Bon

Bon, also spelled Bön (Tibetan: བོ ན་, Wylie: bon, ZYPY: Pön,
Lhasa dialect: [pʰø̃̀]) and also known as Yungdrung Bon (Tibetan:
གཡུང་དྲུང་བོ ན་, Wylie: g.yung drung bon, ZYPY: Yungchung
Pön, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many
similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.[2]
Bon initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries,[3] but
may retain elements from earlier religious traditions (which also
used the term Bon).[4][5] Bon remains a significant minority
religion in Tibet (especially in Eastern Tibet) and in the surrounding
Himalayan regions.[2][5] Yungdrung is a left-facing swastika,
a sacred symbol of Bon religion.[1]
The relationship between Bon and Tibetan Buddhism has been a
subject of debate. According to the modern scholar Geoffrey
Samuel, while Bon is "essentially a variant of Tibetan Buddhism"
with many resemblances to Nyingma, it also preserves some
genuinely ancient pre-Buddhist elements.[2] David Snellgrove
likewise sees Bon as a form of Buddhism, albeit a heterodox
kind.[6] Similarly, John Powers writes that "historical evidence
indicates that Bön only developed as a self-conscious religious
system under the influence of Buddhism".[7]

Followers of Bon, known as "Bonpos" (Wylie: bon po), believe

that the religion originated in a land called Zhangzhung, located in
the Himalayas, perhaps also the area around Mount Kailash in
Tibet.[8] Bonpos identify the Buddha Shenrab Miwo (Wylie: gshen
rab mi bo) as Bon's founder, although no available sources
establish this figure's historicity.[9] Bonpos hold that Bon was
brought first to Zhang Zhung, a kingdom to the west of the Tibetan
Plateau, and then to Tibet.[10]

Western scholars have posited several origins for Bon, and have
A statue of Tonpa Shenrab, the
used the term "Bon" in many ways. A distinction is sometimes
central Buddha in Yungdrung Bon
made between an ancient Bon (Wylie: bon rnying), dating back to
the pre-dynastic era before 618 CE; a classical Bon tradition (also
called Yungdrung Bon - Wylie: g.yung drung bon) which emerged
in the 10th and 11th centuries;[11] and "New Bon" or Bon Sar (Wylie: bon gsar), a late syncretic movement
dating back to the 14th century and active in eastern Tibet.[12][13][14]

Tibetan Buddhist scholarship tends to cast Bon in a negative, adversarial light, with derogatory stories
about Bon appearing in a number of Buddhist histories.[15] The Rimé movement within Tibetan religion
encouraged more ecumenical attitudes between Bonpos and Buddhists. Western scholars began to take Bon
seriously as a religious tradition worthy of study in the 1960s, in large part inspired by the work of English
scholar David Snellgrove[16] (1920-2016) Following the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, Bonpo
scholars began to arrive in Europe and North America, encouraging interest in Bon in the West.[17] Today,
a proportion of Tibetans - both in Tibet and in the Tibetan diaspora - practise Bon, and there are Bonpo
centers in cities around the world.

Contents
The term "Bon", definition and historiography
Types of Bon
Traditional history of Tibetan Bon
Tonpa Shenrab
Origin myths
History
Pre-Buddhist Bon and the arrival of Buddhism
The development of Yungdrung Bon
The era of New Bon
Modern period
Present situation
Official recognition
Teachings of Tibetan Bon
Worldview
Classification of the teachings
The Nine Ways or Vehicles
The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury
The Three Cycles
Traditions of Bon Dzogchen
Pantheon of Tibetan Bon
Enlightened beings
Worldly gods and spirits
Tibetan Bon literature
Termas
See also
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

The term "Bon", definition and historiography

Early Western studies of Bon relied heavily on Buddhist sources, and used the word to refer to the pre-
Buddhist religion over which it was thought Buddhism triumphed.[18] Helmut Hoffmann's 1950 study of
Bon characterized this religion as "animism" and "shamanism"; these characterizations have been
controversial.[19] Hoffmann contrasted this animistic-shamanistic folk religion with the organized
priesthood of Bonpos which developed later, Shaivism, Buddhist tantras. [20] Hoffman also argued that
Gnosticism from the West influenced the systematized Bon religion.

Hoffmann's study was foundational for Western understandings of Bon, but was challenged by a later
generation of scholars influenced by David Snellgrove, who collaborated with Bonpo masters and
translated Bonpo canonical texts. These scholars tended to view Bon as a heterodox form of Buddhism,
transmitted separately from the two transmissions from India to Tibet that formed the Tibetan Buddhist
tradition.[21] With the translation of Bonpo histories into Western languages as well as increased
engagement between Bonpos and Western scholars, a shift took place in Bon studies towards engaging
more thoroughly Bonpos' own histories and self-identification, recognizing Bon as an independent religious
tradition worthy of academic study.[22]

The term Bon has been used to refer to several different phenomena. Drawing from Buddhist sources, early
Western commentators on Bon used the term for the pre-Buddhist religious practices of Tibet. These
include folk religious practices, cults surrounding royalty, and divination practices. However, scholars have
debated whether the term Bon should be used for all of these practices, and what their relationship is to the
modern Bon religion. In an influential article, R. A. Stein used the term "the nameless religion" to refer to
folk religious practices, distinguishing them from Bon.[23]

Per Kvaerne uses Bon solely to refer to a tradition he dates from tenth and eleventh centuries CE, the
tradition which developed into the modern Bon religion.[24] Kvaerne identifies this tradition as "an
unorthodox form of Buddhism,"[25] but other scholars such as Samten G. Karmay take seriously Bonpo
narratives which define Bon as a separate tradition with an origin in the land of 'Olmo Lungring.[26] The
term Yungdrung Bon (Wylie: g.yung drung bon) is sometimes used to describe this tradition. "Yungdrung"
refers to the left-facing swastika, a symbol which occupies in Bon a similar place as the vajra (Wylie: rdo
rje) in Tibetan Buddhism, symbolizing indestructibility and eternity.[24] Yungdrung Bon is a universal
religion, although it is mainly limited to Tibetans, with some non-Tibetan converts.

