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110-464: Namling is the current administrative name given to the valleys of Oyuk, Tobgyet, and Shang ... [associated]... with both Buddhism and Bon . Through these valleys respectively flow the ' Nang-gung-chu'mang ra chu Tobpu-chu, and Shang-chu rivers, with their various tributaries, which rise amid the southern slopes of the Nyenchen Tanglha range to the north, and flow southwards to converge with

220-603: A guru or lama who introduces one to our own primordial state and provides instruction on how to practice. This "direct introduction" and transmission from a Dzogchen master is considered absolutely essential. The Dzogchen tradition contains numerous systems of practices, including various forms of meditation, tantric yogas and unique Dzogchen methods. The earliest form of Dzogchen practice (the Semde , "Mind" series) generally emphasized non-symbolic "formless" practices (as opposed to tantric deity yoga ). Later developments led to

330-623: A central concept in Dzogchen. According to Ācārya Malcolm Smith: A text from the Heart Essence of Vimalamitra called the Lamp Summarizing Vidyā ( Rig pa bsdus pa’i sgronma ) defines vidyā in the following way: "...vidyā is knowing, clear, and unchanging" In Sanskrit, the term vidyā and all its cognates imply consciousness, knowing, knowledge, science, intelligence, and so on. Simply put, vidyā means unconfused knowledge of

440-506: A class of priests known as kushen ( sku gshen , “Priests of the Body”, i.e., the king's body). This religion was eventually marginalised with the coming of Buddhism and Buddhists wrote critiques and polemics of this religion, some of which survive in manuscripts found in Dunhuang (which refer to these practices as "Bon"). Likewise, Powers notes that early historical evidence indicates that

550-608: A crop for herdsmen in the county. Potatoes and vegetables were shipped to markets in Xigazê , and production of peas and wheat decreased. The 2009 HIV/AIDS outreach efforts in rural areas of the county appear to have had a positive impact in comparison to a similar non-intervention area of Tingri County , according to Medicus Mundi Switzerland . In 2010, protests of environmental damage by gold mining resulted in arrests and at least one fatality. In 2011, Qin Weiqiang, secretary of

660-463: A direct immersion in awareness. During the Tibetan renaissance era (10th to early 12th century), Dzogchen underwent significant development, incorporating new practices and teachings from India. This period saw the emergence of new Dzogchen traditions like the "Instruction Class series" and the "Seminal Heart" ( Tibetan : སྙིང་ཐིག་ , Wylie : snying thig ). Dzogchen is classified into three series:

770-426: A direct understanding of the mind's pure nature through meditation and specific Dzogchen methods. The Fruit is the realization of one's true nature, leading to complete non-dual awareness and the dissolution of dualities. Dzogchen practitioners aim for self-liberation ( Tibetan : རང་གྲོལ་ , Wylie : rang grol ), where all experiences are integrated with awareness of one's true nature. This process may culminate in

880-473: A form of Buddhism , albeit a heterodox kind. Similarly, John Powers writes that "historical evidence indicates that Bön only developed as a self-conscious religious system under the influence of Buddhism". Followers of Bon, known as "Bonpos" (Wylie: bon po ), believe that the religion originated in a kingdom called Zhangzhung , located around Mount Kailash in the Himalayas . Bonpos hold that Bon

990-729: A heterodox form of Buddhism, transmitted separately from the two transmissions from India to Tibet that formed the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. With the translation of Bonpo histories into Western languages as well as increased engagement between Bonpos and Western scholars, a shift took place in Bon studies towards engaging more thoroughly Bonpos' own histories and self-identification, recognising Bon as an independent religious tradition worthy of academic study. The term Bon has been used to refer to several different phenomena. Drawing from Buddhist sources, early Western commentators on Bon used

1100-446: A lack of funerary, charnel ground and death imagery found in some Buddhist tantras. According to Germano, instead of tantric deity yoga methods, early Dzogchen mainly focused on simple calming ( śamatha ) contemplations leading to a "technique free immersion in the bare immediacy of one's own deepest levels of awareness". Similarly, Christopher Hatchell explains that since for early Dzogchen "all beings and all appearances are themselves

1210-637: A number of Buddhist histories. The Rimé movement within Tibetan Buddhism encouraged more ecumenical attitudes between Bonpos and Buddhists. Western scholars began to take Bon seriously as a religious tradition worthy of study in the 1960s, in large part inspired by the work of English scholar David Snellgrove . Following the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, Bonpo scholars began to arrive in Europe and North America , encouraging interest in Bon in

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1320-635: A semi-mythical holy land in Bon (like Shambala ). Various dates are given for his birth date, one of which corresponds to 1917 BCE. Some Bon texts also state that Sakyamuni was a later manifestation of Tonpa Shenrab. Tonpa Shenrab is said to have been born to the Tazig royal family and to have eventually become the king of the realm. He is said to be the main Buddha of our era. He had numerous wives and children, constructed numerous temples and performed many rituals in order to spread Bon. Like Padmasambhava, he

1430-433: A technical term employed within the Dzogchen lineages for a particular lineage of empowerment propagated by Jigme Lingpa . This empowerment consists of the direct introduction of the student to the intrinsic nature of their own mind-essence, rigpa , by their empowering master. In Dzogchen tradition, pointing-out instruction ( Tibetan : ངོ་སྤྲོད་ཀྱི་གདམས་པ་ , Wylie : ngo sprod kyi gdams pa , THL : ngo-trö kyi dam-pa )

1540-406: A tradition he dates from tenth and eleventh centuries CE, the tradition which developed into the modern Bon religion. Kvaerne identifies this tradition as "an unorthodox form of Buddhism," but other scholars such as Samten G. Karmay take seriously Bonpo narratives which define Bon as a separate tradition with an origin in the land of 'Olmo Lungring. The term Yungdrung Bon (Wylie: g.yung drung bon )

