Traditional Bonpo Shamans in Nepal
The Bön tradition predates the advent of Buddhism in the ancient kingdom of Tibet. The religion and its beliefs, which were initially focused on shamanistic practices based on stories and myths of Tibet’s forefathers, can be traced back to the civilization of Shang Shung in Eastern Tibet.
At its heart, the Bön religion centers around the personage of a divine being called Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, the monarch of the Bön teachings. His consorts and offspring played important roles in the dissemination of the Bön religion in Tibet.
Outwardly the Bön religion appears exotic and rather similar to what Tibetan Buddhism has to offer, i.e. salvation or liberation through practice and realizations. But in actual fact, the original Bönpo practices revolved around shamanism and animistic traditions, instead of the individual’s salvation. Thus, practitioners of Bön focus primarily on nature and spirit worship, and the control of supernatural forces.
The pantheon of deities within the early Bön tradition varied in their appearances. Some had animal heads, some were peaceful looking, some had wrathful demeanors, some took on human form and others were formless. In terms of belief systems, Bön promises paradise in the afterlife as opposed to the Buddhist belief of liberation through purification, attainments and ending the cycle of reincarnation.
Following the introduction of Buddhism into the barren plateau of the Himalayas, the Bön religion then borrowed many scriptural and tantric Buddhist elements in order to ensure its survival within its own homeland.
New Bön – The Camouflage
Bön practitioners have incorporated Buddhist monastic principles into their practices. However Bönpo monks wear a blue upper shirt (tögag), setting them apart from other Tibetan Buddhists
During the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava spent most of his time engaging in psychic wars against nature spirits and other ethereal beings who were displeased with the introduction of a new faith. Each of these unseen beings was subjugated by the Tantric master Padmasambhava, and many came under oath to protect the Buddhist teachings. Some were made responsible for guarding specific monasteries or teachings, while the uncooperative or malevolent ones were sealed in a pit, locked away in a part of Samye Monastery. The Bön religion was thus tremendously affected by the actions of Padmasambhava.
As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them. The same applied to the Bön tradition. As they could not hope to overcome the attainments and knowledge of the erudite Indian Buddhist masters who were arriving in Tibet, the Bön yogis decided to take matters into their own hands. Instead of opposing Buddhism, they studied the Buddhist texts and slowly incorporated them into the Bön belief system. Thus, the Bön religion evolved to keep up with the times.
The Bön pantheon of deities was revamped into a new system similar to its Buddhist competitor, classified into Father and Mother Tantras. The Transcendent Lords were given consorts, each lineage was led by a teacher, and so forth.
Bön deities also took on the familiar iconography that we have come to associate with Buddhism, but were still fundamentally different in that Bön deities were the complete opposite of Buddhist ones. For instance, Buddha Shakyamuni’s right hand touches the earth, but the Bön version of a Buddha has its left hand touching the earth instead.
The new brand of Bön even incorporated some Buddhist tenets which did not exist before, including texts on monastic life, which was light years away from the original Bön beliefs. (The monastic system originated from Buddha Shakyamuni and did not exist in other religions/traditions at the time.)
Thus, Bön eventually took on a new life, and the newly packaged religion reestablished itself in Mount Menri, or Medicine Mountain near Mount Kailash. A monastery was built and its leaders took on the title of ‘Mentri’ or throne holders of the Medicine Mountain.
Tibetan Buddhist Masters on the New Bön
Despite its outwardly familiar appearance, great Buddhist masters of the past never recognized nor advocated the Bön religion and its teachings as being a worthy source of refuge, or as anything more than a corruption and plagiarization of Buddhist teachings. For instance, Drigung Jigten Gonpo, founder of the Drikung Kagyu school said:
As for the Bön meditations and [philosophical] views: in their system there seems to be the systems that the universe was born from eggs or created by the Cha deities, Shiva and so on. These are borrowings from Tirthika views.
Similarly, the great Kyabje Pabongka Dorje Chang said in his famous Lamrim teaching which has since been compiled into the book Liberation in the Palm of your Hand:
The dharmas of Bönpos, tirthikas, and so forth are non-Buddhist and should not be taken as our refuge.
and
Bön is not a refuge for Buddhists; it is not worthy of being a refuge … It is vital that you should know the sources of the Bön religion.
Even the great yogi Jetsun Milarepa, one of the major figures of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, said:
The source of Bön is perverted Dharma. A creation of nagas and powerful elementals, it does not take one to the ultimate path.
These great Buddhist masters were not being hostile towards the Bön religion but were merely recognizing its source, nature, and spiritual potential.
The Dalai Lama Recognizes Bön
The Dalai Lama endorses the Bön by wearing the Bön ritual hat and holding the Yungdrung
There has long been a historical competition between the Bön tradition and Buddhism in Tibet. In general, Bönpo practitioners were stigmatized and marginalized by Tibetans, who labeled them ‘chipa’ (“outsiders”) while Buddhist practitioners were called ‘nangpa’ (“insiders”).
In 1977, things began to improve for the Bönpos. The Bön leaders sent representatives to Dharamsala to initiate talks with H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. As a result, the Dalai Lama advised the Tibetan parliament-in-exile and the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, to accept Bön practitioners into their ranks. In the Dalai Lama’s own words:
Similar to the four Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Bonpo community elects representatives to the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies.
~ H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama
In 1978, the Dalai Lama also acknowledged the Bön religion as the sixth principal spiritual school of Tibet, along with the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelug and Jonang schools of Buddhism, after visiting the newly built Bön monastery in Dolanji.
Since then, Bön has received official recognition as a religious group, enjoying the same rights as the Tibetan Buddhist schools. This was further reiterated in 1987 by the Dalai Lama, who forbade discrimination against the Bönpos, stating that it was both undemocratic and self-defeating.