There is also a kind of local village priests which are common throughout the Himalayas that are called
"bon", "lhabon" or "aya" (and bombo in Nepal). These are not part of the Bon religion proper, but are lay
ritual specialists, often on a part time basis. Samuel states that it is unclear if these "bon" priests go back to
the ancient period or if the term developed after Yungdrung Bon.[27]

Furthermore, the Dongba ( 东巴 ) practices of the Nakhi people and the Hangui ( 韩规) religion of the Pumi
people are both believed to have originated from Bon.[28]

Types of Bon
As noted by Dmitry Ermakov, "the word Bön is used to denote many diverse religious and cultural
traditions." Bon sources acknowledge this and Bon authors like Shardza Rinpoche (1859–1935), Pelden
Tsultrim (1902–1973) and Lopön Tenzin Namdak use a classification of three types of "Bon". Modern
scholars also sometimes rely on this classification, which is as follows:[12][13][14][29]

Prehistoric Bon (Gdod ma'i bon) of Zhangzhung and Tibet. This is an ancient system of
belief and ritual practice that is mostly extinct today. However, elements of it exist in various
religious practices found in the Himalayas - mainly in the calling of fortune rituals (g.yang
'gug), the soul retrieval or re-call rituals (bla 'gugs) and the ransom rituals (mdos). Ermakov
sees some similarities between this tradition and the Eurasian cult of the sky deer.[29]
Eternal Bon (Yundung Bon), also called old Bon (Bon Nyingma), which are traced to the
Buddha Tonpa Shenrab and other sages from Zhangzhung. These religions developed from
 the 8th to the 11th century and are similar to Nyingma Buddhism. It includes ancient
elements which are pre-Buddhist (including the fortune, bla and ransom rituals).
New Bon (Bon Sarma, Bonsar), a syncretic tradition which includes elements form Eternal
Bon and Tibetan Buddhism, including the worship of the Buddhist figure Padmasambhava.
This new movement dates from the 14th century and was mainly active in eastern Tibet.

Dmitry Ermakov also adds an extra category which he terms "mixed Bon" and which he defines as:[29]

a blend of these three types of Bön in different proportions, often with the addition of elements
from other religions such as Hinduism, Taoism, Himalayan Tribal religions, Native Siberian
belief systems etc. Mixed Bön would include Secular Bön or the civil religion of the
Himalayan borderlands studied by Charles Ramble in his The Navel of Demoness, as well as
Buryatian Bѳ Murgel, from the shores of Lake Baikal, the religion of the Nakhi in Yunnan,
and so on.

Traditional history of Tibetan Bon

Tonpa Shenrab

From the traditional point of view of the Bon religion, Bon was the
original religion of Tibet and Zhangzhung which was taught there
by various Buddhas, including Tonpa Shenrab (whose name means
“Supreme Holy Man”).[14][30]

Tonpa Shenrab is believed to have received the teaching from the

transcendent deity Shenlha Okar in a pure realm before being
reborn in the human realm with the purpose of teaching and
liberating beings from the cycle of rebirth.[14] He attained
Buddhahood several hundred years before Sakyamuni Buddha, in
a country west of Tibet, called Olmo Lungring or Tazig (Tasi),
which is difficult to identify and acts as a semi-mythical holy land
in Bon (like Shambala).[14][31][32] Various dates are given for his
birth date, one of which corresponds to 1917 BCE.[33] Some Bon
texts also state that Sakyamuni was a later manifestation of Tonpa
Tonpa Shenrab life story, 19th-
Shenrab.[31]
century painting, Rubin Museum of
Art
Tonpa Sherab is said to have been born to the Tazig royal family
and to have eventually become the king of the realm. He is said to
be the main Buddha of our era.[34] He had numerous wives and
children, constructed numerous temples and performed many rituals in order to spread Bon.[34] Like
Padmasambhava, he is also held to have defeated and subjugated many demons through his magical feats,
and like King Gesar, he is also believed to have led numerous campaigns against evil forces.[34]

Tonpa Shenrab is held to have visited the kingdom of Zhangzhung (an area in western Tibet around Mount
Kailash),[35] where he found a people whose practice involved spiritual appeasement with animal sacrifice.
He taught them to substitute offerings with symbolic animal forms made from barley flour. He only taught
according to the student's capability and thus he taught these people
the lower vehicles to prepare them for the study of sutra, tantra and
Dzogchen in later lives.[36] It is only later in life that he became a
celibate ascetic and it is during this time that he defeated his main
enemy, the prince of the demons.[34]

After Tonpa Shenrab's paranirvana, his works were preserved in

the language of Zhangzhung by ancient Bon siddhas.[37] Most of
these teachings were said to have been lost in Tibet after the
persecutions against Bon, such as during the time of Trisong
Detsen.[38] Bon histories hold that some of Tonpa Shenrab's
teachings were hidden away as termas and later re-discovered by
Bon treasure revealers (tertons), the most important of which is
Tapihritsa, a Bon siddha from
Shenchen Luga (c. early 11th century).[38] Zhangzhung.

In the fourteenth century, Loden Nyingpo revealed a terma known

as The Brilliance (Wylie: gzi brjid), which contained the story of Tonpa Shenrab. He was not the first
Bonpo tertön, but his terma became one of the definitive scriptures of Bon.[39]

Bon histories also discuss the lives of other important religious figures, such as the Zhangzhung Dzogchen
master Tapihritsa.[40]

Origin myths

Bon myth also includes other elements which are more obviously pre-Buddhist. According to Samuel,
Bonpo texts include a creation narrative (in the Sipe D zop ’ug) in which a creator deity, Trigyel Kugpa,
also known as Shenlha Okar, creates two eggs, a dark egg and a light egg.[41]

According to Bon scriptures, in the beginning, these two forces, light and dark, created two persons. The
black man, called Nyelwa Nakpo (“Black Suffering”), created the stars and all the demons, and is
responsible for evil things like droughts. The white man, Öserden (“Radiant One”), is good and virtuous.
He created the sun and moon, and taught humans religion. These two forces remain in the world in an
ongoing struggle of good and evil which is also fought in the heart of every person.[42]

Powers also writes that according to Bon scriptures, in the beginning, there was only emptiness, which is
not a blank void but a pure potentiality. This produced five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and space)
which came together into a vast "cosmic egg", from which a primordial being, Belchen Kékhö, was
born.[43]