1650-406: A vast " cosmic egg ", from which a primordial being, Belchen Kékhö, was born. Little is known about the pre-Buddhist religion of ancient Tibet and scholars of Bon disagree on its nature. Some think that Bon evolved from Zoroastrianism and others say Kashmiri Buddhism. Bon may have referred to a kind of ritual, a type of priest, or a local religion. In ancient Tibet, there seem to have been

1760-647: Is "great" because: The Three Series of Dzogchen ( Tibetan : རྫོགས་ཆེན་སྡེ་གསུམ་ , Wylie : rdzogs chen sde gsum ) are a traditional Tibetan Buddhist classification which divides the teachings of the Nyingma school's Dzogchen tradition into three series, divisions or sections. These three are: the Semde ('Mind Series'), the Longdé ('Space Series') and the Menngagde ('Instruction Series'). Traditional accounts of

1870-454: Is a more recent development in the Bon tradition, which is closely related to both Eternal Bon and the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is centered on the figures of Drenpa Namkha , Tsewang Rigdzin and Padmasambhava , which in this school are considered to have transmitted and written commentaries on the works of Tonpa Shenrab in around the 8th century. According to Jean Luc Achard,

1980-554: Is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. The goal of Dzogchen is knowledge of this basis; this knowledge is called rigpa ( Sanskrit : vidyā ). There are spiritual practices taught in various Dzogchen systems for awakening rigpa . Dzogchen emerged during the first dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet , around

2090-510: Is also held to have defeated and subjugated many demons through his magical feats, and like King Gesar , he is also believed to have led numerous campaigns against evil forces. Tonpa Shenrab is held to have visited the kingdom of Zhangzhung (an area in western Tibet around Mount Kailash ), where he found a people whose practice involved spiritual appeasement with animal sacrifice . He taught them to substitute offerings with symbolic animal forms made from barley flour. He only taught according to

2200-616: Is also referred to as "pointing out the nature of mind" ( Tibetan : སེམས་ཀྱི་ངོ་སྤྲོད་ , Wylie : sems kyi ngo sprod , THL : sem kyi ngo-trö ), "pointing out transmission", or "introduction to the nature of mind". The pointing-out instruction ( ngo sprod ) is an introduction to the nature of mind . There are three major divisions of the Dzogchen path, known as the "Three Dharmas of the Path." These are tawa , gompa , and chöpa . Namkhai Norbu translates these three terms as 'view,' 'practice,' and 'conduct.' Garab Dorje (c. 665) epitomized

2310-399: Is as follows: Dmitry Ermakov also adds an extra category which he terms "mixed Bon" and which he defines as: ...   a blend of these three types of Bön in different proportions, often with the addition of elements from other religions such as Hinduism, Taoism, Himalayan Tribal religions, Native Siberian belief systems etc. Mixed Bön would include Secular Bön or the civil religion of

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2420-401: Is believed to have received the teaching from the transcendent deity Shenlha Okar in a pure realm before being reborn in the human realm with the purpose of teaching and liberating beings from the cycle of rebirth. He attained Buddhahood several hundred years before Sakyamuni Buddha , in a country west of Tibet, called Olmo Lungring or Tazig (Tasi), which is difficult to identify and acts as

2530-511: Is divided into 1 town and 16 townships. The Namling County Schools Project was founded by Tashi Tsering in 1991, and has been sponsored by the Boulder - Lhasa Sister City Project (BLSCP) since 1994. As of 2013, it supports 53 rural elementary schools. As of 2006, 15 out of the county's 17 towns had cell phone service. As of 2001, potatoes have been introduced in Aimagang (Emagang) as

2640-491: Is evidence of anti-Bon polemics. Some sources claim that a debate between Bonpos and Buddhists was held, and that a Tibetan king ruled Buddhism the winner, banishing Bon priests to border regions. However, Gorvine also mentions that in some cases, Bon priests and Buddhist monks would perform rituals together, and thus there was also some collaboration during the initial period of Buddhist dissemination in Tibet. Bon sources place

2750-449: Is good and virtuous. He created the sun and moon, and taught humans religion. These two forces remain in the world in an ongoing struggle of good and evil which is also fought in the heart of every person. Powers also writes that according to Bon scriptures, in the beginning, there was only emptiness , which is not a blank void but a pure potentiality. This produced five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and space) which came together into

2860-658: Is located in Danag Village. The remains of the Dingma Monastery, an 11th-century Kadampa monastery, are located on a hill in the Oyuk Valley. It was founded by Ram Dingma Deshek Jungne, a student of Geshe Potowa. The Gongon Lhakhang temple, in Oyuk Township, was said to be built by Songtsen Gampo , and frequented by Padmasambhava and his students Namkhai Nyingpo and King Trisong Detsen in

2970-576: Is more focused on oral forms of introduction. Germano writes that the Mind Series serves as a classification for the earlier texts and forms of Dzogchen "prior to the development of the Seminal Heart movements" which focused on meditations based on tantric understandings of bodhicitta ( byang chub kyi sems ). This referred to the ultimate nature of the mind, which is empty ( stong pa ), luminous (' od gsal ba ), and pure. According to Germano,

3080-662: Is one on the western outskirts of Kathmandu . Bon's leading monastery in India is the refounded Menri Monastery in Dolanji , Himachal Pradesh . Bonpos remained a stigmatised and marginalised group until 1979, when they sent representatives to Dharamshala and the 14th Dalai Lama , who advised the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration to accept Bon members. Before this recognition, during

