Drung, deu, and Bön: Narrations, symbolic languages, and the Bön traditions in ancient Tibet

Review:

his is perhaps the foremost reference book on the topic that is available in English, thanks to the fine translation into Italian by Adriano Clemente and from that language to English by Andrew Lukianowicz, the original text of which was compiled by the contemporary Tibetan scholar and rDZogs-CHen master/traveling teacher (born in East Tibet in 1938). Readers may notice that many sources were actually written by Buddhist authors, such as 'Bri-Gung 'Jig-rTen mGon-po, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, mCHog-'Gyur gLing-pa, 'Ju Mi-PHam, et al. Also worthy of note some of the parallels with Eurasian shamanism (and beyond): Bon-po ritual experts (gSHen?) acting as intermediaries between the visible human realm and the unseen dimension of spirits/non-human beings; the abduction and recovery of one's "vital soul" (bLa - see below), so forth.

"The fundamental principles of the ancient Bön tradition are not expressed in philosophical concepts and are rarely found in the canonical texts. Rather they must be 'distilled' from the mythological narratives contained in ancient ritual texts which act as prelude to the rites and guarantee their efficacy...practical and concrete knowledge of the various aspects of the energy of the individual in relation to the dimension in which he lives" (p. xviii).

The first two chapters (pp. 1-34) offer examples for archaic narratives (sGrung), enriched with allegorical elements and poetical embellishments, and symbolic language(s) (lDe'u) found in the Ge-sar epic, tales with spiritual message, and quasi-historical texts (i.e., the fatal ambush of the last ZHang ZHung king at lake D(w)ang-ra (pp. 32-3), etc.

Chapter III (pp. 35-50) gives an overview of the Bon-po's own classifications: "Four Portals and the Treasury as the Fifth; the Nine Ways/Vehicles," and most importantly, "the Twelve Lores" elucidated one by one in the rest of the book; as well as a categorization Tibetan Buddhists came up with ("revealed, derived, and transformed"). Here we can also read briefly about the mutual accusations of plagiarism.

IV. (pp. 51-62) - "Bön of Deities, the Lore of Protection" (mGon SHes lHa Bon): excerpts from the origin myths of the the THugs-dKar/KHar, dGra-lHa/sGra-bLa and Wer-ma deities, and attendant rites.

V. (pp. 63-76) - 'The five personal deities' (Go-ba'i lHa lNGa) and the deities of "good fortune" (rLung rTa, lit. 'wind horse') associated with maintaining one's favourable external and internal (as related to the five elements making up the physical body) conditions/circumstances (PHywa); domestic spirit(s) (PHug lHa) and their rites.

VI. (pp. 77-86) - Ransom/Substitute (gLud) rites (including required substances and effigies) to avert or remove danger/disturbances of various kind, attributable to "the eight classes of deities and demons" (lHa Srin sDe brGyad: bDud, bTSan, kLu, gNYan, Ma-mo, gSHin-rJe, rGyal-po, SHa-za, gNod-sByin, Srin-po).

VII. (pp. 87-102) - Dur (lit. 'tomb or bury') rites for the dead, said to have been introduced at the time of the murder of the legendary ruler Gri-gum (ca. 150 BCE?); discussion of what happens at the moment of death according to the Bon-po's (cf. Tibetan Buddhist concepts); a lengthy excerpt (pp. 91-7) from "The Invincible Fortress of Life" (Srog-gi bTSan rDZong by Kong-sPrul bLo-Gros mTHa'-yas, 1813-99) aimed at summoning a person's "vital soul" when deteriorated or abducted; vanquishment of gSHed ('hindrance'): Namkhai Norbu adds that Vajrayána adept Padmasambhava (active in Tibet in the 770s-800s CE) and famed yoginí Ma-gCig Lab-sGron of the gCod tradition (1031-1129) adapted/incorporated gSHed Dur to/in their Buddhist ritual/practice (p. 102).

VIII. (pp. 103-24) - The elimination/removal (Sel-ba) of impurities with the help of fumigatory purification by aromatic plants (bSang) and lustral sprinkling (TSHan-KHrus): "[B]y the murder of blood relations, the birth of illegitimate children and incest, bodeful portents, ill omens and accidents, widowhood, contagion by impure energies, contaminations of the hearth and violent quarrels, men accumulate a large number of deeds which disturb the deities' vision and contaminate the deities of the pure regions...the exhalations of these contaminations (mNol-brib) recoil on man, and destitution, epidemics, famine, war and other catastrophes ensue in the world" (p. 106).

The role of meat and blood in Tantra, and the healing properties of the latter substance.

IX. (pp. 125-32) - Liberation from curses, "from maledictions cast by the powerful classes of non human beings to witchcraft devised by men," including - among others - reconciliation w/ genius loci (Sa-bDag, lit. 'lord of the soil'), nága/serpent-spirit (kLu), and the so-called gNYan.

X. (pp. 133-45) - 'Medical' knowledge, based partly on the text of gZi-brJid, comprises diagnosis, examination of the pulse and urine, classification of illness, recommended diet and behaviour, medicines, safeguards against provocation by gDon, etc.

XI. (pp. 146-62) - Elemental astrology ('Byung rTSis): role of the mythical human originator of the Eternal/Swastika (g.Yung-Drung) Bon, gSHen-rab Mi-bo(-che) (1917-1836 BCE?) and his royal patron/disciple, Kong-rTSe 'PHrul-rGyal in its dissemination; horoscopy (Gab-rTSe), sPar-KHa trigrams, sMe-ba (lit. 'birthmark') sytem of numbers (w/ colour diagrams); connotation of the term gTSug-lag.

XII. (pp. 163-73) - The lore of origin myths (CHog-rabs) and gTo rites: cosmic egg(s); the malevolent nine 'Dre and ten Sri, and related rituals to suppress them.

XIII. (pp. 174-88) - The origin and function of the nine rites of the Deer; magic flight astride a drum (see contest/duel between one Na-ro Bon-CHung and the renowned yogin Mi-la Ras-pa (1040-1123); controversial accusations of animal sacrifice.

XIV. (pp. 189-98) - Divination by means of cords and knots (Ju-THig), as laid out in a study by 'Ju Mi-PHam (1846-1912).

XV. (pp. 199-218) - Bon Tantras related to the magical rites of destruction, whereby "the enemies that create obstacles and intrerruptions...and the hostile persecutors of the teaching" are eliminated. Also, the story describing how the Bon-po sNang-bZHer Lod-po tried to avenge the slaying of the last ZHang ZHung king (see above) by severely wounding the historical Tibetan ruler Srong-b(r)TSan sGam-po (r. 617-41, 646-9 CE) with a magic bomb made of gold (pp. 214-6).

The informative endnotes (pp. 219-86) go well beyond furnishing only bibliographical references; bibliography of Tibetan (100 items) and Western sources (287-97); detailed index containing names and terms both in their pronounced and written forms where applicable (289-327); + 23 drawings & 1 b/w photo.