History

Pre-Buddhist Bon and the arrival of Buddhism

Little is known about the pre-Buddhist religion of ancient Tibet and scholars of Bon disagree on its
nature.[44] Bon may have referred to a kind of ritual, a type of priest, or a local religion.[44] In ancient Tibet,
there seem to have been a class of priests known as kushen (sku gshen, “Priests of the Body”, i.e., the
king's body). This religion was eventually marginalized with the coming of Buddhism and Buddhists wrote
critiques and polemics of this religion, some of which survive in manuscripts found in Dunhuang (which
refer to these practices as "Bon").[14][44]
Likewise, Powers notes that early historical evidence indicates that
the term 'bön' originally referred to a type of priest who conducted
various ceremonies, including priests of the Yarlung kings. Their
rituals included propitiating local spirits and guiding the dead
through ceremonies to ensure a good afterlife. Their rituals may
have involved animal sacrifice, making offerings with food and
drink, and burying the dead with precious jewels. The most
elaborate rituals involved the Tibetan kings which had special
tombs made for them.[45]
A manuscript containing a Buddhist
Robert Thurman describes at least one type of Bon as a "court
criticism of an ancient Bon funeral
religion" instituted "around 100 BCE" by King Pudegungyal, ninth
ritual.
king of the Yarlung dynasty, "perhaps derived from Iranian
models", mixed with existing native traditions. It was focused on
"the support of the divine legitimacy of an organized state", still relatively new in Tibet. Prominent features
were "great sacrificial rituals", especially around royal coronations and burials, and "oracular rites derived
from the folk religion, especially magical possessions and healings that required the priests to exhibit
shamanic powers". The king was symbolized by the mountain and the priest/shaman by the sky. The
religion was "somewhere between the previous "primitive animism", and the much changed later types of
Bon.[46]

According to David Snellgrove, the claim that Bon came from the West into Tibet is possible, since
Buddhism had already been introduced to other areas surrounding Tibet (in Central Asia) before its
introduction into Tibet. As Powers writes, "since much of Central Asia at one time was Buddhist, it is very
plausible that a form of Buddhism could have been transmitted to western Tibet prior to the arrival of
Buddhist missionaries in the central provinces. Once established, it might then have absorbed elements of
the local folk religion, eventually developing into a distinctive system incorporating features of Central
Asian Buddhism and Tibetan folk religion."[47]

According to Powers, ancient Bon was closely associated with the royal cult of the kings during the early
Tibetan Empire period and they performed "ceremonies to ensure the well-being of the country, guard
against evil, protect the king, and enlist the help of spirits in Tibet's military ventures."[48] As Buddhism
began to become a more important part of Tibet's religious life, ancient Bon and Buddhism came into
conflict and there is evidence of anti-Bon polemics.[49] Some sources claim that a debate between Bonpos
and Buddhists was held, and that a Tibetan king ruled Buddhism the winner, banishing Bon priests to
border regions.[50] However, Gorvine also mentions that in some cases, Bon priests and Buddhist monks
would perform rituals together, and thus there was also some collaboration during the initial period of
Buddhist dissemination in Tibet.[51]

Bon sources place the blame of the decline of Bon on two persecutions by two Tibetan kings, Drigum
Tsenpo and the Buddhist King Tri Songdetsen (r. 740-797).[52] They also state that at this time, Bon terma
texts were concealed all over Tibet.[52] Bon sources generally see the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet and the
subsequent period of Buddhist religious dominance as a catastrophe for the true doctrine of Bon. They see
this as having been caused by demonic forces.[53] However, other more conciliatory sources also state that
Tonpa Shenrab and Sakyamuni were cousins and that their teachings are essentially the same.[53]

The most influential historical figure of this period is the Bon lama Drenpa Namkha. Buddhist sources
mention this figure as well and there is little doubt he was a real historical figure.[54] He is known for
having ordained himself into Bon during a time when the religion was in decline and for having hidden
away many Bon termas. Bon tradition holds that he was the father of another important figure, Tsewang
Rigzin and some sources also claim he was the father of Padmasambhava,[54] which is unlikely as the great
majority of sources say Padmasambhava was born in Swat, Pakistan. A great cult developed around
Drenpa Namkha and there is a vast literature about this figure.[54]

The development of Yungdrung Bon

Yungdrung Bon (Eternal Bon) is a living tradition that developed in

Tibet in the 10th and 11th centuries during the later dissemination
of Buddhism (sometimes called the renaissance period) and
contains many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism.[56] According to
Samuel, the origins of modern Yungdrung Bon have much in
common with that of the Nyingma school. Samuel traces both
traditions to groups of "hereditary ritual practitioners" in Tibet
which drew on Buddhist Tantra and "elements of earlier court and
village-level ritual" during the 10th and 11th centuries.[57]

These figures were threatened by the arrival of new Buddhist

traditions from India which had greater prestige, new ritual
repertoires and the full backing of Indian Buddhist scholarship.
Both Nyingmapas and Bonpos used the concept of the terma to
develop and expand their traditions in competition with the Sarma
schools and also to defend their school as being grounded in an
authentic ancient tradition.[57] Thus, Bonpo tertons (treasure The Bon terton (treasure discoverer)
finders) like Shenchen Luga and Meuton Gongdzad Ritrod Chenpo Shenchen Luga (11th century), a key
revealed important Bon termas. An interesting figure of this era is figure of the renaissance period.[55]
the Dzogchen master and translator Vairotsana, who according to
some sources also translated Bon texts into Tibetan and also hid
some Bon termas before leaving Tibet.[58]

While Yungdrung Bon and Nyingma originated in similar circles of pre-Sarma era ritual tantric
practitioners, they adopted different approaches to legitimate their traditions. Nyingma looked back to the
Tibetan Empire period, and Indian Buddhist figures like Padmasambhava. Bonpos meanwhile looked
further back, to Tibet's pre-Buddhist heritage, to another Buddha who was said to have lived before
Sakyamuni, as well as to other masters from the kingdom of Zhangzhung.[57] The main Bonpo figures of
the Tibetan renaissance period were tertons (treasure revealers) who are said to have discovered Bon texts
that had been hidden away during the era of persecution. These figures include Shenchen Luga (gShen
chen Klu dga'), Khutsa Dawo (Khu tsha zla 'od, b. 1024), Gyermi Nyi O (Gyer mi nyi 'od), and Zhoton
Ngodrup (bZhod ston d Ngos grub, c. 12th century). Most of these figures were also laymen. It was also
during this era of Bonpo renewal that the Bon Kanjur and Tenjur were compiled.[59]

Just like all forms of Tibetan Buddhism, Yungdrung Bon eventually developed a monastic tradition, with
celibate monks living in various monasteries. Bon monks are called trangsong, a term that translates the
Sanskrit rishi (seer, or sage).[60] A key figure in the establishment of Bon monasticism was Nyamme
Sherab Gyaltsen (mNyam med Shes rab rgyal mtshan, c. 1356-1415).[61] According to Jean Luc Achard,
"his insistence on Madhyamaka, logic, gradual path (lamrim) and philosophical studies has modeled the
now traditional approach of practice in most Bon po monasteries."[61] His tradition emphasizes the
importance of combining the study of sutra, tantra and Dzogchen.[61] The most important Bon monastery is
Menri monastery, which was built in 1405 in Tsang. Bon monks, like their Buddhist counterparts, study
scripture, train in philosophical debate and perform rituals. However, Bon also has a strong tradition of lay
yogis.[60]

