The number 2 in the Bon religion. Secrets of the ancient teachings

Yungdrung Bon Monastery Center (YBMC)
(Material printed with the blessing of His Holiness 33 Menri Trizina, Lungtok Tenpei Nyima)

Not far from the capital of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the small village of Dolanji there is a huge monastery. It is called - "Bon Monastery Center Yungdrung" (YBMC). The Bon religion has been the leading religion of Tibet for many centuries and originated in Tibet long before the introduction of Buddhism there in the 7th century AD.

Emergence of the Bonpo

The Bonpo suggest that their religion came from the land of Olmo Lungring, part big country called Tazig. Ol - symbolizes "not born", "not manifested"; Mo - "inexhaustible"; Lung - prophetic words of Tonpa Shenrab - the founder of Bon; Ring is the all-encompassing Compassion. Olmo Lungring was one of the three parts of the existing world and was located in the west of Tibet. The earth is described as eight petals of a lotus above which the sky is spread in the form of a wheel with eight spokes, in the center of the rising mountain Yungdrung Gutsek (pyramid of nine swastikas).

The swastika (yungdrung) is a symbol of permanence and inviolability. The nine swastikas lined up on top of each other represent the nine paths of Bon. At the base of Mount Yungdrung, four rivers originate, which diverge in four directions. Scholars indicate different locations of Olmo Lungring. Some describe it as Mount Kailash, with four great rivers that spring from its base; China is in the east, India is in the south, Orgyan is in the west, Khotan is in the north. Other scholars indicate its geographical location in Central Asia and Persia during the time of the great Cyrus. But in Bonpo beliefs, the question of the geographical location of Olmo Lungring is not so important. For them, a symbol is significant, which can be accurately used to authenticate their religion.

Symbolic description that includes history, geography and mythology is common in ancient texts. Thus, in Buddhism, a description is given of the cosmos with Mount Meru supporting the sky and the four main continents with four main points where the Earth is the southern continent.

Founder and his teachings

The founder of the Bon religion is Shenrab Mivo (Shenrab Mivoche), who preached in Central Asia seventeen thousand years ago. He descended from heaven and, together with his two students - Malo and Yulo, appeared in the world at the foot of Mount Meru. He was then born a prince in 1857 BC. There is such a legend.

Once upon a time there were three brothers: Dagpa, Salwa and Shepa, who studied the doctrine of Bon in heaven, called Sidpa Yesang from the Bon sage Bumtri Logi Chesan. When their training was completed, they visited the deity of Compassion, Shenla Odkar, and asked him how they could help all beings on earth who are immersed in misfortune and saddened by suffering. He advised them to act as the guides of Humanity in the three successive eras of the Earth's development. Following his advice, the elder brother Dogpa finished his work with the last stage of the development of the World, the second brother - Salva, who took the name Shenrab, became a teacher and guide of the present time. The younger brother - Shepa will come as a teacher in the next era. The divine Shenrab was born in the palace of Barpo Sogye south of Yungdrung Mountain. He was a prince, married young, and had children. At the age of 31, he renounced the world and lived as a hermit, passing on the Teaching. Throughout his life, his efforts to spread Bon were hindered by the demon Kyabpa Lagring. This demon sought to destroy the fruits of his labors, or hindered the work of Tonpo Shenrab until he was converted and became his disciple. One day, while pursuing a demon in order to retrieve his horses, Tonpa Shenrab reached Tibet, and this was his only visit to the region. He gave some instructions regarding the performance of rituals. But on the whole, I found the country not ready for the full acceptance of the Teaching. Before he left Tibet, Tonpa Shenrab prophesied that all of his Teachings ("Five Paths of the Fruit") would penetrate Tibet when the time was right. While he gave the Teaching "Four Ways of Cause". Tonpa Shenrab left this life when he was 82 years old.

Spread of Bon in Shang-Shung and Tibet

Until the 7th century, an independent state of Shang-zhung existed on the territory of modern Tibet, which included lands from the central Tibetan province of Yu and Tsang and the lands of western Tibet. There is no exact historical evidence, but there are some references that the state spread over a vast territory from Gelgit in the west to Lake Namg-Mo in the east, and from Catan in the north to Mustang in the south. The capital of Shang Shung was a place called Kyung Lung Ngulkar, which means "Silver Palace of the Garuda Valley" - the ruins of which were found in the upper valley of the Satlezh River, southwest of Mount Kailash. The people of Zhang Zhung spoke a language that can be attributed to the Tibeto-Burman group, the Sindo-Tibetan languages. The country was ruled by a dynasty of kings that ended in the 8th century when the last king of Ligmir was killed and Zhang Zhung became part of Tibet.

The first Bon texts were transferred to Shang Shung by Tonpa Shenrab's assistant Mucho Demtrug. These were the first translations into Shang Shung and into Tibetan. The works are included in the Bonpo canon. And we know about them because they are written in Tibetan. But some of them, especially the old ones, retain their names, and sometimes entire passages in Zhang-zhung.

Since the accession, the state of Shang Shung has been Tibetized, its language, culture and many beliefs have become a major part of Tibetan culture. Due to the fact that Zhang Zhung was geographically close to the great cultural centers of Central Asia, such as Gelgit and Khotan, many religious and philosophical concepts passed through the Tibetan culture. Interest in Buddhism grew in Tibet, and Samye Monastery was founded in the 8th century. Buddhism became the main religion. At this time, the Bon religion completely went underground. Serious attempts have been made to eradicate it. Supporters among the nobility and especially among the common people, from generation to generation still followed Bon and retained their religious beliefs.

Bon survived. The 7th-8th century is a difficult time for Bon. Many priests left central Tibet, saving sacred texts from destruction and preserving them for future generations. Drenpa Namkha, one of the great representatives of Bon of that time, followed the Buddhist religion in fear of being killed, but in doing so he preserved the Bon Teachings.

From the 8th-11th centuries we know nothing about the development of the Bon religion. The revival of religion began with the discovery of a number of important texts by Shenchen Lug in 1017. Thanks to him, religion was saved as a complete religious system. Shenchen Luga was born into the Shen clan, which descended from Kongts Wangden, one of the sons of Tonpa Shenrab. The descendants of this family still live in Tibet. Shenchen Meadows had a large number of followers. He assigned three of his students to carry on three different traditions. One of them came from Tuchen Namkha Yungdrung, who was born into a Dru family who immigrated to Tibet from Gilgit. He combined the Teachings of cosmology and metaphysics and founded the monastery of Yeru Vensak in 1072. This monastery was a great center of learning until 1386, when it was destroyed by a flood and abandoned. After that, the Dru family continued to invest in the Bon religion. This continued until the 19th century, when for the second time the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama was found in this family (the first reincarnation was the second Panchen Lama in 1663, the second - the fifth Panchen Lama in 1854).

The second tradition is associated with the student Zue Legpo, who founded the Dzogchen teachings and practices. He built the Kidkar Ritsing monastery. The teacher came from the Zu family, who now lives in India. The third tradition is associated with the disciple Paten Palchog and represents the Tantric teachings. He came from the Pa family, who moved from Tsang to Kham, where they still live. Meukepa Palchen, who descended from the Meu family, founded the Zangri monastery. It became the center of philosophical teachings. Thus, from the 11th to 14th century, the Bonpos had four important centers of learning, all located in the province of Tsang.

In the early 15th century, religious teaching was strengthened with the construction of the Menri Monastery (1405) by the great Bonpo teacher Sherab Galtsen (1356-1415). Menri Monastery and these two centers played an important role in teaching until China invaded Tibet in 1959. Yungdrungling Monastery, founded in 1834, and Karna Monastery were subordinated to Menri. Through these monasteries, as centers of learning and religious inspiration, many monasteries were formed throughout Tibet (with the exception of the central province of Wu), especially in the provinces of Kyungpo, Khams, Amdo, Gyarong and Chorus. Since the beginning of the 12th century, there have been 330 Bonpo monasteries in Tibet.

Construction of Menri Monastery in India

Before and during the fall of Lhasa (03/10/59) large group Tibetans - men, women and children, left Tibet and moved to India. With the help of the Indian Government and several international organizations, refugee camps were set up in various parts of the Himalayas, as well as in the south - in the state of Karnataka. According to some reports, the number of Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal was 100,000 people (according to 1980 data). Approximately 1 percent of the total number of Tibetans are followers of the Bon religion, which among Tibetans are called Bonpos. Shortly after the Tibetans arrived in India, a group of Bonpo Lamas, monks, and settlers gathered at Kullu Manali, where they were busy building roads. Due to the climatic difference between India and Tibet, and very little help from charitable organizations, their situation was difficult. Many of them died, including Sherab Lodro (1935-1963) - the head of the Bonpo, the abbot of the Menri monastery in Tibet. In this connection, this group in the mid-60s decided to form a colony for immigrants. The task of finding land and funds was entrusted to Tenzin Namdak. With the help of money that was received from the organization Catholic Reliv Service, land was found and purchased in Dolanji, near Solan in the state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1967, the settlement was formed and registered by the Indian government under the name "Tibetan Bonpo Foundation" (Tibetan Bonpo Foundation - TBF).

About 70 families moved from Manali and each received a house and plot of land according to the number of family members. The new settlement at Dolanji is named "Tobgyal Sarpa" after the village of Tobgyal, which was near Menri Monastery in the Tsang province of Tibet. Most of the Tibetans living here come from the areas surrounding Mount Kailash, Upper Tsang, Khor, Gongpo, Dege, Amdo and Gyarong. After the death of Sherab Londro in Menri, the abbot of Yangdrungling, the second most important monastery in Tibet, became the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Bonpo community in India. He came to Dolanji with a group of monks in order to form a monastic community.