3190-492: Is perfect stainless wisdom in the realm beyond concepts, it is perfection. Because behavior is perfect universal wisdom in the realm beyond correction, it is perfection. Because view is perfect non-conceptual wisdom in the realm beyond achievement, it is perfection. Because fruit is the perfect twenty-five wisdoms in the realm beyond frame of reference, it is perfection. The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva explains that Dzogchen

3300-435: Is sometimes used to describe this tradition. "Yungdrung" refers to the left-facing swastika , a symbol which occupies in Bon a similar place as the vajra (Wylie: rdo rje ) in Tibetan Buddhism, symbolising indestructibility and eternity. Yungdrung Bon is a universal religion , although it is mainly limited to Tibetans, with some non-Tibetan converts. There is also a kind of local village priests which are common throughout

3410-606: Is the Dzogchen master and translator Vairotsana , who according to some sources also translated Bon texts into Tibetan and also hid some Bon termas before leaving Tibet. While Yungdrung Bon and Nyingma originated in similar circles of pre-Sarma era ritual tantric practitioners, they adopted different approaches to legitimate their traditions. Nyingma looked back to the Tibetan Empire period, and Indian Buddhist figures like Padmasambhava. Bonpos meanwhile looked further back, to Tibet's pre-Buddhist heritage, to another Buddha who

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3520-483: Is the basis of all appearances and that this basis, called mind itself, is empty and luminous. The Space series meanwhile is focused on emptiness (Skt. śūnyatā, T. stong-pa nyid ). Finally, the Instruction Series itself is seen as the most direct kind of realization, without the need to meditate on emptiness or mind. Over time, the Instruction Series came to dominate the Dzogchen tradition and it remains

3630-416: Is the end of space. Space is infinite in all directions; so is dharmakaya. Dharmakaya is all-pervasive and totally infinite, beyond any confines or limitations. This is so for the dharmakaya of all buddhas. There is no individual dharmakaya for each buddha, as there is no individual space for each country. The Dzogchen View of the secret instruction series ( man ngag sde ) is classically explained through

3740-611: The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra . Furthermore, scholars like Sam van Schaik see Dzogchen as having arisen out of tantric Buddhist completion stage practices. The earliest Dzogchen sources appeared in the first half of the 9th century, with a series of short texts attributed to Indian saints. The most of important of these are the "Eighteen Great Scriptures", which are today known as the "Mind Series" ( Semdé ) and are attributed to Indian masters like Śrī Siṅgha , Vairotsana and Vimalamitra . The later Semdé compilation tantra titled

3850-492: The bardo (intermediate state between death and rebirth ). In trekchö, one first identifies the innate pure awareness, and then sustains recognition of it in all activities. In tögal ("crossing over"), a yogi works with various gazes and postures which lead to various forms of visions (in dark retreat or through sky gazing ). The most comprehensive study of sky-gazing meditation, known as tögal or thod rgal , has been written by Flavio A. Geisshuesler. Although

3960-582: The All-Creating King ( Kunjed Gyalpo , kun byed rgyal po) is one of the most important and widely quoted of all Dzogchen scriptures. Germano sees the early Dzogchen of the Tibetan Empire period as characterized by the rejection of normative Vajrayana practice. Germano calls the early Dzogchen traditions "pristine Great Perfection" since it is marked "by the absence of presentations of detailed ritual and contemplative technique" as well as

4070-892: The Brahmaputra [called the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet]. The lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River make "a sharp U-turn around Namjagbarwa Peak in Pai, Namling County." This is regarded as the starting point of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Nyingchi Prefecture , which stretches 496 kilometres (308 mi) and averages over 5,000 metres (3.1 mi) in depth. The county has three geysers. Namling County

4180-491: The Nyingma school attribute this schema to the Indian master Mañjuśrīmitra (c. 8th century). According to modern Tibetologists , this doxographic schema actually developed in the literature of the Instruction Series (c. 11th century onwards) as a way to distinguish and categorize the various Dzogchen teachings at the time. According to Instruction Series texts, the Mind Series is based on understanding that one's own mind

4290-525: The Pumi people are both believed to have originated from Bon. As noted by Dmitry Ermakov, "the word Bön is used to denote many diverse religious and cultural traditions." Bon sources acknowledge this and Bon authors like Shardza Rinpoche (1859–1935), Pelden Tsultrim (1902–1973) and Lopön Tenzin Namdak use a classification of three types of "Bon". Modern scholars also sometimes rely on this classification, which

4400-477: The Sipe D zop ’ug ) in which a creator deity, Trigyel Kugpa, also known as Shenlha Okar , creates two eggs, a dark egg and a light egg. According to Bon scriptures, in the beginning, these two forces, light and dark, created two persons. The black man, called Nyelwa Nakpo (“Black Suffering”), created the stars and all the demons, and is responsible for evil things like droughts. The white man, Öserden (“Radiant One”),

4510-578: The eleven vajra topics . These can be found in the String of Pearls Tantra ( Mu tig phreng ba ), the Great Commentary by Vimalamitra as well as in Longchenpa 's Treasury of Word and Meaning ( Tsik Dön Dzö). Dzogchen practice ( gompa ) relies on the Dzogchen view which is a "direct, non-dual, non-conceptual knowledge" of the pure nature. This is achieved through one's relationship with

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4620-577: The first dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet (7th to 9th centuries CE) during the Tibetan Empire and continued during the Era of Fragmentation (9th to 11th centuries). American Tibetologist David Germano argues that Dzogchen is likely a Tibetan Buddhist development. However, numerous ideas key to Dzogchen (like emptiness and luminosity ) can be found in Indian sources, like the Buddhist tantras , buddha-nature literature and other Mahāyāna sources like

