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BONISM
  1. Introduction

    A sorceress of Bon.Bonism is the native religion of Xizang (Tibet). It is a sect of animistic shamanism, a pantheistic cult embracing the belief that all beings in the universe have souls. It prevailed in Xizang (Tibet) before the introduction of Buddhism in the 8th century. After that the Tibetan Buddhism had absorbed some beliefs and rituals of Bonism, as the dependence on oracle, astrology, pantheism. For instance, the selections of tulkus/living Buddhas began with oracle, astrology and the observations of mirages of holy lakes and if there were several candidates, then sometimes the service of an oracle-priest was called. On the other hand, Bonism was modified according to the model of Buddhism to become a branch of Tibetan Buddism, the black sect.

    At the present, Bonism, although having lost its prominent position, nevertheless has followers in many Tibetan tribes and some isolated areas. The rituals and the beliefs of Bonism were an integral part of the Tibetan culture.

  2. Stages of Bonism

    1. Original Bonism
      According to the legend of Bonism, the Bonism was created by Tenpa Sherab, a contemporary of Buddha, in a mystic country known as `Tag-gzig' somewhere in Ali (upper Shangshung).

      The ancient country Shangshung was populated by Turko-Mongols according to some theory. What is now Ali (the present West Tibet) was the Upper Shangshung, what is now Chamdo was the lower Shangshung, and the present North Xizang (Tibet) was the Middle Shangshung. The written language of Shangshung had been preserved to the present day, and what we know about it can be explained in Jiang's (a semi-Tibetan race lives in Qinghai) linguistic data. Shangshung was a stronghold of Bonism.

      The Bonism believed that at the very beginning of the creation, there were two eggs, one white and one black. The two eggs burst, and from the white one came out deities, human, etc, from the black one came out parasites, demons, etc. The southern Tibetan had another theory of a Monkey and a female rock-demon as the common ancestors of Tibetan.

      Bonism spread to many tribes. The 8th King of Yarlung kingdom, Tze-gum (Dri-gum) accidentally cut off his `sky-rope' and was buried in a tomb. A Bonism priest performed the ritual of `disciplining corpse' to prevent the ghost to come back to harm the living ones (in this case, the ghost came back to his household to have sex-intercourse with a female to produce a son). From then on the Bonism priests were involved in constructing tombs and spreading the Bonism funeral rituals. In the funerals for kings, human sacrifices were used, large amount of treasures, weapons were entombed. In its modified form, the Bonism funeral service had lasted to the present day.

      The Bonist priests also engaged in the rites of calling on good fortune and increase of wealth, putting up thread structures intended to capture demons and dispersed the causes of error, and fortune-telling. They claimed the capabilities of riding drums to soar to the sky to become rainbows.

    2. Yungdrung Bonism
      According to most Tibetologists, the emblem Yungdrung (Nazi swastika which is the reserved Buddhist emblem) was introduced into Xizang (Tibet) along with Buddhism in the 7th century. However some Tibetans believed that it was the evolutionary result of the pictograph for `sun' by studying some cave-paintings in Xizang (Tibet). Yungdrung Bonism adopted this emblem as the sign of Bonism, and systemized the doctrines which included the way to pray for fortune, medicine, victory in warfare, and how to arrange the proper funeral ritual, and the magic methods to tell truth form false, to tell the guilty from the innocent.

      The stronghold of Shangshung was crushed by the 5th king, Khri-srong-de-tsan, of the Tubo dynasty. The last king of Shangshung, Lepung Gyapo, made Lake Thongpots his kingdom's sacred lake where he would go on pilgrimage every year on the fifteenth day of the first month. Khri-srong-de-tsan sent a man to Shangshung to conspire with the youngest wife of the King to murder him during the annual sacrificial ritual at the lake. The assassination accomplished, the youngest wife of King Lepung Gyapo became a concubine of Khri-srong-de-tsan.

      After the crushing of Shangshung kingdom, Bonism persisted and further spread in Tubo dynasty. The Bonism priesthood gradually moved upward in politics, interfering the justice system and eventually became prime-ministers several times in the Tubo dynasty. The kings sometimes felt threatened by them, and ordered the prohibitions of Bonism.

      The most important Tibetan military strategies were ambush and surprising attack. To prevent treacheries, the partners, king and generals etc, would have convention annually (sometimes every three years, or semi-annually) to be `oath-bound' in front of deities according to the Bonism ritual. Bonist priesthood became the trustee of national politics. There were live-sacrifices in these conventions. In one of the `oath-bound' gatherings, a monkey was first with legs broken and butchered, and then all people took turns to take oaths with the fate of the monkey as a reminder of bad faith. According to Tang Annals, Bonism dominated the 'oath-taking' procedures, and Buddhism subordinated to Bonism.

