Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Bön[1] (Tibetan: བོན་; Wylie: bon; Lhasa dialect IPA: [pʰø̃̀(n)]) is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. The Tibetan script is an Abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Ladakhi language The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language Typewriter. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, has recognized the Bön tradition as the fifth principal spiritual school of Tibet, along with the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug schools of Buddhism. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) This articles concerns the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism For information on the ancient Śākya tribe see Shakya. The Kagyu or Kagyupa school also known as the " Oral Lineage " or Whispered Transmission school is one of four main schools of Himalayan The Gelug or Gelug-pa, also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 a Philosopher

The syllable -po appended to the name of any of the five main Tibetan spiritual traditions indicates a follower of that tradition; so, for example, "Bonpo" means a follower of the Bon tradition. [2]

Often described as the shamanistic and animistic tradition of the Himalayas prior to Buddhism's rise to prominence in the 7th century, more recent research and disclosures have demonstrated that both the religion and the Bönpo are significantly more rich and textured culturally than was initially thought by pioneering Western scholars. Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era.

Contents

History of Bön

Foundation

Traditionally, Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche is believed to have established the Bon religion. Tönpa Shenrab (Tibetan ston pa gshen rab) or Shenrab Miwo (Tibetan gshen rab mi bo)—also called Buddha Shenrab, Guru Shenrab, He is traditionally held to have been born in the land of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring, considered an axis mundi, which is traditionally identified as Mount Yung-drung Gu-tzeg ("Edifice of Nine Swastikas"), possibly Mount Kailash, in western Tibet. Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring is a Non-dual spiritual Realm ( Plane or Dimension) of the Bön tradition which resides beyond The axis mundi (also cosmic axis, world axis, world pillar and center of the world) is a ubiquitous symbol that crosses human cultures Kailasa redirects here For the band see Kailasa (band Mount Kailash (Devanagari कैलाश पर्वत( Kailāśā Parvata Due to the sacredness of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring and the Mount Kailash, both the sauwastika and the number nine are of great significance and considered auspicious by the Bönpo as well as Hindus

1700s

The Dzungars invaded Tibet in 1717, deposed and killed a pretender to the position of Dalai Lama (who had been promoted by Lhabzang, the titular King of Tibet), which met with widespread approval. The term sauwastika or sauvastika is a term sometimes used to distinguish the "left-facing" from the "right-facing" form of the In mathematics Nine is a Composite number, its proper Divisors being 1 and 3. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Dzungar (also Jungar or Zungar; Mongolian: Зүүнгар Züüngar) is the collective identity of several Oirat tribes that The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. However, they soon began to loot the holy places of Lhasa which brought a swift response from Emperor Kangxi in 1718, but his military expedition was annihilated by the Dzungars not far from Lhasa. The Kangxi Emperor ( Mongolian Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 &ndash December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of [3][4]

Many Nyingmapa and Bonpos were executed and Tibetans visiting Dzungar officials were forced to stick their tongues out so the Dzungars could tell if the person recited constant mantras (which was said to make the tongue black or brown). The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) Bön ( is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, has recognized the Bön tradition as the fifth principal spiritual This allowed them to pick the Nyingmapa and Bonpos, who recited many magic-mantras. [5] This habit of sticking one's tongue out as a mark of respect on greeting someone has remained a Tibetan custom until recent times.

1800s

In the nineteenth century, Sharza Tashi Gyeltsen, a Bön master (whose collected writings comprise eighteen volumes) significantly rejuvenated the tradition. His disciples Kagya Khyungtrul Jigmey Namkha trained many practitioners learned in not only the Bön religion, but in all Tibetan Schools. However, with the Chinese annexation of Tibet and the Himalayan diaspora, like the other schools, Bön has encountered significant cultural loss. The term Diaspora (in Greek, διασπορά &ndash " a scattering or sowing of seeds " refers any population sharing common ethnic Though, thankfully for the rejuvenation forded by the terma tradition, not irreparable.

