- Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche
Tönpa Shenrab (Tibetan: "ston pa gshen rab") or Shenrab Miwo (Tibetan: "gshen rab mi bo")—also called Buddha Shenrab, Guru Shenrab, Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche, Lord Shenrab Miwo, and known by a number of other titles—is the founder of the
Bön religious tradition ofTibet .:"gShen-rab mi-bo is the founder of the
Bön religion. He occupies a position very similar to that of Śākyamuni in Buddhism, but in contrast to the Lord Buddha, we have no available sources with which to establish his historicity, his dates, his racial origin, his activities, and the authenticity of the enormous number of books either attributed directly to him or believed to be his word. The latter, the Bonpo say, were written down after his death in much the same way as the Buddhist scriptures were assembled. It is only from later sources in which fact and legend are woven together that we can get any idea of his life. No pre-10th century materials are so far available that might throw light on activities such as his visit to Tibet...." [Karmey, Samten G. (1975). "A General Introduction to the History and Doctrines of Bon", pp. 175-176. Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko, No. 33. Tokyo.]henrab's life according to Bön traditions
According to Bön tradition, Tönpa Shenrab predates
Padmasambhava and the BuddhaŚākyamuni . It is held that Tönpa Shenrab first studied the Bön doctrine inTagzig Olmo Lung Ring (which for economy may be equated withspace ,heaven and theaether ial realm), at the end of which he pledged to Shenlha Ökar (Tibetan: "gshen lha 'od dkar"), the god of compassion, that he would guide the peoples of this world to liberation. Like the Buddha Śākyamuni, Tönpa Shenrab was of royal birth. Tönpa Shenrab renounced his royal inheritance at the age of thirty-one to travel the path to enlightenment. Tönpa Shenrab embraced the life of a renunciate and commenced austerities, spreading the doctrine of Bön; at length, he arrived in the land of Zhangzhung near what is widely held to beMount Kailash .Accounts of Tönpa Shenrab's life are to be found in three principal sources, entitled "Do-dü" ("mdo 'dus"), "Zer-mik" ("gzer mig"), and "Zee-jee" ("gzi brjid"). The first and second of the accounts are held to be
terma ("gter ma") discovered by Bön tertön ("gter ston") in the tenth or eleventh century; the third is part of the "aural lineage"("nyen jü", "snyan brgyud"), transmitted via disciplic succession.The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury
The doctrines taught by Tönpa Shenrab are generally classified variously, two being most common. In the first, The Four Portals and the Fifth, the Treasury ("sgo bzhi mdzod lnga"), the:
*White Water ("chab dkar") relates esoteric matters;
*Black Water ("chab nag") concernsnarratives , magic,funeral rites and ransom rituals;
*Land of Phan ("'phan yul") codifies monastic rules and philosophical expositions;
*Divine Guide ("dpon gsas") enshrines theDzogchen teachings; and finally
*Treasury ("mtho thog") which serves as an anthology of the salient items of the Four Portals.The Nine Ways of Bön
The second classification, the Nine Ways of Bön ("bon theg pa rim dgu") is as follows—the:
*Way of Prediction ("phyva gshen theg pa") codifiesritual ,prognostication ,sortilege andastrology ;
*Way of the Visual World ("snang shen theg pa") details the psychophysicalUniverse ;
*Way of Illusion ("'phrul gshen theg pa") explains therites for the dispersal of adversethoughtform s, entities and energies;
*Way of Existence ("srid gshen theg pa") details funeral and death rituals;
*Way of a Lay Follower ("dge bsnyen theg pa") contains the ten principles for wholesome activity;
*Way of a Monk ("drang srong theg pa") codifies monastic rules and regulations;
*Way of Primordial Sound ("a dkar theg pa") charts the integration of an exalted practitioner into the mandala of highest enlightenment;
*Way of PrimordialShen , ("ye gshen theg pa") renders the guidelines for seeking a true tantric master and the commitments ("dam tshigs", parallel to the Sanskritsamaya ) that bind a disciple to his tantric master; and finally,
*Way of Supreme Natural Condition ("bla med theg pa"), or The Way ofDzogchen .The nine ways can also be classified into three groups, the:
*Causal Ways ("rgyu'i theg pa") comprises the first four of the above;
*Resultant Ways ("'bras bu'i theg pa") includes the fifth through eighth; and
*Unsurpassable Way or the Way of Dzogchen ("khyad par chen po'i theg pa" or "rdzogs pa chen po", abbreviated "rdzogs chen") is the ninth.The Bön Canon
The Bön canon comprises more than two hundred volumes, classified in four categories: the
Sutras ("mdo"), the Perfection of Wisdom Teachings ("'bum"), the Tantras ("rgyud") and Knowledge ("mdzod"). Besides these, the Bön canon includes material onritual s,arts andcrafts ,logic ,medicine ,poetry andnarrative . It is interesting to note that the "Knowledge" section concerningcosmogony andcosmology , though in some respects unique to Bön, shares a more than passing resemblance toNyingma ("rnying ma") doctrines.Aspects of Shenrab Miwoche
Shenrab Miwoche is said to have three aspects or forms: the "tulku" (Tibetan: "sprul sku"; Sanskrit: "nirmaṇakāya"), Shenrab Miwoche; the "dzoku" (Tibetan: "rdzogs sku"; Sanskrit: "sambhogakāya"), Shenlha Ökar; and the "bönku" (Tibetan: "bon sku"; Sanskrit: "dharmakāya"), Kuntu Zangpo. [The Tibetan for "dharmakāya" is "chos sku" in the Buddhist context; though a case can be made that Bön borrowed some, or even much, of its current terminology from Buddhism, to suggest that Sanskrit words are thus the "source" of this terminology is dubious.]
Footnotes
References
*Unknown Author (2005). "The Bonpo's Tradition". Source: http://www.tibet.net/cta/bonpo.html (Wednesday January 17, 2007).
Links
* [http://texts.00.gs/Feast_of_the_Morning_Light.htm 61 episodes in the life of gŚen-rabs mi-bo]
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