4730-488: The fourteenth Dalai Lama , the term dzogchen may be a rendering of the Sanskrit term mahāsandhi . The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of Vajrayāna deity yoga . Specifically, it refers to the stage after the deity visualisation has been dissolved and one rests in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind . According to Sam van Schaik , in the 8th-century tantra Sarvabuddhasamāyoga,

4840-438: The pre-dynastic era before 618 CE; a classical Bon tradition (also called Yungdrung Bon – Wylie : g.yung drung bon ) which emerged in the 10th and 11th centuries; and "New Bon" or Bon Sar ( Wylie : bon gsar ), a late syncretic movement dating back to the 14th century and active in eastern Tibet. Tibetan Buddhist scholarship tends to cast Bon in a negative, adversarial light, with derogatory stories about Bon appearing in

4950-438: The "Secret Cycle" ( gsang skor ), "Ultra Pith" ( yang tig ), "Brahmin's tradition" ( bram ze'i lugs ), the " Space Class Series," and especially the "Instruction Class series" ( Menngagde ), which culminated in the "Seminal Heart" ( snying thig ), which emerged in the late 11th and early 12th century. The most influential texts in this period are Seventeen Tantras ( rgyud bcu bdun ). The most important scholarly figure in

5060-411: The "expanse" or "space" ( klong or dbyings ) or the "expanse of Dharma" ( chos dbyings , Sanskrit: Dharmadhatu ). The term Dharmakaya (Dharma body) is also often associated with these terms in Dzogchen, as explained by Tulku Urgyen : Dharmakaya is like space. You cannot say there is any limit to space in any direction. No matter how far you go, you never reach a point where space stops and that

5170-421: The (essentialist) categories of substance and quality; [...] rang-bzhin (actuality) remains open-dimensional, rather than being or turning into a rigid essence despite its being what it is; and that thugs-rje (resonance) is an atemporal sensitivity and response, rather than a distinct and narrowly circumscribed operation. The 19th–20th-century Tibetan Buddhist scholar, Shechen Gyaltsap Gyurme Pema Namgyal, sees

5280-585: The 7th to 9th centuries CE. While it is considered a Tibetan development by some scholars, it draws upon key ideas from Indian sources. The earliest Dzogchen texts appeared in the 9th century, attributed to Indian masters. These texts, known as the Eighteen Great Scriptures, form the "Mind Series" and are attributed to figures like Śrī Siṅgha and Vimalamitra . Early Dzogchen was marked by a departure from normative Vajrayāna practices, focusing instead on simple calming contemplations leading to

5390-552: The 8th century. Oyuk Chigong or Oyuk Jara Gon is a hermitage located at Jarasa in lower Oyuk. It is "the abode or castle of the protector deity Dorje Lekpa: guardian of the Dzogchen teachings." The Gelukpa monasteries of Drungzhi and Sogchen are located in the Tobgyel Valley. Gadan Chiokorling Monastery, located 1 km (0.62 mi) from the county center, originally called Gegon Songrapling Monastery, became part of

5500-462: The Bon religion, but in all Tibetan sciences. More than three hundred Bon monasteries had been established in Tibet before Chinese occupation. Of these, Menri Monastery and Shurishing Yungdrung Dungdrakling Monastery were the two principal monastic universities for the study and practice of Bon. In 2019, scholars estimate that there were 400,000 Bon followers in the Tibetan plateau . When Tibet

5610-496: The Buddha-nature as ultimate truth, nirvana, which is constituted of profundity, primordial peace and radiance: Buddha-nature is immaculate. It is profound, serene, unfabricated suchness, an uncompounded expanse of luminosity; nonarising, unceasing, primordial peace, spontaneously present nirvana. Direct introduction is called the "Empowerment of Awareness" ( Wylie : rig pa'i rtsal dbang , pronounced "rigpay sall wahng"),

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5720-711: The Dzogchen teaching in three principles, known as "Striking the Vital Point in Three Statements" ( Tsik Sum Né Dek ), said to be his last words. They give in short the development a student has to undergo: Garab Dorje's three statements were integrated into the Nyingthig traditions, the most popular of which in the Longchen Nyingthig by Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798). The statements are: Nyingma Dzogchen texts use unique terminology to describe

5830-596: The Dzogchen tradition portrays ultimate reality as something which is "beyond the concepts of one and many." According to the Dzogchen-teachings, the Ground or Buddha-nature has three qualities: Herbert V. Guenther points out that this Ground is both a static potential and a dynamic unfolding. They give a process-orientated translation, to avoid any essentialist associations, since ngo-bo (facticity) has nothing to do with nor can even be reduced to

5940-435: The Dzogchen view (Tib. tawa ). Some of these terms deal with the different elements and features of the mind and are drawn from classic Buddhist thought. The generic term for consciousness is shes pa ( Skt. vijñāna ), and includes the six sense consciousnesses. Worldly , impure and dualistic forms of consciousness are generally referred to with terms such as sems ( citta, mind), yid ( mānas ) and blo ( buddhi ). On

6050-702: The Fifth Dalai Lama, Bon was also officially recognised as a Tibetan religion. Bon suffered extensively during the Dzungar invasion of Tibet in 1717, when many Nyingmapas and Bonpos were executed. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bon tradition (both New Bon and Eternal Bon lineages) flourished in Eastern Tibet, led by charismatic Bonpo lamas like bDe ch en gling pa, d Bal gter sTag s lag can (bsTan 'dzin dbang rgyal), gSang sngags gling pa, and Shardza Rinpoche. Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859–1933)

6160-533: The Gelgupa Sect during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama . Bon Bon or Bön ( Tibetan : བོན་ , Wylie : bon , ZYPY : Pön , Lhasa dialect : [pʰø̃̀] ), also known as Yungdrung Bon ( Tibetan : གཡུང་དྲུང་བོན་ , Wylie : gyung drung bon , ZYPY : Yungchung Pön , lit.   ' eternal Bon ' ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism . It initially developed in