According to the Bönpo, eighteen enlightened entities will manifest in this æon and Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche, the founder of Bön, is considered the enlightened Buddha of this age (compare yuga and kalpa). The word aeon, also spelled eon or æon, means "age" "forever" or "for Eternity " In Buddhism, buddhahood ( Sanskrit: buddhatva. Pali: buddhatta. A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages A kalpa is a Sanskrit word meaning an Aeon, or a long period of time in Hindu (cf 33rd leneage holder of Menri Monastery HH the Menri Trizin Lungtog Tenpei Nyima rinpoche and Lopön Tenzin Namdak are important current lineage holder of Bön. Lopön Tenzin Namdak ( (born 1926 is Bön religious leader Vajranatha, a scholar and initiated Nyingmapa Ngagpas has collaborated with

More than three hundred Bön monasteries had been established in Tibet prior to Chinese annexation. Of these, Menri Monastery and Yungdrung Monastery were the two principal monastic universities for the study and practice of the Bön knowledges and science-arts. Menri Monastery ( — "medicine mountain" is a Bön Monastery in Tibet.

Bon Today

A complex appreciation of Bön is emerging by scholars. Bön, prior to the Tibetan diaspora, existed within a web of ancient indigenous animism, Hinduism, sympathetic magic, Buddhism, folk religion, shamanism, Vajrayana, asceticism and mysticism; complexes prevalent throughout the Himalaya and intermingling throughout the Inner Asian region. Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Folk religion consists of Beliefs Superstitions and Rituals transmitted from generation to generation in a specific Culture. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Ascetic redirects here You might also be looking for Acetic acid. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity Pegg (2006) relates that these

"[C]omplexes include mosaics of performing practices and discourses rather than discrete or fixed sets of practices or beliefs. They are syncretic and overlapping. The power of sound to communicate with spirits is recognized…" and a recurrent motif throughout the region.

The meaning of Bön

Among the important aims of Bön are cultivating heartmind to purify and silence the noise of the mindstream within the bodymind to reveal rigpa -- a transcendent natural bodymind where the obscuration of dualism and dukkha no longer entrance the Bönpo, and sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya are aligned and in sympathetic resonance. In Buddhism, bodhicitta (Ch 菩提心 pudixin, Jp bodaishin, Tibetan jang chub sem, Mongolian бодь сэтгэл) is the wish Mindstream is a compound Lexical item composed of Mind and Stream used to translate a term from Buddhist philosophy. Bodymind is a compound conjunction of Body and Mind, which in scientific disciplines researchers have begun studying in order to move beyond the dualist Rigpa (Tibetan Sanskrit Vidya) is the primordial nondual awareness advocated by the Dzogchen and Mahamudra teachings Dukkha ( Pāli दुक्ख Sanskrit दुःख duḥkha; according to grammatical tradition derived from dus-kha "uneasy" Trance denotes a variety of processes techniques modalities and states of mind awareness and consciousness The Sambhogakāya ( Sanskrit: "body of enjoyment" Tib longs The Trikaya doctrine ( Sanskrit, literally "Three bodies or personalities" 三身 Chinese: Sānshén, Japanese: sanjin) Sympathetic resonance is a Harmonic phenomenon wherein a formerly passive string or vibratory body responds to external vibrations to which it has a harmonic likeness

Pegg (2006) lists the artifacts that have generally been used in the Himalaya:

"[A] small hand-bell (Tibetan dril-bu, Mongol honh) held in the left hand together with the ritual sceptre (Mongol dorje) in the right; thigh-bone trumpets, usually played in pairs for invocation of fierce deities and to signal entry of masked dancers in the 'chams; long, metal bass trumpets and white, end-blown conch-shell trumpets; wooden shawms; and a range of cymbals and double- and single-headed frame drums. "

Trance and the energetic use of sound is accompanied by sophisticated possession induced trance dances where the practitioners carry the 'aspect' of the deity or thoughtform, or transform into the yidam, elemental process, or dæmon. Trance denotes a variety of processes techniques modalities and states of mind awareness and consciousness A thoughtform is a manifestation of mental energy also known as a ' Tulpa ' in Tibetan Mysticism. In Vajrayana Buddhism an Ishta-deva or Ishta-devata ( Sanskrit) ( Yidam in Tibetan) is a fully enlightened being who is the focus An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus. [6]

Geography and Bön

The Bönpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa at Ngawa, Sichuan Province, China.
The Bönpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa at Ngawa, Sichuan Province, China.

