The Source of
The 9 Ways of Bon

The souce of these extracts is a work entitled hdus-pa-rin-po-che dri-ma med-pa gzi-brjid rab tu hbar-bahi mdo 'The precious compendium the blazing Sutra Immaculate and Glorious', in short referres to simply as gZi-brjid 'The Glorious'. This work seems to be quite unknown outside Tibet. gShen-rab 's 'biography' is written in three versions, one long, one of medium length and one short. gZi-brjid in twelve volume is the long version. gZer-mig in two volume is the medium version. mDo-hdus in one volume is the short one. gZer-mig is known of by Western Scholars since A.H. Francke editied and translated the first seven chapters, which are published in Asia Major, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1930, and 1939. Professor Hoffmann has also used gZer-mig for the brief account that he gives of gShen-rab 's life in his „The religions of Tibet" (pp. 85-97). mDo-hdus reamins unknwon in the West, although there may be a copy somewhere in India.


These three works are all classed by the bonpos as 'Kanjur' (the term is borrowed from the Buddhists), that is to say as the inspired word of their early sages as translated from the languages of Zhang-zhung. gZi-brjid is further cleassed as 'oral-tradition' ( snyan-rgyud ). It is belived that rTang-chen mu-thsa-gyer-med , a disciple of the sage Dran-pa nam-mkhah (eight century), transmitted it in a vision to Blo-ldan snyin-po , who compiled it in its present form.

The 'Great Incarnation' ( mchog-sprul ) Blo-ldan snyin-po of Khyung-po in Khams is a well-knwon literary figure of the bonpos . He was a close contemporary of Tsong-kha-pa , for he was born about A.D. 1360. He is said to have died in his twenty-fith year.

Thus gZi-brjid would seem to have been compiled towards the end of the fourteenth century, and the contents of the work bear out this tradition. By that time the bonpos had adsorbed the vast variety of Indian Buddhist teachings, and so were able to restate them as the substance of their higher doctrines of the 'Nine Ways' with the conviction that can only come from that experience and knowledge that is based upon well learned lessons combined with practical experience. At the same time they had preseved through their own oral and literary traditions large quantities of indigenous material which goes back to the eighth century and earlier. But by the fourteenth century bonpos had long since forgotten the meanings of many of the earlier names and terms.

From the manner in which he orders his material in the first two 'Ways', it is clear that the compiler was by no means sure of himself as when he was dealing with the later Buddhist material.

The copy of gZi-rjid used by us came from Samling monastery in Doplo. According to its brief colophon, the lama responsible for our manuscipt was Yan-ston Nam-mkah rin-chen and it was written at Klu-brag. Fortunately, he writes more about his family in the 'preface' ( dkar-chags ) to the mauscript. He praises his nephews Sri-dar rnam-rgyal, Rin-chen and hKhro-ba, and especially his elder brother Yang-ston Tshul-hkrims rnam-rgyal , who consecrated the finished mansucript.

Thus despite the difference in name, these relationships identifiy him firmly with Lama Rin-chen rgyal-mtshan , who is referred to in the genealogy of the lamas of Samling as a great producer of books. gZi-brjid is specifically mentioned. 'It was the measure of an arrow (in size), and as a sign of (this lama's) phenomenal powers each time the pen was dipped in the inkpot a whole string of words was written.' Unfortunately, the scanty references to dates in this genealogy leave the period unertain. It is, however, possible to calculate that this Rin-chen rgyal-mtshan belonged to the ninth generation from Yang-ston rGyal-mtshan rin-chen , the founder Lama of Samling, who must have lived in the thirteenth century.

Thus, our mauscript is probably about 400 years old. It was copied from an existing manuscrip at Lu-brag and then brought to Samling.

• The Source of The Nine Ways of Bon
• The Chapters of gZi-brjid
• Remarks on The Chapters, and 9 Ways
• Classifications of Different Ways
• The Way of The Shen of Protection
• Bon as The Pre-Buddhist Religion of Tibet
• How Bon Came To Tibet
• The Four Portals and the Treasury as Fifth