The era of New Bon

"New Bon" (bonsar, or sarma Bon) is a more recent development

in the Bon tradition, which is closely related to both Eternal Bon
and the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.[14][62] It is centered
on the figures of Drenpa Namkha, Tsewang Rigdzin and
Padmasambhava, which in this school are considered to have
transmitted and written commentaries on the works of Tonpa
Shenrab in around the 8th century.[14]

According to Jean Luc Achard, the New Bon movement begins in

Eastern Tibet with the works of Tulku Loden Nyingpo (1360-
1385), a terton who discovered the Zibji (gzi brjid), a famous
Tonpa Shenrab biography.[14] His reincarnation, Techen Mishik
Dorje is also known for his terma revelations.[14]

The movement continued to develop, with new Bon terma texts

being revealed well into the 18th century by influential tertons like
Tulku Sangye Lingpa (b. 1705) and the first Kundrol Drakpa (b. Sanggye Lingpa (1705-1735), Tibet,
19th century, Rubin Museum of Art
1700).[14] New Bon figures do not consider their revelations to be
truly "new", in the sense that they do not see their revelations as
being ultimately different than Yungdrung Bon. However, some
followers of more orthodox Yundrung Bon lineages, like the Manri tradition, saw these termas as being
influenced by Buddhism. Later New Bon figures like Shardza Rinpoche (1859-1934) responded to these
critiques (see his Treasury of Good Sayings, legs bshad mdzod).[14] The work of these New Bon figures
led to the flourishing of New Bon in Eastern Tibet.[63]

Some Tibetan tertons like Dorje Lingpa were known to have revealed New Bon termas as well as
Nyingma termas.[62]

Lobsang Yeshe (1663–1737), recognized as the 5th Panchen Lama by the 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682),
was a member of the Dru family, an important Bon family. Samten Karmay sees this choice as a gesture of
reconciliation with Bon by the Fifth Dalai Lama (who had previously converted some Bon monasteries to
Gelug ones by force). Under the Fifth Dalai Lama, Bon was also officially recognized as a Tibetan
religion.[64] Bon suffered extensively during the Dzungar invasion of Tibet in 1717, when many
Nyingmapas and Bonpos were executed.[65]

Modern period

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bon tradition (both New Bon and Eternal Bon lineages) flourished in
Eastern Tibet, led by charismatic Bonpo lamas like bDe ch en gling pa, d Bal gter sTag s lag can (bsTan
'dzin dbang rgyal), gSang sngags gling pa, and Shardza Rinpoche.[66]

Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859-1933) was a particularly important Bon master of this era, whose collected
writings comprise up to eighteen volumes (or sometimes twenty).[67] According to William M. Gorvine,
this figure is "the Bon religion's most renowned and influential luminary of the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries."[68] He was associated with the orthodox Eternal Bon Manri monastery tradition as well as with
New Bon figures like the 5th and 6th Kun grol incarnations, gSang sngags gling pa (b. 1864) and bDe
chen gling pa (1833-1893) as well as with dBal bon sTag lag ca n, bsTan ' d zin dbang rgyal (b. 1832).
These figures maintained the orthodox Manri tradition of Eternal Bon, while also holding New Bon terma
lineages.[69]

Shardza Rinpoche is also known to have had connections with the non-sectarian Buddhist lamas of the
Rime movement and to have taught both Buddhists and Bonpos.[70][71]

Shardza Rinpoche had many disciples, including his nephew Lodro Gyatso (1915-1954) who led the
lineage and Shardza's hermitage and college, after Shardza's passing.[72][73] His disciple Kagya
Khyungtrul Jigmey Namkha trained many practitioners to be learned in not only the Bon religion, but in all
Tibetan sciences.[74] More than three hundred Bon monasteries had been established in Tibet before
Chinese occupation. Of these, Menri Monastery and Shurishing Yungdrung Dungdrakling Monastery were
the two principal monastic universities for the study and practice of Bon.

Present situation

In 2019, scholars estimate that there were 400,000 Bon followers in

the Tibetan plateau.[75] When Tibet was invaded by the People's
Republic of China, there were approximately 300 Bon monasteries
in Tibet and the rest of western China. Bon suffered the same fate
as Tibetan Buddhism did during the Chinese Cultural revolution,
though their monasteries were allowed to rebuild after 1980.[76]

The present spiritual head of the Bon is Menri Trizin Rinpoché,

Menri Monastery, India
successor of Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (1929–2017), the thirty-fourth
Abbot of Menri Monastery (destroyed in the Cultural Revolution,
but now rebuilt), who now presides over Pal Shen-ten Menri Ling
in Dolanji in Himachal Pradesh, India. The 33rd lineage holder of
Menri Monastery, Menri Trizin Lungtog Tenpei Nyima and Lopön
Tenzin Namdak are important current lineage holders of Bon.

A number of Bon establishments also exist in Nepal; Triten

Norbutse Bonpo Monastery is one on the western outskirts of
Kathmandu. Bon's leading monastery in India is the refounded
Menri Monastery in Dolanji, Himachal Pradesh.
Yungdrung Bon Lamas
Official recognition

Bonpos remained a stigmatized and marginalized group until 1979,

when they sent representatives to Dharamshala and the 14th Dalai
Lama, who advised the Parliament of the Central Tibetan
Administration to accept Bon members. Before this recognition,
during the previous twenty years, the Bon community had received
none of the financial support which was channeled through the
Dalai Lama's office and were often neglected and treated
dismissively in the Tibetan refugee community.[77]
14th Dalai Lama and Tenzin Namdak
in 1978
Since 1979, Bon has had official recognition of its status as a religious group, with the same rights as the
Buddhist schools. This was re-stated in 1987 by the Dalai Lama, who also forbade discrimination against
the Bonpos, stating that it was both undemocratic and self-defeating. He even donned Bon ritual
paraphernalia, emphasizing "the religious equality of the Bon faith".[78] The Dalai Lama now sees Bon as
the fifth Tibetan religion and has given Bonpos representation on the Council of Religious Affairs at
Dharamsala.[62]

However, Tibetans still differentiate between Bon and Buddhism, referring to members of the Nyingma,
Shakya, Kagyu and Gelug schools as nangpa, meaning "insiders", but to practitioners of Bon as "Bonpo",
or even chipa ("outsiders").[79][80]

