The Yung Drung Bon Teaching of Woe Nge Khor La

Five Principles of Spiritual Power-Five Energies and Elements)

30^th and 31^st October 2010, Hanover College, Indiana by Laurie Hopkins For the second year in a row Geshe Chongtul Rinpoche returned to Hanover College in southern Indiana to bring the wisdom of Tibetan Bon teachings to that little corner of the universe.  The Five Energies and Elements workshop was entitled, The Yung Drung Bon Teaching of “Woe Nge Khor Lo” (Five Principles of Spiritual Power Points). The coordinator of the October 30-31^st weekend teaching was Dr. Vicki Jenkins, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Hanover College, who has also been a student of Rinpoche’s for more than 3 years.  In June of 2010, she graduated as a “Drup shenpa” of the Tsi Dup Yang Bod practice of Bon energy healing and she credits Chongtul Rinpoche and his teachings for helping her to open her consciousness to the expansive union of compassion and wisdom. Dr. Jenkins and the 16 students from her “Philosophy: Ethics and the Examined Life” course raised over $800.00 in their endeavor to sponsor a Tibetan Bon Refugee child for 1 year.  Initially they cited a goal of fundraising $400.00.  By doubling the targeted amount they were able to sponsor 2 recipients; a young boy and a college aged young woman, both living in the Ladakh area. The students employed various strategies and were even able to enlist the support of the owner of the local Papa John’s Pizza restaurant, who donated a percentage of the evening’s sale.  Other Bon refuge children were sponsored over the course of the weekend by workshop attendees who made donations to the Bon Shen Ling and Bon Future Fund charities.  Generosity was in the air but more importantly in the hearts of many workshop participants. Chongtul Rinpoche provided a richly textured teaching that not only addressed the philosophy and practices of the Five Energies and Elements but incorporated spontaneous topics of discussion as well. For those who were new to the Bon teachings, he offered specific instructions on mediation posturing of body and mind and demonstrated the proper way to make a bow of prostration, with a complete explanation of the symbolic significance of each aspect of the movement sequence. After presenting the 5 Energies and Elements rituals of chanting and visualization to reduce the 5 poisons from a sutric perspective, Rinpoche also offered tantric explanations for those students who were capable of working at that level.  As always, he emphasized the crucial aspect of intentionality in all that one does when engaging in these Bon practices that have the potential for enabling one to open to the flow of universal energy.  As one learns to access this universal energy in a transformative way, generating greater health and harmony for oneself, it thus enables one to become more available to work on behalf of others who need healing and ultimately for the benefit of all sentient beings. Rinpoche pointed out that very often pronounced areas of imbalance can be easier to heal than less obvious energetic poisons which typically remain hidden below the surface, but none-the-less exert an unhealthy influence on one’s thoughts and actions.  He offered the simile of a wooden bowl that continues to give off the scent of garlic long after the chunks of garlic have been wiped away.  Although the garlic appears to be gone, the scent has been absorbed into the surface and continues to give off a strong odor.  So it goes for our deeply imbedded poisons of attachment, anger, jealousy, pride, and mental dullness, all of which have ignorance at their root according to the Bon teachings. In response to questions from the audience, Chongtul Rinpoche offered explanations of the Bon understanding of dakinis (sky walkers who can be both masculine and feminine), yogis, nagas (elemental spirits found in nature), Zhang Zhung creation stories, ransom rituals and soul retrieval, as well as explanations concerning some of the deities of the Bon lineage.  He also clarified that being a monk or a lama, does not automatically imply that one is enlightened.  Sometimes westerners will project such a misperception on a man or woman who comes from another culture and wears monastic clothing.  Although the lama has a responsibility to be of support to others, it does not necessarily follow that they have achieved an enlightened state.  This admonition was reminiscent of the message that Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche communicated in the 1970s, when he coined the term “spiritual materialism” to indicate the attachments and distortions that occur due to the perceived exotic nature of a person or philosophy being introduced in a new culture. Before Rinpoche concluded the workshop by offering the traditional blessing to participants who presented white katas, he discussed the extraordinary teaching event that has been scheduled for May and June 2011, when His Holiness of Bon, Tenpai Nyima, the 84 year old patriarch of Bon, will travel from Menri Monastery in Dolanji India to New York and then California to join Chongtul Rinpoche for a Dzochen transmission of the Golden Spoon teaching.  Rinpoche shared that this is a very rare and auspicious opportunity for western practitioners and encouraged anyone who might be interested to check out the descriptions on the Bon Shen Ling web site.  A word for the wise, “check it out”. Emaho! Laurie Hopkins was drawn to the truths of Tibetan religions in this lifetime, when she encountered the brilliant writings of the great dharma master, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the early 1980s.  Over the course of the last few years, she has committed to intensive studies with the Bon lama, Chongtul Rinpoche, her heart guru.  She is currently focused on completing the requirements associated with her initiation into Tsi Dup Yang Bod healing practices.  The 30 day journey spread out over 3 years (in 10 day segments) has proven profoundly transformative for Hopkins and has spoken to some of the deepest yearnings of the mystic in her soul.  She currently resides in Upstate New York, working as an occupational therapist in a school for children with ASD. Energetic Rejuvenation E-Newsletter Vol.3 No. 10, January 2011. © Anton Baraschi.