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"According to its own Bon historical perspective, Bon was introduced into Tibet many centuries before Buddhism and enjoyed royal patronage until it was finally supplanted by the ‘false religion’ (Buddhism) from India in the 8th century. It is claimed that Bon flourished in a land known as Zhangzhung until it was conquered and converted to Buddhism and assimilated into Tibetan culture."
First I'll try to clear up some misconceptions about the true origin of Buddhism: Buddhism is not Tibetan, Japanese or Chinese from the Far East.
The Buddha said that his doctrine was of Aryan origin, so the Sidhata prince had the same ethnic origin as Europe, Central Asia such as Afghanistan and Pakistan and also North America where the Indu-Aryans settled.
Buddhism only reached Tibet in the Middle Ages, and its teachings were corrupted too much by the Christians
Century VII
It was at this time that the Buddhists/Christians came into contact with the Bon-pos and due to the Christian nature of Tibetan Buddhism, they ended up coming into great conflict.
Ignorance appears to have been one of the fundamental causes of religious intolerance towards the Bonpos in the past. Through the following paragraphs, an attempt is made to present the salient features of Bon religion.
Introduction
,
‘Bonpos’, the followers of Bon religion had to endure centuries of persecution and social and political marginalization at the hands of the Buddhist majority.
The ‘Bon’ religious tradition of Tibet is often misunderstood as just another branch or sect of Buddhism. Such misconceptions on the part of the average Westerner may easily be forgiven when one considers the ignorance of the average Tibetan about Bon religion. The historical predominance of Buddhism in all aspects of Tibetan political and social culture since the seventh century is responsible for such misconceptions.
‘Bonpos’, the followers of Bon religion had to endure centuries of persecution and social and political marginalization at the hands of the Buddhist majority.
It is no small feat of survival and tenacity that in spite of such adverse circumstances, the small Bonpo religious communities, scattered in different parts of Tibet, have not only managed to preserve their distinct traditions and culture but have also successfully begun to promote them internationally. Like Tibetan Buddhist traditions, Bon has a growing following in the West both among academic circles and spiritual seekers.
At ‘home’, it’s enjoying a gradual revival within Tibet and among its minority Tibetan community, based mainly at Dolanji, in Himachal Pradesh, India, and other small communities in Nepal. The founding fathers of the monastery who also persuaded fellow Bonpos to come together to live in a separate Bonpo community at Dolanji (two hours drive from Shimla) deserve credit for their vision and determination to preserve and restore their living culture in exile. Since coming into exile, there has been a progressive change in the perception and understanding of Bon among the majority Tibetan Buddhists. Many now respect Bon as a distinct and important religious tradition of Tibet and accord equal rights to freedom of belief and practice to the Bonpos.
Under the democratic Charter of the Tibetan Government in Exile, followers of Bon are entitled to be represented in the Tibetan People’s Assembly by two elected representa-
tives at par with the representatives of Sakya, Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug sects of Buddhism.
Among the many causal factors for such a positive change are the fact of China’s takeover of Tibet; His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s non-sectarian and ecumenical approach to all religious traditions; the equal political status granted to Bon as one of the major religious traditions of Tibet in the Charter mentioned above; Professor Namkhai Norbu’s persuasive validation of Bon religious culture as the native, pre-Buddhist civilization of Tibet; the secularization and greater religious tolerance inculcated by the new generation of educated Tibetans; and greater knowledge and understanding of Bon as promoted through the writings of Western and Tibetan academics like Giuseppe Tucci, David L. Snellgrove, R. A. Stein, Per Kvaern, Namkhai Norbu, and Samten G. Karmay.
According to its own Bon historical perspective, Bon was introduced into Tibet many centuries before Buddhism and enjoyed royal patronage until it was finally supplanted by the ‘false religion’ (Buddhism) from India in the 8th century. It is claimed that Bon flourished in a land known as Zhangzhung until it was conquered and converted to Buddhism and assimilated into Tibetan culture. Although there is no agreement as to the exact location or extent and the ethnic and cultural identity of the Zhangzhung empire, its historical reality is no longer in doubt. Many believe that the Zhangzhung empire flourished in the present day Ngari region of Tibet centered round Mt Kailash in the west, concurrent with the empire of ‘Purgyal’ in central Tibet and the empire of ‘Sumpa’ in the east.