Several small houses were built for the monks and a small temple for religious ceremonies. In 1969, the abbot held a ceremony to select the successor of the deceased abbot Menri. The names of all Geshes (the European counterpart is Doctor of Theology) were written on pieces of paper and placed in a special vase. At the end of the ceremony, which included a service and invocation to the Bonpo deities, the vase was turned over until one name fell out - Sange Tenzin Yongdong, born in 1929 and at that time working at the University of Oslo. Shortly after his election, he became the 33rd abbot of Menri and received the name Lungtok Tenpei Nima. For one year, he and the abbot of Yungdrungling worked together. Since the death of the abbot of Yungdrungling in 1969, Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpei Nyima has assumed the spiritual leadership of all the Bons in exile.

As the abbot of a monastery in Tibet, he is also the spiritual leader of all Bonpo monasteries in Tibet and Nepal.

The construction of the main temple, the foundation of which was laid in 1969 and Menri Monastery (Pal Shenten Menri Ling) was completed in 1978. It is now known as the Yungdrung Bon Monastery Center (YBMC).

The public organization of the Bon monastery center Yungdrung was officially registered on February 12, 2001 by the Indian Registration Act with the following goals and objectives - to preserve the spiritual uniqueness of the Bon religion and traditions as part of the Tibetan culture; management, as a financial and administrative center, of all branches and all projects that YBMC conducts. Responsibility for the provision and education of children, youth, community residents and monks; holding consultations for all Bonz: the old, the needy, the infirm and the homeless. 33 Menri Trinzin Rinpoche is the President of the Organization. The administration consists of a secretary, a joint secretary, a financier, an accountant and an assistant. YBMC uses volunteer help and offerings during religious ceremonies.

Biography of His Holiness 33 Menri Trizin, Lungtok Tenpei Nyima

The 33rd Abbot of the Bon Monastery, Menri, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Bon religion. He was born in Tibet in 1929, in the village of Kyongsang, in the eastern province of Amdo near the Chinese border. The local minister gave him a name - Lama. His mother died when he was still a child and A-Nien Machen, an old friend of the family, was engaged in upbringing. When Lama was eight years old, Father Djalo Jongdong placed him in the nearby Phuntsog Darje Ling monastery, where he learned to read, write and count, and also began the knowledge of the Bon religion, which lasts a lifetime. Devoting himself to spiritual practice and teaching, he received his Geshe (Doctor) degree in philosophy at the age of 25 under Lopon Tenzin Lodro Gyatso. The following year, Lama traveled to the south of the Bon province of Gyalrong, where he made copies of the Bon Kanzhur from traditional wooden tablets. After collecting a huge amount of material and using mules to transport more than 100 volumes of sacred texts, he returned to the monastery, having made the most difficult six-month journey.

At the age of 27, Lama made a pilgrimage to China on foot, where he visited holy places and returned to Lhasa. The next few years were spent studying at the Bon monasteries of Menri, Khana and Yandrung Ling in Tibet, where he became known as Sange Tenzin Yongdong. He also lived for some time at Dripung Monastery in Lhasa.

In 1959, Sange Tenzin left Lhasa for Nepal, where he met with the Abbot of Yungdrungling in Dolpo Province, where the teacher was living in exile. It was in Dolpo, at Samling Monastery, that he first met the learned Tibetologist Professor David Snellgrove of the University of London. It was in Dolpo that the conviction came that it was necessary to preserve the Bon religion and culture. Sange Tenzin collected many important Bon texts from the two canons and wooden forms, which he later transported to India, again using mules as the most accessible and convenient mode of transport.

In 1961, along with Samten Karmey and some other Bon monks, Sange Tenzin visited Delhi. Here, with the support of Tibetologist E. Smith (representative of the South Asian sector of the US Library of Congress, Washington), he continued his epoch-making work of copying, printing and preserving entire volumes of sacred Bon texts and literature.

In 1962, with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation ( NY) Sange Tenzin Yongdong, Samten Karmey and Tenzin Namdak taught Tibetan culture at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London as assistants to Professor Snellgrove. Here they also studied western history and culture.

In England and while traveling in Europe, Sange Tenzin stayed at many Christian monasteries. In 1964, Pope Paul VI gave him a private audience in Rome. At the end of this year, at the request of the Dalai Lama, he, together with other teachers, as a volunteer, opened a High School in Masura in northern India for Tibetan refugee boys who have completed 8th grade.

In 1966, at the invitation of the Tibetan scholar Per Kvaerne, Sange Tenzin Yongdong arrived in Norway and taught Tibetan history and religion at the University of Oslo. He stayed there until he was chosen to replace the 32nd Abbot Menri and the spiritual leader of the Bon religion.

In 1969, after a series of ceremonies and initiations, he assumed the duties of the 33rd Abbot of Menri and assumed responsibility for leading the formation of the Menri Monastery at Dolanji, which was built in the Tibetan province of Tsang in 1405 and was destroyed during the Chinese Revolution in 1960. year. Since then, he has been masterfully and tirelessly engaged in Construction with the support of friends and supporters. His Eminence Menri Tenzin focuses his time and attention in Dolanji entirely on creating the unique vibration of the Bon Monastery and maintaining the current center of Bon culture and traditions.

Tibetan Bon Yungdrung Library

The library was built in 5 years (2002-2007) and was opened by His Eminence the Dalai Lama XIV on April 21, 2007. It was the culmination of His Eminence Menri Trizin's projects to complete the religious training center at the monastery. The main task of the library is to collect a complete collection of the most important books and rare religious manuscripts in Tibetan and Zhang Zhung, books about history and culture. Since 1969, His Eminence Menri Tenzin and members of the Bonpo community have been collecting Bonpo texts from all over the world. Now the library has a complete collection of Bon books and canonical texts. Other texts such as the Buddhist Kanzhur, Tanzhur and commentaries on each of the four main Buddhist schools are also contained in this collection. Thirty thousand books in Tibetan and Zhang Zhung and ten thousand books in other languages ​​have been collected throughout the time.

The library has four floors and is built in the traditional Tibetan style. On the ground floor there are offices where ancient Bon texts are preserved, articles and books about Bon are published. There is an information center where monks scan texts onto computer disks. There is also a reading room for children. On the second floor - Bon religious texts are stored. Here you can engage in equipped sections. Opposite this hall is the “Books in Tibetan and Other Languages” room. On the next floor - the Museum Hall and conference room. The last floor is the Meditation Hall. The library provides courses in Bon history, theology, Tibetan language and literature.

A day in the life of monks in Dolanji

This monastic community is the only Bonpo teaching monastery in India. It houses more than 150 monks and 200 novices, as well as 50 nuns. The main goal is to train monks in the Bon tradition, conduct independent practices in accordance with the monastic environment and religious ceremonies.

The morning in the monastery begins with a prayer. Then - breakfast, which starts at six in the morning. After breakfast, all the monks run to the rector's residence for a blessing. At 6:30 a.m., a “voter bles” (blessing with water) is held here.

The first monk to arrive brings a pitcher of water to Rinpoche. The rest stand in line and one by one approach the rector, make a bow and offer their palms. His Holiness pours water into his palms and onto his head in one motion. It should be noted that Rinpoche prepares water in the morning, “charging” it. First, he reads prayers, and then puts juniper in the water, which is a purifier.

Foreigners who practice in the monastery, and it must be said that many people from different countries of the world come here, are also blessed with water, standing in the same line with the monks. After the blessing, the monks go to the patio, which is located behind the main temple, and begin disputes. Foreign practitioners go to breakfast, which is served at 7:30 am in the dining room of the hotel.

Dispute - a practice in which one monk must defend his point of view, another opponent monk tries to refute or "confuse" him. In this practice, any emotions are used. The monk who defends his point of view is sitting, and the opponent is standing.

Disputes end and most disperse into classes. The study begins. But, of course, this does not apply to everyone.

Reference
Three groups of monks can be distinguished in Menri. The first group consists of 20 lamas and monks who came from Tibet. Their main activity is to conduct religious ceremonies in the homes of local residents, private religious practice and participation in all the rituals that the monastery conducts. This group also includes several monks who during their lifetime follow special methods spiritual directions associated with Dzogchen and Cho.

The second group consists of more than 150 young monks who took their religious vows in this monastery. They are trained in the tradition of the Bonpo doctrine and live according to the monastic rules. If they keep their duties, the monastery provides them with lunch, tea and soup. They buy their own clothes. The 15-year course of monastic education culminates in exams that the geshes take. After the exams, the monks are awarded the title - Geshe. The first group of monks completed their training cycle in 1986. Their specializations include: monastic discipline (sutra), Bon history, rituals, tantra, dialectic, logic, wise texts, basic steps of inner progress, philosophy of the middle path, cosmology, metaphysics, monastic disciplines, tantra, history, poetry, astrology, astronomy, Tibetan grammar, art (Thangka, Mandala, Torma, Namkha) and Dzogchen. Some geshes are sent to western universities for doctoral studies in religion.

The third group of monastic representatives are boys from 5 to 18 years old. They receive their initial education at the central public school, in a village near the monastery. As a rule, the regular course includes Hindi, English language, as well as Tibetan grammar and history. Outside of school hours, they participate in all ceremonies in the temple, receive religious instructions, practice Tibetan calligraphy, drawing, and learn how to use ritual musical instruments. During the long winter break, they receive instructions that are used for the basic preparation for training in the second group of monks. They have a separate kitchen, and they also use the opportunity to collect firewood and cook their own food. All boys, whether orphans or not, are under the care of the monastery. Parents don't pay for their sons. But some cash donations are welcome. In 1988, His Eminence Menri Trizin established the Boys' Social Children's Center (BCWC) as well as the Bon Children's Home (BCH), a hostel for little boys and girls.

