Bön 197394 221624380 2008-06-25T10:05:16Z Pawyilee 357970 /* 1800s */ {{Tibetan Buddhism}} '''Bön'''<ref>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.</ref> ({{bo|t=བོན་|w=bon|l=pʰø̃̀(n)}}) is the oldest spiritual tradition of [[Tibet]]. [[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. 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.<ref>"Introductory History of the Five Tibetan Traditions of Buddhism and Bon." Alexander Berzin. Berlin, Germany, January 10, 2000. [http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/study/history_buddhism/general_histories/introduction_history_5_traditions_buddhism_bon.html]</ref> Often described as the [[shamanism|shamanistic]] and [[animistic]] tradition of the [[Himalaya]]s 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. ==History of Bön== ===Foundation=== Traditionally, [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche|Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche]]<!--dates of birth/death and/or era flourished in?--> is believed to have established the Bön religion. 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. Due to the sacredness of Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring and the Mount Kailash, both the [[sauwastika]] and the number [[9 (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. 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.<ref>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)</ref><ref>Stein, R. A. ''Tibetan Civilization''. (1972), p. 85. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7.(paper)</ref> Many [[Nyingmapa]] and [[Bonpo]]s 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). This allowed them to pick the Nyingmapa and Bonpos, who recited many magic-mantras.<ref>Norbu, Namkhai. (1980). "Bon and Bonpos". ''Tibetan Review'', December, 1980, p. 8.</ref> 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. Though, thankfully for the rejuvenation forded by the [[The Terma Foundation|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 (general)|Buddha]] of this age (compare [[yuga]] and [[kalpa (time unit)|kalpa]]). The 33rd lineage holder of Menri Monastery, HH the Menri Trizin Lungtog Tenpei Nyima Rinpoche, and [[Lopön Tenzin Namdak]] are important current lineage holders of Bön. 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. ===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]], [[Hindu]]ism, [[sympathetic magic]], [[Buddhism]], [[folk religion]], [[shamanism]], [[Vajrayana]], [[ascetic]]ism and [[mysticism]]; complexes prevalent throughout the Himalaya and intermingling throughout the [[Inner Asia]]n region. Pegg (2006) relates that these <blockquote> "[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. </blockquote> ==The meaning of Bön== <!--i've tried to make this more readable, but this paragraph still needs a lot of work-->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 [[klesha|obscuration]] of dualism and [[dukkha]] no longer [[trance|entrance]] the Bönpo, and [[sambhogakaya]] and [[nirmanakaya]] are aligned and in [[sympathetic resonance]]. Pegg (2006) lists the artifacts that have generally been used in the Himalaya: <blockquote> "[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." </blockquote> [[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]].<ref>Pegg (2006), {{page number}}</ref> ==Geography and Bön== [[Image:Narshi Gonpa Ngawa Sichuan China.jpg|thumb|right|The Bönpa monastery of Narshi Gonpa at Ngawa, Sichuan Province, China.]] Tibet is not confined culturally to [[Tibet Autonomous Region|modern political Tibet]]. 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]]. 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 lofty Tibetan Plateau and [[Geography of Tibet]] has had a profound effect on the Bonpo and the shaping of [[Vajrayana]] in general. 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: <blockquote> "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."{{Fact|date=March 2007}} </blockquote> ==Gods of home and hearth== Bonpo cultivate household gods in addition to other deities: <blockquote> "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." <ref>Source: http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf; Thursday January 18, 2007</ref> </blockquote> Bön's leading monastery is the [[Menri]] Monastery in Dolanji, India (Himachal Pradesh). ==Historical phases of Bön== According to the Bönpo themselves,<ref>Baumer, C. (2002). ''Bon: Tibet's Ancient Religion''. Orchid Press, Thailand. ISBN 9745240117</ref> 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 [[animism|animistic]] and [[shamanist]]ic practices and corresponds to the general characterization of Bön as described by western scholars. Initiation rituals and rites closely correlate to the indigenous shamanic traditions of [[Siberia]]. Many Bönpo shaman were members of a [[clan]]-[[guild]] from which the volume of shaman came. Shaman were of either [[gender]]. 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]], [[dæmon]]s, and [[spirit]]s. 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]].<ref>Kernaghan, Eileen.[http://home.portal.ca/~lonewolf/shaman.htm The Nameless Religion: An Overview of Bon Shamanism]</ref> ===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 (general)|Buddha]] [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche|Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche]]. He discovered the methods of attaining [[bodhi|enlightenment]] and is considered to be a figure analogous to [[Gautama Buddha]]. 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 language|Persian]] [[Tajiks|Tajik]]). According to Buddhist legend, prior to the manifestation of [[Shakyamuni Buddha]] there were numerous other historical Buddhas. Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche transmitted the lore (similar in many regards to Buddhism) to the people of the [[Zhang Zhung culture|Zhangzhung]] of western Tibet who had previously been practicing animistic Bön, thus establishing Yungdrung ("eternal") Bön. [[Image:Tenzin Lopön Namdak.jpg|thumb|Abbot of a Bön Monastery in Nepal - Lopön Tenzin Namdak]] One interesting premise, countered by most Himalayan scholars ({{cite book |last= Rossi |first= Donatella |title= The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion |year= 1999 |publisher= Snow Lion |location= Ithaca, NY}}), 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-Buddhism|Greco-Buddhist]] art style in [[Afghanistan]] and [[Pakistan]]. Additionally, the 6th century [[Khosrau I of Persia]] is known to have ordered the translation of the Buddhist [[jataka]] tales into the [[Persian language]]. The [[Silk Road]], the path by which Buddhism traveled to [[China]] in [[67]] CE., lies entirely to the west of Tibet and passed through the Persian city of [[Hamadan]]. Recently, Buddhist structures have been discovered{{Fact|date=March 2007}} in far western Tibet that have been dated to the third century CE. Bönpo [[stupas]] have also been discovered as far west as [[Afghanistan]]. 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. Alternative proposed sites have included{{Fact|date=March 2007}} 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. 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]]. The claim that Lord Shenrab was born 180 centuries ago is generally not taken literally ({{cite book |last= Rossi |first= Donatella |title= The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion |year= 1999 |publisher= Snow Lion |location= Ithaca, NY}}), 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. 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. If we do not accept the Bön claim that Bön's Buddhist elements are older than the historical [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], we may consider some other milestones in Tibetan history which may mark points at which Buddhist ideas became integrated into Bön. *In the first half of the [[7th century]], the Tibetan King [[Songtsen Gampo]] assassinates King [[Ligmicha]] of the Shangshung and annexes the Shangshung kingdom. The same Songtsen Gampo is also the first Tibetan king to marry a Buddhist (or, in his case, two): in [[632]], [[Nepal]]ese princess [[Bhrikuti]], and in [[641]], Princess [[Wencheng]], daughter of Emperor [[Tang Taizong]] of [[Tang Dynasty]] [[China]] (where Buddhism is approaching its zenith). [[Jokhang]] Temple, the first Buddhist temple in Tibet, was built in the 7th century to house a Buddhist statue brought by the Chinese Buddhist princess [[Wencheng]] and to celebrate the marriage. *Approximately 130 years later, King [[Trisong Detsen]] ([[742]]-[[797]]) holds a debate contest between Bön priests and Buddhists, and decides to convert to Buddhism; in [[779]], he invites the great Indian saint [[Padmasambhava]] to bring [[Tantric Buddhism]] to Tibet. According to [[Tibetan Buddhist]] tradition, the arrival of Padmasambhava represents the First Transmission of the faith. Tantric Buddhism becomes important in Tibet, at this point. *As Tantric Buddhism becomes the state religion of Tibet, Bön faces persecution, forcing Bönpo masters such as [[Drenpa Namkha]] underground. It is, however, possible that several decades later, with the collapse of the Tibetan Empire into civil war in [[842]], Bön may have experienced a partial revival in some districts, especially in western Tibet. *In the [[11th century]], approximately coincident with the Second Transmission of Tantric Buddhism into Tibet associated with Indian saints such as [[Atisha]] and [[Naropa]], we start to find more Bönpo texts, discovered as [[terma]]. ===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]]. 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 [[History of Tibet#Renewed Chinese rule|communist takeover in Tibet]], there were approximately 300 Bön monasteries in Tibet and western China. 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. A number of Bön establishments also exist in [[Nepal]]; the most accessible is probably [[Triten Norbutse Bönpo Monastery]], on the Western outskirts of [[Kathmandu]]. 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. 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. 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."<ref>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.</ref> 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").<ref>["History of Buddhism: Countries, sects and politics." Amalia Rubin. http://www.helium.com/tm/456714/authors-following-basic-history]</ref><ref>"Bon Children's Home In Dolanji and Polish Aid Foundation For Children of Tibet – NYATRI."[http://nyatri.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=455&Itemid=118]</ref><ref>"About the Bon: Bon Culture."[http://www.bonfuturefund.org/wp/about-the-bon/]</ref> ==Bön spiritual practices== Bön, while now very similar to schools of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], may be distinguished by certain characteristics: # The origin of the Bönpo lineage is traced to Buddha Tönpa Shenrab (sTon pa gShen rab), rather than to Buddha Shakyamuni. # Bönpo [[circumambulation|circumambulate]] [[chorten]]s or other venerated structures counter-clockwise (i.e., with the left shoulder toward the object), rather than clockwise (as Buddhists do). # 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. # Instead of a bell, Bönpos use the [[shang]], a cymbal-like instrument with a "clapper" usually made of animal horn, in their rituals. # 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]]). # 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. # Bönpo have some sacred texts, of neither Sanskrit nor Tibetan origin, which include some sections written in the ancient [[Zhang Zhung culture#The Zhang Zhung language|Zhangzhung language]]. # The Bönpo mythic universe includes the Mountain of Nine [[Swastika]]s and the [[Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring]] paradise. 