6270-594: The Himalayan borderlands studied by Charles Ramble in his The Navel of Demoness, as well as Buryatian Bѳ Murgel, from the shores of Lake Baikal, the religion of the Nakhi in Yunnan, and so on. From the traditional point of view of the Bon religion, Bon was the original religion of Tibet and Zhangzhung which was taught there by various Buddhas, including Tonpa Shenrab (whose name means “Supreme Holy Man”). Tonpa Shenrab

6380-678: The Himalayas that are called "bon", "lhabon" or "aya" (and bombo in Nepal). These are not part of the Bon religion proper, but are lay ritual specialists, often on a part time basis. Samuel states that it is unclear if these "bon" priests go back to the ancient period or if the term developed after Yungdrung Bon. Furthermore, the Dongba (东巴) practices of the Nakhi people and the Hangui (韩规) religion of

6490-678: The Lhasa River Basin." As of 1999, the county was home to the critically endangered Golden-headed box turtle (Cuora aurocapitata). Yungdrungling Monastery "is located at the foot of the Yulha Jiesam mountain in the Numa village in Namling County about 90 km. from Xigazê. The monastery is surrounded by dense wood ... it is one of the four major monasteries of Bon religion in Tibet." Danag Monastery, over 800 years old,

6600-533: The Namling County Party Committee, said that after the " Lhasa–Xigazê Railway is put into operation", the number of tourists in Namling County was expected to increase. "The famous local specialities are silver utensils, Tibetan sword and so on. Namling Town is the office place of Namling with a population 5,000, where are many monasteries." Traditional Tibetan opera is popular in Namling County, and government funding efforts to preserve

6710-534: The New Bon movement begins in Eastern Tibet with the works of Tulku Loden Nyingpo (1360–1385), a terton who discovered the Zibji ( gzi brjid ), a famous Tonpa Shenrab biography. His reincarnation, Techen Mishik Dorje is also known for his terma revelations. The movement continued to develop, with new Bon terma texts being revealed well into the 18th century by influential tertons like Tulku Sangye Lingpa (b. 1705) and

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6820-534: The Sarma traditions. These new influences were absorbed into Dzogchen through the practice of finding treasure texts ( terma ) that were discovered by "treasure revealers" ( tertons ). These tantric elements included subtle body practices, visionary practices like dark retreat , and a focus on death-motifs and practices (such as funerary and relic rituals, bardo teachings, phowa , etc). These new methods and teachings were part of several new traditions such as

6930-684: The Semdé (Mind Series, Tibetan : སེམས་སྡེ་ , Wylie : sems sde ), Longdé (Space Series, Tibetan : ཀློང་སྡེ་ , Wylie : klong sde ), and Menngaggidé (Instruction Series, Tibetan : མན་ངག་གི་སྡེ་ , Wylie : man ngag gi sde ). The Dzogchen path comprises the Base, the Path, and the Fruit. The Base represents the original state of existence, characterized by emptiness ( stong pa nyid ), clarity ( lhun grub , associated with luminous clarity ), and compassionate energy ( snying rje ). The Path involves gaining

7040-609: The Space and Instruction Series are associated with later (historical) developments of Dzogchen "which increasingly experimented with re-incorporating tantric contemplative techniques centered on the body and vision, as well as the consequent philosophical shifts his became interwoven with." In Dzogchen, there are three central aspects: the Base , the Path and the Fruit . The Base represents

7150-543: The Tibetan kings which had special tombs made for them. Robert Thurman describes at least one type of Bon as a "court religion" instituted "around 100 BCE" by King Pudegungyal, ninth king of the Yarlung dynasty , "perhaps derived from Iranian models", mixed with existing native traditions. It was focused on "the support of the divine legitimacy of an organized state", still relatively new in Tibet. Prominent features were "great sacrificial rituals", especially around royal coronations and burials, and "oracular rites derived from

7260-543: The West . Today, a proportion of Tibetans – both in Tibet and in the Tibetan diaspora – practise Bon, and there are Bonpo centers in cities around the world. Early Western studies of Bon relied heavily on Buddhist sources, and used the word to refer to the pre-Buddhist religion over which it was thought Buddhism triumphed. Helmut Hoffmann's 1950 study of Bon characterised this religion as "animism" and "shamanism"; these characterisations have been controversial. Hoffmann contrasted this animistic-shamanistic folk religion with

7370-532: The arrival of new Buddhist traditions from India which had greater prestige, new ritual repertoires and the full backing of Indian Buddhist scholarship. Both Nyingmapas and Bonpos used the concept of the terma to develop and expand their traditions in competition with the Sarma schools and also to defend their school as being grounded in an authentic ancient tradition. Thus, Bonpo tertons (treasure finders) like Shenchen Luga and Meuton Gongdzad Ritrod Chenpo revealed important Bon termas. An interesting figure of this era

7480-409: The attainment of a rainbow body at the moment of death, symbolizing full Buddhahood . Critics point to tensions between gradual and simultaneous practice within Dzogchen traditions, but practitioners argue these approaches cater to different levels of ability and understanding. Overall, Dzogchen offers a direct path to realizing the innate wisdom and compassion of the mind. Dzogchen arose in the era of

7590-424: The basis has a natural cognitive potentiality which gives rise to appearances. This is the ground for saṁsāra and nirvāṇa . The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva ( Dorje Sempa Nyinggi Melong , rdo rje sems dpa' snying gi me long ), a major Dzogchen tantra , explains the term Dzog (Perfection) as follows: Because rigpa is perfect wisdom in the realm beyond effort, it is perfection. Because meditation