In 1967, when the first monks came to Dolanji, the teaching was given by Ponlob (the highest rank of mentor) Sange Tenzin, the main mentor of the Menri monastery in Tsang province in Tibet, and his assistant Ponlob Tendzin Namdak, the founder of the settlement. Due to various difficulties, especially in the lack of basic books and facilities, the teaching was divided into parts and included in the training course for young monks practicing only the Dzogchen tradition. In 1978, Panlob Sangye Tendzin died and Lopan (senior tutor) Tendzin Namdak took charge of education. younger generation monks. In late 1978, a large number of basic books were published and made available in every classroom, which were further educated in the new premises. His Eminence Menri Trizin founded the Bon Dialectic School. It was from this year that the complete teaching doctrine of Bon was formed.

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon the gong sounds for lunch. The monks have a short break. But after lunch - again disputes and again study, then an early dinner at 6.30 and again disputes. Even in the evening, when it gets dark in Dolanji, the courtyard near the main temple is filled with monks who memorize texts, read or write something. But there are rest days in Dolanji. Then young men and boys "poured out" on the sports ground, play volleyball or basketball.

Some monks are happy to “chase” the ball in the meadows near the monastery, someone goes to the city of Solan to surf the Internet or buy something for themselves. But the main occupation remains - study, which can only be interrupted by services. And the main aspiration of young people is to live life in virtue and go to the highest spiritual perfection. It is believed that a simple person can also achieve perfection, but only a monastic life gives the only good chance to achieve high level. Over the centuries, monastic life has developed as an essential part of the Bonpo religion.

Note of the authors-compilers:
This material is not scientific research on the history of the Bon religion and is educational in nature. in different scientific papers geographical names, proper names and special terms have different spellings. This is due to the peculiarity of the Tibetan language and the difficulty of transcribing it into European languages. Therefore, those who are interested in this topic are asked to refer to the special literature on the history of the Bon religion, which is located in the Menri Monastery Library or on the Internet.

Marina Filippova and Andrey Kononov
Menri Monastery, March 2010

References:
Tenzin Wangyal. Miracles of the natural mind. St. Petersburg, 2000. Located in the library of the monastery on a shelf with Russian literature
Menri Monastery.2008. The brochure is in the library of the monastery
Kailash. Tibetan Yung-Drung Bon Monastery at Dolanji (material is in the hotel at the monastery)
The library of the monastery has literature in Russian on this topic:
Shardza ​​Tashi Gyaltsen. Dharmakaya Heart Drops (Dzogchen practice of the Bon tradition). Comments by Lopon Tendzin Namdak. M., 2000
Dzogchen teachings in the Bon tradition. Narrated by Lopon Tendzin Namdak
Twenty-one nails. T.II. Oral Instructions by Lopon Tendzin Namdak and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Publishing house "Uddiyana"
Tendzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Tibetan yoga of sleep and dreams. St. Petersburg, 1999
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. dream yoga
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. Teachings of Semde. Moscow, 2006
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Healing with form, energy and light. St. Petersburg, 2003

India: upcoming tours

When in the middle of the 7th century, at the invitation of the Tibetan ruler Srontszangampo, came to Tibet from India Buddhist monks, then they encountered there a well-thought-out, theoretically worked out religious system, which was called Bon. Despite the active support of the central government, the Buddhists had to endure a thousand-year struggle, as a result of which they failed to achieve a complete victory.

In order to win over certain sections of the Tibetan people, the religious system must correspond to accepted ethnographic ideas and differ so sharply from the rival system that the masses can feel this difference directly, without complicated theological explanations.

There is a legend that the first seeds of Buddhism came to Tibet from Heaven. During the reign of King Lhathothori (2nd century AD), when he was once walking on the roof of his temple (as the last, open floor is usually called), a precious box with sacred texts and precious relics of the Buddha fell right on his head. It fell on the head without causing any harm, but at the same time without bringing any benefit, since at that time no one in Tibet could read.

The swastika sets the rotation: twisting or unwinding of all things, their centrifugal or centripetal direction and is a horizontal projection of the spiral. In the Bon religion, which preceded Buddhism in Tibet, the swastika was called Yundrug, it was a very voluminous concept and served as a synonym for the concept of teaching, religion, as well as a synonym for the concept of eternal, unchanging law. The Bons respectfully call their teaching the eternal, unchanging Bon - Yundrug Bon, the Bon of the swastika.

What was the difference between Buddhism and Bon? Judging by the materials that have survived to this day, the mythological system in both these religions has many common features. Ethics is common to all theistic systems: it is recommended to do good, avoid evil, preach the truth, and so on. The iconography of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon is almost indistinguishable, except for the direction of the rays of the swastika;

in addition, in the process of history, a new doctrine of bon (begyur bon, that is, a modified bon), a compromise in relation to Buddhism, and tantric Buddhism, in which external differences between the doctrine of great tranquility and the customs of the conquered mountainous country, were erased. So why didn't a fusion of these religions occur, despite the fact that it would have suited both of them? Obviously, along with similarities, there were elements of difference so significant that they determined the course of the history of Tibetan culture. Our task is to find them and explain the reasons for the incompatibility of both worldviews.

Let's start with the known, i.e. from Buddhism. Buddhism, as you know, is not a connection between man and God, because he denies God, or rather, treats this problem with absolute indifference. Buddhism is also not a means of saving the soul, whose immortality it generally does not recognize. The goal of Buddhism is the salvation of the elect, i.e. monks who "stumbled on the path", and to lay people who sympathize with the Buddhist doctrine, for help and alms, the Buddhist community of monks is offered "consolation" and the possibility of a good rebirth, in order to become a monk in one of their subsequent lives, after millions of years. This idea runs like a red thread throughout the sutra "The Wise Man and the Fool"

For a long time, the Buddhists failed to get a single Tibetan monk into their midst. The entire community consisted of foreigners: Indians, Chinese, Khotans, but thanks to the support of the monarch, she held a leading position. In order to ensure the patronage of the secular authorities, the Buddhists created the doctrine of the dharmapalas, the guardians of the faith, who sacrifice their souls for the triumph of the "Law". According to Buddhist dogma, under no circumstances could a killer enter nirvana, and it was necessary to kill the enemies of Buddhism. And then the concept was proposed, according to which a person who sacrificed his future bliss for the sake of today's victory is worthy of worship and reverence along with the most perfect of people - bodhisattvas. Consequently, he was allowed in this life to shed blood, and communicate with women, and luxury, if only he, having protected the "Law" from enemies, gave his contemporaries the opportunity to freely enter the "Path". The possibility of a special incarnation (avatar) of a good bodhisattva in an angry incarnation to fight the enemies of the faith was not ruled out. So, for example, the very popular bull-headed Yamantaka ("Death Killer") was the embodiment of the bodhisattva of wisdom Manjushri, and his incarnation was the Tibetan monarch Tison Detsan (8th century AD), whom no one accused of gentleness. But with all this, it must be remembered that nowhere and never did the Buddhists deviate from their basic thesis about the illusory nature of the visible world, Although different schools and disagreed on this issue in detail. In terms of ethics, this meant that the love of the world is the biggest obstacle to achieving the goal - nirvana. This salient feature Buddhism distinguished it from the theistic systems of Christianity, Islam and Vedanta. Was it not this difference in such a cardinal question that was the reason for the absolute dissimilarity between Buddhism and Bon, and thus one of the reasons for the aggravation of the bloody social struggle, which in the 9th century. prevented Tibet from becoming the hegemon of Central Asia?

At present, Bon is practiced in Sikkim, partly in Bhutan, in Western Tibet, in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan by the southern Chinese peoples of Man, Lolo, Lisu, and others.

What god did the Bonts believe in and what was evil among them? Despite the fact that most religions interpret moral problems quite similarly, the combination of elements in each of them is individual and unique, and the most important of them is the doctrine of the nature of good and evil. Despite the fact that practical ethics in theological systems differ in very rare cases and little, the metaphysical perception of good and evil, and not useful and harmful, very rarely coincides, and then only in cases where one religion is derived from another. Demons hostile to Shenrab are called mara, that is, deceit, lies, evil. This indication allows us to immediately discard the search for analogies in the ancient Aryan religion, where there was no evil as an independent force at all, and in canonical Zoroastrianism, in which Ahriman acts as an equal rival of Ormuzd. Only in Christianity the devil is called the father of lies, but bon is much older than the apostolic preaching, and this coincidence must be recognized as accidental. The sources constantly note that the Bon religion requires its followers to actively preach and fight for the truth, and not the desire for peace, which is characteristic of Buddhist doctrine.

The central Bon deities are interpreted as the King of being, the White Light, the Pure Child of Being, God born from the center of the sky, etc. This means that here we have not the worship of any of the forces of nature, but the cosmos as a whole. Here important observation which brings us closer to the goal. Bon is alien to the idea of ​​asceticism, female deities are revered along with male ones, and even the supreme god Sanpo (sangs po) has its own female hypostasis - the Mother of Being Chucham (chhu lcham)

The relation of Bon to the material world is clearly expressed by the following lines of the hymn to heaven, earth and light:
Let there be sapphire sky!
May the yellow sun be peace
Fill with your light
Orange gold!
May the nights be full
Pearl shine of the moon!
Let from the stars and planets
A quiet light is descending, And rainbows are bordering
Shines with blue fire.
Let the ocean rain
May the land be eternal
Parent of good;
The fields are so green here
So many beautiful countries.

The name Shenrab (gshen-rab) in Tibetan means "perfect priest"...

Shenrab, the founder of the ancient Tibetan Bon religion, often referred to as the "black faith", came from the country of Olmo. Olmo is simply an older name for Elam, as can be seen from the Tibetan annotation to the map, which is named as the map of "Shushun (Suziana), Olmo (Elam) and Iran".

The Bon religion existed in Tibet long before the birth of Gautama Buddha, and in some remote areas, its traditions are still being passed down.

Bon originates in those times when nagas lived on our planet, and human life was in constant danger due to the spirits and other powerful natural forces that reigned over Tibet.

