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The Hidden Treasure of Bon


Type

Video

Change log

Authors

Jinpa, Gelek 
Tsewang, Kemi 

Abstract

In 2008, an international team of climbers and other experts set out to salvage a cache of Tibetan manuscripts from a cave in the highlands of Nepal’s Mustang District. To help them with the task of identifying the texts, they invited Geshe Gelek Jinpa, a scholar-monk of the Tibetan Bön religion. After sifting through the texts, Geshe Gelek took the opportunity to visit other sites of significance to the Bön religion in the region: ruins of settlements, caves that had housed long-gone meditators, and more recent temples fallen into disuse and disrepair. But in the course of his journey Gelek finds that Bön is more than just a fading memory: in the village of Lubrak and in the households of several other settlements, the religion has maintained a vibrant presence, as witnessed by the staunch commitment of its followers and their spectacular ceremonies. With sensitive camerawork and editing by Kemi Tsewang, himself a native of Lubrak, and an informative commentary by Carol and Dimitry Ermakov that adopts an ‘insider’s’ perspective, this film offers a precious insight into the rich historical heritage and the living tradition of Bön in the Nepal-Tibet borderlands.

Description

Narration: Carol Ermakov; Script: Carol & Dmitry Ermakov; Cinematography: Kemi Tsewang, Geshe Gelek Jinpa, Renan; Research and Direction: Gelek Jinpa, Kemi Tsewang; Editor: Kemi Tsewang; Music by: Deuter, Kamal & Anuhama, Tenzin Lodoe, Evolution, VA, Shpongle, Native American flute.

Keywords

Bon, Buddhism, Treasure, Mustang, Nepal, Tibet

Is Part Of

Publisher

Triten Norbutse Monastery & Bon Buddhist Federation

Publisher DOI

Publisher URL

Sponsorship
Produced by: Triten Norbutse Monastery & Bon Buddhist Federation; Special thanks to: Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche, Mr Loel Guinness, Dr Charles Ramble.

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