Tibet is not confined culturally to modern political Tibet. The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR also called Xizang Autonomous Region (བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs The broader area of ethnic Tibet also includes to the east, parts of the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan; to the west, the now Indian regions of Ladakh, Lahul and Spiti; to the south, Bhutan, Sikkim, parts of northern Nepal, the Sherpa and Tamang regions of eastern Nepal and the extreme north-west of Assam. ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. ( is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ladakh ( Ladakhi lad̪ɑks लदाख لدّاخ "land of high passes" is a region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir between The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Sikkim ( Nepali:, also Sikhim) is a Landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas It is the least populous state in India Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. For other uses of the word Sherpa see Sherpa (disambiguation. Tamangs are mainly found in the districts of Rasuwa Sindhupalchok Kavrepalanchok Makwanpur Nuwakot Dhading Ramechhap Dolkha, Sindhuli Kathmandu Bhaktapur and Lalitpur Assam) ( Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city

The altitude and vastness of the Tibetan Region is striking, landscape uncrompromisingly dominated by mountains and sky, where the starkness of the human condition relentlessly tested the mettle of its peoples. The human condition encompasses all of the Experience of being Human. The lofty Tibetan Plateau and Geography of Tibet has had a profound effect on the Bonpo and the shaping of Vajrayana in general. This article concerns the geography of Historic Tibet, which includes but is not the same as the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Many of the local deities (jik ten pa) pre-dating the arrival of Buddhism, were co-opted and made 'protectors' of the Vajrayana and various teachings:

"The Tibetan legends testify to an inseparable sacred connection between the land of Tibet and its peoples that pre-dates the arrival of Buddhism. Of course many of these attitudes and ideas would later find themselves placed in a Buddhist context and given significance within a Buddhist doctrinal framework. Pre-Buddhist gods of mountains and rocks (dre, trin, tsen) were thus described as ‘worldly gods’(jik ten pa) who allowed themselves to be converted to ‘Protectors’ or ’Defenders’ of the Dharma (the Buddhist teaching and path) by Padmasambhava the legendary bringer of Buddhism to Tibet in the seventh century. The gods and goddesses were said to possess magical powers and were capable of working miracles. Nevertheless the lay Tibetan practitioner had to remain wary of these gods as they were not always benign. Once the ire of such gods was invoked then their violent nature often succeeded in gaining the upper hand. "

Gods of home and hearth

Bonpo cultivate household gods in addition to other deities:

"Traditionally in Tibet divine presences or deities would be incorporated into the very construction of the house making it in effect a castle (dzong ka) against the malevolent forces outside of it. The average Tibetan house would have a number of houses or seats (poe khang) for the male god (pho lha) that protects the house. Everyday the man of the house would invoke this god and burn juniper wood and leaves to placate him. In addition the woman of the house would also have a protecting deity (phuk lha) whose seat could be found within the kitchen usually at the top of the pole that supported the roof. " [7]

Bön's leading monastery is the Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India (Himachal Pradesh). Menri Monastery ( — "medicine mountain" is a Bön Monastery in Tibet.

Historical phases of Bön

According to the Bönpo themselves,[8] the Bön religion has actually gone through three distinct phases: Animistic Bön, Yungdrung or Eternal Bön, and New Bön.

Animistic Bön

The first phase of Bön was grounded in animistic and shamanistic practices and corresponds to the general characterization of Bön as described by western scholars. Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals

Initiation rituals and rites closely correlate to the indigenous shamanic traditions of Siberia. Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving Many Bönpo shaman were members of a clan-guild from which the volume of shaman came. A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers Shaman were of either gender. Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social A shamanic aspirant was often visited and possessed by an ancestral shaman and/or one or more of any number of entities such as gods, elementals, dæmons, and spirits. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus. The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath The possession typically results in a divine madness and a temporary retreat into the wilderness, where the shaman lives like an animal and experiences visions of his own death at the hands of spirits.

After the newly-possessed shaman returns, they are taught by senior practitioners and members of the clan-guild how to exert power over the spirits that visit them, as well as incantation of mantra. A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language [9]

Yungdrung Bön

The religion's second era is the contentious phase, which rests on the assertions of the Bönpo texts and traditions (which are extensive and only now being analyzed in the West).