It is believed that the first Bon teacher Tonpa Shenrab came from Heaven to teach people to resist and control these forces. Initially, the Bon swastika twists in the opposite direction (counterclockwise), which symbolizes the opposition to the forces of nature and the inflexibility of the will of the followers.

To control the forces of nature, the priests of Bon identify themselves with God. Trance-inducing rituals are used, during which a person receives a mystical experience that allows him to realize and subjugate the world around him, other people, and, first of all, himself. Since confrontation requires great energy, sacrifices and bloody rituals are used. Many rituals, such as corruption through a doll, hair or scraps of clothing, are very similar to shamanism or African Voodoo. Largely because of this, the glory of “black magic” has developed around Bon. In fact, an adept can both inflict damage and heal people with equal success.

Bon showed great resistance to the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet, which ultimately resulted in the interpenetration of “white Bon” into Tibetan Buddhism and vice versa.

One of the most ancient and mysterious beliefs on our planet is considered to be the Tibetan Bon religion, which has existed for almost 20 millennia.

anticipating Buddhism

The Bon religion arose at a time when, as it is written in the first book of the Mahabharata by Adiparva, legendary nagas lived on earth - demigods with a snake body and several human heads. Nagas are described both in ancient Chinese treatises and in the only surviving Bon manuscript dated to the 6th century AD. (in the middle of the last century it was translated into German), as well as in numerous legends of the peoples living in the southwestern part of Tibet. People who were under the rule of the Nagas longed to be freed from their domination. And this happened - man gained independence 18 thousand years ago, when the Teacher - Tonpa Shenrab - descended from the sky to the foot of Mount Meru. He taught the local peoples to worship the White God of the Sky, the Black Goddess of the Earth, the Red Tiger and the Raging Dragon, and also revealed the secrets of how to control powerful nagas, numerous spirits and the natural forces of nature. The first graphic symbol of the Bon religion was the swastika, twisted in the opposite direction of the clockwise movement. (antisolstice), which personified the eternal struggle of man with the elements and the other world.

By the time the "yellow faith" - Buddhism - arrived in Asia, the Bon religion was widespread in India, Persia, Southern Siberia, Central Asia and China. However, the need to create centralized monarchical states led to the fact that the Asian rulers began to persecute the followers of the traditional faith, strenuously spreading Buddhism. In the 7th century BC. under the Tibetan ruler Drigum Tsenpo, Bon monasteries were closed, many manuscripts of the "heretical" religion were destroyed, and its adherents were expelled from Tibet. Until the 11th century AD. professing Bon was forbidden under pain of death. However, this ancient teaching managed to survive, and in 1017, after the discovery of esoteric texts carefully preserved for centuries, the Bon religion again appeared to the world in an updated and systematized form. The merit in the revival of the "faith of the ancestors" of tradition is attributed to Shenchen Luga.

Teachers and traditions

Shenchen Luga, a descendant of Kongtsa Wangden, one of the sons of Tonpa Shenrab, lived on the border X-XI centuries. This great tertoy (a man who finds precious texts and teachings) is considered a reformer of the Bon religion, who managed to reconcile the supporters of his belief and the followers of Buddhism. Shenchen Luga divided Bon into two directions: exoteric, the meaning of which was understood by the general public, and esoteric - secret rituals and doctrines, carefully preserved for many millennia and known only to the initiates.Externally, exoteric Bon has much in common with traditional Buddhism. Thus, the biographies of the founder of Bon, Tonpa Shenrab, are in many respects similar to the story about the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, set forth in Lalita-Vistara. Just like Buddhism, Bon has a monastic system similar to the "yellow faith" system, preachesdoctrine of enlightenment and spiritual purity. Yes, and many modern exoteric rituals of the Bon religion are similar to Buddhist ones. However, the esoteric direction of Bon is a complex system based on ancient traditions set forth “in the language of the gods” and first recorded by the sages of the state of Tazig, which supposedly existed in southwestern Tibet more than six thousand years ago.

In particular, the secret texts of Bon inform that the teaching that existed before the arrival of Master Shenrab was called “Bon of the peaks of the Universe” and originated from the depths of human history, originating more than 50 thousand years ago. When the Teacher appeared on Earth, that is, the emanation of the Upper Light. The teaching became known as "Bon Swastika". True followers of the Bon religion believe that the world consists of three spheres - universes: white - the heavenly region of the gods, red - the earthly region of people and blue - the lower region of water spirits. Through these spheres sprouts a mystical tree, through which the inhabitants different worlds communicate with each other. The heavenly and lower worlds of the Bonts are filled with many powerful entities that have a constant influence on the world of people. Chief among them are white spirits - lha, the protectors of humanity. The earthly world is inhabited by ferocious tsans - red men - avenging spirits of priests dissatisfied with their death. But the most ruthless enemies of people are evil black men - the demons of duds. It is to subdue these hostile forces that most of the secret rituals of the Bon religion are directed.

Rulers in pursuit of the secrets of bon

Fragmentary, sometimes semi-mythical information about the unprecedented power of the Bon lamas, the legends that the first of them were the rulers of the mysterious state of Agarti, securely hidden in the high mountain caves of the Himalayas, became the reason that many powers of the world This was looking for ways to establish close contacts with the priests of the Bon religion. So, an ardent follower of Buddhism, the Indian king Ashoka from the Mauryan dynasty, who lived in III century BC, went to war against the neighboring kingdom of Kalinga, whose inhabitants professed Bon. However, the conqueror suffered a crushing defeat. And the reason for this was the secret knowledge owned by the Bon lamas. After that, Ashoka, as the chronicles say, devoted the rest of his life to the study of the sacred knowledge of Bon, and shortly before his death, he created the Society of Nine Unknowns, which supposedly exists today.

The Chinese chronicles of the 15th century preserved the mention of how the ambassadors of the emperorIn 1403 they visited the Sangri Monastery, a center for philosophical studies of the Bon religion, after which they brought a number of ancient and very valuable scrolls as a gift to their master.

Russia was also interested in the most ancient world religion. In 1902, on the personal instructions of Emperor Nicholas II, a secret reconnaissance expedition set off for Tibet, the official purpose of which was to fight England for establishing influence in this Asian region. According to the memoirs of one of the participants of the campaign. Dumbo Ulyanov, recorded for the purpose of conspiracy in the Kalmyk language, Russian intelligence officers made several unsuccessful attempts in Lhasa to get in touch with the Bon lamas. However, shortly thereafter, two members of the expedition died suddenly from an unknown illness. Equally unsuccessful were the efforts of the Soviet special services undertaken in the 20-30s of the last century. It was not possible to establish relations with the highest clergy of the Bon religion, after which the USSR lost its influence in this region for many decades.

In the same 30s, under the auspices of the secret society Ahnenerbe, a German expedition was sent to Tibet. Hitler's envoys were more fortunate than Stalin's. Until 1943, close relations were maintained between Berlin and Lhasa, during which members of the Ahnenerbe were able to learn the secrets of a number of magical practices of the oldest religion in the world.

Amazing rituals

In the 50s of the XX century in one of the Masonic lodges Western Europe 1938 film was discovered, on which a German cameraman captured in the Tibetan city of Yarling magical rituals Bon lamas, summoning evil spirits, hovering above the surface of the earth and reviving dead tribesmen. According to experts, the found video was not a fake. This film, to some extent, opened up for Europeans a complex and mysterious world Bon religions.

Modern researchers are inclined to believe that the shamanic practices of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, KamchatkaNorth and South America have their roots in the ancient Bon religion. Moreover, both rituals and the revival of dead people, which received theirspread in ancient times, originate in the original Tibetan beliefs.

Travelers who visited Tibet in the 20th century claim that the followers of the Bon religion, like thousands of years ago, build there, in certain places, stone stupas of a special form, light sacred fires, perform magical dances over the corpses of fellow countrymen, while reciting spells on the ancient and long out of use language. Their exact meaning is known only to dedicated lamas, who continue their centuries-old work in quiet monastic cells.

Sergey KOZHUSHKO

One of the most ancient and mysterious beliefs on our planet is considered to be the Tibetan Bon religion, which has existed for almost 20 millennia.

The Bon religion arose at a time when, as it is written in the first book of the Mahabharata by Adiparva, legendary nagas lived on earth - demigods with a snake body and several human heads. Nagas are described both in ancient Chinese treatises and in the only surviving Bon manuscript dated to the 6th century AD. (in the middle of the last century it was translated into German), as well as in numerous legends of the peoples living in the southwestern part of Tibet ...

People who were under the rule of the Nagas longed to be freed from their domination. And this happened - man gained independence 18 thousand years ago, when the Teacher - Tonpa Shenrab - descended from the sky to the foot of Mount Meru. He taught the local peoples to worship the White God of the Sky, the Black Goddess of the Earth, the Red Tiger and the Raging Dragon, and also revealed the secrets of how to control powerful nagas, numerous spirits and the natural forces of nature. The first graphic symbol of the Bon religion was the swastika, twisted in the direction opposite to the clockwise movement (anti-solstice), which personified the eternal struggle of man with the elements and the other world.

By the time the "yellow faith" - Buddhism - arrived in Asia, the Bon religion was widespread in India, Persia, South Siberia, Central

Asia and China. However, the need to create centralized monarchical states led to the fact that the Asian rulers began to persecute the followers of the traditional faith, strenuously spreading Buddhism. In the 7th century BC. under the Tibetan ruler Drigum Tsenpo, Bon monasteries were closed, many manuscripts of the "heretical" religion were destroyed, and its adherents were expelled from Tibet. Until the 11th century AD. professing Bon was forbidden under pain of death. However, this ancient teaching managed to survive, and in 1017, after the discovery of esoteric texts carefully preserved for centuries, the Bon religion again appeared to the world in an updated and systematized form. The merit in the revival of the "faith of the ancestors" of tradition is attributed to Shenchen Luga.