7700-440: The basis that is its own state. Ma rigpa ( avidyā ) is the opposite of rigpa or knowledge. Ma rigpa is ignorance, delusion, or unawareness, the failure to recognize the nature of the basis. An important theme in Dzogchen texts is explaining how ignorance arises from the basis or dharmatā , which is associated with ye shes or pristine consciousness. Automatically arising unawareness ( lhan skyes ma rig pa ) exists because

7810-583: The blame of the decline of Bon on two persecutions by two Tibetan kings, Drigum Tsenpo and the Buddhist King Tri Songdetsen (r. 740–797). They also state that at this time, Bon terma texts were concealed all over Tibet. Bon sources generally see the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet and the subsequent period of Buddhist religious dominance as a catastrophe for the true doctrine of Bon. They see this as having been caused by demonic forces. However, other more conciliatory sources also state that Tonpa Shenrab and Sakyamuni were cousins and that their teachings are essentially

7920-584: The first Kundrol Drakpa (b. 1700). New Bon figures do not consider their revelations to be truly "new", in the sense that they do not see their revelations as being ultimately different from Yungdrung Bon. However, some followers of more orthodox Yundrung Bon lineages, like the Manri tradition, saw these termas as being influenced by Buddhism. Later New Bon figures like Shardza Rinpoche (1859–1934) responded to these critiques (see his Treasury of Good Sayings , legs bshad mdzod ). The work of these New Bon figures led to

8030-547: The flourishing of New Bon in Eastern Tibet. Some Tibetan tertons like Dorje Lingpa were known to have revealed New Bon termas as well as Nyingma termas. Lobsang Yeshe (1663–1737), recognised as the 5th Panchen Lama by the 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682), was a member of the Dru family, an important Bon family. Samten Karmay sees this choice as a gesture of reconciliation with Bon by the Fifth Dalai Lama (who had previously converted some Bon monasteries to Gelug ones by force). Under

8140-701: The folk religion, especially magical possessions and healings that required the priests to exhibit shamanic powers". The king was symbolised by the mountain and the priest/shaman by the sky. The religion was "somewhere between the previous "primitive animism", and the much changed later types of Bon. According to David Snellgrove, the claim that Bon came from the West into Tibet is possible, since Buddhism had already been introduced to other areas surrounding Tibet (in Central Asia ) before its introduction into Tibet. As Powers writes, "since much of Central Asia at one time

8250-462: The form of a turban-like headdress—that allows the religious practitioner to gain access to the source of vitality located in the heavens. Both the head and the headdress have deep resonances with animals—particularly deer and sheep—which are central for the sky-gazing practice because of their ability to ascend and descend vertically to move in between various realms of existence. Norbu notes that "Tantric practices may be used as secondary practices by

8360-488: The fruit or result of practice are non-dual from the ultimate perspective, in Dzogchen understands the path as not separate from the result or fruit of the path (i.e. Buddhahood ). Once a Dzogchen practitioner has recognized their true nature (and "do not remain in doubt" regarding this), the path consists of the integration ( sewa ) of all experiences in their life with the state of rigpa. All these experiences are self-liberated through this integration or mixing. This process

8470-465: The general ground ( spyi gzhi ) or the original ground ( gdod ma'i gzhi ). The basis is the original state "before realization produced buddha s and nonrealization produced sentient beings". It is atemporal and unchanging and yet it is "noetically potent", giving rise to mind ( sems, Skt. citta ), consciousness ( shes pa, Skt. vijñāna ), delusion ( ma rig pa, Skt. avidyā ) and knowledge ( rigpa , Skt. vidyā ). Furthermore, Hatchell notes that

8580-508: The main Dzogchen practices becoming more infused with various preliminary and tantric methods like deity yoga, semdzin (holding the mind), rushen (separating samsara and nirvana), and vipasyana ( lhagthong ), which are all seen as skillful means to achieve the basic state of contemplation of the primordially pure state. The key Dzogchen meditation methods, which are unique to the tradition are trekchö ("cutting tension") and tögal , along with unique Dzogchen teachings on awakening in

8690-513: The now traditional approach of practice in most Bon po monasteries." His tradition emphasises the importance of combining the study of sutra, tantra and Dzogchen. The most important Bon monastery is Menri monastery , which was built in 1405 in Tsang . Bon monks, like their Buddhist counterparts, study scripture, train in philosophical debate and perform rituals. However, Bon also has a strong tradition of lay yogis. "New Bon" ( bonsar , or sarma Bon)

8800-453: The organised priesthood of Bonpos which developed later, Shaivism , Buddhist tantras . Hoffman also argued that Gnosticism from the West influenced the systematised Bön religion. Hoffmann's study was foundational for Western understandings of Bon, but was challenged by a later generation of scholars influenced by David Snellgrove, who collaborated with Bonpo masters and translated Bonpo canonical texts. These scholars tended to view Bon as

8910-417: The original, unchanging state of existence, characterized by emptiness, clarity, and compassionate energy. The Path comprises three key elements: view, practice, and conduct. The view focuses on gaining a direct understanding of the pure nature of the mind. Practice involves meditation techniques and specific Dzogchen methods. Conduct means integrating these practices into daily life. The Fruit represents

9020-572: The orthodox Manri tradition of Eternal Bon, while also holding New Bon terma lineages. Shardza Rinpoche is also known to have had connections with the non-sectarian Buddhist lamas of the Rime movement and to have taught both Buddhists and Bonpos. Shardza Rinpoche had many disciples, including his nephew Lodro Gyatso (1915–1954) who led the lineage and Shardza's hermitage and college, after Shardza's passing. His disciple Kagya Khyungtrul Jigmey Namkha trained many practitioners to be learned in not only

