Bø and Bön

This is the first in-depth study of its kind comparing the ancient Bön religion of Tibet with the Siberian shamanic traditions of Lake Baikal. Combining scholarly research with spiritual insight, the author draws on his experience in both Yungdrung Bön and the Bө Murgel tradition of Buryatia to bring this subject to life. It covers mythology, cosmology, rituals, gods, spirits, the after-life, sacrifice, healing, and magic. Thorough studies of the pantheons of both belief systems reveal striking parallels not only between the deities of Bön and Bө Murgel, but also with those of other ancient Eurasian traditions and peoples such as the Indo-Iranian Aryans and ancient Greeks. This brings us to a larger phenomenon - an Ur religion of Eurasia. The author gives the historical backdrop to Central and Inner Asia and its peoples, from where the development, migration, and possible overlapping of Bө and Bön can easily be traced. The different types of Bön are defined, showing how Yungdrung Bön can be distinguished from them.

This book includes interviews with Bönpo lamas Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung, with excerpts from their teachings, plus interviews with Bө and Utgan priests and priestesses in Siberia. The author also takes a critical look at misconceptions surrounding Bön and Shamanism and the figure of the Shaman in general.

"This remarkable book is the most thorough attempt to date to explore these connections (between Bön and Siberian shamanism). On the basis of wide-ranging scholarship as well as a long and close association with the most eminent exponents of the traditions he explores, the author presents the richness of Tibetan Bön and Buryatian Bө Murgel, discerning beneath the distinctive features of these systems a matrix of beliefs and practices in which they have their origins…this fascinating and provocative book is sure to stimulate interest and debate concerning the religious heritage of Inner Asia." Charles Ramble.