Teachers and traditions

Shenchen Luga, a descendant of Kongtsa Wangden, one of the sons of Tonpa Shenrab, lived at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries. This great tertoy (a man who finds precious texts and teachings) is considered a reformer of the Bon religion, who managed to reconcile the supporters of his belief and the followers of Buddhism. Shenchen Luga divided Bon into two areas: exoteric, the meaning of which was understood by the general public, and esoteric - secret rituals and doctrines, carefully preserved for many millennia and known only to initiated lamas.

Externally, exoteric Bon has much in common with traditional Buddhism. Thus, the biographies of the founder of Bon, Tonpa Shenrab, are in many respects similar to the story about the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, set forth in Lalitavistara. Just like Buddhism, Bon has a monastic system similar to the system of the "yellow faith", preaches the doctrine of enlightenment and spiritual purity. Yes, and many modern exoteric rituals of the Bon religion are similar to Buddhist ones. However, the esoteric direction of Bon is a complex system based on ancient traditions set forth “in the language of the gods” and first recorded by the sages of the state of Tazig, which supposedly existed in southwestern Tibet more than six thousand years ago.

In particular, the secret texts of Bon inform that the teaching that existed before the arrival of Master Shenrab was called “Bon of the peaks of the Universe” and originated from the depths of human history, originating more than 50 thousand years ago.

When the Teacher, that is, the emanation of the Upper Light, appeared on Earth, the Teaching began to be called "Bon Swastikas."

True followers of the Bon religion believe that the world consists of three spheres of universes: white - the heavenly region of the gods, red - the earthly region of people and blue - the lower region of water spirits. A mystical tree sprouts through these spheres, through which the inhabitants of different worlds communicate with each other.

The heavenly and lower worlds of the Bonts are filled with many powerful entities that have a constant influence on the world of people.

Chief among them are the white spirits, the lha, the protectors of mankind. The earthly world is inhabited by ferocious tsans - red men - avenging spirits of priests dissatisfied with their death. But the most ruthless enemies of people are evil black men - the demons of dud. It is to subdue these hostile forces that most of the secret rituals of the Bon religion are directed.

Rulers in pursuit of the secrets of bon

Fragmentary, sometimes semi-mythical information about the unprecedented power of the Bon lamas, the legends that the first of them are the rulers of the mysterious state of Agharti, securely hidden in the high mountain caves of the Himalayas, became the reason that many powerful people of this world were looking for ways to establish close contacts with the priests of the Bon religion .

So, an ardent follower of Buddhism, the Indian king Ashoka from the Mauryan dynasty, who lived in the 3rd century BC, went to war against the neighboring kingdom of Kalinga, whose inhabitants professed Bon.

However, the conqueror suffered a crushing defeat. And the reason for this was the secret knowledge owned by the Bon lamas. After that, Ashoka, as the chronicles say, devoted the rest of his life to the study of the sacred knowledge of Bon, and shortly before his death, he created the Society of Nine Unknowns, which supposedly exists today.

The Chinese chronicles of the 15th century preserved the mention of how the ambassadors of the Emperor of the Celestial Empire visited the Sangri Monastery, the center of philosophical studies of the Bon religion, in 1403, after which they brought a number of ancient and very valuable scrolls as a gift to their master.

Russia was also interested in the most ancient world religion. In 1902, on the personal instructions of Emperor Nicholas II, a secret reconnaissance expedition set off for Tibet, the official purpose of which was to fight England for establishing influence in this Asian region. According to the memoirs of one of the participants in the campaign, Dambo Ulyanov, recorded in the Kalmyk language for the purpose of conspiracy, Russian intelligence officers made several unsuccessful attempts to get in touch with the Bon lamas in Lhasa. However, shortly thereafter, two members of the expedition died suddenly from an unknown illness. Equally unsuccessful were the efforts of the Soviet special services undertaken in the 20-30s of the last century.

It was not possible to establish relations with the highest clergy of the Bon religion, after which the USSR lost its influence in this region for many decades.

In the same 30s, under the auspices of the secret society Ahnenerbe, a German expedition was sent to Tibet. Hitler's envoys were more fortunate than Stalin's.

Until 1943, between Berlin and Lhasa, there were close relations between the Monastery in Dolanji (India), during which the members of the Ahnenerbe were able to learn the secrets of a number of magical practices of the oldest religion in the world.

Amazing rituals

In the 50s of the 20th century, a 1938 film was found in one of the Masonic lodges of Western Europe, on which a German cameraman captured the magical rituals of Bon lamas in the Tibetan city of Yarling, evoking evil spirits, hovering above the surface of the earth and reviving dead tribesmen. According to experts, the found video was not a fake. This film to some extent opened the complex and mysterious world of the Bon religion for Europeans.

Modern researchers are inclined to believe that the shamanic practices of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, Kamchatka, North and South America are rooted in the ancient Bon religion. Moreover, both rituals and the revival of dead people, which became widespread in ancient times, originate in the original Tibetan beliefs.

Travelers who visited Tibet in the 20th century claim that the followers of the Bon religion, like thousands of years ago, build stone stupas of a special shape in certain places, light sacred fires, perform magical dances over the corpses of fellow countrymen, while reciting spells in ancient and long time ago. obsolete language. Their exact meaning is known only to dedicated lamas, who continue their centuries-old work in quiet monastic cells.

Headings:

Among the ruined palaces of the great city, in the squares overgrown with grass, sheep roamed, and the yellow-faced shepherd sang a sad song about a blessed country, like a steppe mirage, a reserved country where the earth is blue and the sky is golden.

The nomads asked their leaders: "Where else can we go?" The leaders told them: "We have brought you to the promised land, settle down and live in peace." But many of the nomadic tribes did not obey and went further west, to the country of the Feathered Serpent, but there they were exterminated by the lord Ptitlygua. Some of the nomads penetrated to the equator, and there they were destroyed by blacks, herds of elephants and swamp fevers.

Uchkur, the leaders of the yellow-faced, chose the wisest of the commanders and made him the ruler of the conquered country. His name was Tubal. He ordered the walls to be repaired, the gardens to be cleared, the fields to be plowed, and the ruined dwellings to be rebuilt. He issued many wise and simple laws. He called the sages and initiates who fled to the caves to him and said to them: "My eyes and ears are open to wisdom." He made them advisers, allowed them to open temples, and sent messengers everywhere with the message that he wanted peace.

This was the beginning of the third, highest, wave of the Atlantean civilization. In the blood of numerous tribes - black, red, olive and white - the dreamy, fermenting, like hops, blood of Asian nomads, star-worshippers, descendants of the possessed Su Hutam Lu, has flowed.

Nomads quickly dissolved among other tribes. From yurts, herds, wild will, only songs and legends remained. A new tribe of strong build, black-haired, yellow-skinned people appeared. Uchkurs, descendants of horsemen and military leaders, were the aristocracy of the city. They called themselves Atlanda, which meant "natives of the steppes." From this name, subsequently, a common name for the whole country appeared - Atlantis, while until that time it was called by various names of the incarnations of the sun.

The Atlands loved sciences, arts and luxury. They decorated the city with new walls and heptagonal towers, laid out twenty-one ledges of a giant pyramid with gold, laid aqueducts, and for the first time in architecture began to use a column. In Atlands there was a spirit of construction and a spirit of great anxiety.

They sought to satisfy their anxiety in conquest. The fallen countries and cities were again conquered. In the north, they fought with the Cyclopes, the survivors of mixing, the feral descendants of the Zemze tribe. The great conqueror, Rama, reached India and in long wars destroyed the dominion of the blacks. He united the infant tribes of the Aryans, who belonged to the seventh of the seven peoples of the race, into the kingdom of Ra. Thus, once again, the boundaries of Atlantis expanded to an unprecedented size and strengthened, from the country of the Feathered Serpent to the Asian shores of the Pacific Ocean, from where, once, yellow-faced giants threw stones at ships.

The anxious soul of the Atlands was looking for an outcome in Knowledge. The ancient books of Zemze and the wise books of the sons of Aam were read again. The circle is closed and a new one begins. In the caves, half-decayed "seven papyri of the Sleeper" were found. From this discovery, Knowledge begins to develop rapidly. What the sons of Aam did not have - unconscious, creative power, what the sons of the Zemze tribe did not have - a clear and sharp mind - flowed in abundance in the anxious and passionate blood of the Atlanda tribe.

The basis of the new knowledge was as follows:

"The most powerful of the forces of the world, the matter of pure reason, is dormant in a person. Just as an arrow, stretched with a bowstring, directed by a true hand, strikes the target, so the matter of the dormant mind can be strained by the bowstring of the will, directed by the hand of knowledge. The power of striving knowledge limitless."

The science of knowledge was divided into two parts: - preparatory, - the development of the body, will and mind, and the main one, - the knowledge of nature, the world and the formulas through which the matter of aspiring knowledge masters nature.

The complete mastery of Knowledge, the flourishing of a culture unprecedented on earth and still not repeated, lasted a century, between 450 and 350 years before the Flood, that is, until the death of Atlantis.

There was universal peace on earth. The forces of the earth, called to life by Knowledge, served people abundantly and luxuriously. Gardens and fields gave huge harvests, herds multiplied, labor was easy. The people remembered old customs and holidays, and no one prevented them from living, loving, giving birth, having fun. In the legends, this age is called golden.

At that time, a sphinx was placed on the eastern border of the earth, depicting four elements in one body, a symbol of the secret of the sleeping mind. The seven wonders of the world were built: the labyrinth, the colossus in the Mediterranean, the pillars west of Gibraltar, the tower of the astrologers on Poseidones, the seated statue of Tubal, and the city of Lemurs on the island of the Pacific.

The light of Knowledge penetrated into the black tribes, until that time crowded into tropical swamps. The Negroes quickly assimilated civilization and began building gigantic cities in central Africa.

Zemze's seed of wisdom gave full and luxuriant flowering. But now, the wisest of those initiated into Knowledge began to understand that in the entire growth of civilization lies original sin. Further development of Knowledge must lead to destruction: humanity will strike itself, like a snake biting its own tail.

