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Buddhism
is centuries old religion of Dolpo. Bon and
Hinduism are also practicesed.
Hinduism is more
prodominant in the southern parts of Lower
Dolpo, and the influence of Buddhism and Bon
more apparent further north and into Upper
Dolpo, refecting their proximity to Tibet and
the cultural links.
It is said that in Dolpo pure religion is
practised, and the "hidden land" is well known
in the Tibetan Buddhist world for its rich
religious traditions and auspicious places.
Ancient historical documents make reference to a
prophecy of Lord Buddha that in Dolpo
enlightment could be achieved through solitary
meditation. The revered Guru Rinpoche bestowed
his blessing on the whole area by his visit, and
to this day, pelgrims travel great distances to
see the imprint of his foot and many other
auspicious manifestations (such as rock
formations) and caves. The
sacred places have been home to
many lamas as they meditated and strived for
enlightment, and became bodhisattvas in order to
help all sentien beings.
Dolpo boasts many gompas, some of which are the
oldest of their sect in the whole Himalayan
region, dating back over 700 years.
The three main sects of Buddhism practiced in
Dolpo are Sakya, Kakyu and Nyingma, with the
latter based, which is also known as the red hat
sect and based on the mythology surrounding Guru
Rinpoche, the most predominant.
Although the Dalai Lama is of the fourth major
sect, the Gelugpa (yellow hat), since the early
1960s he has been viewed among Dolpo Buddhists
as their spiritual leader and overall authority,
as a result of his efforts to identify common
ground between the four sects (between which
there was previously some intense rivalry and
disagreement) and ti integrate their different
practices and interpretations of the texts.
Tibetan Buddhism exits on two levels, the formal
religious practices of the monks and the daily
rituals of lay people. Many of the activities
associated with the latter have evolved from the
old folk rituals of previous religions. These
are influenced by the need to appease any evel
spirit believed to reside in the ground, on
mountain tops or in the home, so that daily life
will not be disrupted by their anger.
Rituals may relate so simple daily activites,
like making tae or drinking chang (home brewed
beer), or be performed when something major
happens, such as a new bride moving into her
husband's home, building a house or beginnign a
new season's ploughing.
The monastic side of the religion has evolved
from a mix of ideas and influences, both within
Tibet and from other countries, mainly India.
Tibetan Buddhism is also sometimes called
Lamaism, because of the important role played by
monks and monasteries.
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Dolpo is one of the few remaining areas where
the Bon religion is practiced, and it has some
of the oldest existing Bon monasteries. Bon and
Buddhism have long existed side by side,
although Bon was prevalent in Tibet before
Buddhism was widely adopted.
In its current form, Bon appeared around the
eleventh century. It represents an adaption of
the Buddhist ideas within an older form of Bon,
which has disappeared, and the original
indigenous animist) religions of Tibet. It
therefore places greater emphasis on the
ectivites of spirits and deities and less on
philosophy. Its origins lie in the mythologies
of a Buddha-like figure called Tonpa Sherub,
said to have lived in western Tibet.
The key obvious differences between Bon and
Buddhism are the bon practice of
circumambulating shrines in an anticlockwise
direction (Buddhist move in clockwise
direction), spinning the prayer wheel to the
left instead of the right, inscribing the
swastika (lucky sign) to the left instead of the
right, and chanting "Om Ma Tri Mu Ye Sa Le Du"
instead of the Buddhist "Om Mani Padme Hum".
There are also differences in details of the
interpretations of some of the ancient
teachings, style of dancing and costumes and
masks used, and the style and use of colour for
statues.
As with the Buddhist sects, the Busshist and
Bonpo religions have grown closer over the
years, and members of the different sects and
religions now even practice their rituals and
celebrate festivals together with communities.
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