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. ==Elements in Bön== In Bön, the [[Classical element|five elemental processes]] of: [[earth (classical element)|earth]], [[water (classical element)|water]], [[fire (classical element)|fire]], [[air (classical element)|air]] and [[aether (classical element)|space]] are the essential elements of all existent [[phenomena]] or [[skandha]]s (aggregates). [[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]] (2002: p.1) states: <blockquote> "[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." </blockquote> The names of the elements are analogous to categorised experiential sensations of the natural world. The names are [[symbol]]ic and key to their inherent qualities and/or modes of action by [[analogy]]. 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]]. As [[Herbert V. Günther]] (1996: pp. 115-116) states: <blockquote> "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." </blockquote> ==Reality and chakras in Bön== Chakras, as [[prana|pranic]] centers of the body, according to the [[Tibet]]an Bön tradition, influence the quality of experience, because movement of [[prana]] can not be separated from experience. Each of six major chakras are linked to experiential qualities of one of the [[six realms]] of existence. A modern teacher, [[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]] uses a computer analogy: main chakras are like hard drives. 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. A [[yogi]] opens chakras and evokes positive qualities associated with a particular chakra. 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.<ref name=twr>[[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]], ''Healing with Form, Energy, and Light''. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2002. ISBN 1559391766, pp. 84-85</ref> Tantric practice eventually transforms all experience into bliss. The practice liberates from negative conditioning and leads to control over perception and cognition.<ref name=twr/> {{see also|Reality in Buddhism}} ==See also== * [[Bön in Bhutan]] * [[Dongba]] * [[Gankyil]] * [[Namkha]] * [[Phurba]] * [[Tapihritsa]] ==Footnotes== {{Reflist}} ==References== * Karmey, 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. ==Further reading== * Allen, Charles. (1999). ''The Search for [[Shangri-La]]: A Journey into Tibetan History''. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. ISBN 0-349-111421. * Martin, Dean. (1999). "'Ol-mo-lung-ring, the Original Holy Place." In: ''Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays''. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber, pp. 125-153. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-86470-22-0. *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. Grove Music Online. Source: http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?section=music.05283#music.05283 (accessed: Wednesday, January 17, 2007) *Samuel, Geoffrey (1993). Civilised Shamans. Smithsonian Institute Press. *http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf (accessed: Thursday January 18, 2007) *[[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]] (2002). ''Healing with Form, Energy, and Light''. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1559391766 *[[Herbert V. Günther|Günther, Herbert V.]] (1996). ''The Teachings of Padmasambhava''. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill. Hardcover. * Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen. (2002). ''Heart drops of Dharmakaya: Dzogchen practice of the Bon tradition'' (Lonpon Tenzin Namdak, Trans) (2nd ed). Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion. * Rossi, D. (1999). ''The philosophical view of the great perfection in the Tibetan Bon religion''. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion. ==External links== *''Bon Encyclopedia'' http://bon-encyclopedia.wikispaces.com/ (accessed: Saturday February 17, 2007) *[http://www.ligmincha.org/ Ligmincha Institute] *[http://www.bonfoundation.org/ Bon Foundation] *[http://bonpo.narod.ru/ Tibetan Bön Tradition in Belarus and Ukraine - English language] *[http://bonpo.net/ Tibetan Yungdrung Bön Arts - Collection of rare artefacts of the Bön religion] *[http://www.garudaswitzerland.org/index_e.html Garuda Switzerland] *[http://www.buddhistview.com/site/epage/8958_225.htm interview with Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the most senior teacher of the Bönpo tradition] *[http://www.asianart.com/articles/vestiges/19b.html Picture of Bön inscription] *[http://www.vajranatha.com/ John Reynolds' web site, including his Bonpo translation project] *[http://texts.00.gs/texts,_Bon.htm Na-xi and other Hos / Bon religious texts] *[http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/x/nav/n.html_661956143.html#buddhism_tibet History of Buddhism and Bon in Tibet] (by Dr. Alexander Berzin) [[Category:Bön| ]] [[Category:Asian shamanism|Bon]] [[Category:Dzogchen|Bon]] [[Category:Religion in Tibet|Bon]] [[Category:Schools of Tibetan Buddhism|Bon]] [[cs:Bön]] [[da:Bön-religionen]] [[de:Bön]] [[et:Bön]] [[es:Bön]] [[fr:Bön]] [[it:Bön]] [[lt:Bonas (religija)]] [[nl:Bön]] [[ja:ボン教]] [[no:Bøn]] [[pl:Bon (religia)]] [[pt:Bon-Pa]] [[ru:Бон (религия)]] [[sk:Bönizmus]] [[fi:Bön]] [[sv:Bön (religion)]] [[zh:苯教]]