Teachings of Tibetan Bon

According to Samuel, the teachings of Bon closely resemble those
of Tibetan Buddhism, especially those of the Nyingma school (both
schools share a focus on Dzogchen). Bon monasticism has also
developed a philosophical and debate tradition which is modeled
on the tradition of the Gelug school.[81] Like Buddhism, Bon
teachings see the world as a place of suffering and seek spiritual
liberation. They teach karma and rebirth as well as the six realms of
existence found in Buddhism.[82]
The Bon monastery of Nangzhik
Bon lamas and monks fill similar roles as those of Tibetan Buddhist Gompa at Ngawa Town, in Sichuan.
lamas and the deities and rituals of Bon often resemble Buddhist
ones, even if their names and iconography differ in other
respects.[81] For example, the Bon deity Phurba is almost the same deity as Vajrakilaya, while Chamma
closely resembles Tara.[81]

Per Kværne writes that, at first glance, Bon "appear to be nearly indistinguishable from Buddhism with
respect to its doctrines, monastic life, rituals, and meditational practices."[83] However, both religions agree
that they are distinct, and a central distinction is that Bon's source of religious authority is not the Indian
Buddhist tradition, but what it considers to be the eternal religion which it received from Zhangzhung (in
Western Tibet) and ultimately derives from land called Tazik where Tonpa Shenrab lived, ruled as king and
taught Bon.[83] Bon also includes many rituals and concerns that are not as common in Tibetan Buddhism.
Many of these are worldly and pragmatic, such as divination rituals, funerary rituals that are meant to guide
a deceased person's consciousness to higher realms and appeasing local deities through ransom rituals.[84]

In the Bon worldview, the term "Bon" means “truth,” “reality,” and “the true doctrine.” The Bon religion,
which is revealed by enlightened beings, provides ways of dealing with the mundane world as well as a
path to spiritual liberation.[85] Bon doctrine is generally classified in various ways, including the "nine
ways" and the four portals and the fifth, the treasury.

Worldview

According to Bon, all of reality is pervaded by a transcendent principle, which has a male aspect called
Kuntuzangpo (All-Good) and a female aspect called Kuntuzangmo. This principle is an empty dynamic
potentiality. It is also identified with what is called the “bön body” (bon sku), which is the true nature of all
phenomena and is similar to the Buddhist idea of the Dharmakaya, as well as with the “bön nature” (bon
nyid), which is similar to "Buddha nature". This ultimate principle is the source of all reality and to achieve
spiritual liberation, one must have insight into this ultimate nature.[86]
According to John Myrdhin Reynolds, Bonpo Dzogchen is said to reveal one's Primordial State (ye gzhi)
or Natural State (gnas-lugs) which is described in terms of intrinsic primordial purity (ka-dag) and
spontaneous perfection in manifestation (lhun-grub).[62]

The Bon Dzogchen understanding of reality is explained by Powers as follows:

In Bön great perfection texts, the world is said to be an emanation of luminous mind. All the
phenomena of experience are its illusory projections, which have their being in mind itself.
Mind in turn is part of the primordial basis of all reality, called “bön nature.” This exists in the
form of multicolored light and pervades all of reality, which is merely its manifestation. Thus
Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen contends that everything exists in dependence upon mind, which is an
expression of the bön nature...mind is a primordially pure entity that is co-extensive with bön
nature, an all-pervasive reality that is only perceived by those who have eliminated
adventitious mental afflictions and actualized the luminous potentiality of mind. Those who
attain awakening transform themselves into variegated light in the form of the rainbow body,
after which their physical forms dissolve, leaving nothing behind. Both cyclic existence and
nirvana are mind, the only difference being that those who have attained nirvana have
eliminated illusory afflictions, and so their cognitive streams are manifested as clear light, while
beings caught up in cyclic existence fail to recognize the luminous nature of mind and so are
plagued by its illusory creations.[87]

Classification of the teachings

According to John Myrdhin Reynolds, the main Bon teachings are classified into three main schemas:[62]

1. The Nine Successive Vehicles to Enlightenment (theg-pa rim dgu);

2. Four Portals of Bon and the fifth which is the Treasury (sgo bzhi mdzod lnga);
3. The Three Cycles of Precepts that are Outer, Inner, and Secret (bka' phyi nang gsang skor
gsum).

The Nine Ways or Vehicles

Samuel notes that Bon tends to be more accepting and explicit in their embrace of the practical side of life
(and the importance of life rituals and worldly activities) which falls under the "Bon of cause" division of
"the Nine Ways of Bon" (bon theg pa rim dgu). This schema includes all the teachings of Bon and divides
them into nine main classes, which are as follows:[88][89]

Way of Prediction (phyva gshen theg pa) codifies ritual, divination, medicine, and astrology;
Way of the Visual World (snang shen theg pa) teaches rituals for local gods and spirits for
good fortune
Way of Magic ('phrul gshen theg pa) explains the magical excorcistic rites for the destruction
of adverse entities.
Way of Life (srid gshen theg pa) details funeral and death rituals as well as ways to protect
the life force of the living
Way of a Lay Follower (dge bsnyen theg pa) lay morality, contains the ten principles for
wholesome activity as well as worldly life rituals
Way of an Ascetic (drang srong theg pa) or "Swastika Bon" focuses on ascetic practice,
meditation and monastic life;
 Way of Primordial Sound (a dkar theg pa) or the Way of the
White A, this refers to tantric practices and secret mantras
(gsang sngags);
Way of Primordial Shen, (ye gshen theg pa) refers to certain
special yogic methods. This corresponds to the Nyingma
school's Anuyoga.
The Supreme Way (bla med theg pa), or The Way of Dzogchen
(Great Perfection). Like the Nyingmapas, Bonpos consider
Dzogchen to be the superior meditative path.

Traditionally, the Nine Ways are taught in three versions: in the Central,
Northern and Southern treasures. The Central treasure is closest to
Nyingma Nine Yānas teaching and the Northern treasure is lost. Tenzin
Wangyal Rinpoche elaborated the Southern treasure with shamanism.[36]
Lopön Tenzin Namdak,
The nine ways are classified into two main divisions in the "Southern abbot of a Bon monastery in
Treasure" terma tradition:[88][62] Nepal and a well known
teacher of Bonpo Dzogchen
"Bon of Cause" (rgyu), comprises the first four of the above;
"Bon of the Effect" ('bras bu) includes the fifth through ninth, the
superior path being the Way of Dzogchen (as in the Nyingma school).

