The Founder

Buddha Tönpa Shenrab Miwo is the founder of the Bön religion. The traditional accounts tell of one thousand and eight Buddhas that will appear on earth in this time cycle. Of these Tönpa Shenrab was the eighth. The hagiography of Tönpa Shenrab is preserved in three versions, short, medium and extensive - Dodu, Zermig, and Zidji.

The teachings of Buddha Tonpa Shenrab are called the “Nine Ways of Bön”. They are divided into two main sections, the Bön of Causality and the Bon of Fruition. These two spheres encapsulate the full range of secular and spiritual knowledge, the living expression of Tibetan culture.

The Bön of Causality contains the instruments for attaining temporal happiness. These teachings are divided into four branches: methods of healthcare, ways to maintain harmony between species, mechanisms which protect the community, and rites for the welfare of the deceased.

The Bön of Fruition contains the instruments for the obtainment of Buddhahood. This sphere of tradition has five branches or vehicles: religious observances for lay people, religious observances for monks, tantra, higher wisdom tantric teachings, and supreme realizations, Dzog-chen.