These texts assert that Yungdrung Bön was founded by the Buddha Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche. In Buddhism, buddhahood ( Sanskrit: buddhatva. Pali: buddhatta. Tönpa Shenrab (Tibetan ston pa gshen rab) or Shenrab Miwo (Tibetan gshen rab mi bo)—also called Buddha Shenrab, Guru Shenrab, He discovered the methods of attaining enlightenment and is considered to be a figure analogous to Gautama Buddha. Bodhi (बोधि is both the Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as "enlightenment Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder He was said to have lived 18,000 years ago in the land of Olmo Lung Ring part of the land of Tagzig (se Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring) to the west of present day Tibet (which some scholars identify with the Persian Tajik). Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring is a Non-dual spiritual Realm ( Plane or Dimension) of the Bön tradition which resides beyond Tajik ( - Tādjīk; UniPers: Tâjik; Cyrillic: Тоҷик is a term generally applied to Persian-speaking people of

According to Buddhist legend, prior to the manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha there were numerous other historical Buddhas. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche transmitted the lore (similar in many regards to Buddhism) to the people of the Zhangzhung of western Tibet who had previously been practicing animistic Bön, thus establishing Yungdrung ("eternal") Bön. Zhang Zhung was an ancient culture of western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet

Abbot of a Bön Monastery in Nepal - Lopön Tenzin Namdak
Abbot of a Bön Monastery in Nepal - Lopön Tenzin Namdak

One interesting premise, countered by most Himalayan scholars (Rossi, Donatella (1999). The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion.  ), is that Buddhism may have arrived in Tibet by a path other than directly from northwest India. A transmission through Persia prior to the 7th century is not improbable as Alexander the Great had connected Greece with India almost a millennium prior, resulting in a flourishing Greco-Buddhist art style in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Greco-Buddhism, sometimes spelt Graeco-Buddhism, refers to the cultural Syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Additionally, the 6th century Khosrau I of Persia is known to have ordered the translation of the Buddhist jataka tales into the Persian language. Khosrau I or Khosrow I ( Chosroes I in classical sources most commonly known in Persian as Anushirvan, Persian انوشيروان meaning The Jātaka Tales ( Sanskrit जातक and Pali, Malay: jetaka Lao: satok refer to a voluminous body of Folklore -like literature The Silk Road, the path by which Buddhism traveled to China in 67 CE. The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Year 67 was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. , lies entirely to the west of Tibet and passed through the Persian city of Hamadan. Hamedān or Hamadān ( Persian: همدان, Old Persian: Hagmatana Hebrew: המזיין Ancient Greek: Ecbatana) Recently, Buddhist structures have been discovered in far western Tibet that have been dated to the third century CE. Bönpo stupas have also been discovered as far west as Afghanistan. A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت,

Nonetheless, no scholars have yet identified a major center of Buddhist learning in Persia which corresponds to the Bönpos' land of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Alternative proposed sites have included the ancient cities of Merv, Khotan or Balkh, all of which had thriving Buddhist communities active in the correct timeframe and are located to the west of Tibet. Merv ( Russian: Мерв from Persian: مرو Marv, sometimes transliterated Marw or Mary; cf Balkh ( - Balḫ) also known as Bactra, was once a major world city but was destroyed entirely by the Mongols.

The existence of the Zhang Zhung culture is supported by many lines of evidence, including the existence of a remnant of living Shangshung speakers still found in Himachal Pradesh. Zhang Zhung was an ancient culture of western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet Himachal Pradesh ( Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश Punjabi: ਹਿਮਾਚਲ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ pronounced) is a state in the The claim that Lord Shenrab was born 180 centuries ago is generally not taken literally (Rossi, Donatella (1999). The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion.  ), but understood as an allusion to a master born in the very distant past.

One interesting question relating to the history of Bön is: when did Bön really enter the Yungdrung phase, that is, when did elements strongly resembling Buddhism become important? These elements became apparent with the codification of the Yungdrung Bön canon by the first abbot of Menri Monastery, Nyame Sherab Gyaltsen, in the 14th century, but this trend probably began earlier. Menri Monastery ( — "medicine mountain" is a Bön Monastery in Tibet. At the same time, the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya orders of Buddhism were also reorganizing themselves in order to be able to compete effectively with the dominant, Gelug order. The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) The Kagyu or Kagyupa school also known as the " Oral Lineage " or Whispered Transmission school is one of four main schools of Himalayan This articles concerns the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism For information on the ancient Śākya tribe see Shakya. The Gelug or Gelug-pa, also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419 a Philosopher

If we do not accept the Bön claim that Bön's Buddhist elements are older than the historical Buddha, we may consider some other milestones in Tibetan history which may mark points at which Buddhist ideas became integrated into Bön. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder

New Bön

The "New Bön" phase emerges in the 14th century, when some Bön teachers discovered termas related to Padmasambhava. New Bön is primarily practiced in the eastern regions of Amdo and Kham. Amdo ( Tibetan: ཨ༌མདོ Chinese transliteration 安多, Pinyin: Ānduō is one of the For other meanings see Kham (disambiguation. KHAM (995 FM) is a commercial Radio station that is licensed to serve the Although the practices of New Bön vary to some extent from Yungdrung Bön, the practitioners of New Bön still honor the Abbot of Menri Monastery as the leader of their tradition.