The original evil was that being, the life of the earth and beings, was comprehended as something coming out of the human mind. Knowing the world, man knows only himself. Man was the essence, the world was the fruit of his mind, his will, his dream, or delirium. Existence is only the consciousness of man, Existing, I.

Such an understanding of being should have led to the fact that each person would begin to assert that he alone is the only, existing, true Self, everything else - the world, people - is only his representation. What happened next was inevitable: the struggle for the true Self, for the only person, the extermination of humanity, as rebelling against the man of his own dream, - contempt and disgust for being, as for an evil ghost.

Such was the initial evil of Zemze's wisdom.

Knowledge is split. Some did not see the possibility of taking out the seed of evil and said that evil is the only force that creates being. They called themselves the Blacks, because the Knowledge came from the blacks.

Others, who recognized that evil does not lie in nature itself, but in the deviation of Reason from naturalness, began to look for counteraction to evil. They said: "The sunbeam falls on the earth, dies and rises into the fruit of the earth: - this is the basic law of life. Such is the movement of the world Mind: - descent, sacrificial death and resurrection into the flesh. The fundamental sin, - the loneliness of the Mind, - can be destroyed The mind must fall into the flesh and pass through the living gates of death. These gates are the floor. The fall of the mind is accomplished by the power of Eros.

So those who claimed called themselves the Whites, because they wore a linen tiara, the sign of Eros. They created a spring holiday - the mystery of the fall, which was played out in luxurious gardens ancient temple sun. The virgin youth represented Reason, the woman represented the gates of mortal flesh, the serpent represented Eros. From distant countries came to look at these spectacles.

The split between the two paths of Knowledge was great. The fight began. At that time, an amazing discovery was made - the possibility was found to instantly release the life force dormant in the seeds of plants. This force, rattling, fiery-cold matter, being freed, rushed into space. The Blacks used it for fighting, for weapons of war. They built huge flying ships that were terrifying. Wild tribes began to worship these winged dragons.

The Whites realized that the end of the world was near, and began to prepare for it. They selected the most pure, strong and meek-hearted among ordinary people and began to lead them to the north and east. They allotted them high, mountainous pastures, where the settlers could live primitively and contemplatively.

White's fears were confirmed. The golden age was degenerating, in the cities of Atlantis satiety set in. Nothing held back more jaded fantasy, thirst for perversion, the madness of a devastated mind. The power that man had mastered turned against him. The inevitability of death made people gloomy, ferocious, merciless.

And here we come last days. They began with a great disaster: the central region of the city of the Hundred Golden Gates was shaken by an earthquake, a lot of land sank to the bottom of the ocean, sea waves forever separated the country of the Feathered Serpent.

The Blacks accused the Whites of unchaining the spirits of earth and fire with the power of spells. The people were outraged. Blacks staged a nightly beating in the city - more than half of the inhabitants who wore a linen tiara died by death, the rest fled outside Atlantis, many went to India.

Power in the city of the Hundred Golden Gates was seized by the richest of the citizens of the black order, called Magatsitl, which means "merciless". They said: "Let's destroy humanity, because it is a bad dream of the mind." In order to fully enjoy the spectacle of death, they announced holidays and games all over the earth, opened state treasuries and shops, brought white girls from the north and gave them to the people, opened the doors of temples for everyone thirsting for unnatural pleasures, filled fountains with wine and roasted in the squares meat. Madness took over the people. It was in autumn days grape harvest.

At night, in the squares illuminated by bonfires, among the people, frenzied with wine, dancing, food, women, Magatsitls appeared. They were in high helmets, in armored belts, without shields. With their right hand they threw bronze balls bursting with cold, destructive flames, with their left hand they plunged the sword into the drunken and insane.
The orgy was interrupted by a terrible earthquake. The statue of Tubal collapsed, the walls cracked, the columns of the aqueduct fell, flames burst out of deep cracks, the sky was covered with ashes.

In the morning, the bloody, dim disk of the sun illuminated the ruins, the burning gardens, the crowds of exhausted excesses, crazy people, heaps of corpses. The Magacitls rushed towards the egg-shaped aircraft and began to leave the ground. They flew off to starry space, to the homeland of the abstract mind. Several hundred devices flew away. There was a fourth, even stronger, push of the earth. From the north, an ocean wave rose from the ashen haze, and went along the earth, destroying all life.

A storm began, lightning fell into the ground, into dwellings. A downpour poured, fragments of volcanic stones flew.

Behind the stronghold of the walls of the great city, from the top of the ledge, overlaid with gold, the pyramids of Magazitla continued to fly away through the ocean of falling water, from smoke and ashes into starry space. Three consecutive shocks split the land of Atlantis. The city of the Golden Gate plunged into boiling waves.

The religion that unquestionably dominated Tibet before the advent of Buddhism is known as Bon. There is speculation that the words Bon and Bot (the name of Tibet, Bot, Bhota) come from the same source. Bod" (pronounced pyo, means "upper part of the country of snows", which geographically includes the provinces of U and Tsang. Thus, the name To-Pyo (d), the area now known as Central Tibet, began to sound in the mouths of Europeans from Darjeeling like Tibet.

The Sanskrit equivalent of Bod is Bhota, the name by which Tibet has always been known in India. It is not surprising that this religion has been present in Tibet in one form or another throughout its history. The impact of Buddhism was felt only in Central Tibet. The rest of the country, and especially the eastern regions, always remained under the strong influence of the Bon. The ideology of Buddhism greatly influenced the nature of the Bon religion, the worldview of the Tibetans and the course of the history of the whole country. But there is also no doubt that the very ideology of Buddhism, penetrating into Tibet, was strongly influenced by the Bon religion.

The old religion was never completely driven out, at times it resisted viciously, relying on the support of rulers and clergy, which led to a tense confrontation between the followers of the new religion (CHos-Pa) and the followers of the old (Bon-Ra). Yet the bon was forced to transform into bon-cho in order to survive. Buddhism began to be called Sangye kyi Cho ("Dharma, the Teachings of the Buddha"), as well as Nayu-pai Cho "Inner Dharma", that is, the religion of the Tibetan metropolis). We can try to restore the old picture and see what the ancient Bon religion was like. Today, no one will dispute the idea that the religion of any country is somehow connected with geographical and climatic features region. The climate of Tibet, a country located on the dizzying Himalayan heights, is extremely harsh and subject to very abrupt and unpredictable changes. The living conditions were so demanding on a person and so implying no resistance on his part that a person involuntarily began to perceive the world around him as inhabited by wayward and hostile spirits. It was not about the creatures of our world, but about invisible forces that could only be controlled with the help of occult skill.

The word bon itself comes from yun-drun-gi-bon, which means "say magic spells", or "repeat secret formulas".

The pronunciation of mystical formulas was one of the main distinctive features bon, and the same can be said about later religion. One of the names for the Bon magicians was "Ah-Mes" ("Thunderous, ancient!"), but over time these two syllables merged into the word Amnye. "Ah" is a mystical syllable that is well known in the Indian Tantric tradition. This sound, moreover, is part of the universal mystical syllable Aum. "Ancient" means an immortal being and is analogous to the Indian Puranam. Therefore, it is not at all accidental that in the Bon religion the spirit of the mountains also bears the name Ah-Mes.

The Bon religion is often incorrectly described as a combination of shamanistic beliefs, fetishism, and demonology. The Bon priest was a magician and necromancer, whose practice included the singing of magic spells. He performed dances incomprehensible to the uninitiated and fearlessly entered into battles with the invisible demons that surrounded him.

The worldview of the Bonts inhabited any place with spirits, especially lakes and mountains, rocks and caves. Spirits were everywhere: some hid deep underground, others hovered high in the sky. There were many varieties of these spirits: jig guarded the occupied territory; the tsang were like mischievous gnomes who climbed rocks and lived in caves; a gloomy and terrifying sabdag lived in the lower world and viciously pursued those who disturbed his peace by digging the earth. Most of the Bon spirits were hostile to humans and had pronounced features of the dre demons. But there were also spirits that could be appeased or conquered. They turned into benefactors and protectors and were then regarded as gods - lha. It is quite natural that between these two hosts - gods and demons - an endless struggle unfolded; Man, however, had to prudently use the opposition of these forces for his own good.

A person could save himself if he correctly directed the power of the gods and knew how to appease the demons. If it was a nomad who was going to overcome a mountain pass, then he had to build a cone-shaped structure (stupa) of stones for a religious purpose and walk around it with reverence, thereby showing respect to the spirit of the mountains. Equipping the camp, he had to sacrifice some kind of domestic animal. Although, according to the Tibetans, there were whole legions of gods and demons, the most powerful of them were the "white god of the sky", the "black goddess of the earth", the "red tiger" and the "furious dragon". In the Bon pantheon, female deities outnumber male ones. The cult of the mother goddess was a completely natural product of the primitive social structure of old Tibet, based on matriarchy. Some elements of this influence were also preserved in the late bon-cho. This is evidenced, for example, by such characters of the late pantheon as Palden-Lhamo (the Tibetan analogue of the Indian Kali), Dolma (Tara), as well as various dakinis.

Among the many different deities, the "blue god of the sky", described as "the unchanging sky", is of particular interest. Its appearance is associated with the ideas of ancient people about the sky, as something unshakable. The blue sky was a symbol of permanence, the abode that every Tibetan aspired to achieve. The sky represented the maternal aspect, the womb, the source and the final point of being. Among the many funeral rites of Tibet, the most preferable was the one that had the name "heavenly burial", during which, according to the ideas of the ancient Tibetans, a person returned to heaven.