    3. Jo-Bonism
      The 5th king, Khri-srong-de-tsan, of the Tubo dynasty spread Buddhism in Xizang (Tibet) and was the public enemy of Bonism. According to some later books of Bonism, that caused the collapse of the Tubo dynasty. In the whole period of Tubo dynasty, although sometimes Bonism was disfavored by the court, it assumed the most prominent position in Xizang (Tibet) usually. In the meantime Buddhism was under heavy pressure in India. There was a revitalization of Hinduism internally, and a spreading of Islamism from Persian. Hinduism eventually destroyed Buddhism by proclaiming Buddha as one of many reincarnation of the Hindu supreme god Krisnar.

      Tibetan Buddhists, as led by Padmasambhava, proclaimed the Bonist deities as the minor deities of Buddhism, adopted Bonist beliefs and rituals, and permitted meat-eating. Therefore, Tibetan Buddhism absorbed and damaged Bonism. After the downfall of Tubo dynasty, the Bonists did the similar thing, when Bonism was badly damaged, by taking over the whole deity system of Tibetan Buddhism while replacing the Indian names with Bonist ones (Sakyamuni became Tenpa Shakya Tubpa) and further proclaiming Buddhist sutras were identical with Bonist sutras except the names of deities. In this way, Bonism had survived. Bonism had her 'nine vehicles' like Buddhism, her monasteries, meditations, Living Buddhas/Tulkus. Sometimes, Bon priests had become synonymous with 'Tantric magicians'. From then on, the distinction between Tibetan Buddism and Bonism was `neither any too obvious nor any too ambiguous'. The distinctions were mainly different emphases.

     

  3. Basic Beliefs of Bonism

    As we pointed out previously, there was no basic difference between Tibetan Buddhism and Bonism, we could only say that Bonism emphasized more, Tibetan Buddhism emphasized less, on the following points.

    1. Pantheism
      Bonism believed that all beings in the universe had souls. In the rituals, all objects would be blessed. The most obvious objects to be worshiped were mountains and lakes. The mountains and ranges were usually considered to be male deities and lakes female deities.

      Mt Yarlha Shampo (where the first Tibetan KIng descended) was the main mountain deity of Bonism. Almost all mountains and lakes were deities. For instance, about 100 kilometres north of Lhasa, there was the snow-crested `Nianqing (i.e. God almighty) Tanggula' Range. This mountain was one of Tibet's most famous sacred mountains. Not too far from it was the celestial lake Namtso, Tibet's largest lake, which was said to be the wife of Mt Nianqing Tanggula. The sacred Mount Nianqing Tanggula was an endearing mixture of kindness and compassion, his human-like pettiness and jealousies notwithstanding. By his side lied a lower mountain, his son. When he saw the boy growing taller and taller, he jealously roared, "I'll see to it that you'll never tower over me," and gave him a hard slap, thus stunting the boy's growth.

      For the important matters, war, harvest etc, the people would gather to pray to the mountain deities.

      There were deities and demons living on the high mountains. Therefore it was dangerous to travel there. At the mountain passages, there should be special rituals to safe-guard against the demons. They put up heaps of stones which were known as 'warriors' castles' (dpa-mkhar) or 'laptse' explained as 'a toll on the roads and passes'. This was the origin of the `mani piles' of the `prayer's flags' at these passages.

    2. Smoke
      Similar to Taoists of Han people, Bonists believe that the smoke produced by pine twigs, Tibetan joss-sticks or tsamba (cakes of barley flour) they burn will open the `sky gate' and will carry their prayers to the deities. This belief is shared by Tibetan Buddhists.



    3. Ritual
      For any important events, Tibetan would go through four steps; (1) oracle (2) astrology (3) ritual (4) action. For instance, if a person was sick, an oracle-priest would be called to determine if it was caused by some demons, then an astrologist would be called to determine if the `birth-stars' of the sick person were operating normally. Then the rituals to exorcise would be performed if necessary. Only then the sick person would be sent to see a doctor. In a marriage, an oracle-priest and an astrologist would be called to determine if the union would be a good one. Then a fixed ritual of proposition would be followed. Only then the marriage would happen. The Bonist rite consistes of sacrificing sheep, yaks, goats, horses (the above blood-sacrifices will not be used in Buddhist rite), precious stones, precious metals as ransom (`glud') to please demons. To cure a sick man, the rite will call back the protectors, `country-god' (`yul-lha'), `warior god' (`dgra-lha') (which are parts of `soul', the visitor will notice the similarity between these and Taoist beliefs), in other words, the rite will `call back the soul'.

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