Bön as Multifaceted Phenomena: Cultural and Religious Traditions of Eurasia

"Bön as Multifaceted Phenomena: Looking beyond Tibet to the Cultural and Religious Traditions of Eurasia"
by Dmitry Ermakov,
"Bon, Shang Shung, and Early Tibet" Conference, SOAS, London, 10 September 2011.

ABSTRACT
Dmitry Ermakov
(Oxford University)

Bön is a complex phenomenon which was once spread far beyond Tibet, but do its origins lie beyond the Tibetan Plateau? I shall examine this by looking at certain cultural phenomena.
Firstly, I would argue there are four types of Bön: gdod ma'i bon, g.yung drung bon, bon gsar ma and what I have dubbed Mixed Bön, which comprises a conglomeration of the first three types along with various elements from other religions.
Secondly, I take a closer look at the Deer Cult which was common throughout Eurasia from Paleolithic times until today using archaeological evidence such as Deer Stones as well as myths and ritual costumes from France, the Caucuses, South Siberia, Mongolia, Amdo and West Tibet to demonstrate the importance of the Sky Deer. I then relate this to the Bön culture of Zhang Zhung, in particular to the smrang from a g.yang 'gug ritual.
Having established possible routes this cross-pollination of ideas and cultural mores may have taken to and from Tibet, I move onto the question of whether Bon mdo sngags gsems gsum may also have originated outside Tibet. In view of the lack of textual evidence, I base my argument on concrete archaeological finds, namely rock carvings of stupas/mchod rten found in Gilgit and Ladakh. I then compare these with the depictions of Bönpo mchod rten described in gZi brjid.
In the light of the breadth and depth of the Bön tradition, a multi-disciplinarian approach is needed to better understand this multifaceted phenomenon and its multiple origins.

Dmitry Ermakov, b. 1967, Leningrad, USSR, began studying music at the age of six. Two years later he enrolled for art and archaeology classes with B. Piotrovsky (Director, Hermitage Museum) and G. Mezentzeva (Prof. Archaeology, Kiev University), going on to participate in archaeological
digs in Ukraine and Khakassia. He has studied Tibetan Buddhism since 1989, Bon since 1995, and began fieldwork on Bѳ Murgel in Buryatia, 1990. Author of a monograph Bѳ and Bön, he has
worked on over 50 edited transcripts of teachings by Lopon Tenzin Namdak, as well as Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyengyud, and The Heart Essence of the Khandro. Research Assistant to Charles Ramble, Oxford University (2009-10).

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