4. Bemji： the Hidden Village of the Bon people(1) Descendants of Khri Srong lde brtsan According to the lore, in the latter half of the 8th century, the Buddhist king Khri Srong lde brtsan, who maximized the territory of Tibet, had three sons. The king sought the people's devotion to Buddhism to make it the state religion, turning the tide from the coexistence of Buddhism and Bön. The king's two sons followed suit, but only the youngest son could not abandon the Bon belief. So the king ordered, “You will not survive in Lhasa. You must flee far away.” It is Bemji the youngest prince fell away and settled in. At December 26th 2022, on having arrived at Bemji village, a villager told us, “Tomorrow we will have a festival, so today we re-erect the Bon flag”. We observed the process and ceremony of putting up the cotton-capped flag, which is completely different from the Buddhist flag. From the high ground where the flag is erected, one can see the mountain where Muktsen, the guardian deity of the watershed, lives. Between the hill and the landowner residence, there is a square with a Bong flag and a stone chair on which the nymphs flew down from Mt.Muktseon can sit. This place is also used as a stage for dance performances.
(2) Gyeongkhang of Nagtsan There still remain caste system and the Nagtsan, the former feudal lord's mansion, in Bemji village. Nagtsan is also a guesthouse, and in September 2023, we slept in a room on the third floor to conduct investigation. A matrilineal extended family are living here, and relatives from the neighborhood often gather for memorial services and meals. The central room on the third floor is a magnificent Buddhist-style Hall, and the grandmother over 90 years old, spends many hours every day here reciting sutras.
In Bemji village, Gyeongkhang, located behind the Buddhist hall, occupies an even more important position than the Buddhist hall. There, Muktsen as the guardian deity of the watershed, is worshipped. Muktsen is an intangible divine spirit and has no idol. The object in which a deity resides is hidden in the chest. However, a life-size statue of Khatap as the god of valor and Muktseon's bodyguard, stands in the far left corner, glaring at the visitor, giving the dark room a terrifyingly powerful atmosphere. It has an aura of transcendence that surpasses that of Gyongkhang at Kubun Temple.
When we stayed at Nagtsan, a niece of the female owner came to help prepare meals. She was going to immigrate to the U.S. soon, and hoping that her visa application would go smoothly, the family invited three Buddhist monks to perform a prayer in Gyeongkhang. It is important to note that the Bon people's deity in Gyeongkhang is Muktsen, which is not a Bon deity, but the guardian deity of the watershed. In other words, Muktsen is the folk spirit of the Kvaerne's IV period.
If the tradition that the people of Bemji village are descended from the Bon people of the Tibetan dynastic period is correct, their beliefs may be inherited from the Kvaerne's I period. In other words, there is a possibility of continuity between the Kvaerne I period (primitive Bon) and the Kvaerne IV period (folk Bon) as non-Buddhist beliefs. In addition, the fact that the priests who worship non-Buddhist Muktsen are Buddhist monks gives the impression of a fusion of Buddhism and Bon/non-Buddhism, or the “Tibetanization of Buddhism” [Imaeda 2010].
According to the man-owner of Nagtsang, the villagers revere Muktsen as the god of the Bon religion. Muktsen is regarded as an indispensable spirit that brings benefits to daily life and keeps evil away. On the other hand, Buddhism is a philosophical knowledge and practice that is important to the monks and other talented people who continue their training to enlightenment, but not necessarily important to the villagers.
Note that at the Dzongdrakha Temple in Paro, which we always visit on the last day of our investigation, we found a Bon flag mixed in with numerous Buddhist flags. In addition, a Gyeongkhang at the back of the main hall was dedicated to the basin deity, with a statue of the warrior god Katap in front of it. We were able to confirm the Bemji-like aspect in the Buddhist temple.
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