THL Bibliographies > Bon Bibliography
Bon Bibliography in the THL Bibliographies
Overview of Subject
Bön is the alternative Tibetan religion that may or may not have existed in any systematic way prior to the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet. It is certain that numerous elements of modern Tibetan Buddhism and Bön find their pedigree in folk customs and practices stretching back into Tibet's prehistory, but as of this writing there is considerable doubt about these indigenous elements having found expression in so coherent an organization as modern Bön before Buddhism arrived. In the Renaissance period (10th-13th centuries C.E.), a counter-Tibetan identity coalesced around these folk practices and around the Zhang Zhung ethnicity that comprised the kingdom of the same name in western Tibet prior to its undoing at the hands of the Tibetan king Trisong Detsen (khri srong lde btsan). This movement mirrored many of the sensibilities of Nyingma (rnying ma) Buddhism, including most notably an emphasis on treasure texts as the primary textual authority and Dzokchen (rdzogs chen) as the driving philosophy, to the extent that it is superficially difficult to distinguish the two. This is not just because of Bön's adoption of Buddhist principles. Indeed, the difficulty in extracting one from the other relates as much to Buddhism's appropriation of Bönpo elements as vice versa. The strongest argument for the distinctiveness between the two is the fact that both parties assert it. Regardless of whether we can identify concrete dissimilarities, Bönpos claim a different history, ethnicity, deities, and practices, and Buddhists do likewise, even while they all agree that the fundamental teachings are the same.
State of Scholarship
Prior to David Snellgrove's The Nine Ways of Bön (1967), in which the author collaborated with Bönpo monk-scholars to present fairly the teachings and character of Bön, the majority of Western scholarship treated Bön as a shamanic derivative that plagiarized Buddhism. In the time since Snellgrove's project, perspectives have matured dramatically, and scholars such as Per Kvaerne in Norway, Dan Martin in the United States (though currently in Israel), Christopher Baumer in Germany, and Anne Klein in the United States, and numerous scholars in Japan, to name but a few of the most prominent, are unveiling more and richer detail about Bön and its history. Published secondary sources are still scarce and generally somewhat unpolished, but the situation is improving.
Contributors
Kurtis Schaeffer (University of Virginia), David Germano (University of Virginia), Ben Deitle (University of Virginia), Jed Verity (University of Virginia)
Bibliography
Introductions to Bön
Banerjee, Anukul Chandra. “Bon – The Primitive Religion of Tibet.” Bulletin of Tibetology no. 4 (1981): 1-18.
Baumer, Christopher, Bon: Tibet's Ancient Religion. Trumbull, CN: Weatherhill, 2002.
- Reviewed by Todd Gibson in “Review of Tibet's Ancient Religion: Bön by Christoph Baumer.” The Tibet Journal 28, no. 3 (2003): 109-113.
Bjerken, Zeff. “Cracking the Mirror: A Critical Genealogy of Scholarship on Tibetan Bon and the 'Canonical' Status of The Crystal Mirror of Doctrinal Systems.” The Tibet Journal 23, no. 4 (1998): 92-107.
Bjerken, Zeff, "Exercising the Illusion of Bon 'Shamanism': A Critical Genealogy of Shamanism in Tibetan Religions,"Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines 6 (2004): 4-59.
Karmay, Samten G., ‘A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon.’ Memoirs of the Research Department of the Tôyô Bunko, vol. 33 (1975), pp. 171-218.
- A good general discussion of Bon.
Kvaerne, Per, "Bon," In Encyclopedia of Religions, Second Edition. Lindsey Jones, Editor in Chief. New York: Macmillan Reference USA/Thomson Gale, 2005: volume 2: pages 1007-1010.
Kvaerne, Per (1994). "The Bon Religion of Tibet: A Survey of Research". In The Buddhist Forum Volume III, edited by Tadeusz Skorupski and Ulrich Pagel, pp. 131-141. London: School of Oriental and African Studies.
Kvaerne, Per, The Bon Religion of Tibet, London: Serindia, 1995. Introduction, pp. 9-23.
- Reviewed by Dan Martin in “Review of P. Kværne, Tibet: Bon Religion.” Journal of the Tibet Society 5 (1985): 103-104.
- URL: http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/jts/JTS_05_review.pdf
Kvaerne, P, "Bon and its Relationship to Buddhism: The study of Bon in the West: Past, present and future," In Karmay, Samten G., ed., New Horizons in Bon Studies. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2005.