The Heavenly Mentor was considered the supreme deity in Bon, later he began to be identified with the great god-yogin of Mahayana Buddhism - Samantabhadra. This later deity figures most prominently in the pantheon of the Nyigma school, whose close connection with the Bon religion is beyond doubt. The phurbu magic ritual dagger, widely used in Tibet and used in the rituals of all schools, is revered as a symbol of a heavenly deity. This deity of Indian origin has a winged body and is often referred to as the Garuda bird.

The Bon legends and traditions speak of the Bon heaven, which is worshiped and the attainment of which after death is the highest goal. Reaching heaven really meant gaining a beautiful body and eternal life and happiness while still alive. People have dreamed of reaching heaven all their lives, and at the end of it they sought to make a "sudden breakthrough" into the realm of eternal happiness.

Bon religious events had a very complex structure. They consisted not only of "casting spells", but also included various rituals, dances and sacrifices. And of course, these events required the presence of special clergy.

Bon priests did not take vows of celibacy, and yet they were often reclusive, wore their hair of matted uncut hair and lived all alone in the thick of the jungle or high in the mountains. Performing the ritual, the Bon priest put on a high black miter, decorated with peacock or rooster feathers; sometimes a diadem made of the bones of human skulls was used, crowned with a pair of crossed "lightning bolts" (vishvavajra). In his hands the priest held a small double drum (damaru), each section of which stylized a human skull. This drum was the main instrument of the magician, and its sound inspired and awe.

The range of functions of the Bon priest was extremely wide: he acted simultaneously as a magician and a necromancer, a shaman and a magician. He fell into the power of the gods, and through him the deities manifested themselves in this world. With various magical manipulations, he could protect people from the arbitrariness of evil spirits, he could attract the attention of a patron deity to a person. There were also special skills that one or another Bon priest could specialize in. Some specialized exclusively in magic and could "weave a rope" between earth and sky. Others predicted the future, read the signs and made predictions, cured ailments and controlled the weather. There were magicians who specialized in working with the dead - they escorted their souls to safe places in the other world. One of the varieties of Bon shamans was engaged exclusively in the singing of spells and specialized in the musical and vocal performance of religious services. Magic at that time and in those places was of particular importance, all other human affairs depended on it, from agricultural work to weddings, which is why Bon clergy were held in such high esteem.

Bon priests belong to the line of succession, which begins with the founder of the religion Shenrab, "dressed in a blue toga", the first syllable of whose name indicates his belonging to the profession of a shaman. He is said to have been "a real person who reached the heights of perfection in magic" and the one who "shaped the Bon religion". He was also a ruler, combining the roles of supreme shaman and king, which was later reflected in the system of the Tibetan theocracy. He was perceived by contemporaries as an emanation of the "Heavenly Mentor", who, as emphasized earlier, was subsequently identified with Samantabhadra. Shenrab was endowed with the title of Tonpa (Teacher) and was revered on a par with Buddha Shakyamuni. The spiritual exploits of Tonpa Shenrab are recorded in Bon folklore as a collection of special hymns. One of them contains the lines:

He announced the nine ways of Bon teaching, To open the gates of heaven for the living, To sweep away the gates of destruction for the dead, and lead the life of the dear swastika.

The Bon priests used the swastika sign (yun-drung in Tibetan) as a magical weapon of the greatest power. This word is also used as a title for the founder of a religion. The swastika (Sanskrit "the emblem of happiness"), the appearance of which is shrouded in mystery, is also called the Greek cross and symbolizes the movement of celestial bodies around the Big Dipper. According to other sources, the swastika symbolizes the sun, which is confirmed by the fact of its presence in those places where the cult of the sun was widespread.

In Indian tradition, the swastika sign symbolizes the birth of fire from the crossed twigs of the arat. The swastika sign is clearly visible on ancient objects found in the Indus Valley. The swastika is an early prototype of the "indestructible weapon" (vajra, dorje in Tibetan). The word dorje ("diamond", literally "ruler of stones") is usually translated as "lightning" or "diamond" and is now the most common ritual object in Tibet.

Vajra - a powerful tool of the Indian leader of the gods Indra (in the "Rig Veda" it is the "club of Indra") - became the prototype of the Tibetan dorje. It is also interesting to trace the tantric line of this transformation: for the formidable tantric deity with a horse's head - Hayagriva (Tamdin in Tibetan), whose wife Vajravarahi holds this magical weapon in her hand. According to a popular legend, the dorje as Tamdin's dagger, called Tamdin phurbu, belonged to an Indian saint who, having been transported through the air to Tibet, sat on a hill near the Sera monastery. This legend confirms the version of the Indian origin of the dorje, a widespread magic tool in Tibet. Dorje, miraculously brought from India, is kept in the Sera Monastery near Lhasa and is one of the main shrines of this monastery.

All dorjes of Tibet are made from this Indian original. Speaking about the swastika in different religious traditions, one feature should be noted: in the Bon tradition, it "rotates" from right to left, that is, it is left-sided, in contrast to the right-sided swastika of Buddhism, symbolizing the process of "rotation" from left to right. This detail is explained feature bon: do many things in reverse order (go around stupas on the left side, turn prayer wheels in reverse side and say mantras in reverse, such as "Om Mani Padme Hum" as "muh-em-pad-ni-mo").

The Bon priests never united in a religious organization of any kind. Despite the fact that in the later period several Bon monasteries were formed and arose (Dzogchen Gompa in the northeast of Tibet), any monastic organizations were always repugnant to the spirit of Bon. Bon priests lived among the laity and fulfilled the needs of ordinary people. With the exception of religious practice, they did not differ from the laity in either dress or manners.

Sacrifices were an important part of Bon rituals. Animals and birds (and according to some sources in the prehistoric period and people - later human sacrifices were replaced by dough figures) were killed in honor of various gods and spirits.

The sacrificial prayer used in the late Vajrayana, and possibly of Bon origin, well conveys the spirit of the Bon religion itself: "Oh, you all spirits, demons, werewolves, ghosts, evil entities, spirits of madness and epilepsy, male and female heavenly patrons, as well as all others, accept this sacrifice and let there be an agreement between us, and let grace and protection come from this agreement.

The rite of sacrifice was accompanied by a stern warning to the common people: "If you dare to violate the agreement, you will be chopped up and thrown away, like these sacrificial animals! Therefore, be united in your thoughts and devoted to the gods of heaven and earth so that they can see your pure thoughts !" In later Buddhist rituals, the offering of torma sacrificial products also remained very important element. Torma images are made from dough and butter and have various forms(often images of animals or birds). Tormas are placed on an altar and then ceremonially broken and burned or thrown into the air. The art of making and offering torma must be mastered by every lama. The background of this ritual is undoubtedly related to the Bon religion.

Bon sacrifices were accompanied by ritual dances and dramatic performances, which later passed into Buddhism. A special dance performance known as tsam was performed by specially trained actors who wore appropriate masks to portray gods and demons. This mimic mystery accompanied the torma offering ritual. A few words should be said "in justification" of this mystery, which has been identified by many Western researchers with "satanic dances." Its main purpose, even if it was held in urbanized monasteries, was the exorcism of evil spirits and the provision of blessings, which allegorically personifies the expulsion of misfortune and the announcement of happiness. The mystery is only part of the ritual. Popular throughout the Buddhist Himalayas, the tsam mystery (called Mani-Rimdu in Khumbu in Nepal) is a prominent legacy of the Bon religion.

Originating in the Tibetan mystery of tsam, Mani-Rimdu begins with a "dedication to life" during which life essence in the form of ritual water and magical life-giving pills are distributed to all present. "This ceremony aims to delimit ordinary life from the sphere of higher mental manifestations. The word la means a soul that lives not only in human body, but also in some mountains, which is typical for Bon representations.

In the Khumbu region, Mount Khumbila is located, which is believed to have la, and if the "soul" of the mountain dies, then all living things in its vicinity will die. To prevent this, the lamas of the surrounding monasteries perform special rites, including dance mysteries. Ancient Bon rituals and mysteries of this kind necessarily included animal sacrifices, since in those days the offerings of blood and meat of the victims were of a very specific nature. Today, torma sacrificial pies are made from dough and butter, but are dyed red to symbolize the blood of the victim.

Experts in Tibet distinguish three stages in the development of the Bon religion. In the first stage, which can be conditionally called "wild bon", the emphasis was on magic and sorcery, which made it possible to subdue or appease the violent and malicious spirits surrounding a person. The second stage, which is called "wrong" or "erroneous bon", was characterized mainly by miracles and valiant deeds of sage-shamans who came to Tibet from outside (mainly from Kashmir).

When the Tibetan king Dri-gumtsang was killed, the frightened local priests, not knowing how to cope with the rampant harmful spirit, called for help from three foreign magicians (from Kashmir, the Soul from the country of Zhang Shung). One of the invitees was so skilled in magic that he could fly through the sky astride a drum; reveal conspiracies, calming the "divine eagle" (Garuda); cut iron with a pen.

The second magician could predict the future and interpret fate with the help of multi-colored ropes. The third magician skillfully performed funeral rites over people who died a violent death. All three were apparently Indian Tantrics and Siddhas. Tibetan sources point to the strong influence of Indian Shaivites and Tirthikas (heretical ascetics) on the development of the Bon religion during this period.

The third stage in the history of the Bon religion is characterized as "reformed" or "converted" Bon. Bon was forced to adapt to Buddhism as a new, stronger religious movement. At the present time in Tibet, the Bon monks are not considered by Buddhists as an alien element, and their peaceful coexistence with the "people of dharma" is beyond doubt.

The third stage of the development of the Bon religion continues to this day. At present, according to reliable estimates, at least two-thirds of Tibetans identify themselves in one way or another with the Bon tradition, despite the religious and political dominance of Buddhism for more than six centuries.

BON AND DZOGCHEN

In the last issue, we talked about an expedition to Nepal, where we conducted a training course on the practices of "long life" in the Mandarava cave. On the way back, we visited one of the last Bon monasteries operating on the planet (where the famous researcher of the Lemurians “miraculously” flew in), where we asked the abbot of the monastery a few questions.

