Travelling with the Master- Pilgrimage into the Heartland of the Yungdrung Bon Tradition

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About the Book In 2007 the main Teacher of the Yungdrung Bön tradition, Yongdzin Lopon Tendzin Namdhak, visits his native country, Tibet. He invites the writer of this book, Florens van Raab van Canstein, to join him.

Yungdrung Bön is the native religion of Tibet and the source of its culture. The tradition is heir to a vast body of ancient spiritual teachings that lead to Buddhahood.

The ancient pilgrimage-sites and the yogis that lived there, give us an introduction to spiritual practice in the Bön tradition.

Preface In the Bon tradition pilgrimage is one of many ways of purification of karmic obscurations, afflictive emotions and imbalanced energies. In Tibet, for many centuries, the custom of visiting sacred places has become an integral part of spiritual practice. People used to travel hundreds of miles on foot visiting mountains, lakes, rocks, caves, ruins and temples considered to be holy because they were blessed by such beings as Buddhas, deities and highly realized practitioners. For Bönpos, the followers of Bön, there are hundreds of pilgrimage destinations. Among them Kongpo Bönri, the Bön Mountain of Kongpo, and Mount Kailash are the most popular. This is because both Kongpo Bönri and Mt. Kailash were visited and blessed by Buddha Tönpa Shenrab in the flesh. Mt. Kailash in particular is believed to be consecrated by the Bön deity Walchen Gekho and is considered to be the soul mountain of the Kings of Zhangzhung. Pilgrimage to sacred places is also a means to receive blessings and power from the lineage masters and divinities so one can improve and develop the condition of one's body, speech and mind in positive ways and reveal one's inner potential.

I had the opportunity to visit a good number of sacred places in Tibet during the several journeys I made alone or with my teacher. The last one was in 2007 with our beloved master H.E. Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, my sister and a few friends. One of them was Florens van Canstein. I met Florens for the first time in 1998. Since then we regularly meet in our monastery in Nepal and during the teaching- and the practice retreats that Yongdzin Lopön Rinpoche give severy yearin France, Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries.

Introduction I have the privilege of following a truly enlightened meditation Master. I happened to be present from the start of his teaching 'career' in the West. This career coincided with the arrival of the Yungdrung Bön tradition. The reason for writing this book is my wish to share this experience. Share it with fellow followers of my tradition who can use this book as a travel guide in Tibet or who may draw inspiration from it. Share it with people who do not follow a spiritual path but have an interest in adventure. Be it the adventure of discovering other cultures and experiences that introduce us to a different way to see the world. Or be it the adventure of travelling into the vast space of their heart and mind.

This book will give the reader an introduction to the Yungdrung Bön tradition in which my Master was raised and of which I have become part. The powerful places we will visit during our pilgrimage as well as the enchanting stories that are associated with these power places will relate the depth and breadth of our tradition. The Bön tradition is immensely rich in culture, history, ritual, narratives, and myth. But I believe the tradition deserves particular attention because it is heir to an ancient extremely profound 'spiritual science'. A 'spiritual science' that allows humans to release their suffering and to experience lasting peace. A 'science' we can trust as it has proven itself again and again over the course of thousands of years.

Many of the yogis who lived in the power-places that we will visit were practitioners of Dzogchen, Great Perfection or the path of self liberation. The yogis tell us about the view of Dzogchen. This view is extremely profound and subtle. If you feel inspired to follow this path it is necessary to receive instructions from a qualified Master.

**Contents and Sample Pages**