The Dalai Lama accepts tenshug (long life prayers) from Trizin Rinpoche of the Bön tradition at Menri-Ling Bönpo Monastery in Dolanji on 20 April 2007
The Dalai Lama even went to the extent of donning Bön ritual paraphernalia, emphasizing “the religious equality of the Bon faith.” This occurred in 2007, when the Dalai Lama was offered a ‘tenshug’ or a long life prayer by the Yangdrung Bönpos. During this ceremony, the Dalai Lama wore the Bön ritual hat and held the ‘Yungdrung’, a sceptre marked by two swastikas. These emblems are synonymous with the founder of Bön, Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche.
On the part of the Bön, offering these highly symbolic implements to the Dalai Lama was a sign of their respect for him as the secular and spiritual leader of Tibet, usually accorded only to the highest Bönpo authorities. On the part of the Dalai Lama however, accepting the implements was nothing less than a seal of his approval and a clear sign of his support for the Bön tradition.
Why doesn’t the Dalai Lama persecute the Bönpos?
Although the practice revolves around the worship of spirits, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama included the Bön religion within the ranks of Tibetan Buddhism
A casual comparative study of the Bön and Buddhist religions would immediately reveal that Bön does not qualify as a proper object of refuge, at least not according to Buddhist principles, Tibetan or otherwise. The Bönpos engage in spirit worship and their practices do not lead one to Enlightenment. These facts have already been established by many eminent masters.
Of course, everyone is free to practice whatever religion they wish, and it is not the premise of this article to criticize the Bön. The point that needs to be highlighted is that the Dalai Lama has thrown his support squarely behind the Bönpos, not only officially recognizing these “spirit worshippers” as a spiritual tradition of Tibet but also granting them equal privileges as other Tibetan Buddhist schools.
Yet, the same Dalai Lama has condemned the practice of Dorje Shugden on the (wrong) basis that it is spirit worship. Specifically, the Dalai Lama says there is a danger of “Tibetan Buddhism degenerating into a form of spirit worship” and that if left unchecked, the “cult” of Dorje Shugden will cause “the rich tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to degenerate into the mere propitiation of spirits.”
Clearly there is a blatant contradiction and gross inequity in the Dalai Lama’s policies. For example:
#1: Why is one form of spirit worship (Bön) allowed but not another (Dorje Shugden, an enlightened Buddha wrongly believed to be a spirit)?
#2: Why does the Dalai Lama recognize the Bön spirit worshippers as the sixth principal spiritual school of Tibet but try to extinguish the practice of Dorje Shugden, claiming that it is demon worship, non-Buddhist and therefore practically illegal?
#3: Why does the Dalai Lama welcome Bönpo spirit worshippers with open arms when their teachings are completely at odds with Buddhist principles (Jetsun Milarepa even called the Bön religion “perverted dharma”) yet ban the practice of Dorje Shugden (which is in accordance with the tradition of Lama Tsongkapa) because it will supposedly cause Tibetan Buddhism to degenerate into spirit worship?
#4: Why does the Dalai Lama support the Bönpos, allowing them the same privileges as the other Tibetan Buddhist schools while taking away the rights of Shugdenpas?
#5: Why were Bön practitioners granted the privilege of audience with the Dalai Lama back in 1977, but Shugdenpas are denied all requests for dialogue to address the Dorje Shugden ban?
#6: Why are Bön practitioners invited to hold office in the Tibetan administration while Shugdenpas are specifically excluded through legislation?
#7: Why does the Dalai Lama forbid and speak out against discrimination of Bönpos, but remain silent and even subtly encourage the discrimination of Shugdenpas?
#8: Why is it undemocratic and self-defeating to discriminate against the Bönpos but perfectly alright and even necessary to isolate Shugdenpas and not have any association, material or otherwise, with them?
#9: Why does the Dalai Lama invite Bön leaders to gatherings of “heads of Tibetan Buddhist sects” but expel Dorje Shugden practitioners from their monasteries?
#10: Why does the Dalai Lama pose for photos with Bön leaders and practitioners, accept their offerings, wear their ritual implements while any form of association with Shugdenpas, monetary transactions or even a photo, is forbidden?
These questions above are enough to raise deep concerns about the Dalai Lama’s true motives in supporting the Bönpos while banning Dorje Shugden and condemning the Shugdenpas to a life full of discrimination and ostracism.
As the spiritual and secular leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama should have impartiality and practice equanimity towards all religions, whether Buddhist or otherwise. Unfortunately, the truth is that the 14th Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Prize winner, is not practicing the loving kindness, compassion and tolerance that he preaches, to the detriment of all Dorje Shugden practitioners living in Tibetan communities and beyond.
A photo courtesy of the Dalai Lama’s private office. The original caption reads ‘His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the heads of Tibetan Buddhism sects’. Note how the Dalai Lama affectionately holds the hand of the Bön leader while the Ganden Tripa, head of the Gelugpa school of Buddhism stands at the far right.
One can only conclude that the Dalai Lama’s support for the Bön and his ban against Dorje Shugden are for political gain – to gain the support of the Bönpos while making Dorje Shugden a convenient scapegoat for the failures of the Tibetan administration. There is no other reason why a master as erudite as the Dalai Lama would accept and recognize a practice which is not rooted in Dharma (Bön) but reject a deity and practice which originates from the sacred pantheon of Buddhism (Dorje Shugden).
Sources
- Bon, Buddhism and Democracy: Building of a Tibetan National Identity by Per Kvaerne, Rinzin Thargyal
- www.bonfoundation.org
- Wikipedia
- www.tibetmuseum.org
