An Interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche by Study Buddhism

Exploring Some Core Principles of Bon

In an interview by Matt Linden of the Study Buddhism website, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche discussed several aspects of the ancient Tibetan Bon tradition and its practices. The interview took place in Helsinki, Finland, during a break in Rinpoche's teaching tour in Europe. Some of the topics covered were how to make the most of the third of our life that we spend sleeping, and how to balance the five elements, and what simple meditation Rinpoche would suggest for daily life.

In this brief excerpt from the interview, Rinpoche was asked about his view on why, even today, practitioners often get very attached to their beliefs, as has been the case throughout history with the many branches of Buddhism. Rinpoche responded in his familiar, clear and meaningful way:

The core teachings, like the realization of emptiness, are about changing your ego, your self-grasping, to transform them fully, to liberate from them. That's the purpose of meditating on emptiness, shunyata. It's not to develop a personality, it's to dissolve the personality.

What I would recommend to people is to not get trapped by these fundamentalist views of there being one correct version, the view that myversion is the correct version. Because when you begin to think in that way, you are trapped into that personality, into that identity, which the teachings are supposed to help you loosen up! So, my advice is to not get trapped in those stories. Apply the true teachings in order to dissolve your self-pain identity, your ego, your personality, your individuality. Because every moment that you feel pain or discomfort is directly connected with your identity. Address that identity through the teachings, don't just build up a different one!

Read the entire interview