The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury

This classification, called The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury (sgo bzhi mdzod lnga), is a different
and independent system of classification.[62] The main sets of teachings here are divided up as follows:[62]

The Bon of "the White Waters" containing the Fierce Mantras (chab dkar drag-po sngags kyi
bon) deals with tantric or esoteric matters, mainly fierce or wrathful practices and deities.
The Bon of "the Black Waters" for the continuity of existence (chab nag srid-pa rgyud kyi
bon) concerns divination, magic, funeral rites, purification rituals and ransom rituals.
The Bon of the Extensive Prajnaparamita from the country of Phanyul ('phan-yul rgyas-pa
'bum gyi bon) includes teachings on lay and monastic ethics, as well as expositions of
Prajnaparamita philosophy.
The Bon of the Scriptures and the Secret Oral Instructions of the Masters (dpon-gsas man-
ngag lung gi bon) deals mainly with Dzogchen teachings.
The Bon of the Treasury which is of the highest purity and is all-inclusive (gtsang mtho-thog
spyi-rgyug mdzod kyi bon), this is an anthology of the salient items of the Four Portals.

The Three Cycles

The Three Cycles of Precepts that are Outer, Inner, and Secret (bka' phyi nang gsang skor gsum) are:[62]

The Outer Cycle (phyi skor) deals with sutra teachings on the path of renunciation.
The Inner Cycle (nang skor) contains Tantric teachings (rgyud-lugs) and is known as the
path of transformation (sgyur lam).
 The Secret Cycle (gsang skor) contains the Dzogchen intimate instructions (man-ngag) and
is known as the Path of Self-Liberation (grol lam).

Traditions of Bon Dzogchen

There are three main Bon Dzogchen traditions:[90][62][91]

The Zhang-zhung Aural Lineage (Zhang-zhung nyen-

gyu) - This tradition is ultimately traced to the primordial
Buddha Kuntu Zangpo, who taught it to nine Sugatas,
the last being Sangwa Düpa. These teachings were then
passed down by twenty four Dzogchen masters in Tazik
and Zhangzhung, all of which are said to have attained
rainbow body.[92] The lineage eventually reached the 7th
century siddha Tapihritsa, the last of the 24 masters. He
later appeared to the 8th century Zhangzhung siddha
Gyerpung Nangzher Lödpo, who was in retreat near
Darok Lake, and gave him a direct introduction to
Dzogchen.[92] Gyerpung Nangzher Lödpo transmitted
the teachings to numerous disciples who also wrote the
teachings down. This lineage continued until it reached
Pön-gyal Tsänpo, who translated these works into
Tibetan from the language of Zhangzhung.[92] A thangka depicting the lineage
lamas of the Aural Tradition of
A-khrid ("The Teaching Leading to the Primordial State
Zhangzhung.
i.e. A") - This tradition was founded by Meuton
Gongdzad Ritrod Chenpo ('The Great Hermit Meditation-
Treasury of the family of rMe'u', c. 11th century). These
teachings are divided into three sections dealing with the view (lta-ba), the meditation
(sgom-pa), and the conduct (spyod-pa) and is structured into a set of eighty meditation
sessions which extend over several weeks. Later figures like Aza Lodo Gyaltsan and
Druchen Gyalwa Yungdrung condensed the practices down to a smaller number of
sessions. The great Bonpo master Shardza Rinpoche wrote extensive commentaries on the
A-khrid system and its associated dark retreat practice.[62]
Dzogchen Yangtse Longchen - This system is based on a terma named the rDzogs-chen
yang-rtse'i klong-chen ("the Great Vast Expanse of the Highest Peak which is the Great
Perfection,") which was discovered by Zhodton Ngodrub Dragpa in 1080 (inside of a statue
of Vairocana). The terma is attributed to the eighth century Bonpo master Lishu Tagrin.[62]

Donnatella Rossi also mentions two more important cycles of Bon Dzogchen teachings:[93]

Ye khri mtha' sel, also known as the Indian Cycle (rgya gar gyi skor), which is attributed to
the eighth century Zhangzhung master Dranpa Namkha and is said to have been
transmitted in the 11th century to Lung Bon lHa gnyan by a miraculous apparition of Dranpa
Namkha's son.
 Byang chub sems gab pa dgu skor, which is classified as an important Southern Treasure
text and was discovered by Shenchen Luga (996-1035), a major figure of the later diffusion
of Bon.

Pantheon of Tibetan Bon

Enlightened beings

Bon deities share some similarities to Buddhist Mahayana deities

and some are also called "Buddhas" (sanggye), but they also have
unique names, iconography and mantras.[94] As in Tibetan
Buddhism, Bon deities can be "peaceful" or "wrathful".[95]

The most important of the peaceful deities are the "Four

Transcendent Lords, Deshek Tsozhi (bDer gshegs gtso bzhi)."[95]
Each of these four beings has many different forms and
manifestations.[95] These are:[95]

"The Mother" Satrig Ersang, a female Buddha whose

name means wisdom and who is similar to
Prajnaparamita (and is also yellow in color). Her "five
heroic syllables" are: SRUM, GAM, RAM, YAM, OM.[96]
One of her most important manifestations is Sherab
Chamma (loving lady of wisdom), a female bodhisattva
Kunzang Akor, Central Tibet, 16th
like being.
century.
"The God" Shenlha Ökar (wisdom priest of white light) or
Shiwa Ökar (peaceful white light), a deity of wisdom light
and compassion, whose main color is white. He is
associated with the Dharmakaya. Kvaerne sees some
similarities with Amitabha.[97] Another important
Dharmakaya deity is Kuntuzangpo (Samantabhadra, All
Good), the primordial Buddha, which serves a similar
function to the figure of the same name in the Nyingma
school Both Kuntuzangpo and Shenlha Ökar are seen
as personifications of the 'Body of Bon', or Ultimate
Reality.[98] In Bon, Kuntunzangpo is often presented in a
slightly different form called Kunzang Akor ('the All-Good,
Cycle of A'), depicted seated in meditation with a letter A
in his breast.[98]
"The Procreator" (sipa), Sangpo Bumtri. He is the being
who brings forth the beings of this world and plays an
important role in Bon cosmogonic myths. He is
Trowo Tsochog Khagying
associated with the sambhogakaya.[99]
"The Teacher" Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche (meaning:
Supreme Priest, Great Man). He is associated with the nirmanakaya and is the present
teacher of Bon in this era.[100]

Bon Yidams (meditation or tutelary deities) are those deities which are often used in meditative tantric
practice and are the mainly fierce or wrathful forms. These class of deities resemble Buddhist yidams like
Chakrasamvara and Hevajra. It includes figures like Magyu Sangchog Tartug ('Supreme Secret of Mother
Tantras, Attaining the Limit'), Trowo Tsochog Khagying ('Wrathful One, Supreme Lord Towering in the
Sky'), Welse Ngampa ('Fierce Piercing Deity'), and Meri ('Mountain of Fire').[101] The Bonpos also have a
tantric tradition of a deity called Purpa, which is very similar to the Nyingma deity Vajrakilaya.[102]

Like the Buddhists, the Bon pantheon also includes various protector deities, siddhas (perfected ones),
lamas (teachers) and dakinis. Some key figures are Drenpa Namkha (a major 8th century Bon lama whose
name is also mentioned in Buddhist sources), the sage Takla Mebar (a disciple of Tonpa Shenrab), Sangwa
Dupa (a sage from Tazik), Zangsa Ringtsun (Auspicious Lady of Long Life).[103]

Worldly gods and spirits

The Bon cosmos contains numerous other deities, including Shangpo and Chucham (a goddess of water)
who produced nine gods and goddesses. There is also the 360 Kékhö, who live on the mount Tisé
(Kailash) and the 360 Werma deities. These are associated with the 360 days of the year.[104]

Another set of deities are the White Old Man, a sky god, and his consort. They are known by a few
different names, such as the Gyalpo Pehar called “King Pehar” (Wylie: pe har rgyal po). Pehar is featured
as a protecting deity of Zhangzhung, the center of the Bon religion. Reportedly, Pehar is related to celestial
heavens and the sky in general. In early Buddhist times, Pehar transmogrified into a shamanic bird to adapt
to the bird motifs of shamanism. Pehar's consort is a female deity known by one of her names as Düza
Minkar (Wylie: bdud gza smin dkar).[105]

Bonpos cultivate household gods in addition to other deities and the layout of their homes may include
various seats for protector deities.[106]

Chinese influence is also seen is some of the deities worshiped in Bon. For example, Confucius is
worshipped in Bon as a holy king and master of magic, divination and astrology. He is also seen as being a
reincarnation of Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, the legendary founder of Bon.[107]

In the Balti version of Bon in Baltistan, deities such as lha (gods), klu (serpents or dragons) and lhamo
(goddesses) are worshipped, and many legends about these deities still exist among the local population.

Tibetan Bon literature

Bon texts can be divided into translations of teachings (the words of Buddha Shenrab, found in the Bon
Kanjur) and translations of treatises (philosophical and commentarial texts, the Bon Tenjur).[108] The Bon
Kanjur comprises four main categories: the Sutras (mdo), the Perfection of Wisdom Teachings ('bum), the
Tantras (rgyud) and Higher Knowledge (mdzod, 'Treasure-house'), which deals with the supreme forms of
meditation.[109] The Tenjur material is classified into three main categories according to Kvaerne:
"'External', including commentaries on canonical texts dealing with monastic discipline, morality;
metaphysics and the biographies of Tonpa Shenrap; 'Internal', comprising the commentaries on the Tantras
including rituals focusing on the tantric deities and the cult of dakinis, goddesses whose task it is to protect
the Doctrine, and worldly rituals of magic and divination; and finally 'Secret', a section that deals with
meditational practices."[109]

Besides these, the Bon canon includes material on rituals, arts and crafts, logic, medicine, poetry and
narrative. According to Powers, Bon literature includes numerous ritual and liturgical treatises, which share
some similarities to Tibetan Buddhist ritual.[110] According to Per Kvaerne, "while no precise date for the
formation of the Bonpo Kanjur can be ascertained at present...it does not seem to contain texts which have
come to light later than 1386. A reasonable surmise would be that the Bonpo Kanjur was assembled by
1450."[109]

According to Samuel, Bon texts are similar to Buddhist texts and thus suggest "a considerable amount of
borrowing between the two traditions in the tenth and eleventh centuries. While it has generally been
assumed that this borrowing proceeds from Buddhist to Bonpo, and this seems to have been the case for the
Phurba practice, some of it may well have been in the opposite direction."[102] Powers similarly notes that
"many Bön scriptures are nearly identical to texts in the Buddhist canon, but often have different titles and
Bön technical terms" and "only a few Bön texts that seem to predate Buddhism." [108] While Western
scholars initially assumed that this similarity with Buddhist texts was mere plagiarism, the work of
Snellgrove and others have reassessed this view and now most scholars of Bon hold that in many cases,
Buddhist texts borrow and reproduce Bon texts. Per Kværne writes that "this does not mean that Bon was
not at some stage powerfully influenced by Buddhism; but once the two religions, Bon and Buddhism,
were established as rival traditions in Tibet, their relationship was a complicated one of mutual
influence.[83]

Regarding the current status of the Bon canon, Powers writes that,

The Bön canon today consists of about three hundred volumes, which were carved onto wood
blocks around the middle of the nineteenth century and stored in Trochu in eastern Tibet.
Copies of the canon were printed until the 1950s, but the blocks were destroyed during the
Cultural Revolution, although it appears that most of the texts were brought to India or hidden
in Tibet.[108]

Termas

The largest part of the Bon canon is made up of numerous termas (treasure texts), which were believed to
have been hidden away during the period of persecution and to have begun to be discovered during the
10th century.[111] Bonpos hold that their termas were hidden by masters like Drenpa Namkha during the
period of decline and persecution under King Trisong Deutsen, and then were rediscovered by later Bon
tertons (treasure discoverers).[112]

The three principal terma of Yungdrung Bon are:[113]

the "Northern Treasure" (Wylie: byang gter), compiled from texts revealed in Zhangzhung
and northern Tibet
the "Central Treasure" (Wylie: dbus gter), from Central Tibet
the "Southern Treasure" (Wylie: lho gter), revealed in Bhutan and Southern Tibet.

Three Bon scriptures—mdo 'dus, gzer mig, and gzi brjid—relate the mythos of Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche.
The Bonpos regard the first two as gter ma rediscovered around the tenth and eleventh centuries and the
last as nyan brgyud (oral transmission) dictated by Loden Nyingpo, who lived in the fourteenth
century.[114]

A Cavern of Treasures (Tibetan: མཛོ ད་ཕུག, Wylie: mdzod phug) is a Bon terma uncovered by Shenchen
Luga (Tibetan: གཤེ ན་ཆེ ན་ཀླུ་དགའ, Wylie: gshen chen klu dga') in the early 11th century which is an
important source for the study of the Zhang-Zhung language.[115]
The main Bon great perfection teachings are found in terma texts called The Three Cycles of Revelation.
The primary Bon Dzogchen text is The Golden Tortoise, which was revealed by Ngödrup Drakpa (c. 11th
century). According to Samten Karmay, these teachings are similar to those of the Semde class in
Nyingma.[116] According to Jean Luc Achard, the main Dzogchen cycle studied and practiced in
contemporary Bon is The Oral Transmission of the Great Perfection in Zhangzhung (rDzogs pa chen po
zhang zhung snyan rgyud), a cycle which includes teachings on the Dzogchen practices of trekcho and
thogal (though it uses different terms to refer to these practices) and is attributed to the Zhangzhung sage
Tapihritsa.[117]

See also
Bon in Bhutan
Dongba
Gurung Dharma
Mun (religion)
Tengrism
Kum Nye
Namkha
Phurba
Religion in Tibet
Samye
Tapihritsa
Western use of the swastika in the early 20th century
Shugendō
Weizza

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Sources
Achard, Jean-Luc (2008). Enlightened Rainbows - The Life and Works of Shardza Tashi
Gyeltsen Brill's Tibetan Studies Library, Brill Academic Publishers.
Donald S. Lopez (Jr.) (ed.) (1998). Religions Of Tibet In Practice. Munshiram Manoharlal
Publishers Pvt. Limited.
Gorvine, William M. (2018). Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary: The Life of a Modern Bönpo
Saint. Oxford University Press.
Karmay, Samten G. (1975). A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon.
Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko, No. 33, pp. 171–218. Tokyo,
Japan: Tōyō Bunko.
Kvaerne, Per (1996). The Bon Religion of Tibet, The Iconography of a Living Tradition.
Shambhala
 Powers, John (2007). Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition. Snow Lion
Publications.
Rossi, Donnatella (2000). The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon
Religion. Shambhala Publications
Samuel, Geoffrey (2012). Introducing Tibetan Buddhism. Routledge.
Wangyal, Tenzin (2002). Healing with form, energy and light. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion
Publications. ISBN 1-55939-176-6.

Further reading
Allen, Charles. (1999). The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History. Little,
Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. ISBN 0-349-11142-1.
Baumer, Christopher. Bon: Tibet's Ancient Religion. Ilford: Wisdom, 2002. ISBN 978-974-
524-011-7.
Bellezza, John Vincent. Spirit Mediums, Sacred Mountains and Related Bön Textual
Traditions in Upper Tibet. Boston: Brill, 2005.
Bellezza, John Vincent. “gShen-rab Myi-bo, His life and times according to Tibet's earliest
literary sources”, Revue d’études tibétaines 19 (October 2010): 31–118.
Ermakov, Dmitry. Bѳ and Bön: Ancient Shamanic Traditions of Siberia and Tibet in their
Relation to the Teachings of a Central Asian Buddha. Kathmandu: Vajra Publications, 2008.
Günther, Herbert V. (1996). The Teachings of Padmasambhava. Leiden–Boston: Brill.
Gyaltsen, Shardza Tashi. Heart drops of Dharmakaya: Dzogchen practice of the Bon
tradition, 2nd edn. Trans. by Lonpon Tenzin Namdak. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 2002.
Hummel, Siegbert. “PE-HAR.” East and West 13, no. 4 (1962): 313–6.
Jinpa, Gelek, Charles Ramble, & V. Carroll Dunham. Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage in
Tibet: in Search of the Lost Kingdom of Bon. New York–London: Abbeville, 2005. ISBN 0-
7892-0856-3
Kind, Marietta. The Bon Landscape of Dolpo. Pilgrimages, Monasteries, Biographies and
the Emergence of Bon. Berne, 2012, ISBN 978-3-0343-0690-4.
Lhagyal, Dondrup, et al. A Survey of Bonpo Monasteries and Temples in Tibet and the
Himalaya. Osaka 2003, ISBN 4901906100.
Martin, Dean. “'Ol-mo-lung-ring, the Original Holy Place”, Sacred Spaces and Powerful
Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays, ed. Toni Huber. Dharamsala, H.P., India:
The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1999, pp. 125–153. ISBN 81-86470-22-0.
Namdak, Yondzin Lopön Tenzin. Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyengyud: Pith Instructions
from the Experiential Transmission of Bönpo Dzogchen, trans. & ed. C. Ermakova & D.
Ermakov. New Delhi: Heritage Publishers, 2010.
Norbu, Namkhai. 1995. Drung, Deu and Bön: Narrations, Symbolic languages and the Bön
tradition in ancient Tibet. Translated from Tibetan into Italian edited and annotated by
Adriano Clemente. Translated from Italian into English by Andrew Lukianowicz. Library of
Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-85102-93-7.
Pegg, Carole (2006). Inner Asia Religious Contexts: Folk-religious Practices, Shamanism,
Tantric Buddhist Practices. Oxford University Press.
Peters, Larry. Tibetan Shamanism: Ecstasy and Healing. Berkeley, Cal.: North Atlantic
Books, 2016.
Rossi, D. (1999). The philosophical view of the great perfection in the Tibetan Bon religion.
Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion. The book gives translations of Bon scriptures "The Twelve
Little Tantras" and "The View Which is Like the Lion's Roar".
Samuel, Geoffrey (1993). Civilised Shamans. Smithsonian Institution Press.
 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928062536/http://www.sharpham-
trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf (accessed: Thursday January 18, 2007)
Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche (2012). Heart Essence of the Khandro. Heritage
Publishers.
Ghulam Hassan Lobsang, Skardu Baltistan, Pakistan,1997. " History of Bon Philosophy "
written in Urdu/Persian style. The book outlines religious and cultural changes within the
Baltistan/Tibet/Ladakh region over past centuries and explores the impact of local belief
systems on the lives of the region's inhabitants in the post-Islamic era.

External links
Tibet's Bon (http://www.xizangbenjiao.org/) (in Chinese and Standard Tibetan)
Bon Foundation (http://www.bonfoundation.org/)
Bon in Belarus and Ukraine (http://bonpo.narod.ru/) (in English)
Yungdrung Bon UK (https://web.archive.org/web/20181005063321/http://www.yungdrungbo
n.co.uk/Home.html)
Ligmincha Institute (http://www.ligmincha.org/)
Gyalshen Institute (http://gyalshen.org/)

Studies

Siberian Bo and Tibetan Bon (http://www.boandbon.com/), studies by Dmitry Ermakov

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