The Bön Project
The Kalpa Group funds a range of projects that represent and uphold the diversity of the Bön religion of Tibet, as well as supporting communities where the Bön religion is still practised. The project is the result of a complex programme of cultural preservation organised by Loel Guinness and Charles Ramble, a Bön expert at the University of Oxford, with the aim of promoting the Bön tradition in an international forum. In order to provide a comprehensive platform of support, the Kalpa Group’s activities fall into four distinct areas:
- Supporting the Bön monastic tradition
- Supporting traditional Bön communities
- Films & Books
- Scientific investigation of Bön yogic techniques
The Bön religion
Tibetans believe that Bön is the indigenous religion of Tibet, considerably predating the introduction of Buddhism. Bönpos trace the origins of their religion to Tonpa ("The Teacher") Shenrab, who preached Bön in the land of Zhang-zhung, an ancient kingdom located in western and northwestern Tibet. In the 8th century, as Buddhism became more firmly established in central Tibet, the tradition began to face considerable persecution, and was pushed to the Tibetan borderlands, notably to the far east of the country and to the mountainous Himalayan region, where pockets of Bönpo practitioners still reside. In spite of the early conflict between the two religions, Bön and Buddhism now coexist peacefully – Bönpos, for example, recognise the Buddha Shakyamuni as a later incarnation of Tonpa Shenrab. It is the less visible, but more important differences, contained in the scriptures, that justify the belief of Buddhists and Bönpos alike that Bön is not just another Buddhist school but a separate religion. On a social level, however, many Bönpos face prejudice, and the Kalpa Group is involved in multi-faceted projects to overcome these attitudes.