Bon
| Bon | |
|---|---|
| Family | Tibetan / Himalayan |
| Origin region | Tibet and the Himalayan region |
| Founding period | Ancient and medieval Tibetan development; continuing as a living tradition |
| Estimated adherents | Unknown; practiced by communities in Tibet, Himalayan regions, and diaspora settings. |
Bon is a Tibetan religious tradition with ancient roots and a developed monastic, ritual, philosophical, and meditative heritage.
Overview
Bon is often discussed in relation to Tibetan Buddhism, but Bon communities understand their tradition as a distinct religious lineage. It includes ritual practices, monastic institutions, teachings on cosmology, ethics, meditation, deities, spirits, and liberation. Some Bon forms preserve older Tibetan ritual layers, while later Bon literature and philosophy developed sophisticated systems comparable to other Tibetan religious schools.
Key beliefs
- Teachings on liberation, karma, rebirth, and spiritual realization
- A rich cosmology including enlightened beings, protectors, spirits, and ritual powers
- Respect for lineage, teachers, monastic discipline, and sacred texts
- Ritual concern with healing, protection, death, and harmony with local powers
- Meditative paths leading toward wisdom and awakening
Practices
- Monastic study and ritual
- Meditation, mantra, visualization, and contemplative exercises
- Funerary rites, healing ceremonies, and protective rituals
- Pilgrimage to sacred mountains, lakes, and monasteries
- Transmission through teachers, lineages, and textual study
Places of worship
- Monasteries, temples, hermitages, homes, sacred mountains, and ritual sites
Sacred texts
- Bon has a large scriptural and commentarial literature, including teachings attributed to Tonpa Shenrab in traditional accounts
Holidays and observances
- Observances vary by monastery and community, including ritual festivals, lineage commemorations, and Tibetan calendar ceremonies