
Dorji closes his collection with another relic story, another story that is perhaps terrifying only to the Buddhist who believes that objects can hold such dangerous power.
Conclusion
I enjoyed reading these stories while traveling the windy roads of Bhutan this Fall. I picked up a second book by this author, 21 Short Stories from Bhutan, so if I don’t get to them soon, I’ll pack them for my next trip into the Kingdom.
As I mentioned above, I hope my Christian perspective on these Buddhist stories sparks dialogue more than angst. And if you want to know more about my Christian perspective, check out this link to “The Gospel of Jesus in 6 Minutes.”
©2025 E.T.
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