The present situation of Bön

According to a recent Chinese census, an estimated 10 percent of Tibetans follow Bön. At the time of the communist takeover in Tibet, there were approximately 300 Bön monasteries in Tibet and western China. Tibetan history is characterized by a special dedication to the Buddhist religion both in the eyes of its own people as well as for the Mongol and Manchu According to a recent survey, there are 264 active Bön monasteries, convents, and hermitages.

The present spiritual head of the Bön is Lungtok Tenpa'i Nyima (b. 1929), the thirty-third Abbot of Menri Monastery (destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, but now being rebuilt), who now presides over Pal Shen-ten Menri Ling in Dolanji in Himachal Pradesh, India, for the abbacy of which monastery he was selected in 1969. Menri Monastery ( — "medicine mountain" is a Bön Monastery in Tibet. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into Himachal Pradesh ( Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश Punjabi: ਹਿਮਾਚਲ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ pronounced) is a state in the

A number of Bön establishments also exist in Nepal; the most accessible is probably Triten Norbutse Bönpo Monastery, on the Western outskirts of Kathmandu. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Kathmandu (काठमांडौ येँ is the Capital and the largest city of Nepal. In Kathmandu, go to the bus stop on the Ring Road nearest Swayambhu (downhill just behind the great stupa. )

Recognition

Lozang Gyatso, the fifth Dalai Lama, was the first to declare Bön to be a fifth school of spirituality in Tibet. Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617 &ndash 1682 was a political and religious leader in seventeenth-century Tibet. However, the Bönpo remained stigmatised and marganilised until 1977, when they sent representatives to Dharamsala and Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, who advised the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, to accept Bön members. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile

Since then, Bön 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 Bönpo, stating that it was both undemocratic and self-defeating. He even donned Bön ritual paraphernalia, emphasizing "the religious equality of the Bon faith. "[10]

However, Tibetans still differentiate between Bön and Buddhism, referring to members of the Nyingma, Shakya, Kagyu and Gelug schools as "nangpa," meaning "insiders," but to practitioners of Bön as "Bönpo," or even "chipa" ("outsiders"). [11][12][13]

Bön spiritual practices

Bön, while now very similar to schools of Tibetan Buddhism, may be distinguished by certain characteristics:

  1. The origin of the Bönpo lineage is traced to Buddha Tönpa Shenrab (sTon pa gShen rab), rather than to Buddha Shakyamuni. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including
  2. Bönpo circumambulate chortens or other venerated structures counter-clockwise (i. Circumambulation (Sanskrit Pradakshina; Tibetan skor ba) is the act of moving around a sacred object A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist e. , with the left shoulder toward the object), rather than clockwise (as Buddhists do).
  3. Bönpos use the yungdrung (g. yung drung or sauwastika ~ a vrddhi derivation of the swastika) instead of the dorje (rdo rje, vajra) as a symbol and ritual implement. The term sauwastika or sauvastika is a term sometimes used to distinguish the "left-facing" from the "right-facing" form of the Vrddhi (वृद्धि) is a Sanskrit word meaning "growth" (from) The swastika (from Sanskrit: svástika sa स्वस्तिक Hindu IS CORRECT if 'ि' is positioned incorrectly see -->) is Vajra ( Devanagari: वज्र Tibetan: dorje ( is a Sanskrit word meaning both Thunderbolt and Diamond Vajra ( Devanagari: वज्र Tibetan: dorje ( is a Sanskrit word meaning both Thunderbolt and Diamond
  4. Instead of a bell, Bönpos use the shang, a cymbal-like instrument with a "clapper" usually made of animal horn, in their rituals. The shang (Tibetan gchang) is a flat ritual upturned Handbell employed by Bönpo and Asian Shamans The sizes of the shang
  5. A nine-way path is described in Bön, which is distinct from the nine-yana (-vehicle) system of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Bönpo consider Bön to be a superset of Buddhist paths. (The Bönpo divide their teachings in a mostly familiar way: Causal Vehicle, Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen). Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric According to some schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural primordial state or natural condition of every sentient Being
  6. The Bönpo textual canon includes rites to pacify spirits, influence the weather, heal people through spiritual means, and other "shamanic" practices. While many of these practices are also common in some form in Tibetan Buddhism (and mark a distinction between Tibetan and other forms of Buddhism), they are actually included within the recognized Bön canon (under the causal vehicle), rather than in Buddhist texts.
  7. Bönpo have some sacred texts, of neither Sanskrit nor Tibetan origin, which include some sections written in the ancient Zhangzhung language. Zhang Zhung was an ancient culture of western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet
  8. The Bönpo mythic universe includes the Mountain of Nine Swastikas and the Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring paradise. The swastika (from Sanskrit: svástika sa स्वस्तिक Hindu IS CORRECT if 'ि' is positioned incorrectly see -->) is Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring is a Non-dual spiritual Realm ( Plane or Dimension) of the Bön tradition which resides beyond

The Bönpo school is said to resemble most closely the Nyingma school, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, which traces its lineage to the First Transmission of Buddhism into Tibet. The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug)

Elements in Bön

In Bön, the five elemental processes of: earth, water, fire, air and space are the essential elements of all existent phenomena or skandhas (aggregates). Many ancient philosophies used a set of archetypal classical "elements" to explain patterns in Nature. Earth, home and origin of humanity has often been worshipped in its own right with its own unique spiritual tradition Water has been important to all peoples of the earth and it is rich in spiritual tradition Fire has been an important part of many cultures and religions from pre-history to modern day and was vital to the development of civilization In traditional cultures air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance According to ancient and medieval science, aether (Greek grc αἰθήρ aithēr) also spelled æther or ether, is the material that fills A phenomenon (from Greek φαινόμενoν, pl φαινόμενα - phenomena) is any observable occurrence In Buddhist phenomenology and Soteriology, the five skandhas ( Sanskrit) or khandhas ( Pāli) are five "aggregates" Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (2002: p. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche ( Tib o thog bstan 'dzin dbang rgyal is a teacher ( Lama) of the Bön Tibetan religious tradition 1) states:

"[P]hysical properties are assigned to the elements: earth is solidity; water is cohesion; fire is temperature; air is motion; and space is the spatial dimension that accommodates the other four active elements. In addition, the elements are correlated to different emotions, temperaments, directions, colors, tastes, body types, illnesses, thinking styles, and character. From the five elements arise the five senses and the five fields of sensual experience; the five negative emotions and the five wisdoms; and the five extensions of the body. They are the five primary pranas or vital energies. They are the constituents of every physical, sensual, mental, and spiritual phenomenon. "

The names of the elements are analogous to categorised experiential sensations of the natural world. The names are symbolic and key to their inherent qualities and/or modes of action by analogy. The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece Analogy is both the cognitive process of transferring Information from a particular subject (the analogue or source to another particular subject (the target and In Bön, the elemental processes are fundamental metaphors for working with external, internal and secret energetic forces. All five elemental processes in their essential purity are inherent in the mindstream and link the trikaya and are aspects of primordial energy. Mindstream is a compound Lexical item composed of Mind and Stream used to translate a term from Buddhist philosophy. The Trikaya doctrine ( Sanskrit, literally "Three bodies or personalities" 三身 Chinese: Sānshén, Japanese: sanjin) In Physics and other Sciences energy (from the Greek grc ἐνέργεια - Energeia, "activity operation" from grc ἐνεργός As Herbert V. Günther (1996: pp. Herbert V Günther Was born March 17, 1917, and died March 11 2006 at Saskatoon Saskatchewan 115-116) states:

"Thus, bearing in mind that thought struggles incessantly against the treachery of language and that what we observe and describe is the observer himself [sic. ], we may nonetheless proceed to investigate the successive phases in our becoming human beings. Throughout these phases, the experience (das Erlebnis) of ourselves as an intensity (imaged and felt as a "god", lha) setting up its own spatiality (imaged and felt as a "house" khang) is present in various intensities of illumination that occur within ourselves as a "temple. " A corollary of this Erlebnis is its light character manifesting itself in various "frequencies" or colors. This is to say, since we are beings of light we display this light in a multiplicity of nuances. "

Reality and chakras in Bön

Chakras, as pranic centers of the body, according to the Tibetan Bön tradition, influence the quality of experience, because movement of prana can not be separated from experience. Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" Each of six major chakras are linked to experiential qualities of one of the six realms of existence. The 31 realms ( Tibetan: rigs drug gi skye gnas) are the six categories of rebirths within the system of traditional Buddhist cosmology.

