This authoritative annotated translation of five key texts of Everlasting (Yungdrung) Bon by Marc des Jardins opens up a relatively unknown tradition, which since the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet has undergone great transformations in its philosophy, doctrinal teachings, and meditative practices.
The texts each represent an important aspect of the tradition. The first text, by Drogon Azha Lodro Gyaltsen (1198 - 1263), presents the grounds and paths of the Greater Vehicle of the Bon tradition and represents the philosophical ideology of its teachings based on the scriptures contained in the Bon canon. The second text is a short root tantra attributed to revealed teachings from Kuntu Zangpo, the personification of the unconditioned absolute. The third text is a commentary on this root tantra attributed to Drenpa Namkha (fl. eighth century), a Bonpo sage contemporary with Padmasambhava. The fourth text, by Nyame Sherap Gyaltsen (1356 - 1415), presents a general exposition of the tantric system according to Yungdrung Bon. The final text, by Druton Gyalwa Yungdrung (1242 -0 0), pertains to the oral instructions on the meditation practices of Bon, especially on the cycle of practices associated with experiencing the nature of the mind, the Great Perfection systems. All five texts have been selected by the late H. H. Menri Trizin Rinpoche, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (1927 - 2017), the thirty-third abbot of Menri Monastery, the central institution of the Yungdrung Bon school.
The Tradition of Everlasting Bon: Five Key Texts on Scripture, Tantra, and the Great Perfection; Marc des Jardins; Wisdom Publications; Hardcover; 796 pages; $69.95
J. F. Marc des Jardins is Associate Professor of East Asian Religions in the Department of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University in Montreal. He teaches the social and cultural history of Chinese and Tibetan religions. His research focuses on the cultural interactions and religions along the former Sino-Tibetan frontiers, where Tibetan and Chinese cultures mixed and nourished each other. Since 1991 he has researched Tibetan indigenous ritual practices and the Bon religion of Tibet. He has published a monograph (Le sutra de la Mahumayuri: Rituel et politique dans la Chine des Tang) on the importance of esoteric Buddhism during the Tang dynasty as well as articles on Tibetan indigenous magic, tantric ritual practices, the ritual of exorcism, and others. He is the chief editor of The Journal of the International Association for Bon Research.
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