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: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep321-tibetan-bon-lama-vajranatha

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro

00:53 - Bon vs Buddhism

01:35 - First contact with Bon and subsequent involvement

06:17 - Namkhai Norbu’s nationalism and promotion of Bon

06:44 - 2 authentic Dzogchen lineages

07:45 - Bon Dzogchen

09:10 - Later transmission period and folk religion syncretism

12:03 - Old Bon vs New Bon

13:06 - Bon’s automythos

14:11 - Snellgrove’s “9 Ways of Bon”

16:37 - Bonpo refugee community in India

18:08 - Reprinting of Bonpo texts in exile

19:31 - Gene Smith’s text preservation work

22:25 - Election of Lungtok Tenpai Nyima as the 33rd Menri Trizin

24:35 - Dalai Lama’s recognition of Bon as the fifth Tibetan school

26:39 - Bon scriptures

28:38 - Are gter ma authentic?

32:17 - Personal contact post-1959 and T Lobsang Rampa

33:27 - Academic work on Bon

34:44 - Geshe Tenzin Wangyal comes to the West

40:03 - Lopon’s interest in translations and USA activities

43:46 - New Age sponsorship of Bon

45:31 - Further USA activities

48:02 - Search for a Bon HQ in Europe + gtum mo studies

51:20 - Guinness sponsor a Bonpo HQ in Europe, blocked by aristocrats over Sogyal scandal

56:11 - Tenzin Wangyal’s USA activities and influx of Bon teachers

58:48 - Geshe Wangyal, Jeffrey Hopkins, and Robert Thurman

59:32 - Jeffrey Hopkin’s influence on Buddhist Studies

01:02:38 - Popularity of podcasts

01:04:11 - Samten Karmay

01:05:27 - Bon vs Buddhism & the question of plagiarism

01:07:34 - Bonpo one-upmanship?

01:12:44 - How to practice different lineages simultaneously

01:18:50 - Namkhai Norbu’s independent status

01:21:16 - Supernatural powers of Bonpo lamas and other spiritual beings

01:24:53 - Chatral Rinpoche’s siddhi powers and the possibility of miracles

01:27:24 - How to attain siddhi powers

01:30:32 - Tibetan vs gter ma in the rest of the world

01:33:06 - Accidental gter ma

01:35:39 - Misconceptions about the history of religion in Tibet

01:37:32 - Animal sacrifice and gtor ma

01:41:40 - Lithuanian’s unusual religious heritage

01:45:44 - Spiritual relations in India and Tibet

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Previous episodes with John Myrdhin Reynolds:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=vajranatha

To find our more about John Myrdhin Reynolds visit:

- https://vajranatha.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James