Martin, Dan, Unearthing Bon Treasures: Life and Contested Legacy of a Tibetan Scripture Revealer, with a General Bibliography of Bon, Leiden: Brill, 2001. Chapters 1-4, pp. 1-39.
Rossi, Donatella. “The Nine Ways of the Bonpo Tradition: An Oral Presentation by a Contemporary Bonpo Lama.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes, 1992, edited by Per Kværne, vol. 2, pp. 678-681. Oslo: Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994.
Snellgrove, David. The Nine Ways of Bon: Excerpts from Gzi-brjid. Boulder: Prajñâ Press, 1980 (1967).
Stein, R. A., Tibetan Civilization, Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1972. pp. 229-247.
Tsewang Tamding. “Buddhism and Bon.” Bulletin of Tibetology no. 2 (1998): 7-12.
Tucci, Guiseppe. The Religions of Tibet. Translated by Geoffrey Samuel. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1980. Chapter six The Folk Religion (163-212) and Chapter 7 The Bon Religion (213-248).
Bön Histories
Böngya Gelek Lhündrup Gyatso (bon brgya dge legs lhun grub rgya mtsho), “Bon dang 'brel bar bod kyi lo rgyus kyi dus tshigs dang don dngos 'gar zhib mor dpyad pa.” In Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I, edited by Henk Blezer, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 1, pp. 1-25. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Franke, August Hermann, "gZer-myig, A Book of the Tibetan Bon-pos,"Asia Major 1 (1924): 243-246; 3 (1926): 321-339; 4 (1927): 161-239, 481-450; 5 (1928): 7-40; 6 (1930): 299-314; 7 (new series, 1949): 163-188.
Greatrex, Roger. “Bonpo Tribute Missions to the Imperial Court (1400-1665).” In Tibetan Studies II: Proceedings of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, edited by Ernst Steinkellner, et al., pp. 327-335. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997.
Karmay, Samten G., "A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon," In The Arrow and the Spindle: Studies in History, Myths, Rituals and Beliefs in Tibet. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point, 1998. pp. 104-157.
Karmay, Samten G., ed. and trans., The Treasury of Good Sayings: A Tibetan History of Bon, London Oriental Series volume 26, Oxford University Press (London 1972).
- A partial translation of Shar-rdza Bkra shis rgyal mtshan’s history entitled Legs bshad rin po che’i gter mdzod (composed 1920s). For a substantive review by Per Kværne, see Acta Orientalia, vol. 35 (1973), pp. 273-79.
Kvaerne, Per (1972). "Aspects of the Origin of the Buddhist Tradition in Tibet". In Numen 19, pp. 22-40.
Kværne, Per. “A New Chronological Table of the Bon Religion: The bstan-rcis of Hor-bcun bsTan-'jin-blo-gros (1888-1975).” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 4th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Schloss Hohenkammer, Munich 1985, vol. 1, edited by Helga Uebach and Jampa L. Panglung, pp. 241-244. Munich: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1988.
Dondrup Lhagyal, "Bonpo family lineages in Central Tibet," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Martin, Daniel. "Beyond Acceptance and Rejection? The Anti-Bon Polemic included in the Thirteenth-Century Single Intention (Dgongs-gcig Yig-cha) and Its Background in Tibetan Religious History."Journal of Indian Philosophy, vol. 25, no. 3 (June 1997), pp. 263-305.
Martin, Daniel. "’Ol-mo-lung-ring, the Original Holy Place."Tibet Journal (Dharamsala), vol. 20, no. 1 (Spring 1995), pp. 48-82.
- A revised and expanded version of this paper was published in a volume edited by Toni Huber entitled Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (Dharamsala 1999), pp. 258-301.
Martin, Daniel. Poisoned Dialogue: A Study of Tibetan Sources on the Last Year in the Life of Gshen-chen Klu-dga’ (996-1035 C.E.). Central Asiatic Journal, vol. 40, no. 2 (1996), pp. 221-233.
Martin, Dan. “Tibet at the Center: A Historical Study of Some Tibetan Geographical Conceptions Based on Two Types of Country-lists Found in Bon Histories.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes, 1992, edited by Per Kværne, vol. 1, pp. 517-532. Oslo: Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994.
Martin, Dan, Unearthing Bon Treasures: Life and Contested Legacy of a Tibetan Scripture Revealer, with a General Bibliography of Bon, Leiden: Brill, 2001.
Martin, Daniel. "Unearthing Bon Treasures: A Study of Tibetan Sources on the Earlier Years in the Life of Gshen-chen Klu-dga’."Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 116, no. 4 (1996), pp. 619-644.
