Knowra Bon Bon Bon is a Tibetan religious tradition with its own scriptures, rituals, and institutions. It developed in sustained interaction with Tibetan Buddhism, sharing cultural settings while maintaining distinct lineages.
Tibetan Buddhism : A form of Buddhism that developed in Tibet, combining Indian Buddhist traditions with Tibetan institutions and practices. Bon and Tibetan Buddhism developed alongside one another and influenced each other over centuries.
Bon ritual : A formal religious practice in Bon, including offerings, purification, recitation, and rites for the dead. Ritual gives practical form to Bon understandings of protection, merit, and spiritual transformation.
Zhangzhung : An ancient kingdom and cultural region west of central Tibet, associated in Bon accounts with the tradition’s early history. Bon historical memory links its early teachings and language to Zhangzhung.
Nyingma : The oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, known for its early translations and treasure traditions. Nyingma and Bon share practices and cultural settings but maintain separate religious lineages.
Menri Monastery : A major Bon monastery founded in Tibet in the fifteenth century and re-established in exile in India. Menri became a leading center for Bon monastic education and institutional continuity.
Tibetan Empire : A Tibetan state that expanded across Central Asia from the seventh to ninth centuries. Bon’s histories connect its early development with the political and religious transformations of imperial Tibet.
Bonpo oracle : A Bon religious specialist who enters a trance to convey oracular guidance. Oracular practice is one way Bon communities seek guidance from protective powers.
Zhangzhung language : A poorly documented language once spoken in the western Tibetan cultural region of Zhangzhung. Bon liturgies preserve material associated with Zhangzhung, though its historical relationship to the language remains difficult to establish.
Tibetan Buddhist schools : The major institutional traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, including Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug. Bon is sometimes grouped alongside these schools, but it is not a Buddhist school.
Triten Norbutse Monastery : A Bon monastery established in Kathmandu in 1987 by Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak. Its establishment strengthened Bon education and community life outside Tibet.
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