Hello

[Lodro]

Hello, I am Alex de Jong, or Lodro. I studied Vajrayana Buddhism with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Chagdud Tulku, but i would consider myself a scholar, not a deep vajrayana yogic practitioner. I do read classical Tibetan, as I studied Tibetology at University (Kern Institute at Leiden university in the Netherlands). And that is my angle in researching "shamans'" claims that their practice somehow derives from Vajrayana Buddhism, or from the Bon tradition. Pointing to Bon (a more "shamanic" peri-buddhist tradition) has become rather fashionable nowadays, as claims that one has Bon knowledge are hard to substantiate or refute. However, there are only a couple of Bon teachers who regularly teach westerners and I'm always a bit suspicious of healers or shamans who claim to have acquired their Bon knowledge and practices in a far-flung Himalayan tribal area.

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

Hi, I've never studied Buddhism, but have liked what I've seen and read of Tibetan Buddhism, Dzogchen, and Bon.  Yeah, 6 years ago, there was not much if anything online regarding Dzogchen or Bon, now it's everywhere.  I wouldn't believe any one who stated they were teaching either in some kind of Western workshop settings. The little I've read on the topics tells me that that isn't possible.. to learn in that way. If they were only discussing it intellectually, as would be found in university, that I could accept, but my mind is almost always suspicious of 'education' on such matters in most schools.

[apukjij]

greetings, dilgo rinpoche was my favorite, never got a chance to meet him, but i bid you welcome, your insight is valuable.

[educatedindian]

Glad you're here. We can really use someone to point out the false claims made by those claiming to follow Buddhist teachings, or those passing Buddhist ideas off as Native.

[Lodro]

The last phenomenon really puzzles me. Perhaps that happens because bon links are hard to research. It is unfortunate that buddhist traditions from tibet and nepal are misrepresented this way. Many teachers laid down their lives to transmit those traditions and they and their real students simply don't deserve this.