| Bön, or more precisely Yung Drung Bön, is | | | | Buddhism, but instead of the Buddha's Four Noble |
| the original religion and culture of Tibet. It emerged with | | | | Truths the emphasis is put on thegpa gu. Yum Chen |
| ancient Tibetan kingdom called Zhang Zhung. The | | | | Sherab Chamma is the Goddess of Bonpo and |
| religion has its founder and uses counter-clockwise | | | | Shenlha Wodkar is her counterpart. |
| svastika. It has survived up to present days in Nepal in | | | | Bonpo has three basic forms - |
| the Dolpo region, which historians consider to be the | | | | 1) shamanism, |
| last resource of the original (animistic) Tibetan tradition | | | | 2) Yungdrung Bön - the nine-way svastika |
| preserved in the world. We can find here the proto | | | | dharma (an elaborated system to achieving Total |
| pre-Buddhist Tibetan culture, which Buddhists | | | | Completeness or Dzogchen), and |
| suppressed in other areas of the Himalayas (Tibet). | | | | 3) its more modern form which drew many of its |
| Bön is also referred to as Bonpo or Bon-po. | | | | present teachings from historical Buddhism. As a |
| The culture (kingdom) of Zhang Zhung, Xang Xung, or | | | | consequence, many scholars consider this third Bonpo |
| Shang Shung had its center right near the Mount | | | | school to be part of the Tibetan Buddhism. |
| Kailash, and it expanded to the present near-Kashmir | | | | In Yungdrung Bön, the Buddhas are not the |
| area in India (Ladak). Its capitol was Kyunglung, the | | | | Buddhist ones. The name "Buddha" simply implies that |
| silver Garuda. In about the year 800 AD the kingdom | | | | a person titled thus was enlightened. However, in the |
| fell apart, albeit it had successfully dominated the region | | | | modern Bonpo school, which is a part of the Tibetan |
| for centuries before Christ. | | | | Buddhism, the Yungdrung Bon Buddhas are considered |
| The founder of Bonpo (Yungdrung Bön) was | | | | to be the previous enlightened forms of the Buddha. |
| Tonpa Shenrab mibo, who was born in this ancient | | | | Buddhists have a legend that before Buddha first |
| kingdom - Zhang Zhung. Dolpo, too, was part of this | | | | appeared as Gautama Buddha in about the year 563 |
| kingdom. The founder is also known as Buddha | | | | BCE, he had manifested himself several times before. |
| Shenrab. Bonpo followers believe that their founder - | | | | Yungdrung Bön has its lamas, its teachings, its |
| the enlightened master like Buddha, was born in | | | | literature, and it found its way to other countries, too. |
| Shambala and visited Tibet from therein some 18,000 | | | | Buddhism arrived to Tibet around the 7th century AD. |
| years ago. The mythical land of Shambala, also known | | | | On the Yeru Bon Center website you will learn that |
| as Olmo Lung Ring in the Bonpo religion, is difficult to | | | | Buddhists destroyed much of the Bonpo culture in |
| trace physically and its origin remains rather a mystery. | | | | Tibet. They also persecuted followers of the Bonpo |
| This mysterious land is also described as being | | | | religion. This probably answers why following a religion |
| dominated by a pyramid of nine svastikas - the Nine | | | | alone does not suffice if the most important thing is |
| Ways of Bön. | | | | overlooked: "Do not do things that make you a |
| Bonpo (Yungdrung Bön) is different from | | | | Buddhist, a Hindu or a Bonpo, but do things that make |
| Buddhism. It consists of "nine Bonpo ways" or "thegpa | | | | you the best in everything you choose to do. |
| gu". The religion believes in karma and reincarnation like | | | | |