Prof. Dr. Per Kværne: Bon and Buddhism—Opposition or Convergence?

5 June 2019

Am Mittwoch, 05.06.2019, um 16:15 Uhr in ESA-Ost, Raum 120.

On the passing away of the 33rd sMan-ri-khri-’dzin (1929–2017), the spiritual head of the Bon—more correctly g.Yung-drung Bon, “Eternal Bon”—religion in 2017, Tibetan religious and political leaders expressed appreciation of his lifelong efforts to preserve and promote Bon as an important contribution to continuing Tibetan culture in the diaspora. At the same time, there is a long-standing tradition among Tibetan Buddhists of regarding Bon, sometimes called “Black Bon,” as an evil, anti-Buddhist, even atavistic religion, a viewpoint also previously adopted by certain Western scholars.  The presentation will discuss the grounds of opposition between Bon and Buddhism, the genesis of this conflict and the parameters along which it can be defined, including the question of whether Bon is a “religion” or a “tradition”; it will also suggest that there is real convergence in terms of doctrine and practice. Finally, it will venture to point out certain developments which in the future may serve to consolidate rather than lessen the divide between the two religions.

• Click here to download the invitation [PDF]

Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk (Director)
Khyentse Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS)
Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets, AAI, Universität Hamburg
Alsterterrasse 1, D-20354 Hamburg