Just as the major canonical texts of the Tibetan Buddhists have been translated from Sanskrit, the scriptures of Bon have, so the Bonpos claim, been translated into Tibetan from the language of Zhangzhung. Although the authenticity of Zhangzhung language is hotly debated, scholars like Erik Haar and Namkhai Norbu support its existence and even produced a bilingual Tibetan-Zhangzhung vocabulary. The Bonpos believe that ‘Eternal Bon’ was first proclaimed in a land known as ‘Tazik’ or ‘Wolmo Lungring’, which refers not just to a geographical country but also to a ‘hidden’, semi- paradisiacal land which latterday humans can only reach in visions or by supernatural means after being spiritually purified. Thus, it has the same characteristics as the Buddhist holy land of ‘Shambala’.
Just as India is the holy land where the Buddha was born and preached the Dharma, Tazik or Wolmo Lungring is the holy land where the founder, Toenpa Sherab was born and preached the way of the ‘Yungdrung Bon’. The Bonpos have a voluminous hagiographical literature in which Toenpa Sherab’s exploits are extolled. Although there are those who contest the historical and literary genesis of Toenpa Sherab and even regard him as a misrepresentation of Shakyamuni, there are manifest differences in the lives of these two religious founders to negate such claims.
Hyperborea and the sacred land of 'Wolmo Lungring
Buddha is descended from the Indo-Europeans and these came directly from Hyperborea, while the main transmitter of Bon was born in this sacred land, which means that Bon practice predates Buddhism by thousands of years, and that Buddhism is actually based on the yung drung Bon, which is why there are so many similarities between them.
Sidharta may have been a descendant of Toenpa Sherab
Olmo Lungring: the imperishable sacred land Olmo Lungring: the imperishable sacred land by John Myrdhin Reynoldsby John Myrdhin Reynolds According to the BonpoBonpo tradition, although Yungdrung Bon is eternal and without an ultimate beginning in time, it originated in the present kalpa or cycle of existence in the country of Olmo Lungring where Tonpa ShenrabTonpa Shenrab descended from the celestial spheres and took up incarnation among human beings as an Iranian prince. The mysterious land of Olmo Lungring (`ol-mo lung-rings) or Olmoling (`ol-mo`i gling) is said to be part of a larger geographical region to the northwest of Tibet called Tazig (stag-gzig, var.
rtag-gzigs), which scholars identify with Iran or, more properly, Central Asia where in ancient times Iranian languages such as Avestan and later Sogdian were spoken.
According to the “gZer-mig” the traditional etymology of the name Olmo Lungring is as follows: “`ol” means “unborn”, “mo” “undermined”, “lung” “the prophetic words of Shenrab”, and “rings” “everlasting compassion”. According to the “gZi-brjid”, Olmo Lungring was also known as Shambhala in Sanskrit and it continues to be known by this name among Tibetan Buddhists even today. Moreover, it is said that in ancient times it encompassed fully one-third of the known world a statement which could apply to the historical Persian empire.
