Men-Tsee-Khang Agrees to Stop Using Discriminatory Remarks on Bonpos

June 9, 2020

In a recent controversy brought into the light of public, a traditionally used remark that is discriminatory towards Bonpos, the followers of native Tibetan religion, in Men-Tsee-Khang annual calendar, the institute has informed that it will stop using them. The issue was raised by many Tibetans on the social media after it was brought into light.

The annual traditional Tibetan lunar calendar published by Men-Tsee-Khang or the Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute in Dharamshala advises people to avoid visiting Bonpo families. It did not go well with many people as it was raised as a discrimination against the Bonpos. While many discussed the issue on the social media, many raised complains with the institute demanding to end the continuation of such traditional followed racial remarks.

Tibetan medical and astro institute on Tuesday issued a public notice to resolve the public grievance. In the Tibetan notice issued by the institute, it explained that the remark published in their annual calendar is an excerpt from an text by Desi Rinpoche in the long past. Since the remark is hurt the sentiments of many Bonpo followers, the instituted assures to stop using them.

With the prevalence of Indian origin Buddhism in Tibet since the reign of the 38th emperor of Tibet, Choegyal Trisong Detsen, Bonpos suffered a huge blow as they suffered discrimination such as the one mention in this remark. In India, the head quarter of the Bonpos, Menri Monastery is based in Solan, Himachal Pradesh.

2 responses to “Men-Tsee-Khang Agrees to Stop Using Discriminatory Remarks on Bonpos”

Tashi nyima

June 10, 2020

I myself am a Tibetan bonpo,born and raised in India. My father was a bonpo practitioner and he never used to force me to practice bonpo , but he would often tell me about bonpo religion. And as a kid raised in Tibetan society where there is very few number of bonpo lives it was very hard for me to tell others that I was bonpo. Because most the people didn’t even knew about it and some elders didn’t consider bonpo a good religion. Later on as I grew up I started knew more about bon ,as I did research on my own and started to knew that we as bonpo has suffered a great deal under kings which didn’t support or followed our religion would often descriminate or banished people who followed bonpo. Some time if ignorant people would kill them also.but why I ma I telling this whole story of history because as a kid my knew all this religious descrimination done on bonpos but still he did not told me any of those stories. And what I realise is that he was optimistic that Tibetan would not be such ignorant like other countries.

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Jon Jerstad

June 10, 2020

Incidentally HH Dalai Lama confirmed in an interview in February 1995 in his residence in Dharamsala that the Bonpos were true and legitimate part of the Tibetan religious tradition. Present at this interview was one monk from Menri monastery in Dolanji and Dr Krystyna Check as well as myself conducting the interview.

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