A modern teacher, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche uses a computer analogy: main chakras are like hard drives. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche ( Tib o thog bstan 'dzin dbang rgyal is a teacher ( Lama) of the Bön Tibetan religious tradition Each hard drive has many files. One of the files is always open in each of the chakras, no matter how "closed" that particular chakra may be. What is displayed by the file shapes experience.

The tsa lung practices such as those embodied in Trul Khor lineages open channels so lung (prana or qi) may move without obstruction. Lung (Tibetan rlung) is a word that means wind or breath It is a key concept in the Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and as such is part of the Tsa lung Trul khor (lit "magical movement instrument channels and inner breath currents" known for brevity as Trul khor (lit lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive Prana (प्राण) is the Sanskrit for " Breath " (from the root prā "to fill" cognate to Latin plenus "full" In traditional Chinese culture, qi (zh [[wikt氣 氣]] Pinyin qì, Wade-Giles ch'i Jyutping A yogi opens chakras and evokes positive qualities associated with a particular chakra. A yogi ( Sanskrit, feminine root Yogini) is a term for a male practitioner of various forms of the path of Yoga, maintaining In the computer analogy, the screen is cleared and a file is called up that contains positive, supportive qualities. A seed syllable (Sanskrit bija) is used both as a password that evokes the positive quality and the armor that sustains the quality. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term bīja ( Jp. 種子 shuji literally Seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term bīja ( Jp. 種子 shuji literally Seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause [14]

Tantric practice eventually transforms all experience into bliss. The practice liberates from negative conditioning and leads to control over perception and cognition. [14]

See also: Reality in Buddhism

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Although the Wylie transcription of the Tibetan spelling is just "bon", the umlaut is conventionally added above the "o" to more nearly suggest the Tibetan pronunciation of the vowel. Buddhism evolved a variety of doctrinal/philosophical traditions each with its own ideas of reality. Before the introduction of Buddhism in Bhutan, Bön religion was prevalent in Bhutan. The term Dongba literally refers to the religious Priests, the Culture, and script of the Nakhi people who are found in southwestern The Gankyil is a Polyvalent symbol and ritual tool in Tibetan Buddhism. Namkha (Tibetan nam mkha') holds the Semantic field for " Sky " " Space " " Aether "" Heaven The Phurba ( Tib, pronunciation between 'pur-ba' & 'fur-pu' alt Tapihritsa (c 7th ~ 8th century (or Tapahritsa Wylie Ta pi hri tsa) is a Bönpo who achieved the Dzogchen mastery of the Rainbow body and
  2. ^ "Introductory History of the Five Tibetan Traditions of Buddhism and Bon. " Alexander Berzin. Berlin, Germany, January 10, 2000. [1]
  3. ^ Richardson, Hugh E. (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated, pp. 48-9. Shambhala. Boston & London. ISBN 0-87773-376-7 (pbk)
  4. ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization. (1972), p. 85. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7. (paper)
  5. ^ Norbu, Namkhai. (1980). "Bon and Bonpos". Tibetan Review, December, 1980, p. 8.
  6. ^ Pegg (2006),
  7. ^ Source: http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf; Thursday January 18, 2007
  8. ^ Baumer, C. (2002). Bon: Tibet's Ancient Religion. Orchid Press, Thailand. ISBN 9745240117
  9. ^ Kernaghan, Eileen. The Nameless Religion: An Overview of Bon Shamanism
  10. ^ Kværne, Per and Rinzin Thargyal. (1993). Bon, Buddhism and Democracy: The Building of a Tibetan National Identity, pp. 45-46. Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. ISBN 978-8787062251.
  11. ^ ["History of Buddhism: Countries, sects and politics. " Amalia Rubin. http://www.helium.com/tm/456714/authors-following-basic-history]
  12. ^ "Bon Children's Home In Dolanji and Polish Aid Foundation For Children of Tibet – NYATRI. "[2]
  13. ^ "About the Bon: Bon Culture. "[3]
  14. ^ a b Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Healing with Form, Energy, and Light. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche ( Tib o thog bstan 'dzin dbang rgyal is a teacher ( Lama) of the Bön Tibetan religious tradition Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2002. ISBN 1559391766, pp. 84-85

References

Further reading

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic