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Shownotes
In this episode I am once again joined by John Myrdhin Reynolds, also known as Lama Vajranatha: writer, teacher, translator, and scholar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.
John shares his own decades of contact with the Bon religion, reveals its doctrines and practices, and gives a detailed history of its transmission in the West.
John traces the automythos of Bon, compares it to historical evidence and Buddhist accounts, and addresses the common critique that Bon is merely plagiarised Buddhism.
John also addresses misconceptions about the history of religion in Tibet, explains how to successfully practice multiple religious lineages, and reveals various means of attaining siddhi power through ritual and meditation.
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Video version: guruviking.com/podcast/ep321-tibetan-bon-lama-…
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics Include:
- Intro
- Bon vs Buddhism
- First contact with Bon and subsequent involvement
- Namkhai Norbu’s nationalism and promotion of Bon
- 2 authentic Dzogchen lineages
- Bon Dzogchen
- Later transmission period and folk religion syncretism
- Old Bon vs New Bon
- Bon’s automythos
- Snellgrove’s “9 Ways of Bon”
- Bonpo refugee community in India
- Reprinting of Bonpo texts in exile
- Gene Smith’s text preservation work
- Election of Lungtok Tenpai Nyima as the 33rd Menri Trizin
- Dalai Lama’s recognition of Bon as the fifth Tibetan school
- Bon scriptures
- Are gter ma authentic?
- Personal contact post-1959 and T Lobsang Rampa
- Academic work on Bon
- Geshe Tenzin Wangyal comes to the West
- Lopon’s interest in translations and USA activities
- New Age sponsorship of Bon
- Further USA activities
- Search for a Bon HQ in Europe + gtum mo studies
- Guinness sponsor a Bonpo HQ in Europe, blocked by aristocrats over Sogyal scandal
- Tenzin Wangyal’s USA activities and influx of Bon teachers
- Geshe Wangyal, Jeffrey Hopkins, and Robert Thurman
- Jeffrey Hopkin’s influence on Buddhist Studies
- Popularity of podcasts
- Samten Karmay
- Bon vs Buddhism & the question of plagiarism
- Bonpo one-upmanship?
- How to practice different lineages simultaneously
- Namkhai Norbu’s independent status
- Supernatural powers of Bonpo lamas and other spiritual beings
- Chatral Rinpoche’s siddhi powers and the possibility of miracles
- How to attain siddhi powers
- Tibetan vs gter ma in the rest of the world
- Accidental gter ma
- Misconceptions about the history of religion in Tibet
- Animal sacrifice and gtor ma
- Lithuanian’s unusual religious heritage
- Spiritual relations in India and Tibet
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Previous episodes with John Myrdhin Reynolds:
- guruviking.com/search?q=vajranatha
To find our more about John Myrdhin Reynolds visit:
- vajranatha.com
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
