6. Religious Revival

During this period of disintegration without any unified central leadership, both Bon and Buddhism suffered decline and set back to some extent. However, with the visit of Atisha Dimpamkara Shrijana in 1042 CE, religious revival took place. Buddhist schools like Kagyu, Sakya and Geluk emerged thereafter as new schools and Buddhism flourished in Tibet. We shall discuss this in the next chapter. With the discovery of many ancient hidden texts, Bon religion also saw a new opportunity to grow and establish itself. The religious texts discovered [Tib:gTer ma] by the masters and lay people were categorized under five sections: byang gter, the northern treasures; lho gter, the southern treasures; dbus gter, the central treasures; khams gter, the treasures from khams regions; and gter sar, the new treasures^[1]. Actual revival and reorganization of Bon religion came when the master Shenchen Luga [Tib:gShen chen Klu dga'] [996-1035 CE]^[2] revealed the treasure texts from the rocks at 'Bri mtshams mtha' dkar in the year of female-snake year [1089 CE]. His discoveries include Khams brgyad, mdzod, inner and outer tantra, mental teachings and many others^[3]. He played very important roles in reviving and reorganization of Bon religion.

According to the Srid pa rgyud kyi lung bstan^[4] :

There shall be a great gShen by the name of kLu dga',
He shall have numerous followers [lineage holders].
Among them shall always appear great masters,
The lineage will last till the degenerate time.

As prophesied, gShen chen kLu dga' had many disciples, among them Bru chen nam mkha' g,yung drung [996-1036 CE], Bru sha khyung gi rgyal mtsan, dBang ldan zhu yas legs po [10021081CE], and sPa ston dpal mchog bzang po [b.1040 CE] were known as Bru Zhu sPa gsum [Bru, zhu and spa -the three]. They taught extensively, and their disciples like rMe'u dgongs mzad ri khrod chen po, rMe'u lha ri gnyen po, scholar dPal chen etc. contributed greatly and the lineages of Bru, Zhu, sPa and rMe'u became well renowned. Among them, Bru lineage contributed greatly in dissemination and upholding the teachings. Starting from Bru chen nam mkha' g.yung drung, who was entrusted the teaching of mdZod phug and Gab pa. His grandson, Bru rje g.Yung drung, established the g.Yas ru dben sa ka monastery in 1072 CE^[5], which became a great seat of learning for the Bonpos until it was destroyed by a flood in 1386 CE. There were eighteen lineage holders who held the abbacy of the Monastery.

Master Shen chen klu dga' entrusted the practice of Gab pa, the teaching of rdZogchen meditation to Zhu yas legs po from the family of Zhu in Tsang. He founded the sKyid mkhar ri zhing in the 11th century. It became an important centre for rdZogs chen philosophy and practice^[6]. sPa ston dPal mchog from sPa family, another disciple of Shen chen klu dga' was entrusted to look after the tantric teachings. He received the full teaching of the ritual cycle of the deity Khro bo dbang chen and established Dechengang Hermitage which later developed into a centre for meditation and tantric studies. Another important master was rMe'u mkhas pa dpal chen (b. 1052) from rMe'u family, they were originally from Shang and later moved to Nyemo^[7]. He established bZang po ri monastery, which later became important centre for philosophical and scholastic studies. So, around that time in the Tsang region there were four well established Bonpo centers. It was said that while the monasteries of Bru and rMe'u were concerned mainly with scholasticism, the other two pursued spiritual progress and contemplation^[8].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Shar dza bkra shis rgyal mtsan, Legs bshad rin po che'i gter mdzod, p-322

[2]:

Karmay Samten, Treasury of Good Sayings, p-129

[3]:

Shar dza bkra shis rgyal mtshan, p-253

[4]:

1) ibid, p-258, 2) Samten Karmay, Treasury of Good Sayings, p-133 "gShen klu dga' ming can byung, de'i rgyud 'dzin grangs med 'byung, byin chen re ni rtag par gnas, brgyud pa dus mtha'i bar du gnas"

[5]:

Samten Karmay, Bon the Magic World, p-65

[6]:

Samten Karmay, The Arrow & the Spindle, p-120

[7]:

Samten Karmay, Bon the Magic World, p-73

[8]:

Samten Karmany, The Arrow & the Spindle, p-120