Reformation, as we see, is taking place not only at the sacred level, but also at the everyday level. When we arrived at the monastery, it was nearing noon, in the monastery courtyard, monks in blue and crimson togas (clothes) were holding disputes.

The dispute in bon-po, as in Buddhism, looks very spectacular from the outside. The monks wave their arms, standing on one leg, drop sharply down and clap their hands, as if trying to convince the opponent not only logically, but also physically. Here, as nowhere else, there is a direct connection between the practice of using everything that a person owns in the process of learning or spiritual practice, namely: speech - body - mind.

The elderly abbot, known throughout the world as an authoritative scholar and practitioner of the Bon tradition, by the time of our arrival, had surrendered his formal powers to a young but experienced successor. As he said himself, chuckling, "I'm retired now." But we were accepted, which does not happen to all pilgrims. I asked the first question, "What is the ultimate goal in the tradition of Bon teachings?" The lama smiled and asked in turn, who are you and who is your teacher?

I replied that I practice Dzogchen and my teacher is Namkhai Norbu. At that time, I did not yet know that at one time N. Norbu received some practices from this rector. The lama smiled again and replied, "The ultimate practice of Bon is Dzogchen, there is no higher state!" I didn't have any more questions.

Like this beautiful story, almost like according to Muldashev ... It is noteworthy that in all Buddhist monasteries you will definitely be hinted at donations in every possible way. Interestingly, everything was here (like everything else with Bon practitioners, on the contrary) - when visiting the abbot, it is customary to present khadaki (a silk scarf for blessing), which is usually stocked up in advance. We expected to get them in the monastery itself, but at that time the keeper of the monastery shop left for the city on business and we asked the head monk if they had khadak. They kindly presented them to us, but flatly refused to take money even in the form of donations, we had to literally "shove" them by force to the genuine interest of the monks watching this tragicomedy.

After the tea kindly offered to us, we went to Kathmandu, in the main temple there was an evening service - I heard the familiar sounds of the lamas sung mantra loudly. The main mantra uttered by yogis practicing yoga of the mind was the sound "A" - the basis of everything. The monks returned to the source of their consciousness, but we returned to Moscow.

"Knowledge of Dzogchen is like being on the highest of the mountain peaks: all other mountains are open to the eye and devoid of a veil of mystery, and anyone who finds himself on this highest peak cannot be conditioned by anyone or anything." From the tantra section of the Dzogchen Upadesha.

HIGHEST PERFECTION

In this issue, I decided to make a spiritual gift to readers, today they have the opportunity to meet a person who is helped by anyone who wants to achieve the highest perfection - the state of dzog-pa-chen-po. His name is Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. This short article not only describes one of the most important experiences of the great master, but also points out the main principles of dzogchen.

"When I came to my Master, Changchub Dorje, I was very well educated in the intellectual sense. My head was full of everything I had learned in monastic schools. I thought that complex initiation rituals were essential for the transmission of the Teaching, and I began to ask Changchub Dorje give me one initiation. I asked him for a very long time, every day, but he always refused. "What's the use? he said. “You have already received initiations from your other teachers. In the Dzogchen teaching, such initiations are not the main thing. The transmission is given not only in formal initiations. "But, despite his words, I insisted on doing a full initiation ritual, like those that other teachers always gave me. I was not satisfied with his answers: I wanted him to wear a special headdress , prepared a mandala, poured water from a pitcher on my head, or did something else like that.That's what I sincerely, with all my heart, wanted, but Master refused.

I insisted for so long that he finally agreed and promised that in about two months, on the day of Padmasambhava, the tenth day of the Tibetan lunar calendar , will give me the initiation that I so desired - the initiation of Samantabhadra, as well as the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deities of the bardo. In fact, these initiations are not very difficult, and a teacher experienced in such things can master them very quickly. But Changchub Dorje had never received a formal education and was not accustomed to giving initiations. When the long-awaited day finally arrived, the initiation took him from nine in the morning until midnight! First, he had to prepare himself by performing the ritual of self-initiation. This took all the time until noon. Then he started the initiation for me. But, firstly, he could not read the text, and then I saw that he did not know how to perform all those ritual actions that were required of him. He was not an expert in such matters. Therefore, he took as an assistant his student, who himself was a knowledgeable teacher, and he prepared all the mandalas and ritual implements. Then this student began to read the text in order to suggest to the Teacher what he should do along the way. But when Changchub Dorje got to the place where it was said that such and such a mudra should be performed, it turned out that he did not know how to do it. I had to interrupt the ritual to learn this mudra. Then there was a very long prayer addressed to all the Teachers of the transmission line, and during her singing the Teacher had to ring the bell and rattle the damaru; small drum. A person accustomed to performing rituals can do all this very quickly, but Changchub Dorje did not do such things, and the whole situation began to take a strange turn, turning into a real farce. First of all, he began to find out with his assistant what is written in the notes to the text, "Aha! - he said, - it says here that you need to ring the bell!" Then he took the bell and for five whole minutes did nothing but ring without interruption. Then they subtracted that it was necessary to rattle the damaru. And for five minutes he thundered damaru. Then it dawned on him: "Oh! Now I understand! We must ring the bell and rattle the damaru at the same time!" So he did, but in the meantime he forgot that he also had to sing, and therefore, with the help of a student who could read, he did it all over again. After all, Changchub Dorje did not receive a systematic education - he was a practitioner and, thanks to practice, showed his wisdom and clarity and therefore became a Teacher. So he fiddled with this initiation all day and a good part of the evening. By the time he finished, I was almost in a state of shock, because I knew perfectly well how to perform the initiation, and it had nothing to do with what was happening.

It was already close to midnight, and we were all very hungry. We sang the Song of the Vajra together many times, a short, slow hymn that brings the practitioner into contemplation by uniting with its sound, while the syllabic structure ensures increasingly calm breathing. This is the typical Dzogchen way of using the ritual. Then we read a short ganapuja and ate. After the meal, Teacher gave me a real explanation of the meaning of initiation and transmission, and I realized that, despite all the formal initiations I had received, I did not understand their true meaning, I was not imbued with it.

Then, for three or four hours straight, Changchub Dorje gave me a real explanation of Dzogchen - not in an intellectual way, but in a very direct and relaxed friendly conversation. Although I studied for so long, this was the first time that Master really made a direct attempt to make me understand something. What he said and how he said it sounded like true Dzogchen tantra, spoken out loud, freely and spontaneously. I knew that even the most educated scientists could not speak like that. He spoke from his own clarity, not from intellectual understanding. From that day on, I learned that intellectual education, which used to be so important to me, was only of secondary importance. And I realized that the main thing in the transmission is not the performance of rituals and initiations and not lengthy intellectual explanations. On that day, my mental constructions collapsed to the ground. Before that, I was completely closed in the ideas that I received during my schooling. In order to receive an Introduction, transmission is necessary in Dzogchen, and the Direct Introduction that I received from the Master that day and continued to receive throughout my later stay with him was a typical way of transmitting the teachings of Dzogchen along the line of spiritual succession from Master to disciple since the time of Garab Dorje, the first Dzogchen Master, who himself received the transmission through direct vision of the Sambhogakaya. Although a simpler variety of the Dzogchen teachings were incorporated into many branches of the Bon tradition by Shenrab Miwo, the great reformer of Bon, long before Garab Dorje, nevertheless, what we now call the "three divisions of the Dzogchen teachings" is a first on this planet and in this aeon. began to transmit Garab Dorje. And although the great Teacher Padmasambhava, who came later, is undoubtedly more widely known, it was from Garab Dorje that he received both the Direct Transmission in the form of a pure vision that transcends time and space, and the usual oral transmission through the spiritual lineage of his disciples.

The great Bon Teacher Shenrab Miwo was born in 1856 BC. e. He reformed and unified the various Bon traditions that existed at the time, replacing genuine animal sacrifices with ritual figurine offerings. He also introduced the earliest of the known varieties of the Dzogchen teaching (Yangdagpei Sambong), which is less developed than the three divisions of Garab Dorje. The root of the word 'bon' means 'to speak' or 'sing', so the name referred to anyone who recited mantras or performed rituals. Ritual Bon practices are aimed at enabling a person to go beyond duality and master energy.

Garab Dorje was a fully realized being. A realized being can choose the place and time of his birth, which seems impossible from the limited point of view of dualistic vision. Around 184 B.C. e. he manifested himself in the form of Nirmanakaya, having been born in the country of Uddiyana (gib. Urgyen), located to the northwest of India. There he lived, preaching the Teaching to people and dakinis. Before entering the Body of Light, Garab Dorje gave his last Teaching, in which the whole essence of Dzogchen is concentrated in three principles, sometimes called the "Three last precepts of Garab Dorje". Although the purpose of the Dzogchen teaching is not to develop the intellect, but to take a person beyond limitations, to the original state, nevertheless, it contains a clear and clear, like a crystal lattice, a structure of interconnected explanations. The basis of this clear structure is the Three Testaments, or the Three Principles of Garab Dorje.

The Three Principles of the Dzogchen Teaching by Garab Dorje

1. DIRECT INTRODUCTION to the original state is given to the disciple directly by the Master. The teacher is always in the original state, and the presence of this state is itself transmitted to the student in any situation or activity in which both of them participate.

2. The student enters into non-dual contemplation and, having experienced the original state, is NO LONGER LEFT IN DOUBT about what it is.

3. The disciple CONTINUES TO STAY IN THIS STATE of non-dual contemplation, in the primordial state, bringing contemplation into each of his actions, until it is realized, becomes real, that which is originally the true state of each person (Dharmakaya), but remains hidden due to dual vision. The practitioner continues in this state until full realization."

Lama Karma Samten Choilel

Materials by R. Rao translated by A. Ivannikov were used. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche "The Crystal and the Path of Light. Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen"