Description

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An annotated translation of five key texts of the Everlasting (Yungdrung) Bön school selected by the late H. H. Menri Trizin Rinpoché that includes scriptural teachings, a root tantra based on revealed teachings of the unconditioned absolute, a canonical commentary on the root tantra, an exposition of the Yungdrung tantric system, and the oral instructions on Bön meditation practices associated with experiencing the nature of the mind, the Great Perfection systems.

This authoritative annotated translation of five key texts of Everlasting (Yungdrung) Bön by Marc des Jardins opens up a relatively unknown tradition that, since the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet, has undergone great transformations in its philosophy, doctrinal teachings, and meditative practices. Each text represents an important aspect of the tradition. The first text, by Drogön Azha Lodrö Gyaltsen (1198–1263), presents the grounds and paths of the Greater Vehicle of the Bön tradition and represents the philosophical ideology of its teachings based on the scriptures contained in the Bön 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 Bönpo sage contemporary with Padmasambhava. The fourth text, by Nyamé Sherap Gyaltsen (1356–1415), presents a general exposition of the tantric system according to Yungdrung Bön. The final text, by Drutön Gyalwa Yungdrung (1242–90), pertains to the oral instructions on the meditation practices of Bön, 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 Rinpoché, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (1927–2017), the thirty-third abbot of Menri Monastery, the central institution of the Yungdrung Bön school.

About the Author

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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 Bön religion of Tibet. He has published a monograph (Le sutra de la Mahamayuri: 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 Bön Research.

Praise For…

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“This remarkable volume takes the Western encounter with Yungdrung Bön to a new level, challenging the reader to encounter it as a major spiritual tradition in its own right."
— Geoffrey Samuel,  professor emeritus, Cardiff University, author of Civilized Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan Societies

"The Tradition  of Everlasting Bön gives an excellent taste of Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen as revealed by Tönpa Shenrap. It should be of interest to both practitioners and to scholars.”
— Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoché

“The Tradition of Everlasting Bön is a game changer in the study of Tibetan religious thought and practice. Presenting lucid translations of five key texts spanning the principal teachings of Yungdrung Bön, this is an unparalleled, essential contribution."
— Matthew T. Kapstein, professor emeritus, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, and the University of Chicago

"The Tradition of Everlasting Bön will be an invaluable support for scholars of Tibetan traditions as well as for practitioners in the Bön lineage.”
— Alejandro Chaoul, PhD, author of Tibetan Yoga: Magical Movements of Body, Breath and  Mind