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They chose banishment from Shambhala rather than follow Buddhism. This account probably echoes the real confrontation between the indigenous beliefs of the alti-Himalayan shaman and the new Buddhist school of thought. The fact they also say that they "...want to remain true to the sun chariot..." implies that there were fundamental differences in these two time philoso- phies, that this new Kalachakra was not the old time philosophy as taught by the indigenous practitioners. They chose banishment from Shambhala rather than follow person, visualizing his form as being upside-down, vomiting Buddhism. This account probably echoes the real confrontation —_ blood, trembling and with hair in disarray. Imagine a blazing nee- between the indigenous beliefs of the alti-Himalayan shaman and dle entering his back. Then by envisioning the seed-syllable of the new Buddhist school of thought. The fact they also say that the fire element in his heart he is killed instantly".’ they "...want to remain true to the sun chariot..." implies that The Guhyasamaja Tantra also instructs the infliction of murder- there were fundamental differences in these two time philoso- ous injuries upon opponents of Buddhism. "One draws a man or a phies, that this new Kalachakra was not the old time philosophy woman in chalk or charcoal or similar. One projects an ax in the as taught by the indigenous practitioners. hand. Then one projects the way in which the throat is slit".* Once the enemy is thus bewitched he can then be poisoned, BUDDHIST INFANTICIDE, BLACK MAGIC, DEATH enslaved, or paralysed. SPELLS AND CANNIBALISM Similar things are found in the Kalachakra Tantra where an There is a Buddhist concept that it is an honourable deed to adept is urged to murder those who violated the Buddhist teach- deliver the world from people who will, in the future, prove to be ings. The text requires, however, that this be carried out with evil. Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, set an compassion.’ example for this when, in his childhood, he killed a boy whose Are these calls to murderous acts in the Tantras motivated by future abominable deeds he foresaw. These evils and abominable _ pure compassion and a transformatory intent or elimination of the deeds are explained by the Lamas as acts of competition as the exile Kushog suggested? non-Buddhist shamanism (i.e. not approved Another dimension is added when you con- Buddhist shamanism) and of non-Buddhist sider that in the Guhyasamaja Tantra the magic. When I have spoken to western destruction of another magical being allows Lamas about this appalling concept, ina the Tantric practitioner to absorb their power nation dedicated to enlightenment, these sup- and to eventually become a demi-god. posed compassionate and venerable teachers Using pieces of your destroyed opponent as have the same pre-programmed response: ritual implements or eating their flesh is sup- "But the shamans and Bon-po were evil and posed to magnify this effect. "Afterwards they deserved it." This response shocked me There is a Buddhist pills are to be made from his flesh, the con- the first time I heard it, as I was led to ae sumption of which grants, among other believe that the Buddhists did not believe concept that it is an things, the siddhis [powers/psychic abilities] that anything was evil, only unenlightened. honourable deed to of 'sky-walking'. Such pills are in fact still Secularly we have reports of the Tibetan Buddhist government skinning people alive as late as 1912.° There are also the now infamous letters displayed in the Tibetan Social and Historical Relics Exhibition in the Beijing Cultural Palace of Nationalities along with amputated limbs, the flayed human skins and torture implements. One let- ter on display attracted most attention. It reads: "Rab Ge: A Buddhist ceremony will be held here. We need meat, hearts and blood from all kinds of animals, four human heads, intestines, pure blood, This form of practice would be turbid blood, earth from ruins, the men- labelled as the blackest of magic here strual blood of a widow, the blood of a leper, water from beneath in the west. People who perform such things hild sacrifice, the surface of the earth, earth raised in a whirlwind, brambles black magic with the intent to kill and cannibalism are jailed as growing towards the north, excrement of both dog and man and the criminals they are. The public claims of the Buddhists being the boots of a butcher. All these should be sent to Tsechykhang pacific and seeking enlightenment for all beings have the hollow on the 27th. —Tsechykhang, the 19th." ring of hypocrisy when viewed in context with these criminal Its authenticity is not disputed. The Buddhists claim that all of _ practices. these things were harvested quickly from fresh corpses. Other similar letters have recently become known that require vast num- |= THE CONFLICT WITH THE BON-PO being distributed today. The heart-blood is especially sought after, and the skull of the killed... also possesses magical powers"."° "The Grove Of Delights" is a ritual from the Buddhist Kagyutpa Chod tra- dition distributed on CD format from http://www.tibetan-institute.org/ in which the practitioners collect together (in a visualisation, I hope, though it is not stated as such) old men, women and children, skin them alive, chop them up and then pile bits and blood on the skins in a ritualistic fashion. deliver the world from people who will, in the future, prove to be evil. bers of human pieces for major rituals. It is hard to imagine that These shamans should not be confused with the Bon-Po. The large quantities of fresh human pieces could be harvested quickly shamans came from the time of the original indigenous belief sys- from corpses that just happened to conveniently die a natural tem and lived quite compatibly with the later Bon-Po who eath all at the same time. appeared to arise from a mix of local beliefs with Chinese Kushog's accusations would appear to be supported by passages Taoism. The Bon-Po established monasteries in Tibet long before from the Hevajra Tantra: the arrival of the Buddhists. "After having announced the intention to the guru and accom- Historically, the first king in Tibet to accept Buddhism was plished beings... perform with mercy the rite of killing of one King Khri Srong-lde'ti-btsan. He was converted by his Chinese who is a non-believer of the teachings of the Buddha and the Buddhist wife who was determined to establish a form of detractors of the gurus and Buddhas. One should eliminate such a Buddhism in her new country. people who will, in the future, prove to be evil. THE CONFLICT WITH THE BON-PO These shamans should not be confused with the Bon-Po. The shamans came from the time of the original indigenous belief sys- tem and lived quite compatibly with the later Bon-Po who appeared to arise from a mix of local beliefs with Chinese Taoism. The Bon-Po established monasteries in Tibet long before the arrival of the Buddhists. Historically, the first king in Tibet to accept Buddhism was King Khri Srong-lde'ti-btsan. He was converted by his Chinese Buddhist wife who was determined to establish a form of Buddhism in her new country. JUNE — JULY 2005 NEXUS = 41 There is a Buddhist concept that it is an honourable deed to deliver the world from www.nexusmagazine.com