9130-468: The other hand, nirvanic or liberated forms of consciousness are described with terms such as ye shes ( jñāna , 'pristine consciousness') and shes rab ( prajñā , wisdom). According to Sam van Schaik , two significant terms used in Dzogchen literature is the ground ( gzhi ) and gnosis ( rig pa ), which represent the " ontological and gnoseological aspects of the nirvanic state" respectively. Nyingma Dzogchen literature also describes nirvana as

9240-422: The persecutions against Bon, such as during the time of Trisong Detsen . Bon histories hold that some of Tonpa Shenrab's teachings were hidden away as termas and later re-discovered by Bon treasure revealers ( tertons ), the most important of which is Shenchen Luga (c. early 11th century). In the fourteenth century, Loden Nyingpo revealed a terma known as The Brilliance ( Wylie : gzi brjid ), which contained

9350-455: The practitioner of Dzogchen, alongside the principal practice of contemplation." Similarly, physical yoga (Tib. trulkhor ) may also be used as supporting practices. According to Namkhai Norbu, in Dzogchen, "to become realized simply means to discover and manifest that which from the very beginning has been our own true condition: the Zhi (gzhi) or Base." Since the basis, the path of practice and

9460-475: The previous twenty years, the Bon community had received none of the financial support which was channelled through the Dalai Lama's office and were often neglected and treated dismissively in the Tibetan refugee community. Dzogchen Samding Dorje Phagmo Dzogchen ( Tibetan : རྫོགས་ཆེན་ , Wylie : rdzogs chen 'Great Completion' or 'Great Perfection'), also known as atiyoga ( utmost yoga ),

9570-435: The renaissance period) and contains many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism. According to Samuel, the origins of modern Yungdrung Bon have much in common with that of the Nyingma school. Samuel traces both traditions to groups of "hereditary ritual practitioners" in Tibet which drew on Buddhist Tantra and "elements of earlier court and village-level ritual" during the 10th and 11th centuries. These figures were threatened by

9680-462: The same. The most influential historical figure of this period is the Bon lama Drenpa Namkha . Buddhist sources mention this figure as well and there is little doubt he was a real historical figure. He is known for having ordained himself into Bon during a time when the religion was in decline and for having hidden away many Bon termas. Bon tradition holds that he was the father of another important figure, Tsewang Rigzin and some sources also claim he

9790-434: The series that is most widely practiced and taught while the other two series are rarely practiced today (with the exception of a few masters like Namkhai Norbu ). According to Namkhai Norbu , the three series are three modes of presenting and introducing the state of Dzogchen. Norbu states that Mennagde is a more direct form of introduction, Longde is closely associated with symbolic forms of introducing Dzogchen and Semde

9900-495: The singular enlightened gnosis of the buddha All Good (Samantabhadra, Kuntu Zangpo )", there is nothing to do but to recognize this inherent awakened mind, relax and let go. During the Tibetan renaissance era (10th century to the early 12th century) many new Vajrayāna texts, teachings and practices were introduced from India. At this time, the Nyingma school and its Dzogchen traditions reinvented themselves, producing many new scriptures and developing new practices influenced by

10010-474: The story of Tonpa Shenrab. He was not the first Bonpo tertön , but his terma became one of the definitive scriptures of Bon. Bon histories also discuss the lives of other important religious figures, such as the Zhangzhung Dzogchen master Tapihritsa . Bon myth also includes other elements which are more obviously pre-Buddhist. According to Samuel, Bonpo texts include a creation narrative (in

10120-492: The student's capability and thus he taught these people the lower vehicles to prepare them for the study of sutra , tantra and Dzogchen in later lives. It is only later in life that he became a celibate ascetic and it is during this time that he defeated his main enemy, the prince of the demons. After Tonpa Shenrab's paranirvana , his works were preserved in the language of Zhangzhung by ancient Bon siddhas. Most of these teachings were said to have been lost in Tibet after

10230-474: The systematization of these new traditions was Longchenpa Rabjampa (1308–1364). Later figures who also revealed important treasure text cycles include Karma Lingpa , (1326–1386, who revealed the bar-do thos-grol ), Rigdzin Gödem (1337–1409), Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798), who revealed the influential Longchen Nyingthig and Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904). Dzogchen is composed of two terms: According to

10340-563: The tenth and eleventh centuries but retains elements from earlier Tibetan religious traditions . Bon is a significant minority religion in Tibet, especially in the east, as well as in the surrounding Himalayan regions . The relationship between Bon and Tibetan Buddhism has been a subject of debate. According to the modern scholar Geoffrey Samuel , while Bon is "essentially a variant of Tibetan Buddhism" with many resemblances to Nyingma , it also preserves some genuinely ancient pre-Buddhist elements. David Snellgrove likewise sees Bon as

10450-407: The term thod rgal is generally translated as "Direct Transcendence" or "Leap Over," Geisshuesler argues that the expression really means "Skullward Leap" as it consists of the Tibetan words thod ("above," "over," but also "head wrapper," "turban," "skull") and rgal ("to leap over"). In the larger Tibetan cultural area, it is the most elevated part of the human body—the skull or, its extension in

10560-469: The term "bon" originally referred to a type of priest who conducted various ceremonies, including priests of the Yarlung kings. Their rituals included propitiating local spirits and guiding the dead through ceremonies to ensure a good afterlife. Their rituals may have involved animal sacrifice, making offerings with food and drink, and burying the dead with precious jewels. The most elaborate rituals involved

10670-500: The term for the pre-Buddhist religious practices of Tibet. These include folk religious practices, cults surrounding royalty , and divination practices. However, scholars have debated whether the term Bon should be used for all of these practices, and what their relationship is to the modern Bon religion. In an influential article, R. A. Stein used the term "the nameless religion" to refer to folk religious practices, distinguishing them from Bon. Per Kvaerne uses Bon solely to refer to

10780-456: The term refers to "a realization of the nature of reality" which arises through the practice of tantric anuyoga practices which produce bliss. In the 10th and 11th centuries, when Dzogchen emerged as a separate vehicle to liberation in the Nyingma tradition, the term was used synonymously with the Sanskrit term ati yoga (primordial yoga). Rigpa (Sanskrit: vidyā , "knowledge") is

10890-695: The thirty-fourth Abbot of Menri Monastery (destroyed in the Cultural Revolution , but now rebuilt), who now presides over Pal Shen-ten Menri Ling in Dolanji in Himachal Pradesh , India. The 33rd lineage holder of Menri Monastery , Menri Trizin Lungtog Tenpei Nyima and Lopön Tenzin Namdak are important current lineage holders of Bon. A number of Bon establishments also exist in Nepal ; Triten Norbutse Bonpo Monastery

11000-419: The tradition were started in 2005. "Xiangba Tibetan play in Namling County of Tibet has a history of more than 700 years. It is one of the four major schools of the blue-mask Tibetan play, and was born in the late 18th century." Local residents preserve "some traditional Tibetan operas such as "Princess Wencheng", "Chimei Gongdan", "Langsa Wenbo" and so on." "Tongdong Gyaibo (1365-1455), the founder of Tibet Opera,

11110-428: The ultimate goal – realizing one's true nature and achieving Buddhahood. This involves discovering the inherent state of the base and integrating all experiences with one's awareness of it. Ultimately, it leads to complete non-dual awareness, transcending egoic limitations, and dissolving dualities. A key concept in Dzogchen is the "base", "ground", or "primordial state" (Tibetan: gzhi , Sanskrit: āśraya ), also called

11220-420: Was Buddhist , it is very plausible that a form of Buddhism could have been transmitted to western Tibet prior to the arrival of Buddhist missionaries in the central provinces. Once established, it might then have absorbed elements of the local folk religion, eventually developing into a distinctive system incorporating features of Central Asian Buddhism and Tibetan folk religion." According to Powers, ancient Bon

11330-603: Was a particularly important Bon master of this era, whose collected writings comprise up to eighteen volumes (or sometimes twenty). According to William M. Gorvine, this figure is "the Bon religion's most renowned and influential luminary of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries." He was associated with the orthodox Eternal Bon Manri monastery tradition as well as with New Bon figures like the 5th and 6th Kun grol incarnations, gSang sngags gling pa (b. 1864) and bDe chen gling pa (1833–1893) as well as with dBal bon sTag lag ca n, bsTan ' d zin dbang rgyal (b. 1832). These figures maintained

11440-658: Was also during this era of Bonpo renewal that the Bon Kanjur and Tenjur were compiled. Just like all forms of Tibetan Buddhism, Yungdrung Bon eventually developed a monastic tradition, with celibate monks living in various monasteries. Bon monks are called trangsong , a term that translates the Sanskrit rishi (seer, or sage). A key figure in the establishment of Bon monasticism was Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen (mNyam med Shes rab rgyal mtshan, c. 1356–1415). According to Jean Luc Achard, "his insistence on Madhyamaka , logic, gradual path ( lamrim ) and philosophical studies has modeled

11550-732: Was born in Ngamring County. Legend has it that the iron chain bridge over the Xiongqoi River in Namling County was built with funds collected by Tongdong Gyaibo through performances." Namling County and the Xiangqu River Basin were a cultural center of the Supi tribe, known as "The Kingdom of Women", and "one of the earliest tribes in Tibet." After "the end of the sixth century, the Supi tribe moved its political center to

11660-473: Was brought first to Zhangzhung, and then to Tibet. Bonpos identify the Buddha Shenrab Miwo (Wylie: gshen rab mi bo ) as Bon's founder, although no available sources establish this figure's historicity. Western scholars have posited several origins for Bon, and have used the term "Bon" in many ways. A distinction is sometimes made between an ancient Bon ( Wylie : bon rnying ), dating back to

11770-400: Was closely associated with the royal cult of the kings during the early Tibetan Empire period and they performed "ceremonies to ensure the well-being of the country, guard against evil, protect the king, and enlist the help of spirits in Tibet's military ventures." As Buddhism began to become a more important part of Tibet's religious life, ancient Bon and Buddhism came into conflict and there

11880-581: Was invaded by the People's Republic of China , there were approximately 300 Bon monasteries in Tibet and the rest of western China . Bon suffered the same fate as Tibetan Buddhism did during the Chinese Cultural revolution , though their monasteries were allowed to rebuild after 1980. The present spiritual head of the Bon is Menri Trizin Rinpoché , successor of Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (1929–2017),

11990-582: Was said to have lived before Sakyamuni, as well as to other masters from the kingdom of Zhangzhung. The main Bonpo figures of the Tibetan renaissance period were tertons (treasure revealers) who are said to have discovered Bon texts that had been hidden away during the era of persecution. These figures include Shenchen Luga (gShen chen Klu dga'), Khutsa Dawo (Khu tsha zla 'od, b. 1024), Gyermi Nyi O (Gyer mi nyi 'od), and Zhoton Ngodrup (bZhod ston d Ngos grub, c. 12th century). Most of these figures were also laymen. It

12100-450: Was the father of Padmasambhava , which is unlikely as the great majority of sources say Padmasambhava was born in Swat, Pakistan . A great cult developed around Drenpa Namkha and there is a vast literature about this figure. Yungdrung Bon (Eternal Bon) is a living tradition that developed in Tibet in the 10th and 11th centuries during the later dissemination of Buddhism (sometimes called

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