Bon Buddhism and Bon Yoga are sublimations of the two intertwined peaks in human consciousness over the last two or three millennia (“Ten Principles of Bon Buddhism,” April 10, 1992; and “Ten Principles of Bon Yoga,” November 13, 2012). Neither has anything whatsoever to do with religion. Mircea Eliade’s Yoga: Immortality and Freedom only shows what happens when the original ideas such as these are corrupted in accordance with the tastes of the vulgar.[1] Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire offers a clear account of what happened to Christianity after its supposed victory over paganism.[2] In the end, polytheism always triumphs with the ignorant masses (“The Reign of Polytheism,” November 3, 2011). Nonetheless, the most sublime never err when it comes to religion. Over the millennia, they keep out of its corrupting reach. Which is why they are forever few and far between.

Footnotes

1. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2009 (first published in 1954).

2. London: Wordsworth, 1998 (first published from 1776 to 1788).