Summary of The Bon Religion of Tibet

00:00:00 - 00:50:00

The Bon religion of Tibet is based on the belief that certain mountains are sacred and inhabited by spiritual beings. This map shows the locations of some of these mountains. The Bon religion is a Tibetan tradition that believes in a spiritual realm called Shambhala. According to the tradition, Shambhala is located on a mountain called Sonagiri and is home to the deity Shambhala.

• 00:00:00 The Bon religion of Tibet is a system of belief that existed at least from the seventh century and was developed before the Buddhist religion. Tibetan Buddhists have long been divided on whether the Bon religion was a kind of religion or not. A manuscript from the 10th century that was discovered in China contains a long, detailed account of Tonpa Shenrab, the founder of the Bon religion.
• 00:05:00 The Bon religion originated in Tibet in the 9th century and had a complex monastic system with monasteries in different locations. There were five big Bonpo family lineages which were extremely important in developing the religion. When the first tulku, the second tulku, and the tulku's brother were boys, the fifth Dalai Lama intervened and allowed the tulku to be recognized and lead to the monastery, but not his brother. However, another tulku was born about a century later in the same family and when the Tulku was escorted from the family to the monastery, the whole family's possessions were confiscated and taken into the possession of the monastery. But all the other big families, the Zhu Zhung, the Pa Zhung, and the Me'u Zhung, are still called the Zhu Zhung, the Pa Zhung, and the Me'u Zhung.
• 00:10:00 The Bon religion is a Tibetan religion that emphasizes the worship of spirits that live in the natural world, such as mountains and rivers. The text known as the Klu'bum is an important religious text in the Bon religion, and it is often found in Buddhist temples.
• 00:15:00 The Bon religion is based on the belief that certain mountains are sacred and inhabited by spiritual beings. This map shows the locations of some of these mountains.
• 00:20:00 The Bon religion is a Tibetan tradition that believes in a spiritual realm called Shambhala. According to the tradition, Shambhala is located on a mountain called Sonagiri and is home to the deity Shambhala. The Bonpo monks travel to this mountain to perform a rite of passage called circumambulation.
• 00:25:00 The Bon religion is a religion practiced by the Tibetan people that centers around a series of sacred mountains. One of these mountains is Potala, which is where the Dalai Lama was born. The Bon religion is important for social organization, as it allows members of different villages to join together in worship. Another important aspect of the Bon religion is the concept of the mountain deity, which is a man or animal that riders on horse or camel. These deities are found throughout the Tibetan region and are considered extremely important for social organization.
• 00:30:00 The Bon religion is an important religion in eastern Bhutan, and every year they have an annual festival of the mountain where the religion was founded. The mountain is male and the lake is female, and they are always seen as a couple. There are similar ideas in the Tibetan case as well.
• 00:35:00 The Bon religion of Tibet is centered around the idea of spirits inhabiting natural places, which encourages people to care for the environment. The older Tibetan society was divided into tribes based on where their members lived, and each tribe had one or more mountains as their sacred site. If a member of a tribe wished to worship at a different mountain, they would have to migrate to that mountain and join the tribe there. After joining the tribe, they would be subject to the group's regulations.
• 00:40:00 The Bon religion of Tibet revolves around two different organizations within one group--monks and laymen connecting with the mountain cult. The Bonpo go around the other way around, and when they mix together, they laugh at each other and so on.
• 00:45:00 The Bon religion is based on beliefs in the powers of the mind, and its practices include elaborate funeral rites.
• 00:50:00 The Bon religion of Tibet is not based on animal sacrifice, but on the idea that all members of a royal family should die together. This funeral tradition is described in detail, and there is no archaeological evidence that it involves animal sacrifice.