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{{Short description|Tibetan religion}}
{{About|the Tibetan religion}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Narshi_Gonpa_Ngawa_Sichuan_China.jpg|thumb|The Bon monastery of [[Nangzhik Gompa]] in [[Ngawa Town|Ngawa]], [[Sichuan]], China]]
{{Bon}}
[[File:Tonpa Shenrab.jpg|thumb|A statue of [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche|Tonpa Shenrab]], the central [[Buddhahood|Buddha]] in Yungdrung Bon]]
'''Bon''' or '''Bön''' ({{bo|t=བོན་|w=bon|l=pʰø̃̀|z=Pön}}), also known as '''Yungdrung Bon''' ({{bo|w=gyung drung bon|t=གཡུང་དྲུང་བོན་|z=Yungchung Pön}}, {{literally|eternal Bon}}), is the indigenous [[Religion in Tibet|Tibetan religion]] which shares many similarities and influences with [[Tibetan Buddhism]].<ref name="Samuel">Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221.</ref> It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Kværne |first1 = Per |author-link1 = Per Kværne |year = 1995 |title = The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Cg8SAQAAIAAJ |publication-place = Boston, Massachusetts |publisher = Shambhala |page = 13 |isbn = 9781570621864 |access-date = 4 November 2022 |quote = According to its own historical perspective, Bon was introduced into Tibet many centuries before Buddhism and enjoyed royal patronage until it was finally supplanted by the 'false religion' (i.e. Buddhism) from India{{nbsp}}...}}</ref> but retains elements from earlier [[Religion in Tibet|Tibetan religious traditions]].<ref>Samuel 2012, p. 220.</ref><ref name=":21">Kvaerne 1996, pp. 9–10.</ref> Bon is a significant [[minority religion]] in Tibet, especially in the east, as well as in the surrounding [[Himalayas|Himalayan regions]].<ref name="Samuel" /><ref name=":21" />

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.<ref name="Samuel" /> [[David Snellgrove]] likewise sees Bon as a form of [[Buddhism]], albeit a [[heterodoxy|heterodox]] kind.<ref name="Powers 2007, pp. 500–501">Powers 2007, pp. 500–501</ref> Similarly, [[John Powers (academic)|John Powers]] writes that "historical evidence indicates that Bön only developed as a self-conscious religious system under the influence of Buddhism".<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 497">Powers (2007), p. 497.</ref>

Followers of Bon, known as "Bonpos" (Wylie: {{transliteration|bo|bon po}}), believe that the religion originated in a kingdom called [[Zhangzhung]], located around [[Mount Kailash]] in the [[Himalayas]].<ref>Karmay, Samten G., "Extract from 'A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon'", in Alex McKay, ed. ''History of Tibet, Volume 1'' (New York: Routledge, 2003), 496–9.</ref> Bonpos hold that Bon was brought first to Zhangzhung, and then to Tibet.<ref>Namdak, Lopon Tenzin, ''Heart Drops of Dharmakaya'' (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2002).</ref> Bonpos identify the Buddha [[Shenrab Miwo]] (Wylie: ''gshen rab mi bo'') as Bon's founder, although no available sources establish this figure's historicity.<ref>Karmay, 499.</ref>

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 ({{bo|w=bon rnying}}), dating back to the [[History of Tibet#Early history (c. 500 BC – AD 618)|pre-dynastic era]] before 618 CE; a classical Bon tradition (also called ''Yungdrung Bon'' – {{bo|w=g.yung drung bon}}) which emerged in the 10th and 11th centuries;<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Kang
 |first1               = Xiaofei
 |last2                = Sutton
 |first2               = Donald S.
 |year                 = 2016
 |chapter              = Garrison City in the Ming: Indigenes and the State in Greater Songpan
 |title                = Contesting the Yellow Dragon: Ethnicity, Religion, and the State in the Sino-Tibetan Borderland, 1379–2009
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=wOAzDwAAQBAJ
 |series               = Religion in Chinese Societies ISSN 1877-6264, Volume 10
 |publication-place    = Leiden
 |publisher            = Brill
 |page                 = 32
 |isbn                 = 9789004319233
 |access-date          = 4 November 2022
 |quote                = [...] Yungdrung Bon [...] emerged in the 10th and 11th centuries, along with the second rise of Buddhism in Tibet, and continues as a minority practice among Tibetans in both the People's Republic and overseas.
}} 
</ref>
and "New Bon" or Bon Sar ({{bo|w=bon gsar}}), a late syncretic movement dating back to the 14th century and active in eastern Tibet.<ref name="Achard2015">{{cite journal|last= Achard|first= Jean-Luc|year= 2015|title= On the Canon Bönpo of the Collège de France Institute of Tibetan Studies|url= https://journals.openedition.org/lettre-cdf/2225|journal= La Lettre du Collège de France|publisher= Collège de France|issue= 9|pages= 108–109|doi= 10.4000/lettre-cdf.2225 |access-date=2021-02-15|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite book|last= Keown|first= Damien|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZQoszLjWBkC&q=B%C3%B6n&pg=PT111|title= Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism|publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]|year= 2003|isbn= 0-19-860560-9|author-link= Damien Keown}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last= Achard|first= Jean Luc|title= The Three Kinds of Bon (The Treasury of Lives: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Tibet, Inner Asia and the Himalayan Region)|url=https://treasuryoflives.org/foundations|access-date=2022-01-28 |website= The Treasury of Lives|language=en}}</ref>

Tibetan Buddhist scholarship tends to cast Bon in a negative, adversarial light, with derogatory stories about Bon appearing in a number of Buddhist histories.<ref>Samuel, Geoffrey, "Shamanism, Bon, and Tibetan Religion," in Alex McKay, ed. ''History of Tibet, Volume 1'' (New York: Routledge, 2003), 462–3.</ref> 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]].<ref>Samuel, 465-7.</ref> Following the [[Chinese invasion of Tibet]] in 1950, Bonpo scholars began to arrive in [[Europe]] and [[North America]], encouraging interest in Bon in [[Western world|the West]].<ref>Samuel, 465.</ref> 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.

==Etymology==
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.<ref>Kvaerne, Per, "The Study of Bon in the West: Past, present, and future", in Alex McKay, ed. ''History of Tibet, Volume 1'' (New York: Routledge, 2003), 473–4.</ref> Helmut Hoffmann's 1950 study of Bon characterised this religion as "animism" and "shamanism"; these characterisations have been controversial.<ref>Kvaerne, "Study of Bon in the West," 473-4.</ref> Hoffmann contrasted this animistic-shamanistic [[folk religion]] with the organised priesthood of Bonpos which developed later, [[Shaivism]], Buddhist [[Tantras (Buddhism)|tantras]].<ref>Kvaerne, "Study of Bon in the West," 474.</ref>{{Clarify|reason=The structure of this sentence leaves it unclear as to what’s being claimed about the relationship, if any, between Bon, Shaivism and Buddhist tantras. Specifically: as written, the commas around “Shaivism” seem to mark it as an appositive (reading as if to say that the previously-mentioned “organised priesthood of Bonpos” is called “Shaivism”).|date=July 2024}} Hoffman also argued that [[Gnosticism]] from the West influenced the systematised Bön religion.<ref name="s900">{{cite book | last=Wedderburn | first=A.J.M. | title=Baptism and Resurrection: Studies in Pauline Theology against its Graeco-Roman Background | publisher=Wipf & Stock Publishers | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-61097-087-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-dMAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 | access-date=2024-05-10 | page=19}}</ref>

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 a heterodox form of Buddhism, transmitted separately from the two transmissions from India to Tibet that formed the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.<ref>Kvaerne, "Study of Bon in the West," 476</ref> 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.<ref>Kvaerne, "Study of Bon in the West," 478.</ref>

The term ''Bon'' has been used to refer to several different phenomena. Drawing from Buddhist sources, early Western commentators on Bon used the term for the pre-Buddhist religious practices of Tibet. These include folk religious practices, [[Imperial cult|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.<ref>Kvaerne, Per, "Extract from ''The Bon Religion of Tibet''", in Alex McKay, ed. ''History of Tibet, Volume 1'' (New York: Routledge, 2003), 486.</ref>

Per Kvaerne uses Bon solely to refer to a tradition he dates from tenth and eleventh centuries CE, the tradition which developed into the modern Bon religion.<ref name="ReferenceA">Kvaerne, "Extract from ''The Bon Religion of Tibet''", 486.</ref> Kvaerne identifies this tradition as "an unorthodox form of Buddhism,"<ref>Kvaerne, "Extract from ''The Bon Religion of Tibet''", 486."</ref> 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.<ref>Karmay, "Extract from 'A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon'", 496-9.</ref> The term Yungdrung Bon (Wylie: ''g.yung drung bon'') is sometimes used to describe this tradition. Yungdrung Bon is a religion with a [[universal religion | universalist]] framework, 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 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.<ref>Samuel 2012, p. 230.</ref>

Furthermore, the [[Dongba]] (东巴) practices of the [[Nakhi people]] and the Hangui (韩规) religion of the [[Pumi people]] are both believed to have originated from Bon.<ref>{{cite web|title=普米韩规古籍调研报告|url=http://www.pumichina.com/pmyj_show.asp?id=58&classid=258&title=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914115046/http://www.pumichina.com/pmyj_show.asp?id=58&classid=258&title=|archive-date=2012-09-14|access-date=2013-06-14|publisher=Pumichina.com}}</ref>

== Types ==
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]] (1925-2025) use a classification of three types of "Bon". Modern scholars also sometimes rely on this classification, which is as follows:<ref name="Achard2015" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":24">Ermakov, Dmitry (2011) [https://www.academia.edu/40082950/B%C3%B6n_as_a_multifaceted_phenomenon_looking_beyond_Tibet_to_the_cultural_and_religious_traditions_of_Eurasia ''Bön as a multifaceted phenomenon:looking beyond Tibet to the cultural and religious traditions of Eurasia''], Presented at Bon, Zhang Zhung and Early Tibet Conference, SOAS, London, 10 September 2011</ref>

* Prehistoric Bon (''Gdod ma'i bon'') of Zhangzhung and Tibet. This is an ancient system of belief and ritual practice that is mostly extinct today. However, elements of it exist in various religious practices found in the Himalayas – mainly in the calling of fortune rituals (g.yang 'gug), the soul retrieval or re-call rituals (bla 'gugs) and the ransom rituals (mdos). Ermakov sees some similarities between this tradition and the Eurasian cult of the sky deer.<ref name=":24" /> 
* Eternal Bon (Yungdrung Bon), also called old Bon (Bon Nyingma), which is traced to the Buddha Tonpa Shenrab and other sages from Zhangzhung. These religions developed from the 8th to the 11th century and are similar to Nyingma Buddhism. It includes ancient elements which are pre-Buddhist (including the fortune, bla and ransom rituals).
* New Bon (Bon Sarma, Bonsar), a syncretic tradition which includes elements from Eternal Bon and Tibetan Buddhism, including the worship of the Buddhist figure [[Padmasambhava]]. This new movement dates from the 14th century and was mainly active in eastern Tibet.
Dmitry Ermakov also adds an extra category which he terms "mixed Bon" and which he defines as:<ref name=":24"/>

{{blockquote|...{{nbsp}}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 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.}}

== Symbols ==
<gallery>
File:Bonflag.jpg|Bon Flag with five stripes and a Yungdrung symbol in the center.
File:Bon - Yungdrung.jpg|Yungdrung is a left-facing [[swastika]], a sacred symbol of [[Bon]].
File:Yungdrung_Chagshing-colour.svg|Yungdrung Chagshing-Bon sceptre
</gallery>

The aforementioned "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.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name=johnston169>{{cite book|author= William M. Johnston|title= Encyclopedia of Monasticism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=GfC0TDkJJNgC |year= 2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-57958-090-2|pages=169–171}}</ref>

This symbol takes center stage in the flag used by Bonpos. At each end, ancient symbols of auspicious fortune signify the presence of this potent force, typically reserved for the Buddha [[Tonpa Shenrab]]. This revered emblem represents powerful protection and enlightened action. The background stripes depict the five fundamental elements - space, fire, air, earth, and water - representing the totality of creative existence. This flag is a visual representation of all phenomena, presented as a symbol of benefit through the yungdrung's activity.

==Traditional history==
[[File:Tonpa_Shenrab_-_Life_Story_19th_century,_Collection_of_Rubin_Museum_of_Art..jpg|thumb|Tonpa Shenrab life story, 19th-century painting, [[Rubin Museum of Art]]]]
[[File:Tapihritsa Bön.jpg|thumb|[[Tapihritsa]], a Bon siddha from Zhangzhung]]

=== Tonpa Shenrab ===
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”).<ref name=":1" /><ref>Powers 2007, p. 503.</ref>

Tonpa Shenrab 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.<ref name=":1" /> He attained [[Buddhahood]] several hundred years before [[Gautama Buddha|Sakyamuni Buddha]], in a country west of Tibet, called Olmo Lungring or Tazig (Tasi), which is difficult to identify and acts as a semi-mythical holy land in Bon (like [[Shambhala|Shambala]]).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Samuel 2012, p. 221.</ref><ref>Kvaerne 1996, p. 14.</ref> Various dates are given for his birth date, one of which corresponds to 1917 BCE.<ref name=":4"/> Some Bon texts also state that Sakyamuni was a later manifestation of Tonpa Shenrab.<ref name=":2">Samuel 2012, p. 221.</ref>

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.<ref name=":13">Kvaerne 1996, p. 17.</ref> He had numerous wives and children, constructed numerous temples and performed many rituals in order to spread Bon.<ref name=":13">Kvaerne 1996, p. 17.</ref> Like Padmasambhava, he is also held to have defeated and subjugated many demons through his magical feats, and like [[Epic of King Gesar|King Gesar]], he is also believed to have led numerous campaigns against evil forces.<ref name=":13">Kvaerne 1996, p. 17.</ref>

Tonpa Shenrab is held to have visited the kingdom of Zhangzhung (an area in western Tibet around [[Mount Kailash]]),<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 502">Powers 2007, p. 502.</ref> 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 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.<ref name="twr">
[[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]], ''Healing with Form, Energy, and Light''. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2002. {{ISBN|1-55939-176-6}}, pp. xx</ref> 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.<ref name=":13">Kvaerne 1996, p. 17.</ref>

After Tonpa Shenrab's [[Parinirvana|paranirvana]], his works were preserved in the [[Zhang-Zhung language|language of Zhangzhung]] by ancient Bon siddhas.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last=Achard|first=Jean Luc|title=The Three Kinds of Bon (The Treasury of Lives: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Tibet, Inner Asia and the Himalayan Region)|url=https://treasuryoflives.org/foundations|access-date=2022-01-28|website=The Treasury of Lives|language=en}}</ref> Most of these teachings were said to have been lost in Tibet after the persecutions against Bon, such as during the time of [[Trisong Detsen]].<ref name=":4">Samuel 2012, p. 227.</ref> Bon histories hold that some of Tonpa Shenrab's teachings were hidden away as termas and later re-discovered by Bon treasure revealers ([[Tertön|tertons]]), the most important of which is [[Shenchen Luga]] (c. early 11th century).<ref name=":4">Samuel 2012, p. 227.</ref>

In the fourteenth century, Loden Nyingpo revealed a terma known as ''The Brilliance'' ({{bo|w=gzi brjid}}), which contained the story of Tonpa Shenrab. He was not the first Bonpo [[tertön]], but his terma became one of the definitive scriptures of Bon.<ref name="Schaik">Van Schaik, Sam. ''Tibet: A History''. [[Yale University Press]] 2011, pages 99–100.</ref>

Bon histories also discuss the lives of other important religious figures, such as the Zhangzhung Dzogchen master [[Tapihritsa]].{{sfnp|Wangyal|2002}}

=== Origin myths ===
Bon myth also includes other elements which are more obviously pre-Buddhist. According to Samuel, Bonpo texts include a creation narrative (in 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.<ref>Samuel 2012, p. 225.</ref>

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”), 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.<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 506">Powers 2007, p. 506.</ref>

Powers also writes that according to Bon scriptures, in the beginning, there was only [[Śūnyatā|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 a vast "[[World egg|cosmic egg]]", from which a primordial being, Belchen Kékhö, was born.<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 506"/>

== History ==
[[File:Buddhist criticism on a Bon funeral ritual.jpeg|thumb|A manuscript containing a Buddhist criticism of an ancient Bon funeral ritual]]

=== Pre-Buddhist Bon and the arrival of Buddhism ===
Little is known about the pre-Buddhist religion of ancient Tibet and scholars of Bon disagree on its nature.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last=Schaik|first=Sam van|date=2009-08-24|title=Buddhism and Bon IV: What is bon anyway?|url=https://earlytibet.com/2009/08/24/buddhism-and-bon-iv/|access-date=2022-01-28|website=early Tibet|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":25">{{Cite book |title=The Tibetan Book of the Dead |publisher=[[Viking Press]] |others=Introductory commentary by the [[14th Dalai Lama]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-670-85886-2 |edition=First American |location=New York |pages=449 |translator-last=Dorje |translator-first=Gyurnme |translator-last2=Coleman |translator-first2=Graham |translator-last3=Jinpa |translator-first3=Thupten}}</ref> Some think that Bon evolved from [[Zoroastrianism]] and others say [[Kashmir Valley|Kashmiri]] Buddhism.<ref name=":25" />

Bon may have referred to a kind of ritual, a type of priest, or a local religion.<ref name=":9"/> In ancient Tibet, there seem to have been 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").<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":9"/>

Likewise, Powers notes that early historical evidence indicates that the term "bon" originally referred to a type of priest who conducted various ceremonies, including priests of the [[Yarlung dynasty|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 the Tibetan kings which had special tombs made for them.<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 497"/>

[[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 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.<ref>Thurman in: Rhie, Marylin and [[Robert Thurman|Thurman, Robert]] (eds):''Wisdom And Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet'', p. 21-22, 1991, Harry N. Abrams, New York (with 3 institutions), {{ISBN|0810925265}}</ref>

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 [[Buddhism in Central Asia|Central Asia at one time 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."<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 502"/>

According to Powers, ancient Bon 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."<ref name=":7"/> As Buddhism began to become a more important part of Tibet's religious life, ancient Bon and Buddhism came into conflict and there is evidence of anti-Bon polemics.<ref name="Gorvine 2018, p. 21">Gorvine 2018, p. 21.</ref> 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.<ref name=":7"/> 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.<ref name="Gorvine 2018, p. 21"/>

Bon sources place the blame of the decline of Bon on two persecutions by two Tibetan kings, Drigum Tsenpo and the Buddhist King [[Trisong Detsen|Tri Songdetsen]] (r. 740–797).<ref name=":11">[[Per Kværne|Kværne]], Per. "Bon Rescues Dharma" in Donald S. Lopez (Jr.) (ed.) (1998). ''Religions Of Tibet In Practice,'' p. 99.</ref> They also state that at this time, Bon terma texts were concealed all over Tibet.<ref name=":11"/> 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.<ref name=":15">Kvaerne 1996, p. 22.</ref> However, other more conciliatory sources also state that Tonpa Shenrab and Sakyamuni were cousins and that their teachings are essentially the same.<ref name=":15">Kvaerne 1996, p. 22.</ref>

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.<ref name=":18">Kvaerne 1996, p. 119.</ref> 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 was the father of [[Padmasambhava]],<ref name=":18">Kvaerne 1996, p. 119.</ref> 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.<ref name=":18">Kvaerne 1996, p. 119.</ref>

=== The development of Yungdrung Bon ===
[[File:Shenchen Luga..jpg|thumb|The Bon [[Tertön|terton]] (treasure discoverer) [[Shenchen Luga]] (11th century), a key figure of the renaissance period.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography Of Shenchen Luga|url=https://collab.its.virginia.edu/wiki/renaissanceold/Biography%20of%20Shenchen%20Luga.html|access-date=2022-01-29|website=collab.its.virginia.edu}}</ref>]]
Yungdrung Bon (Eternal Bon) is a living tradition that developed in Tibet in the 10th and 11th centuries during the [[History of Tibetan Buddhism#Tibetan Renaissance (10th–12th centuries)|later dissemination of Buddhism]] (sometimes called the renaissance period) and contains many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism.<ref>Kvaerne 1996, p. 10.</ref> 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 [[Vajrayana|Buddhist Tantra]] and "elements of earlier court and village-level ritual" during the 10th and 11th centuries.<ref name=":5">Samuel 2012, pp. 230–231.</ref>

These figures were threatened by 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 (Buddhism)|Sarma]] schools and also to defend their school as being grounded in an authentic ancient tradition.<ref name=":5"/> Thus, Bonpo tertons (treasure finders) like Shenchen Luga and Meuton Gongdzad Ritrod Chenpo revealed important Bon termas. An interesting figure of this era 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.<ref>Rossi 2000, p. 23.</ref>

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 was said to have lived before Sakyamuni, as well as to other masters from the kingdom of Zhangzhung.<ref name=":5"/> 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 was also during this era of Bonpo renewal that the Bon Kanjur and Tenjur were compiled.<ref>Achard (2008), p. xix.</ref>

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).<ref name=":7">Powers 2007, p. 505.</ref> A key figure in the establishment of Bon monasticism was [[Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen]] (mNyam med Shes rab rgyal mtshan, c. 1356–1415).<ref name=":22">Achard 2008, p. xix.</ref> According to Jean Luc Achard, "his insistence on [[Madhyamaka]], logic, gradual path ([[lamrim]]) and philosophical studies has modeled the now traditional approach of practice in most Bon po monasteries."<ref name=":22">Achard 2008, p. xix.</ref> His tradition emphasises the importance of combining the study of sutra, tantra and Dzogchen.<ref name=":22">Achard 2008, p. xix.</ref> The most important Bon monastery is [[Menri Monastery|Menri monastery]], which was built in 1405 in [[Ü-Tsang|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.<ref name=":7" />

=== The era of New Bon ===
[[File:Sanggye Lingpa (1705-1735). Tibet, 19th century, Rubin Museum of Art..jpg|thumb|Sanggye Lingpa (1705–1735), Tibet, 19th century, Rubin Museum of Art]]
"New Bon" (''bonsar'', or sarma Bon) is a more recent development in the Bon tradition, which is closely related to both Eternal Bon and the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":19">{{Cite web|last=Myrdhin Reynolds|first=John|title=Vajranatha.com {{!}} Bonpo and Nyingmapa Traditions of Dzogchen Meditation|url=https://vajranatha.com/bonpo-and-nyingmapa-traditions-of-dzogchen/|access-date=2022-01-29|language=en-US}}</ref> It is centered on the figures of [[Drenpa Namkha]], Tsewang Rigdzin and [[Padmasambhāva|Padmasambhava]], which in this school are considered to have transmitted and written commentaries on the works of Tonpa Shenrab in around the 8th century.<ref name=":1" />

According to Jean Luc Achard, 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.<ref name=":1" /> His reincarnation, Techen Mishik Dorje is also known for his terma revelations.<ref name=":1" />

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 the first Kundrol Drakpa (b. 1700).<ref name=":1" /> 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'').<ref name=":1" /> The work of these New Bon figures led to the flourishing of New Bon in Eastern Tibet.<ref>Achard 2008, p. xxi.</ref>

Some Tibetan tertons like [[Dorje Lingpa]] were known to have revealed New Bon termas as well as Nyingma termas.<ref name=":19" />

[[Lobsang Yeshe, 5th Panchen Lama|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 the Fifth Dalai Lama, Bon was also officially recognised as a Tibetan religion.<ref>{{citation|last=Karmay|first=Samten G.|title=The Great Fifth|url=http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf|work=International Institute for Asian Studies Newsletter|issue=39|pages=12–13|year=2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915182901/http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf|access-date=2010-05-24|archive-date=2013-09-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bon suffered extensively during the [[Dzungar Khanate|Dzungar]] invasion of Tibet in 1717, when many [[Nyingda|Nyingmapas]] and Bonpos were executed.<ref>Norbu, Namkhai. (1980). “Bon and Bonpos”. ''Tibetan Review'', December, 1980, p. 8.</ref>

===Modern period===
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.<ref>Achard 2008, p. xx</ref>

[[Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen]] (1859–1933) was a particularly important Bon master of this era, whose collected writings comprise up to eighteen volumes (or sometimes twenty).<ref>Achard 2008, p. xxiii.</ref> According to William M. Gorvine, this figure is "the Bon religion's most renowned and influential luminary of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries."<ref>Gorvine 2018, p. 2.</ref> 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 the orthodox Manri tradition of Eternal Bon, while also holding New Bon terma lineages.<ref>Achard 2008, pp. xxi–xxii.</ref>

Shardza Rinpoche is also known to have had connections with the non-sectarian Buddhist lamas of the [[Rimé movement|Rime movement]] and to have taught both Buddhists and Bonpos.<ref>Samuel 2012, p. 228.</ref><ref>Gorvine 2018, p. 3.</ref>

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.<ref>Gorvine 2018, p. 4.</ref><ref>Achard 2008, p. 113</ref> His disciple [[Kagya Khyungtrul Jigmey Namkha]] trained many practitioners to be learned in not only the Bon religion, but in all Tibetan sciences.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of the YungDrung Bön Tradition|url=https://sherabchammaling.com/about/tibetan-bon/|access-date=2022-01-29|website=Sherab Chamma Ling|language=en-US}}</ref> 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.

=== Present situation ===
[[file:Menri Feb 2016.jpg|thumb|[[Menri Monastery]], India]]
[[file:Yungdrup Bon Lamas.jpg|thumb|Yungdrung Bon lamas]]
[[file:14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and Bon Teacher Tenzin Namdak in 1978.jpg|thumb|14th Dalai Lama and Tenzin Namdak in 1978]]
{{Chinese folk religion}}
In 2019, scholars estimate that there were 400,000 Bon followers in the [[Tibetan Plateau]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tibet |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/china/tibet/ |website=United States Department of State |access-date=13 October 2021}}</ref> When [[Incorporation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China|Tibet 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|Cultural revolution]], though their monasteries were allowed to rebuild after 1980.<ref>Samuel 2012, p. 231.</ref> According to some reports, the government of China has been promoting the Bon religion, linking it with [[Confucianism]].<ref>China-Tibet Online: [http://eng.tibet.cn/2010zj/xw/201411/t20141105_2088487.html Confucius ruled as a "divine king" in Tibet]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot= InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted= yes }}. 2014-11-04</ref><ref name="h188">{{cite web | title=Confucius ruled as a "divine king" in Tibet_Tibetan Buddhism_TIBET | website=手机中国西藏网 | date=2015-12-03 | url=http://m.tibet.cn/eng/culture/tibetan/201512/t20151203_5775596.html | access-date=2024-05-10}}</ref>

The present spiritual head of the Bon is [[Menri Trizin Rinpoché]], successor of [[Lungtok Tenpai Nyima]] (1929–2017), 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 [[Lungtok Tenpai 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]] is one on the western outskirts of [[Kathmandu]]. Bon's leading monastery in India is the [[Menri Monastery#Menri Monastery in India|refounded Menri Monastery]] in [[Dolanji]], [[Himachal Pradesh]].

==== Official recognition ====
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 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.<ref>Samuel 2012, p. 222.</ref>

Since 1979, Bon 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 Bonpos, stating that it was both undemocratic and self-defeating. He even donned Bon ritual paraphernalia, emphasising "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|978-87-87062-25-1}}.</ref> The Dalai Lama now sees Bon as the fifth Tibetan religion and has given Bonpos representation on the Council of Religious Affairs at [[Dharamshala|Dharamsala]].<ref name=":19"/>

However, Tibetans still differentiate between Bon and Buddhism, referring to members of the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug schools as ''nangpa'', meaning "insiders", but to practitioners of Bon as "Bonpo", or even ''chipa'' ("outsiders").<ref>{{cite web |title=Bon Children's Home In Dolanji and Polish Aid Foundation For Children of Tibet |date=4 July 2023 |publisher=Nyatri.org |url=http://nyatri.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=455&Itemid=118}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bonfuturefund.org/wp/about-the-bon/ |title=About the Bon: Bon Culture |publisher=Bonfuturefund.org |access-date=2013-06-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906172112/http://www.bonfuturefund.org/wp/about-the-bon/ |archive-date=2013-09-06 }}</ref>

== Teachings ==
According to Samuel, the teachings of Bon closely resemble those of Tibetan Buddhism, especially those of the [[Nyingma]] school. Bon monasticism has also developed a philosophical and debate tradition which is modelled on the tradition of the [[Gelug]] school.<ref name=":3">Samuel 2012, pp. 223–224</ref> Like Buddhism, Bon teachings see the world as a place of suffering and seek spiritual liberation. They teach [[karma]] and [[Rebirth (Buddhism)|rebirth]] as well as the [[Buddhist cosmology|six realms of existence]] found in Buddhism.<ref name=":8"/>

Bon lamas and monks fill similar roles as those of Tibetan Buddhist lamas and the deities and rituals of Bon often resemble Buddhist ones, even if their names and iconography differ in other respects.<ref name=":3">Samuel 2012, pp. 223–224</ref> For example, the Bon deity Phurba is almost the same deity as [[Vajrakilaya]], while Chamma closely resembles [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tara]].<ref name=":3">Samuel 2012, pp. 223–224</ref>

[[Per Kværne]] writes that, at first glance, Bon "appear to be nearly indistinguishable from Buddhism with respect to its doctrines, monastic life, rituals, and meditational practices."<ref name=":10">[[Per Kværne|Kværne]], Per. "Bon Rescues Dharma" in Donald S. Lopez (Jr.) (ed.) (1998). ''Religions Of Tibet In Practice,'' p. 98.</ref> However, both religions agree that they are distinct, and a central distinction is that Bon's source of religious authority is not the Indian Buddhist tradition, but what it considers to be the eternal religion which it received from Zhangzhung (in Western Tibet) and ultimately derives from land called Tazik where Tonpa Shenrab lived, ruled as king and taught Bon.<ref name=":10"/> Bon also includes many rituals and concerns that are not as common in Tibetan Buddhism. Many of these are worldly and pragmatic, such as divination rituals, funerary rituals that are meant to guide a deceased person's consciousness to higher realms and appeasing local deities through ransom rituals.<ref>Gorvine 2018, p. 22.</ref>

In the Bon worldview, the term "Bon" means “truth,” “reality,” and “the true doctrine.” The Bon religion, which is revealed by enlightened beings, provides ways of dealing with the mundane world as well as a path to spiritual liberation.<ref name="Powers 2007, pp. 500–501"/> Bon doctrine is generally classified in various ways, including the "nine ways" and the four portals and the fifth, the treasury.

=== Worldview ===
According to Bon, all of reality is pervaded by a transcendent principle, which has a male aspect called Kuntuzangpo (All-Good) and a female aspect called Kuntuzangmo. This principle is an empty dynamic potentiality. It is also identified with what is called the "bon body" (bon sku), which is the true nature of all phenomena and is similar to the Buddhist idea of the [[Dharmakāya|Dharmakaya]], as well as with the "bon nature" (bon nyid), which is similar to "[[Buddha-nature|Buddha nature]]". This ultimate principle is the source of all reality and to achieve spiritual liberation, one must have insight into this ultimate nature.<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 506"/>

According to John Myrdhin Reynolds, Bonpo Dzogchen is said to reveal one's Primordial State (ye gzhi) or Natural State (gnas-lugs) which is described in terms of intrinsic primordial purity (ka-dag) and spontaneous perfection in manifestation (lhun-grub).<ref name=":19" />

The Bon Dzogchen understanding of reality is explained by Powers as follows:

{{blockquote|In Bön Dzogchen texts, the world is said to be an emanation of luminous mind. All the phenomena of experience are its illusory projections, which have their being in mind itself. Mind in turn is part of the primordial basis of all reality, called “bön nature.” This exists in the form of multicolored light and pervades all of reality, which is merely its manifestation. Thus Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen contends that everything exists in dependence upon mind, which is an expression of the bön nature...mind is a primordially pure entity that is co-extensive with bön nature, an all-pervasive reality that is only perceived by those who have eliminated adventitious mental afflictions and actualized the luminous potentiality of mind. Those who attain awakening transform themselves into variegated light in the form of the rainbow body, after which their physical forms dissolve, leaving nothing behind. Both cyclic existence and nirvana are mind, the only difference being that those who have attained nirvana have eliminated illusory afflictions, and so their cognitive streams are manifested as clear light, while beings caught up in cyclic existence fail to recognize the luminous nature of mind and so are plagued by its illusory creations.<ref>Powers 2007, p. 511.</ref>}}

=== Classification of the teachings ===
According to [[John Myrdhin Reynolds]], the main Bon teachings are classified into three main schemas:<ref name=":19"/>

# The Nine Successive Vehicles to Enlightenment (theg-pa rim dgu);
# Four Portals of Bon and the fifth which is the Treasury (sgo bzhi mdzod lnga);
# The Three Cycles of Precepts that are Outer, Inner, and Secret (bka' phyi nang gsang skor gsum).

==== The Nine Ways or Vehicles ====
[[File:Tenzin Lopen Namdak.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lopön Tenzin Namdak]], [[abbot]] of a Bon monastery in [[Nepal]] and a well known teacher of Bonpo Dzogchen]]

Samuel notes that Bon tends to be more accepting and explicit in their embrace of the practical side of life (and the importance of life rituals and worldly activities) which falls under the "Bon of cause" division of "the Nine Ways of Bon" (''bon theg pa rim dgu''). This schema includes all the teachings of Bon and divides them into nine main classes, which are as follows:<ref name=":6">Samuel 2012, p. 226</ref><ref>Powers 2007, p. 509</ref>
* Way of Prediction (''phyva gshen theg pa'') codifies [[ritual]], [[divination]], [[Traditional Tibetan medicine|medicine]], and [[astrology]];
* Way of the Visual World (''snang shen theg pa'') teaches rituals for local gods and spirits for good fortune
* Way of Magic ('''phrul gshen theg pa'') explains the magical [[Exorcism|exorcistic]] rites for the destruction of adverse entities.
* Way of Life (''srid gshen theg pa'') details funeral and death rituals as well as ways to protect the life force of the living
* Way of a Lay Follower (''dge bsnyen theg pa'') lay morality, contains the ten principles for wholesome activity as well as worldly life rituals
* Way of an Ascetic (''drang srong theg pa'') or "Swastika Bon" focuses on ascetic practice, meditation and monastic life;
* Way of Primordial Sound (''a dkar theg pa'') or the Way of the White A, this refers to tantric practices and secret mantras (''gsang sngags'');
* Way of Primordial Shen, (''ye gshen theg pa'') refers to certain special yogic methods. This corresponds to the Nyingma school's [[Anuyoga]].
* The Supreme Way (''bla med theg pa''), or The Way of [[Dzogchen]] (Great Perfection). Like the Nyingmapas, Bonpos consider Dzogchen to be the superior meditative path.
Traditionally, the Nine Ways are taught in three versions: in the Central, Northern and Southern treasures. The Central treasure is closest to Nyingma [[Yana (Buddhism)#Nine yānas|Nine Yānas]] teaching and the Northern treasure is lost. [[Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche]] elaborated the Southern treasure with shamanism.<ref name="twr" />

The nine ways are classified into two main divisions in the "Southern Treasure" terma tradition:<ref name=":6">Samuel 2012, p. 226</ref><ref name=":19"/> 
* "Bon of Cause" (''rgyu''), comprises the first four of the above;
* "Bon of the Effect" ('''bras bu'') includes the fifth through ninth, the superior path being the Way of Dzogchen (as in the Nyingma school).

==== The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury ====
This classification, called The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury (''sgo bzhi mdzod lnga''), is a different and independent system of classification.<ref name=":19"/> The main sets of teachings here are divided up as follows:<ref name=":19"/> 
* The Bon of "the White Waters" containing the Fierce Mantras (chab dkar drag-po sngags kyi bon) deals with tantric or esoteric matters, mainly fierce or wrathful practices and deities.
* The Bon of "the Black Waters" for the continuity of existence (chab nag srid-pa rgyud kyi bon) concerns divination, [[magic (paranormal)|magic]], [[funeral rites]], purification rituals and ransom rituals.
* The Bon of the Extensive Prajnaparamita from the country of Phanyul ('phan-yul rgyas-pa 'bum gyi bon) includes teachings on lay and monastic ethics, as well as expositions of [[Prajnaparamita]] philosophy.
* The Bon of the Scriptures and the Secret Oral Instructions of the Masters (dpon-gsas man-ngag lung gi bon) deals mainly with [[Dzogchen]] teachings.
* The Bon of the Treasury which is of the highest purity and is all-inclusive (gtsang mtho-thog spyi-rgyug mdzod kyi bon), this is an anthology of the salient items of the Four Portals.

==== The Three Cycles ====
The Three Cycles of Precepts that are Outer, Inner, and Secret (bka' phyi nang gsang skor gsum) are:<ref name=":19"/>

* The Outer Cycle (phyi skor) deals with sutra teachings on the path of renunciation.
* The Inner Cycle (nang skor) contains Tantric teachings (rgyud-lugs) and is known as the path of transformation (sgyur lam).
* The Secret Cycle (gsang skor) contains the Dzogchen intimate instructions (man-ngag) and is known as the Path of Self-Liberation (grol lam).

=== Traditions of Bon Dzogchen ===
[[File:Lineage Lamas of the Oral Tradition from Shangshung Shangshaung Nyangyu Lagyu. Private Coll., Germany.jpg|thumb|A [[thangka]] depicting the lineage lamas of the Aural Tradition of Zhangzhung]]
There are three main Bon Dzogchen traditions:<ref>Bru-sgom Rgyal-ba-gʼyung-drung (1996), ''The Stages of A-khrid Meditation: Dzogchen Practice of the Bon Tradition, translated by Per Kvaerne and Thupten K. Rikey'', pp. x–xiii. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives</ref><ref name=":19" /><ref>Rossi 2000, pp. 26–29</ref>

* ''The Zhang-zhung Aural Lineage'' (''Zhang-zhung nyen-gyu'') – This tradition is ultimately traced to the primordial Buddha Kuntu Zangpo, who taught it to nine [[Sugata]]s, the last being Sangwa Düpa. These teachings were then passed down by twenty four Dzogchen masters in Tazik and Zhangzhung, all of which are said to have attained [[rainbow body]].<ref name=":20">{{Cite web|last=Myrdhin Reynolds|first=John|title=Vajranatha.com {{!}} Oral Tradition from Zhang-Zhung|url=https://vajranatha.com/oral-tradition-from-zhang-zhung/|access-date=2022-01-29|language=en-US}}</ref> The lineage eventually reached the 7th century siddha [[Tapihritsa]], the last of the 24 masters. He later appeared to the 8th century Zhangzhung siddha Gyerpung Nangzher Lödpo, who was in retreat near Darok Lake, and gave him a direct introduction to Dzogchen.<ref name=":20" /> Gyerpung Nangzher Lödpo transmitted the teachings to numerous disciples who also wrote the teachings down. This lineage continued until it reached Pön-gyal Tsänpo, who translated these works into Tibetan from the language of Zhangzhung.<ref name=":20" />
* ''A-khrid'' ("The Teaching Leading to the Primordial State i.e. A") – This tradition was founded by Meuton Gongdzad Ritrod Chenpo ('The Great Hermit Meditation-Treasury of the family of rMe'u', c. 11th century). These teachings are divided into three sections dealing with the view (lta-ba), the meditation (sgom-pa), and the conduct (spyod-pa) and is structured into a set of eighty meditation sessions which extend over several weeks. Later figures like Aza Lodo Gyaltsan and Druchen Gyalwa Yungdrung condensed the practices down to a smaller number of sessions. The great Bonpo master Shardza Rinpoche wrote extensive commentaries on the A-khrid system and its associated [[dark retreat]] practice.<ref name=":19" />
* ''Dzogchen Yangtse Longchen'' – This system is based on a terma named the ''rDzogs-chen yang-rtse'i klong-chen'' ("the Great Vast Expanse of the Highest Peak which is the Great Perfection,") which was discovered by Zhodton Ngodrub Dragpa in 1080 (inside of a statue of Vairocana). The terma is attributed to the eighth century Bonpo master Lishu Tagrin.<ref name=":19" /> 
Donnatella Rossi also mentions two more important cycles of Bon Dzogchen teachings:<ref>Rossi 2000, pp. 29–30</ref>

* ''Ye khri mtha' sel'', also known as the Indian Cycle (''rgya gar gyi skor''), which is attributed to the eighth century Zhangzhung master Dranpa Namkha and is said to have been transmitted in the 11th century to Lung Bon lHa gnyan by a miraculous apparition of Dranpa Namkha's son.
* ''Byang chub sems gab pa dgu skor,'' which is classified as an important Southern Treasure text and was discovered by [[Shenchen Luga]] (996–1035), a major figure of the later diffusion of Bon.

== Pantheon ==

=== Enlightened beings ===
[[file:The Bonpo Deity Kunzang Akor LACMA M.83.191 (1 of 2).jpg|thumb|Kunzang Akor, Central Tibet, 16th century]]
[[file:Bon Deity Trowo Tsochog Khagying MET DP-19026-001.jpg|thumb|Trowo Tsochog Khagying]]
Bon deities share some similarities to Buddhist [[Mahayana]] deities and some are also called "Buddhas" (sanggye), but they also have unique names, iconography and mantras.<ref>Powers 2007, pp. 510–511</ref> As in Tibetan Buddhism, Bon deities can be "[[Peaceful deities|peaceful]]" or "[[Wrathful deities|wrathful]]".<ref name=":16">Kvaerne 1996, p. 24.</ref>

The most important of the peaceful deities are the "Four Transcendent Lords, Deshek Tsozhi (bDer gshegs gtso bzhi)."<ref name=":16">Kvaerne 1996, p. 24.</ref> Each of these four beings has many different forms and manifestations.<ref name=":16">Kvaerne 1996, p. 24.</ref> These are:<ref name=":16">Kvaerne 1996, p. 24.</ref>

* "The Mother" [[Satrig Ersang]], a female Buddha whose name means wisdom and who is similar to [[Prajnaparamita]] (and is also yellow in colour). Her "five heroic syllables" are: SRUM, GAM, RAM, YAM, OM.<ref>Kvaerne 1996, p. 25.</ref> One of her most important manifestations is [[Sherab Chamma]] (loving lady of wisdom), a female bodhisattva like being.
* "The God" [[Shenlha Okar|Shenlha Ökar]] (wisdom priest of white light) or Shiwa Ökar (peaceful white light), a deity of wisdom light and compassion, whose main color is white. He is associated with the [[Dharmakāya|Dharmakaya]]. Kvaerne sees some similarities with [[Amitābha|Amitabha]].<ref>Kvaerne 1996, pp. 25–26.</ref> Another important Dharmakaya deity is Kuntuzangpo (Samantabhadra, All Good), the [[Adi-Buddha|primordial Buddha]], which serves a similar function to the figure of the same name in the Nyingma school Both Kuntuzangpo and [[Shenlha Okar|Shenlha Ökar]] are seen as personifications of the 'Body of Bon', or Ultimate Reality.<ref name=":17">Kvaerne 1996, p. 29</ref> In Bon, Kuntunzangpo is often presented in a slightly different form called Kunzang Akor ('the All-Good, Cycle of A'), depicted seated in meditation with a letter A in his breast.<ref name=":17" /> 
* "The Procreator" (sipa), [[Sangpo Bumtri]]. He is the being who brings forth the beings of this world and plays an important role in Bon cosmogonic myths. He is associated with the [[Saṃbhogakāya|sambhogakaya]].<ref>Kvaerne 1996, p. 26.</ref>
* "The Teacher" [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche]] (meaning: Supreme Priest, Great Man). He is associated with the [[Nirmāṇakāya|nirmanakaya]] and is the present teacher of Bon in this era.<ref>Kvaerne 1996, p. 27.</ref>
Bon [[Yidam]]s (meditation or tutelary deities) are those deities which are often used in meditative tantric practice and are the mainly fierce or wrathful forms. These class of deities resemble Buddhist yidams like [[Chakrasamvara]] and [[Hevajra]]. It includes figures like Magyu Sangchog Tartug ('Supreme Secret of Mother Tantras, Attaining the Limit'), Trowo Tsochog Khagying ('Wrathful One, Supreme Lord Towering in the Sky'), Welse Ngampa ('Fierce Piercing Deity'), and [[Zhang Zhung Meri|Meri]] ('Mountain of Fire').<ref>Kvaerne 1996, pp. 74–86.</ref> The Bonpos also have a tantric tradition of a deity called Purpa, which is very similar to the Nyingma deity [[Vajrakilaya]].<ref name=":23" />

Like the Buddhists, the Bon pantheon also includes various protector deities, siddhas (perfected ones), lamas (teachers) and [[dakini]]s. Some key figures are [[Drenpa Namkha]] (a major 8th century Bon lama whose name is also mentioned in Buddhist sources), the sage Takla Mebar (a disciple of Tonpa Shenrab), Sangwa Dupa (a sage from Tazik), Zangsa Ringtsun (Auspicious Lady of Long Life).<ref>Kvaerne 1996, pp. 117-</ref>

=== Worldly gods and spirits ===
The Bon cosmos contains numerous other deities, including Shangpo and Chucham (a goddess of water) who produced nine gods and goddesses. There is also the 360 Kékhö, who live on the mount Tisé (Kailash) and the 360 Werma deities. These are associated with the 360 days of the year.<ref>Powers 2007, p. 507.</ref>

Another set of deities are the White Old Man, a sky god, and his consort. They are known by a few different names, such as the [[Gyalpo Pehar]] called “King Pehar” ({{bo|w=pe har rgyal po}}). Pehar is featured as a protecting deity of Zhangzhung, the center of the Bon religion. Reportedly, Pehar is related to celestial heavens and the sky in general. In early Buddhist times, Pehar transmogrified into a shamanic bird to adapt to the bird motifs of shamanism. Pehar's consort is a female deity known by one of her names as Düza Minkar ({{bo|w=bdud gza smin dkar}}).<ref>Hummel, Siegbert. “PE-HAR.” ''East and West'' 13, no. 4 (1962): 313–6.</ref>

Bonpos cultivate household gods in addition to other deities and the layout of their homes may include various seats for protector deities.<ref name="STBud">{{cite web|title=Tibetan Buddhism – Unit One|url=http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928062536/http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf|archive-date=28 September 2007|access-date=13 July 2011|publisher=Sharpham Trust|page=5|quote={{Sic|Ev|eryday}} the man of the house would invoke this god and burn juniper wood and leaves to placate him.}}</ref>

Chinese influence is also seen is some of the deities worshiped in Bon. For example, [[Confucius]] is worshipped in Bon as a holy king and master of magic, divination and astrology. He is also seen as being a reincarnation of [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche]], the legendary founder of Bon.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lin|first=Shen-yu|year=2005|title=The Tibetan Image of Confucius|url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_12_07.pdf|journal=Revue d'Études Tibétaines|pages=105–129|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913230941/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_12_07.pdf|archive-date=13 September 2017|number=12}}</ref>

In the Balti version of Bon in [[Baltistan]], deities such as ''lha'' (gods), ''klu'' (serpents or dragons) and ''lhamo'' (goddesses) are worshipped, and many legends about these deities still exist among the local population.

==Bon literature==
{{Main|Bön Kangyur and Tengyur}}
Bon texts can be divided into translations of teachings (the words of Buddha Shenrab, found in the Bon Kanjur) and translations of treatises (philosophical and commentarial texts, the Bon Tenjur).<ref name=":8">Powers 2007, p. 508.</ref> The Bon Kanjur comprises four main categories: the [[Sūtra|Sutras]] (''mdo''), the [[Prajnaparamita|Perfection of Wisdom Teachings]] ('''bum''), the [[Tantras (Buddhism)|Tantras]] (''rgyud'') and Higher Knowledge (''mdzod,'' 'Treasure-house'), which deals with the supreme forms of meditation.<ref name=":14">Kvaerne 1996, p. 21.</ref> The Tenjur material is classified into three main categories according to Kvaerne: "'External', including commentaries on canonical texts dealing with monastic discipline, morality; metaphysics and the biographies of Tonpa Shenrap; 'Internal', comprising the commentaries on the Tantras including rituals focusing on the tantric deities and the cult of dakinis, goddesses whose task it is to protect the Doctrine, and worldly rituals of magic and divination; and finally 'Secret', a section that deals with meditational practices."<ref name=":14">Kvaerne 1996, p. 21.</ref>

Besides these, the Bon canon includes material on [[ritual]]s, [[arts]] and [[crafts]], [[logic]], [[medicine]], [[poetry]] and [[narrative]]. According to Powers, Bon literature includes numerous ritual and liturgical treatises, which share some similarities to Tibetan Buddhist ritual.<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 510">Powers 2007, p. 510</ref> According to Per Kvaerne, "while no precise date for the formation of the Bonpo Kanjur can be ascertained at present...it does not seem to contain texts which have come to light later than 1386. A reasonable surmise would be that the Bonpo Kanjur was assembled by 1450."<ref name=":14">Kvaerne 1996, p. 21.</ref>

According to Samuel, Bon texts are similar to Buddhist texts and thus suggest "a considerable amount of borrowing between the two traditions in the tenth and eleventh centuries. While it has generally been assumed that this borrowing proceeds from Buddhist to Bonpo, and this seems to have been the case for the Phurba practice, some of it may well have been in the opposite direction."<ref name=":23">Samuel 2012, p. 224</ref> Powers similarly notes that "many Bön scriptures are nearly identical to texts in the Buddhist canon, but often have different titles and Bön technical terms" and "only a few Bön texts that seem to predate Buddhism."<ref name=":8">Powers 2007, p. 508.</ref> While Western scholars initially assumed that this similarity with Buddhist texts was mere [[plagiarism]], the work of Snellgrove and others have reassessed this view and now most scholars of Bon hold that in many cases, Buddhist texts borrow and reproduce Bon texts. [[Per Kværne]] writes that "this does not mean that Bon was not at some stage powerfully influenced by Buddhism; but once the two religions, Bon and Buddhism, were established as rival traditions in Tibet, their relationship was a complicated one of mutual influence.<ref name=":10"/>

Regarding the current status of the Bon canon, Powers writes that:

{{blockquote|The Bön canon today consists of about three hundred volumes, which were carved onto wood blocks around the middle of the nineteenth century and stored in Trochu in eastern Tibet. Copies of the canon were printed until the 1950s, but the blocks were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, although it appears that most of the texts were brought to India or hidden in Tibet.<ref name=":8">Powers 2007, p. 508.</ref>}}

=== Termas ===
The largest part of the Bon canon is made up of numerous [[Terma (religion)|termas]] (treasure texts), which were believed to have been hidden away during the period of persecution and to have begun to be discovered during the 10th century.<ref name=":14"/> Bonpos hold that their termas were hidden by masters like [[Drenpa Namkha]] during the period of decline and persecution under [[King Trisong Detsen]], and then were rediscovered by later Bon tertons (treasure discoverers).<ref name="Powers 2007, p. 510"/>

The three principal terma of Yungdrung Bon are:<ref name="google171">M. Alejandro Chaoul-Reich (2000). "Bön Monasticism". Cited in: [[Will Johnston|William M. Johnston]] (author, editor) (2000). ''Encyclopedia of monasticism, Volume 1''. Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|1-57958-090-4}}, {{ISBN|978-1-57958-090-2}}. Source: [https://books.google.com/books?id=GfC0TDkJJNgC&dq=the+Southern+Treasures%2C+the+Northern+Treasures+and+the+Central+Treasures&pg=PA171] (accessed: Saturday April 24, 2010), p.171</ref>

* the "Northern Treasure" ({{bo|w=byang gter}}), compiled from texts revealed in Zhangzhung and northern Tibet
* the "Central Treasure" ({{bo|w=dbus gter}}), from Central Tibet
* the "Southern Treasure" ({{bo|w=lho gter}}), revealed in Bhutan and Southern Tibet.

Three Bon scriptures—''mdo <nowiki>'</nowiki>dus'', ''gzer mig'', and ''gzi brjid''—relate the mythos of [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche]]. The Bonpos regard the first two as ''[[terma (religion)|gter ma]]'' rediscovered around the tenth and eleventh centuries and the last as ''nyan brgyud'' (oral transmission) dictated by Loden Nyingpo, who lived in the fourteenth century.<ref>[[Samten Karmay|Karmay, Samten G]]. ''A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon'', ''The Arrow and the Spindle''. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point. pp. 108–113. [originally published in ''Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko'', No. 33. Tokyo, 1975.]</ref>

''A Cavern of Treasures'' ({{bo|t=མཛོད་ཕུག|w=mdzod phug}}) is a Bon [[terma (religion)|terma]] uncovered by Shenchen Luga ({{bo|t=གཤེན་ཆེན་ཀླུ་དགའ|w=gshen chen klu dga'}}) in the early 11th century which is an important source for the study of the [[Zhang-Zhung language]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Berzin|first=Alexander|url=http://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/abhidharma-tenet-systems/comparison-of-buddhist-traditions/the-four-immeasurables-in-hinayana-mahayana-and-bon|title=The Four Immeasurable Attitudes in Hinayana, Mahayana, and Bon|website=studybuddhism.com|year=2005|access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref>