Whereas Shakyamuni was a prince who renounced the world after seeing the true nature of samsara as being ‘suffering’, and through renunciation of his worldly life and embracing asceticism achieved enlightenment before showing others the true path, Toepa Sherab ascended the throne as a king but traveled far and wide, propagating the doctrine of Bon and performing numerous rituals of purification. Whereas Buddhist rituals have no direct canonical basis, in Bon, as pointed out by Philip Denwood, “we have whole developed rituals and their liturgies specified in the minutest detail in the basic canon”. The propagation of Bon by Toenpa Sherab included the construction of temples and stupas, but not the foundation of monasteries. His numerous wives, sons, daughters and disciples also played significant roles in propagating the Bon faith which have no parallel in Buddhism. It was only late in life that Toenpa Shenrab was ordained, and retiring to a forest hermitage, he finally succeeded in conquering his mighty opponent, the Prince of Demons. By the late eleventh century, the Bonpos began to establish monasteries organized along the same lines as those of Buddhists. The most prestigious Bonpo monastery, founded in 1405, is Menri (Medicine Mountain) in the Central Tibetan province of Tsang, but there are numerous other monasteries in the eastern and north-eastern Tibetan regions of Kham and Amdo. Monks are bound by strict rules of discipline, including celibacy. Fully ordained monks are called ‘Dangsong’ (rishi): the semi-divine seers. Over the centuries, the monastic life of the Bon has increasingly come under the influence of the traditions of academic learning and scholastic debate that characterizes the dominant Gelugpa school.
The vast literature of Bon which Western scholars are beginning to explore was described by David L Snellgrove in 1967: “by far the greater part would seem to have been absorbed through learning and then retold, and this is not just plagiarism”.
which establishes the fact that Bon and Buddhism had interacted and mutually influenced each other in various ways over the centuries of co-existence and growth. The Bon tradition holds that the early kings of Tibet were adherents of Bon who gave their royal patronage to the religion and contributed to its propagation far and wide in the kingdom. However, the eighth king, Drigum Tsenpo, persecuted the followers of Bon with the result that a large number of sacred Bon texts had to be hidden away so that they may be preserved for future generations. Thus, began the tradition of recovering ‘concealed textual treasures’ (Terma) at a later time by pre-ordained individuals called ‘Terton’ (Treasure Revealer). Although Bon was reinstated by Drigum Tsenpo’s successor and flourished for a while, it was once more persecuted by King Trisong Deutsen in the 8th century who, as a devout Buddhist, gave royal patronage to Buddhism and tried his best to undermine the power and influence of the followers of Bon in government. Bonpo priests were either banished from Tibet or forced to conform to Buddhism
Source:A Collection Of Studies On The Tibetan Bon Tradition
The Hellenic-Buddhist alliance
julios evola 1943-the-doctrine-of-awakening
First I'll try to clear up some misconceptions about the true origin of Buddhism: Buddhism is not Tibetan, Japanese or Chinese from the Far East.
The Buddha said that his doctrine was of Aryan origin, so the Sidhata prince had the same ethnic origin as Europe, Central Asia such as Afghanistan and Pakistan and also North America where the Indu-Aryans settled.
Buddhism only reached Tibet in the Middle Ages, and its teachings were corrupted too much by the Christians
Century VII
It was at this time that the Buddhists/Christians came into contact with the Bon-pos and due to the Christian nature of Tibetan Buddhism, they ended up coming into great conflict.
Ignorance appears to have been one of the fundamental causes of religious intolerance towards the Bonpos in the past. Through the following paragraphs, an attempt is made to present the salient features of Bon religion.
Introduction
,
‘Bonpos’, the followers of Bon religion had to endure centuries of persecution and social and political marginalization at the hands of the Buddhist majority.
The ‘Bon’ religious tradition of Tibet is often misunderstood as just another branch or sect of Buddhism. Such misconceptions on the part of the average Westerner may easily be forgiven when one considers the ignorance of the average Tibetan about Bon religion. The historical predominance of Buddhism in all aspects of Tibetan political and social culture since the seventh century is responsible for such misconceptions.
‘Bonpos’, the followers of Bon religion had to endure centuries of persecution and social and political marginalization at the hands of the Buddhist majority.
It is no small feat of survival and tenacity that in spite of such adverse circumstances, the small Bonpo religious communities, scattered in different parts of Tibet, have not only managed to preserve their distinct traditions and culture but have also successfully begun to promote them internationally. Like Tibetan Buddhist traditions, Bon has a growing following in the West both among academic circles and spiritual seekers.
At ‘home’, it’s enjoying a gradual revival within Tibet and among its minority Tibetan community, based mainly at Dolanji, in Himachal Pradesh, India, and other small communities in Nepal. The founding fathers of the monastery who also persuaded fellow Bonpos to come together to live in a separate Bonpo community at Dolanji (two hours drive from Shimla) deserve credit for their vision and determination to preserve and restore their living culture in exile. Since coming into exile, there has been a progressive change in the perception and understanding of Bon among the majority Tibetan Buddhists. Many now respect Bon as a distinct and important religious tradition of Tibet and accord equal rights to freedom of belief and practice to the Bonpos.
Under the democratic Charter of the Tibetan Government in Exile, followers of Bon are entitled to be represented in the Tibetan People’s Assembly by two elected representa-
tives at par with the representatives of Sakya, Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug sects of Buddhism.
Among the many causal factors for such a positive change are the fact of China’s takeover of Tibet; His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s non-sectarian and ecumenical approach to all religious traditions; the equal political status granted to Bon as one of the major religious traditions of Tibet in the Charter mentioned above; Professor Namkhai Norbu’s persuasive validation of Bon religious culture as the native, pre-Buddhist civilization of Tibet; the secularization and greater religious tolerance inculcated by the new generation of educated Tibetans; and greater knowledge and understanding of Bon as promoted through the writings of Western and Tibetan academics like Giuseppe Tucci, David L. Snellgrove, R. A. Stein, Per Kvaern, Namkhai Norbu, and Samten G. Karmay.
According to its own Bon historical perspective, Bon was introduced into Tibet many centuries before Buddhism and enjoyed royal patronage until it was finally supplanted by the ‘false religion’ (Buddhism) from India in the 8th century. It is claimed that Bon flourished in a land known as Zhangzhung until it was conquered and converted to Buddhism and assimilated into Tibetan culture. Although there is no agreement as to the exact location or extent and the ethnic and cultural identity of the Zhangzhung empire, its historical reality is no longer in doubt. Many believe that the Zhangzhung empire flourished in the present day Ngari region of Tibet centered round Mt Kailash in the west, concurrent with the empire of ‘Purgyal’ in central Tibet and the empire of ‘Sumpa’ in the east.
Just as the major canonical texts of the Tibetan Buddhists have been translated from Sanskrit, the scriptures of Bon have, so the Bonpos claim, been translated into Tibetan from the language of Zhangzhung. Although the authenticity of Zhangzhung language is hotly debated, scholars like Erik Haar and Namkhai Norbu support its existence and even produced a bilingual Tibetan-Zhangzhung vocabulary. The Bonpos believe that ‘Eternal Bon’ was first proclaimed in a land known as ‘Tazik’ or ‘Wolmo Lungring’, which refers not just to a geographical country but also to a ‘hidden’, semi- paradisiacal land which latterday humans can only reach in visions or by supernatural means after being spiritually purified. Thus, it has the same characteristics as the Buddhist holy land of ‘Shambala’.
Just as India is the holy land where the Buddha was born and preached the Dharma, Tazik or Wolmo Lungring is the holy land where the founder, Toenpa Sherab was born and preached the way of the ‘Yungdrung Bon’. The Bonpos have a voluminous hagiographical literature in which Toenpa Sherab’s exploits are extolled. Although there are those who contest the historical and literary genesis of Toenpa Sherab and even regard him as a misrepresentation of Shakyamuni, there are manifest differences in the lives of these two religious founders to negate such claims.
Hyperborea and the sacred land of 'Wolmo Lungring
Buddha is descended from the Indo-Europeans and these came directly from Hyperborea, while the main transmitter of Bon was born in this sacred land, which means that Bon practice predates Buddhism by thousands of years, and that Buddhism is actually based on the yung drung Bon, which is why there are so many similarities between them.
Sidharta may have been a descendant of Toenpa Sherab
Olmo Lungring: the imperishable sacred land Olmo Lungring: the imperishable sacred land by John Myrdhin Reynoldsby John Myrdhin Reynolds According to the BonpoBonpo tradition, although Yungdrung Bon is eternal and without an ultimate beginning in time, it originated in the present kalpa or cycle of existence in the country of Olmo Lungring where Tonpa ShenrabTonpa Shenrab descended from the celestial spheres and took up incarnation among human beings as an Iranian prince. The mysterious land of Olmo Lungring (`ol-mo lung-rings) or Olmoling (`ol-mo`i gling) is said to be part of a larger geographical region to the northwest of Tibet called Tazig (stag-gzig, var.
rtag-gzigs), which scholars identify with Iran or, more properly, Central Asia where in ancient times Iranian languages such as Avestan and later Sogdian were spoken.
According to the “gZer-mig” the traditional etymology of the name Olmo Lungring is as follows: “`ol” means “unborn”, “mo” “undermined”, “lung” “the prophetic words of Shenrab”, and “rings” “everlasting compassion”. According to the “gZi-brjid”, Olmo Lungring was also known as Shambhala in Sanskrit and it continues to be known by this name among Tibetan Buddhists even today. Moreover, it is said that in ancient times it encompassed fully one-third of the known world a statement which could apply to the historical Persian empire.
Whereas Shakyamuni was a prince who renounced the world after seeing the true nature of samsara as being ‘suffering’, and through renunciation of his worldly life and embracing asceticism achieved enlightenment before showing others the true path, Toepa Sherab ascended the throne as a king but traveled far and wide, propagating the doctrine of Bon and performing numerous rituals of purification. Whereas Buddhist rituals have no direct canonical basis, in Bon, as pointed out by Philip Denwood, “we have whole developed rituals and their liturgies specified in the minutest detail in the basic canon”. The propagation of Bon by Toenpa Sherab included the construction of temples and stupas, but not the foundation of monasteries. His numerous wives, sons, daughters and disciples also played significant roles in propagating the Bon faith which have no parallel in Buddhism. It was only late in life that Toenpa Shenrab was ordained, and retiring to a forest hermitage, he finally succeeded in conquering his mighty opponent, the Prince of Demons. By the late eleventh century, the Bonpos began to establish monasteries organized along the same lines as those of Buddhists. The most prestigious Bonpo monastery, founded in 1405, is Menri (Medicine Mountain) in the Central Tibetan province of Tsang, but there are numerous other monasteries in the eastern and north-eastern Tibetan regions of Kham and Amdo. Monks are bound by strict rules of discipline, including celibacy. Fully ordained monks are called ‘Dangsong’ (rishi): the semi-divine seers. Over the centuries, the monastic life of the Bon has increasingly come under the influence of the traditions of academic learning and scholastic debate that characterizes the dominant Gelugpa school.
The vast literature of Bon which Western scholars are beginning to explore was described by David L Snellgrove in 1967: “by far the greater part would seem to have been absorbed through learning and then retold, and this is not just plagiarism”.
which establishes the fact that Bon and Buddhism had interacted and mutually influenced each other in various ways over the centuries of co-existence and growth. The Bon tradition holds that the early kings of Tibet were adherents of Bon who gave their royal patronage to the religion and contributed to its propagation far and wide in the kingdom. However, the eighth king, Drigum Tsenpo, persecuted the followers of Bon with the result that a large number of sacred Bon texts had to be hidden away so that they may be preserved for future generations. Thus, began the tradition of recovering ‘concealed textual treasures’ (Terma) at a later time by pre-ordained individuals called ‘Terton’ (Treasure Revealer). Although Bon was reinstated by Drigum Tsenpo’s successor and flourished for a while, it was once more persecuted by King Trisong Deutsen in the 8th century who, as a devout Buddhist, gave royal patronage to Buddhism and tried his best to undermine the power and influence of the followers of Bon in government. Bonpo priests were either banished from Tibet or forced to conform to Buddhism
Source:A Collection Of Studies On The Tibetan Bon Tradition
The Hellenic-Buddhist alliance
julios evola 1943-the-doctrine-of-awakening
- Year of the Dragon)!
