3. The existence of written scripts from early times

This account of asserting that Tibet had no writing system before the seventh century and that Thonmi Sambhota created the scripts all anew is refuted by some scholars, especially the Bonpos, and some modern scholars like Dungkar Lobsang Thinlay, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, Samten Karmay etc. The first Tibetan King Nyatri Tsanpo [Tib:gNya' khri bTsan po], who unified Tibet was said to have appeared around 1136 or 127 BCE according to Bonpo texts^[1] and Tibetan school text book^[2] respectively. Before the King Nyatri Tsanpo, there were eighteen Zhangzhung Kings with Jaruchan^[3] [Tib:Bya ru can] title. Tonpa Shenrab, the founder of the indigenous religion of Tibet was said to have appeared around 1917 BCE^[4] and he taught the Yungdrung Bon religion in Zhangzhung and Tibet. He was said to have modified the already prevailing Bon faith or religious practice in the land and established the teaching of Five doors and Fifth Treasury [Tib:sGo bzhi mzod lnga]. The origin of Tibetan medicine and astrology were attributed to Tonpa Shenrab's son dPyad bu khri shes and Kong tsha 'phrul bu chung. The first of the Jaruchan Kings was said to have received teaching from Tonpa Shenrab himself directly. mDo gzer mig, the medium version of Tonpa Shenrab's biography says^[5] : after Tonpa Shenrab, six great scholars studied Bon under Teacher Mu cho, and from the g.Yung drung lha skad [everlasting language of the God], they translated the Bon teachings into their own languages.

The six translators were: Mu tsa ta he pe from sTag gzig; Khri thog spa tsa from Zhangzhung; Gu hu li spar legs from Sum pa; Lha bdag snags dro from India; Legs tang smang po from China; and gSer thog lce 'byams from Phrom. The teaching on rGyu Bon, the Bon of cause prevailed during King Nyatri Tsanpo. Mukhri Tsanpo, the second King of Tibet received Bon empowerment from Priest [Tib:gshen] sNang ba mdog can^[6]. From the King Nyatri Tsanpo to the King Namri Srongtsan, the 32nd King, each had a Bon priest [Tib:sKu gshen], a translator and a protocol officer. There were thirty seven Bon monastic centers [Tib:'Du gnas], forty two imminent Bon priests [Tib:Bon gshen], nine accomplished Yogis [Tib:Grub thob pa], nine great scholars of Zhangzhung and Tibet [Tib:mKhas pa], nine great sorcerers [Tib:mThu chen], four scholars, eight shen of pandita and translators [Tib:Lo pan], eighty accomplished masters [Tib:Grub chen], nine female with miraculous power [Tib:rdZu 'phrul ma] etc.^[7]. Tonpa Shenrab was said to have written down the text of sGo bzhi mdzod lnga [Five Doors and Fifth Treasury] to benefit the coming generation.^[8] Srid pa'i mdzod 'phug, an ancient text on Bon cosmology was also attributed to Tonpa Shenrab^[9]; the text was in Zhangzhung language originally. We can find the Zhangzhung and Tibetan bilingual version even today.^[10]

It is difficult to assume that all these teachings of Bon and translation works, astrology and medicine, and the records of eighteen Jaruchan Kings and thirty two Kings [from Nyatri tsanpo to Namri Srongtsan] were kept intact without any writing system. These questions need attention and have to be addressed adequately.