IOverview
New Bön, Tibetan bon gsar, also Bön sarma, names a movement within the Bön world that began in eastern Tibet in the 14th century. It centres on three figures held to have lived in the 8th century, Drenpa Namkha, Tsewang Rigdzin and Padmasambhava, and combines Bön scripture with many elements otherwise associated with the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The scholar Jean-Luc Achard, writing for the Treasury of Lives in 2010, lists New Bön as one of three kinds of Bön, alongside Old Bön and Yungdrung Bön. Yet those within the movement do not regard their teachings as new, but as a continuation of Yungdrung Bön. The library records both views.
IIHistory
According to Bön tradition, Drenpa Namkha was an 8th century Bön master who lived through the persecution of the faith, ordained himself to preserve it and hid many texts for later generations. In New Bön scriptures he is linked with Tsewang Rigdzin, master of long life practice, and with Padmasambhava, revered in Tibetan Buddhism as Guru Rinpoche. The three are regarded as transmitters of Tonpa Shenrab's teachings in the 8th century.
According to the Treasury of Lives and Wikipedia, the movement began with the treasure texts of Tulku Loden Nyingpo (1360 to 1385), among them the Zijid, the vast biography of Tonpa Shenrab. Later revealers went on discovering new texts well into the 18th century, notably Tulku Sangye Lingpa, born in 1705, and the first Kundrol Drakpa, born in 1700.
- 8th centuryDrenpa Namkha, by traditionThe master the movement regards as the source of many treasure texts.
- 1360 to 1385Tulku Loden NyingpoTreasure revealer associated with the Zijid and regarded as founder of the New Bön lineages.
- Born 1700The first Kundrol DrakpaOne of the most influential treasure revealers of the 18th century.
- Born 1705Tulku Sangye LingpaAn 18th century revealer regarded as founder of a major lineage.
- 1859 to 1934Shardza Tashi GyaltsenAn eastern Bön master who, according to the Treasury of Lives, defended New Bön teachings.
IIITeachings and Debate
In its doctrinal framework New Bön keeps the shared concepts of Bön: Tonpa Shenrab, the Nine Ways, Dzogchen, kunzhi and rigpa. What sets it apart are its central figures, many tantric liturgies close to those of the Nyingma, and its treatment of Padmasambhava as a master of its own tradition.
According to the Treasury of Lives, some followers of stricter Yungdrung Bön lineages, such as the Menri tradition, saw these treasure texts as influenced by Buddhism. The library's main article on Bön likewise notes that Yungdrung Bön has not always accepted New Bön as its own. New Bön followers, for their part, see their teachings as continuous with Yungdrung Bön. The library does not adjudicate.
The word new in New Bön does not mean a newly founded religion or an organised breakaway. It is a label used by scholars and some Bönpos for a later body of texts and lineages, and many within the faith do not regard it as a separate branch.
IVPractice and Life
Practices associated with New Bön include guru yoga of Drenpa Namkha, the long life practice of Tsewang Rigdzin and liturgies from the treasure cycles of Loden Nyingpo, Sangye Lingpa and Kundrol Drakpa. In eastern Tibet many lay tantric practitioners keep these lineages within their families, alongside the monasteries. Many New Bön practices are also received in Yungdrung Bön monasteries, so the boundary in daily religious life is less sharp than on paper.
VDistribution
New Bön is concentrated in eastern Tibet, especially Khyungpo and Kham. It has no common organisation, and the library has found no source estimating the number of its followers. Since Bönpos do not agree on whether New Bön is a separate branch, a separate figure would in any case be hard to count.
VIIn Vietnam
The library has found no trace of New Bön in Vietnam.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Bön
Yungdrung Bönགཡུང་དྲུང་བོན་ g.yung drung bonThe main living tradition, tracing its teachings to Tonpa Shenrab through Zhangzhung, with its own canon, monasteries and Nine Ways.Zhangzhung Nyengyudཞང་ཞུང་སྙན་རྒྱུད་ zhang zhung snyan rgyudOne of the three Bön Dzogchen lineages, held to be an unbroken oral transmission, including the master Tapihritsa.Uses the common symbol of the path
A-triཨ་ཁྲིད་ a khridOne of the three Bön Dzogchen lineages, meaning instruction on the letter A, codified by Meu Gongdzo (1038 to 1096).Dzogchen Yangtse Longchenརྫོགས་ཆེན་ཡང་རྩེ་ཀློང་ཆེན་ rdzogs chen yang rtse klong chenThe third Bön Dzogchen lineage, based on a treasure text said to have been discovered in 1080.Uses the common symbol of the pathNew Bönབོན་གསར་ bon gsarA movement from the 14th century centred on Drenpa Namkha, Tsewang Rigdzin and Padmasambhava, blending Eternal Bön with Tibetan Buddhist elements.Uses the common symbol of the pathOld Bönབོན་རྙིང་ bon rnying, also གདོད་མའི་བོན་ gdod ma'i bonThe pre-Buddhist religion of the Tibetan plateau, linked to the early kings.Uses the common symbol of the pathBön Centres in the WestNo shared original name. Centre names: Ligmincha, Shenten Dargye LingSince the late 20th century Bön teachers have founded centres in Europe and the Americas, notably Ligmincha (founded 1992 by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche) and Shenten Dargye Ling in France.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Is New Bön a different religion from Yungdrung Bön?
No. It is a movement and a body of texts within the Bön world. Its followers see themselves as continuing Yungdrung Bön, while some in stricter Yungdrung Bön lineages see it as influenced by Buddhism.
Why does Padmasambhava appear in New Bön?
Because the movement regards Padmasambhava, along with Drenpa Namkha and Tsewang Rigdzin, as a transmitter of Tonpa Shenrab's teachings in the 8th century. This is one of the points where New Bön comes close to the Nyingma school.
When did New Bön begin?
According to the Treasury of Lives, in the 14th century in eastern Tibet, with the treasure texts of Tulku Loden Nyingpo (1360 to 1385).