The main Bon great perfection teachings are found in terma texts called ''The Three Cycles of Revelation''. The primary Bon Dzogchen text is ''The Golden Tortoise'', which was revealed by Ngödrup Drakpa (c. 11th century). According to Samten Karmay, these teachings are similar to those of the [[Semde]] class in Nyingma.<ref>Powers 2007, p. 510.</ref> According to Jean Luc Achard, the main Dzogchen cycle studied and practised in contemporary Bon is ''The Oral Transmission of the Great Perfection in Zhangzhung'' (''rDzogs pa chen po zhang zhung snyan rgyud'')'','' a cycle which includes teachings on the Dzogchen practices of [[Trekchö|trekcho]] and [[Tögal|thogal]] (though it uses different terms to refer to these practices) and is attributed to the Zhangzhung sage [[Tapihritsa]].<ref>Achard, Jean-Luc (2017). ''The Six Lamps: Secret Dzogchen Instructions of the Bön Tradition,'' pp. vii – 7. Simon and Schuster.</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* [[Bon in Bhutan]]
* [[Dongba]]
* [[Gurung Dharma]]
* [[Mun (religion)]]
* [[Tengrism]]
* [[Kum Nye]]
* [[Namkha]]
* [[Phurba]]
* [[Religion in Tibet]]
* [[Samye]]
* [[Tapihritsa]]
* [[Western use of the swastika in the early 20th century]]
* [[Shugendō]]
* [[Weizza]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* Achard, Jean-Luc (2008). ''Enlightened Rainbows – The Life and Works of Shardza Tashi Gyeltsen'' Brill's Tibetan Studies Library, Brill Academic Publishers.
* Donald S. Lopez (Jr.) (ed.) (1998). ''Religions Of Tibet In Practice.'' Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Limited.
* Gorvine, William M. (2018). ''Envisioning a Tibetan Luminary: The Life of a Modern Bönpo Saint.'' Oxford University Press.
* Karmay, 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.&nbsp;171–218. [[Tokyo]], Japan: [[Tōyō Bunko]].
* Kvaerne, Per (1996). ''The Bon Religion of Tibet, The Iconography of a Living Tradition.'' Shambhala
* Powers, John (2007). ''Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition''. Snow Lion Publications.
* Rossi, Donnatella (2000). ''The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion.'' Shambhala Publications
* Samuel, Geoffrey (2012). ''Introducing Tibetan Buddhism.'' Routledge.
* {{cite book |last1=Wangyal |first1=Tenzin |author-link1=Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche |title=Healing with form, energy and light |date=2002 |publisher=Snow Lion Publications |location=Ithaca, NY |isbn=1-55939-176-6}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* [[Charles Allen (writer)|Allen, Charles]]. (1999). ''The Search for [[Shangri-La]]: A Journey into Tibetan History''. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. {{ISBN|0-349-11142-1}}.
* Baumer, Christopher. ''Bon: Tibet's Ancient Religion''. Ilford: Wisdom, 2002. {{ISBN|978-974-524-011-7}}.
* Bellezza, John Vincent. ''Spirit Mediums, Sacred Mountains and Related Bön Textual Traditions in Upper Tibet''. Boston: Brill, 2005.
* Bellezza, John Vincent. “gShen-rab Myi-bo, His life and times according to Tibet's earliest literary sources”, ''Revue d’études tibétaines'' 19 (October 2010): 31–118.
* Ermakov, Dmitry. ''Bѳ and Bön: Ancient Shamanic Traditions of Siberia and Tibet in their Relation to the Teachings of a Central Asian Buddha''. Kathmandu: Vajra Publications, 2008.
* [[Herbert V. Günther|Günther, Herbert V.]] (1996). ''The Teachings of Padmasambhava''. Leiden–Boston: Brill.
* Gyaltsen, Shardza Tashi. ''Heart drops of Dharmakaya: Dzogchen practice of the Bon tradition'', 2nd edn. Trans. by Lonpon Tenzin Namdak. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 2002.
* Hummel, Siegbert. “PE-HAR.” ''East and West'' 13, no. 4 (1962): 313–6.
* Jinpa, Gelek, Charles Ramble, & V. Carroll Dunham. ''Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage in Tibet: in Search of the Lost Kingdom of Bon''. New York–London: Abbeville, 2005. {{ISBN|0-7892-0856-3}}
* Kind, Marietta. ''The Bon Landscape of Dolpo. Pilgrimages, Monasteries, Biographies and the Emergence of Bon''. Berne, 2012, {{ISBN|978-3-0343-0690-4}}.
* Lhagyal, Dondrup, et al. ''A Survey of Bonpo Monasteries and Temples in Tibet and the Himalaya.'' Osaka 2003, {{ISBN|4901906100}}.
* Martin, Dean. “'Ol-mo-lung-ring, the Original Holy Place”, ''Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays'', ed. Toni Huber. Dharamsala, H.P., India: The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1999, pp.&nbsp;125–153. {{ISBN|81-86470-22-0}}.
* Namdak, Yondzin Lopön Tenzin. ''Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyengyud: Pith Instructions from the Experiential Transmission of Bönpo Dzogchen'', trans. & ed. C. Ermakova & D. Ermakov. New Delhi: Heritage Publishers, 2010.
* 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.
* Peters, Larry. ''Tibetan Shamanism: Ecstasy and Healing''. Berkeley, Cal.: North Atlantic Books, 2016.
* Rossi, D. (1999). ''The philosophical view of the great perfection in the Tibetan Bon religion''. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion. The book gives translations of Bon scriptures "The Twelve Little Tantras" and "The View Which is Like the Lion's Roar".
* Samuel, Geoffrey (1993). ''Civilized Shamans''. Smithsonian Institution Press.
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070928062536/http://www.sharpham-trust.org/centre/Tibetan_unit_01.pdf (accessed: Thursday January 18, 2007)
* Yongdzin [[Lopön Tenzin Namdak]] Rinpoche (2012). ''Heart Essence of the Khandro''. Heritage Publishers.
*Ghulam Hassan Lobsang, Skardu Baltistan, Pakistan,1997. " History of ''Bon Philosophy'' " written in Urdu/Persian style. The book outlines religious and cultural changes within the Baltistan/Tibet/Ladakh region over past centuries and explores the impact of local belief systems on the lives of the region's inhabitants in the post-[[Islam]]ic era.

==External links==
{{commons category|Bon religion}}
;Bon Organizations and centers  
* [http://www.bonfoundation.org/ Bon Foundation]  
* [http://www.ligmincha.org/ Ligmincha Institute]  
* [https://www.oceanofwisdom.org/index.html Ocean of Wisdom - Ligmicha International Project]
* [http://gyalshen.org/ Gyalshen Institute]  
* [https://www.olmoling.org/ Olmo Ling Bon Center & Institute]  
* [https://yeruboncenter.org/ Yeru Bon Center]  
* [https://doortobon.org/ Door to Bön - Yeru Bön Center] 
* [https://kalpa-bon.com/ Kalpa Bon]  
* [https://himalayanbon.org/ Himalayan Bon]  
* [https://kwling.org/ Khyungdzong Wodsel Ling]  
* [https://dzogchenwoeselling.net/ Dzogchen Woesel Ling]  
* [https://sherabchammaling.com/ Sherab Chamma Ling]  
* [https://www.kunsanggarcenter.org/ Kunsang Gar Center]  
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20250514012917/https://www.akarboncenter.org/about.html Akar Bon Center]  
* [https://triten.org/ Triten Norbutse]  [https://www.tritennorbutse.org/ Alt]
* [https://www.sogyungdrungling.com/ Soy Yungdrungling Monastery]
* [https://www.kharnatsang.com/ Kharnatsang]  
* [https://drenpa-namkha.org/en/ Drenpa Namkha Foundation]
* [http://thangka-bon.com/en/ Thangka Bon]
;Regional and international Bon communities  
* [http://www.xizangbenjiao.org/ Tibet's Bon] {{in lang|zh|bo}}  
* [http://bonpo.narod.ru/ Bon in Belarus and Ukraine] {{in lang|en}}  
* [https://yungdrungbon.co.uk/ Yungdrung Bon UK]  

;Studies and research  
* [http://www.boandbon.com/ Siberian Bo and Tibetan Bon], studies by Dmitry Ermakov  
* [https://ravencypresswood.com/ Nine Ways]  
* [https://www.surajamrita.com/bon/ Surajamrita Bon Section]

{{Religion in China}}
{{Religion topics}}
{{Tibet topics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bon}}
[[Category:Bon| ]]
[[Category:Dzogchen lineages]]
[[Category:Polytheism]]