Namgyal Nyima Dagkar. “The Early Spread of Bon.” The Tibet Journal 23, no. 4 (1998): 4-27.
Namgyal Nyima Dagkar. “sTag-gzig and Zhang-zhung in Bon Sources.” In Tibetan Studies II: Proceedings of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, edited by Ernst Steinkellner, et al., pp. 687-700. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997.
Norbu, Namkhai (1995). Drung, Deu and Bön: Narrations, Symbolic languages and the Bön tradition in ancient Tibet. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
- This has a wealth of material on Bon ritual and mythology.
- Reviewed by Dan Martin in “Drung, De'u and Bön: Narrations, Symbolic Languages and the Bön Tradition in Ancient Tibet by Namkhai Norbu, translated into English from Italian by Andrew Lukianowicz [review article].” The Tibet Journal 23, no. 4 (1998): 108-119.
Bön Philosophies
Achard, Jean-Luc. “Bon zhig khyung nag and the Rig pa gcer mthong Tradition of rDzogs chen.” The Tibet Journal 23, no. 4 (1998): 28-57.
Cech, Krystyna. “A Religious Geography of Tibet According to the Bon Tradition.” In Tibetan studies: Proceedings of the 5th Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Narita 1989, edited by Shōren Ihara and Zuihō Yamaguchi, vol. 2, pp. 387-392. Narita: Naritasan Shinshoji, 1992.
Katsumi Mimaki. “A Fourteenth Century Bon po Doxography, the Bon sgo gsal byed by Tre ston rGyal mtshan dpal: A Preliminary Report Toward a Critical Edition.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes, 1992, edited by Per Kværne, vol. 2, pp. 570-579. Oslo: Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994.
Klein, Anne C. “Unbounded Functionality: A Modest Rdzogs chen Rejection of the Classic Don byed nus pa Criterion.” In Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I, edited by Henk Blezer, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 1, pp. 345-363. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Klein, Anne C. and Tenzin Wangyal, Unbounded Wholeness: Dzogchen, Bon, and the Logic of the Nonconceptual, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Loseries-Leick, Andrea. “Symbolism in the Bon Mother Tantra.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes, 1992, edited by Per Kværne, vol. 1, pp. 501-506. Oslo: Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994.
Martin, D., "Comparing Treasuries: Mental states and other mDzod phug lists and passages with parallels in Abhidharma works by Vasubandhu and Asanga or in Prajnaparamita Sutras: A progress report," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Martin, Dan, Mandala Cosmogony: Human Body Good Thought and the Revelation of the Secret Mother Tantras of Bon, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1994.
Karmay, Samten G., The Little Luminous Boy: The Oral Tradition from the Land of Zhangzhung Depicted on two Tibetan Paintings, Bangkok: White Orchid Press, 1998.
Mimaki, K, "A preliminary comparison of Bonpo and Buddhist cosmology," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Reynolds, John Myrdhin, translator. The Oral Tradition from Zhang-Zhung: An Introduction to the Bonpo Dzogchen Teachings of the Oral Tradition from Zhang-zhung Known as the Zhang zhung snyan rgyud, Kathmandu: Vajra Pubications, 2005.
Rossi, Donatella. “A Brief Survey of the Lung rigs rin po che'i mdzod blo gsal snying gyi nor by Shar rdza Bkra Shis rgyal mtshan (1859-1934).” In Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I, edited by Henk Blezer, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 1, pp. 365-378. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Rossi, Donatella. The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion, Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1999.
- Reviewed by Jean-Luc Achard in “Review of The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion by Donatella Rossi.” The Tibet Journal 27, no. 1-2 (2002): 268-270.
Rossi, D. "rDzogs-chen Doctrines: The Lo rgyus chen mo in the collection of the Ye khri mtha' sel attributed to Dran-pa nam-mkha'," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Vorndran, Eika. “Coming into Existence: Bon Notions of Embryological Development.” In Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I, edited by Henk Blezer, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 1, pp. 403-412. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Bön Meditation
Kværne, Per. “Bonpo Studies: The A Khrid System of Meditation.” Kailash 1, no. 1 (1973): 19-50.
- Description: The purpose of the present work is to provide a basis for a more detailed study of the nature and history of the system of meditation and spiritual relaization peculiar to the Bonpo lamaist tradition, called A Khrid, i.e. "The teachings (khrid) concerning the Unconditioned (a)". (Mark Turin)
URL: http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/kailash/kailash_01_01_04.pdf
Bön Rituals and Practices
Bellezza, John Vincent, Spirit-Mediums, Sacred Mountains, and Related Bon Textual Traditions in Upper Tibet: Calling Down the Gods. Leiden: Brill, 2005.
Blondeau, A. M., "The mKha' klong gsang mdos: Some questions on ritual structure and cosmology," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Brauen, Martin. “A Bon-po Death Ceremony.” In Tibetan Studies: Presented at the Seminar of Young Tibetologists, Zurich, June 26-July 1, 1977, edited by Martin Brauen and Per Kværne, pp. 65-74. Zurich: Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich, 1978.
- Description: The article gives the background of the Bönpo death ceremony, as well giving a detailed description of the ritual and events involved in the ceremony. (Mark Premo-Hopkins)
Canzio, Richard O. “Aspects of Ceremonial Behavior in Bon-po Monastic Life.” In Soundings in Tibetan civilization: Proceedings of the 1982 Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies held at Columbia University, edited by Barbara Nimri Aziz and Matthew Kapstein, pp. 42-53. New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1985.
Denwood, Philip. “Notes on Some Tibetan Bonpo Rituals.” In Buddhist Studies Ancient and Modern, edited by Philip Denwood and Alexander Piatigorsky, Collected Papers on South Asia No. 4, pp. 12-19. London: Curzon Press, 1983.
Karmay, S. G. "A comparative study of the yul lha cult in two areas and its cosmological aspects," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Karmay, Samten G. “A Pilgrimage to Kongpo Bon-ri.” In Tibetan studies: Proceedings of the 5th Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Narita 1989, edited by Shōren Ihara and Zuihō Yamaguchi, vol. 2, pp. 527-539. Narita: Naritasan Shinshoji, 1992.
Karmay, S. G. “Three Sacred Bon Dances (’Cham).” In Zlos-Gar, edited by J. Norbu, 58-68. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1986.
Norbu, Namkhai, Drung, Deu and Bön: Narrations, Symbolic Languages and the Bön Tradition in Ancient Tibet, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (Dharamsala 1995).
Snellgrove, David, The Nine Ways of Bon: Excerpts from Gzi-brjid Edited and Translated, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.
Ramble, C. "The secular surroundings of a Bonpo ceremony: Games, popular rituals and economic structures in the mDos-rgyab of Klu-brag monastery (Nepal)," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Ramble, Charles, "Gaining Ground: Representations of Territory in Bon and Tibetan Popular Tradition," The Tibet Journal 20/1 (1995): 83-124.
Schremph, Mona. “The Earth-Ox and the Snowlion.” In Amdo Tibetans in Transition: Society and Culture in the Post-Mao Era, edited by Toni Huber, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 5, pp. 147-171. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
- Description: A paper on the rites and dance ('cham) performed in the Bönpo (bon po) community of Sharkhok (shar khog).
Schrempf, Mona. “Hwa shang at the Border: Transformations of History and Reconstructions of Identity in Modern A mdo.” JIATS, no. 2 (August 2006): 1-32. www.thdl.org?id=2721.
- Description: Discusses the history and significance of an annual masked dance ('cham) at the Bön monastery of Rin spungs bkra shis smin grol gling in A mdo Shar khog. (Ben Deitle)
Schrempf, M. "Victory banners, social prestige and religious identity: Ritualized sponsorship and the revival of Bon monasteries in Amdo Shar-khog," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Tachikawa M. "Mandala visualization and possession," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Tsering Thar, "Monasteries and Lay Communities: The bla ma in the Bon religion in Amdo and Khams," In New Horizons in Bon Studies.
Bön Canonical Collections
Karmay, Samten G. and Yasuhiko Nagano, editors, A Catalogue of the New Collection of Bonpo Katen Texts. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2001.
Karmay, Samten G., Feast of the Morning Light: The Eighteenth Century Wood-Engravings of Shenrab's Life-Stories and the Bon Canon from Gyalrong. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2005.
Martin, Dan, Per Kvaerne and Yasuhiko Nagano, editors, A Catalogue of the Bon Kanjur. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2003.
Bön Literature - General
Blondeau, Anne-Marie. “La controverse soulevée par l'inclusion de rituels bon-po dans le Rin-čhen gter-mjod.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 4th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Schloss Hohenkammer, Munich 1985, vol. 2, edited by Helga Uebach and Jampa L. Panglung, pp. 55-68. Munich: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1988.
Gibson, Todd. “Dgra-lha: a Re-examination.” Journal of the Tibet Society 5 (1985): 67-72.
- Description: In this brief communication Gibson investigates the Tibetan term dgra lha, which commonly refers to a particular type of deity. He argues that the term may actually have its roots in another term, sgra bla, evidenced in Bönpo (bon po) literature and epics of the Tibetan dynasty. He looks at how the term may have changed over time, and what impact this revised etymology would have the interpretation of dgra lha in various literary sources. (Ben Deitle)
- URL: http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/jts/JTS_05_03.pdf
Kværne, Per. “The Literature of Bon.” In Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre, edited by José Cabezón and Roger R. Jackson, pp. 138-146. Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1996.
Walter, Michael L. “The Tantra 'A Vessel of Bdud Rtsi,' a Bon Text.” Journal of the Tibet Society 6 (1986): 25-72.
- Description: A translation of a Bön (bon) Mother Tantra. The Tibetan title is Bdud rtsi bum pa'i rgyud, and it is found in the third volume of the Collected tantras of Bon (Bka' 'gyur rgyud sde'i skor). The translation is heavily annotated and the Tibetan text is reproduced at the end. (Ben Deitle)
- URL: http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/jts/JTS_06_03.pdf
Bön Treasure (gter)
Gyatso, Janet. “Guru Chos-dbang's gTer 'byung chen mo: An Early Survey of the Treasure Tradition and Its Strategies in Discussing Bon Treasure.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes, 1992, edited by Per Kværne, vol. 1, pp. 275-287. Oslo: Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994.
Bön Monasteries
Canzio, Richard O. “Aspects of Ceremonial Behavior in Bon-po Monastic Life.” In Soundings in Tibetan civilization: Proceedings of the 1982 Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies held at Columbia University, edited by Barbara Nimri Aziz and Matthew Kapstein, pp. 42-53. New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1985.
Cech, Krystyna. “A Bonpo bča'-yig: The Rules of sMan-ri Monastery.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 4th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Schloss Hohenkammer, Munich 1985, vol. 1, edited by Helga Uebach and Jampa L. Panglung, pp. 69-86. Munich: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1988.
- Description: The article looks at the sole surviving bča'-yig of the Bonpo (bon po) tradition. This document is a list of rules which is ceremoniously read out to the full assembly of a monastery's monks each year. (Mark Premo-Hopkins)
Denwood, Philip. “Stūpas of the Tibetan Bonpos.” In The Stūpa: Its Religious, Historical and Architectural Significance, edited by A. L. Dallapiccola, pp. 175-181. Wiesbaden, 1980.
Huber, T. “Contributions on the Bon Religion in A-mdo (1): The Monastic Tradition of Bya-dur dGa’-mal in Shar-khog.” Acta Orientalia 59 (1998): 179-227.
Karmay, Samten G. and Yasuhiko Nagano, eds., compiled by Dondrup Lhagyal et al., A Survey of Bonpo Monasteries and Temples in Tibet and the Himalaya, Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology, 2003.
Kværne, Per. “The Monastery of Snang-zhig of the Bon Religion in the Rnga-ba District of Amdo.” In Indo-Sino-Tibetica: Studi in onore di Luciano Petech, edited by P. Daffina, 207-22. Rome: Bardi, 1990.
Namgyal Nyima Dagkar. “The System of Education in Bonpo Monasteries from the Tenth Century Onwards.” In Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes, 1992, edited by Per Kværne, vol. 1, pp. 137-143. Oslo: Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994.
Skorupski, Tadeusz. “Tibetan g-Yung-Drung Bon Monastery at Dolanji.” Kailash 8, no. 1-2 (1981): 25-43.
- Description: A description of the formation of the 'Tibetan Bonpo Foundation' and its teachings. (Mark Turin)
- URL: http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/kailash/kailash_08_0102_02.pdf
Tsering Thar (tshe ring thar). “Shar rdza Hermitage: A New Bonpo Center in Khams.” In Khams pa Histories: Visions of People, Place and Authority, edited by Lawrence Epstein, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 4, pp. 155-172. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Zhang Zhung Language
Haarh, Erik. The Zhang-zhung Language: A Grammar and Dictionary of the Unexplored Language of the Tibetan Bönpos. Universitetsforlaget i Aarhus og Munksgaard, 1968.
Hummel, Seigbert and Guido Vogliotti, ed. and trans. On Zhang-zhung. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2000.
Namgyal Nyima Dagkar. “Concise Analysis of Zhang Zhung Terms in the Documents of Dunhuang.” In Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I, edited by Henk Blezer, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 1, pp. 429-439. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Namgyal Nyima (Rnam rgyal nyi ma). Zhang-zhung – Tibetan – English Contextual Dictionary. Berlin, 2003.
- Description: This new dictionary of Zhangzhung terminology from the Bön tradition of Tibetan religion includes 3875 entries drawn from 468 sources. These entries include Tibetan and English definitions as well as the citation of passages in which they occur with full bibliographical information for these passages.
Tsuguhito Takeuchi. “The Old Zhangzhung Manuscript Stein Or 8212/ 188.” In Medieval Tibeto-Burman Languages, edited by Christopher Beckwith, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 6, pp. 1-11. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Bön Identity
Kind, Marietta. “Abducting the Divine Bride: Reflections on Territory and Identity among the Bonpo Community in Phoksumdo, Dolpo.” In Territory and Identity in Tibet and the Himalayas, edited by Katia Buffetrille and Hildegard Diemberger, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 9, pp. 271-288. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Bön Miscellaneous
Allen, Charles. The Search for Shangri-la. London: Little Brown, 1999.
- A good travelogue including many Bönpo locations.
Websites
A site concerned primarily with the New Menri (sman ri) monastery in exile and the perpetuation of Bön traditions.
The Bön Future Fund is an organization aiming to sponsor the education of Bönpo children and foster children-related projects.
Ligmincha Institute at Serenity Ridge
The Ligmincha Institute at Serenity Ridge is an organization and retreat based in Charlottesville, VA established by Tenzin Wangyel Rinpoché. It is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Bön, especially Dzokchen.
Affiliated retreat centers and organizations are as follows (see also www.ligmincha.org/ligww/ligww.html for a complete and updated list):
| Name | Location | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Chamma Ling Retreat Center | Creston, CO | www.chammaling.org/ |
| Ligmincha Texas Institute for Meditative & Healing Arts | Houston, TX | www.zentekconsulting.com/sangha/ |
| Centro Garuda Mexico | Mexico | www.garudamexico.org |
| Sherab Chamma Ling | Courtenay, B.C., Canada | www.sherabchammaling.com |
An organization collecting and selling Bönpo artifacts.
This is a site, primarily in French, dedicated to educating the world about Yungdrung Bön and featuring Lopön Tenzin Namdak.
The homepage for the Tibetan Yungdrung Bon Study Centre, also known as the Tibetan Yungdrung Bon Institute and various other names internationally, run by Lama Khemsar Rinpoche.
Zhang Zhung Empire of Tibet, archaeological discoveries by John Vincent Bellezza
Tibetan Works by Bönpos about Bön
It would make better sense to organize these according to types of texts as the Bonpos define them: treasure, oral revelations in sleep or visions, oral traditions, etc., because many of them transcend our designations - e.g. one source will be a biography of Shenrab Miwo but will contain Dzokchen philosophies and ritual prescriptions - but that will be the next wave of revision. Entries are alphabetized within sections by title according to the Tibetan alphabet.
History (includes Biography, Namtar, Cosmogony)
kha byang gsal byed nyi ma'i dkhyil 'khor, passed on orally from Tangchen Mutsa Gyermé (stang chen dmu tsha gyer med, 8th century) to Loden Nyingpo (blo ldan snying po, b. 1360)
bsgrags byang
- source for the Treasury of Good Sayings
bstan pa'i rnam bshad dar rgyas gsal sgron, by Pa Tengyap Zangpo (spa bstan rgyaP? bzang po)
mdo 'dus, rediscovered in 11th century.
- short biography of Shenrab Miwo and earliest source of most of the available information on Ölmo Lungring ('ol mo lung ring).
tshe dbang snyan rgyud kyi lo rgyus
- section three of the tshe dbang bod yul ma
- contains rare information about Drenpa Namkha
tshe dbang bod yul ma'i lung bstan, rediscovered in 1269? by Bönzhik Yungdrung Lingpa (bon zhig g.yung drung gling pa, b. 1228)
- deals with Tsewang Rigdzin (tshe dbang rig 'dzin), son of Drenpa Namkha
rdzogs pa chen po zhang zhung snyan brgyud kyi lo rgyus bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar chen mo, by Pa Tengyel Zangpo (spa bstan rgyal bzang po, 13th century)
- aka: rnam thar chen mo
- life stories of transmitters of the zhang zhung snyan brgyud
legs shad rin po che’i mdzod dpyod ldan dga’ ba’i char (Precious Treasury of Good Sayings, Pleasant Rain for the Wise), Drupwang Trashi Ggyeltsen Drimé Nyingpo (grub dbang bkra shis rgyal mtshan dri med snying po). 1922.
zhang zhung snyan brgyud, allegedly originated with Gyerpung Nangzher Löpo (gyer spungs snang bzher lod po, 8th century)
- aka: chig brgyud
- the main text of the Oral Tradition
zhi ba g.yung drung yongs rdzogs, rediscovered in 1017 by Shenchen Luga
- aka: zhi ba yongs rdzogs
- treatise on tranquil divinities
gzi brjid, orally transmitted from Tangchen Dumtsa Gyermé (stang chen dum tsha gyer med, 8th century) to Loden Nyingpo (b. 1360)
- aka: dri med
- long biography of Shenrab Miwo
- oral revelation, not treasure
sha 'bal nag po glog gsas kyi rgyud, rediscovered in 1038?
- aka: sha 'bal
- one of the "nine rgyud of phur ba"
srid pa rgyud kyi rnam thar kha byang chen mo, attributed to Drenpa Namkha (8th century), rediscovered in 1310 by Gyerthokmé (gyer thogs med, b. 1280) in Tanyen Pawong Bönmo (rta gnyan pha bong bon mo).
- aka: srid rgyud, kha byang, or srid pa rgyud kyi kha byang
gsang ba rtsa rgyud nyi zer sgron ma, Drenpa Namkha (c. 8th century).
- aka: nyi sgron
- treatise on cosmogony and history
Philosophy and Doctrine
khu byug rang 'grel, rediscovered in 1017 by Shenchen Luga.
- commentary on the khu byug, a Dzokchen text
sgra 'grel, rediscovered in 12th century.
- commentary on the mdzod
- source for the Treasury of Good Sayings
mchod gtor rgya che 'grel, rediscovered in 1017 by Shenchen Luga
- commentary on mchod gtor rtsis mgo bdun pa
mchod gtor rtsis mgo bdun pa
lta ba khyung chen g.yung drung gsang ba'i rgyud, rediscovered in 1038.
- aka: khyung chen
- one of the six rgyud of khro bo, tantric teachings
lta ba spyi gcod kyi bshad byang, 8th century?
- part of the zhang zhung snyan bgyud
theg pa rim pa mngon du bshad pa'i mdo rgyud, rediscovered in the 11th century by "the three Buddhists of Tsang", edited and published by S.T. Jongdong and S.G. Karmay (Kalimpong, 1961)
- aka: theg rim
thig le dbyings mchad, rediscovered in 1017 by Shenchen Luga.
- tantric text
drang don mun sel sgron ma, Drenpa Namkha (c. 8th century)
- treatise on Dzokchen
bden gnyis, Metön Sherap Özer (me ston shes rab 'od zer, 1058-1132).
- philosophical treatise that serves as a source for the Treasury of Good Sayings
'dul rgyud bsgrags pa glings grags, attributed to Drenpa Namkha (8th century), rediscovered by Loppön Gangzhuk Thokgyel (slob dpon gang zhug thog rgyal) in Mangkhar Chaktrang (mang mkhar lcags 'phrang)
- aka: 'dul ba gling grags, bsgrags pa gling grags, and 'dul rgyud gling grags
'dul ba gsang lung, rediscovered in the 12th? century by Matön Sherab Senggé (rma ston shes rab seng ge)
- aka: 'dul ba'i lung
nang lta ba sems nyid gtan la phab pa, rediscovered in 11th century by Kutsa Daö (b. 1038)
nam mkha' sems mdzod
- Dzokchen text
- talks a lot about previous lives of Shenrab Miwo
spyi spungs don rgyud, Loden Nyingpo (b. 1360).
- tantric teachings
phun sum tshogs pa'i rgyud, rediscovered in 1088.
- treatise on Dzokchen
phyi dbal phur nag po, rediscovered by Kutsa Daö (b. 1038)
bon nyid snying po bdal ba'i 'bum, rediscovered by "the three Buddhists from Tsang" (gtsang gi ban dhe me gsum) in the 11th century.
- aka: bdal 'bum
- classified as bka' and commonly considered a plagiarism of Buddhist works.
bon bsdus rtsa ba'i 'grel chen, rediscovered in 1038.
- commentary on the phur pa
dbyings rig mdzod (The Treasury of Knowledge of the Celestial Sphere), c. 1859-1945. Drupwang Trashi Ggyeltsen Drimé Nyingpo.
- a study of Dzokchen
mdzod, Lhashen Yongsu Dakpa (lha gshen yongs su dag pa).
mdzod kun las btus pa, by Gatön Tsültrim Gyeltsen (sga ston tshul khrims rgyal mtshan, 14th century), edited and published by S.T. Jongdong and S.G. Karmay (Kalimpong, 1961)
- aka: mdzod kun btus
mdzod 'grel
- commentary on the mdzod, Lhashen Yongsu Dakap.
- source for the Treasury of Good Sayings
rdzogs pa chen po yang rtse klong chen, attributed to Lishu Takring (li shu stag ring, 8th century), rediscovered by Zhötön Ngödrup Drakpa (bzhod ston dngos grub grags pa) in Lhodrak Khomting (lho brag khom mthing)
- aka: yang rtse klong chen
gzer mig, rediscovered in 11th century.
ye khri mtha' sel, date unknown.
- treatise on Dzokchen
g.yung drung skabs 'phrin, rediscovered by Pönsé Kyunggötsé (dpon gsas khyung rgod rtsal, b. 1175) in Mangkhar Chaktrang
- aka: skabs 'phrin
- tantric text
g.yung drung las rnam pa dag pa'i rgyud, translated by Tonggyung Tuchen (stong rgyung mthu chen) and Shari Uchen (sha ri dbu chen), rediscovered by Gyermi Nyiö (12th century) in Chang Dangra Kyungdzong (byang dang ra khyung rdzong)
- classified as bka'
rig 'dzin 'dus pa, Loden Nyingpo (b. 1360).
- tantric teachings
lha 'grel, Lhasé Döndrel (lha sras don 'grel), rediscovered in 1067 by Nyentön Sherap Senggé (gnyan ston shes rab seng ge).
- aka: lha sras don 'grel
- commentary on the mdzod, Lhashen Yongsu Dakpa.
zhi khro rtsa 'grel chen mo, rediscovered in 12th century by Trülku Guru Nöntsé (sprul sku gu ru rnon rtse, b. 1136).
- aka: rtsa 'grel
- analysis of peaceful and wrathful divinities
zhing mdo
- source for the Treasury of Good Sayings
gzhi ye sangs rgyas pa'i rgyud, rediscovered in the 12th century by Guru Nöntsé.
- one of the three rgyud of ma rgyud
bsen thub, rediscovered in 1017 by Shenchen Luga.
- source for The Treasury of Good Sayings
Practices
rnam rgyal
- ritual for worshiping gshen rab
byams ma, rediscovered by Trotsang Druklha (khro tshang 'brug lha, 956-1077)
- concerns worship of the goddess byams ma
bla ma rig 'dzin gyi skong ba
- ritual text in The Treasury of Good Sayings
ma rgyud thugs rje nyi ma, rediscovered in the 12th century by Guru Nöntsé.
- rite of ma rgyud
Modern Scholarship
bka' bdang bka' brten gyi rnam bshad nyi 'od rab gsal, Nyima Tenzin (nyi ma bstan 'dzin, b. 1813), Śatapiṭaka vol. 37, Part II (Delhi, 1965)
- classifications of the Bönpo bka' and bka' brten.
sde tshan sgrigs tshul gyi dkar chags gshen bstan pad mo'i ny 'od, Nyima Tenzin, Śatapiṭaka vol. 37, Part II (Delhi, 1965)
- classifications of the Bönpo bka' and bka' brten
g.yung drung bon gyi bstan pa byung ba brjod pa, Pelden Tsültrim (dpal ldan tshul khrims)
- comprehensive catalogue of Bön monasteries
Böngya Gelek Lhündrup Gyatso (bon brgya dge legs lhun grub rgya mtsho), “Bon dang 'brel bar bod kyi lo rgyus kyi dus tshigs dang don dngos 'gar zhib mor dpyad pa.” In Tibet, Past and Present: Tibetan Studies I, edited by Henk Blezer, Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 1, pp. 1-25. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Döndrup Lhagyel (don grub lha rgyal). "Gshen rab mi bo che'i mdzad rnam bsdus ma'i skor gleng ba." In Religion and Secular Culture in Tibet: Tibetan Studies II, edited by Henk Blezer. Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 2, pp. 379-401. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Tsewang Lhamo (tshe dbang lha mo). "Bod kyi shes rig las 'byung ba'i skor rags tsam gleng ba." In Religion and Secular Culture in Tibet: Tibetan Studies II, edited by Henk Blezer. Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 2, pp. 413-18. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
Rakhyung Geshé Kelzang Norbu (dbra khyung dge bshes skal bzang nor bu). "Zhang bod kyi gso ba rig pa'i grol phugs 'bum bzhi dang rgyud bzhi'i skor la dpyad pa." In Religion and Secular Culture in Tibet: Tibetan Studies II, edited by Henk Blezer. Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000, vol. 2, pp. 418-430. Leiden: Brill, 2002.
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