Introduction
journal or
publication title
Senri Ethnological Reports
volume 95
page range v‑xvi
year 2011‑01‑11
URL http://hdl.handle.net/10502/00008528
v
1
7KHSUHVHQWYROXPHLQFOXGHVϧIW\RQHWKDQJNDVGHSLFWLQJDSDQWKHRQRI the Bon Religion painted at Rebkong, China, preserved as the Rebkong Bonpo Collection at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.
In l999, a collection of one hundred thirty-one Bonpo Mandala paintings was painted in Kathmandu under the guidance of Lopon Tenzin Namdak, Triten Norbutse (WT khri brtan nor bu tse) Monastery，Kathmandu. The collection of Bonpo mandalas was named as “the Triten Norbutse Collection” and has been kept in the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka. In 2000, the Triten Norbutse Collection was published as Tenzin Namdak, Y. Nagano and M. Tachikawa (eds.), Mandalas of the Bon Religion, Bon Studies 1, Senri Ethnological Reports 12 by National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.
The original size of most of the mandalas included in the collection is 63×63 cm, with some exceptions of a larger size (80×80 cm). Each mandala of the Triten Norbutse Collection was painted in accordance with the ritual texts explaining the theory and practice of the mandala.
7KH0DQGDOD&ROOHFWLRQLVGLYLGHGLQWRϧYHJURXSV
Ԋ The vehicle of primordial Bon purifying activities (bya ba gtsang spyod ye bon gi theg pa)，
Ռ The vehicle of miraculous power of many sorts (rnam pa kun ldan mngon shes kyi theg pa)，
Ս The vehicle of the playfulness of compassion producing real results (dngos bskyed thugs rje rol pa’i theg pa)，
Վ 7KHYHKLFOHRIFRPSOHWLRQHQGRZHGZLWKVXSUHPHSURϧWVVKLQWXGRQ ldan kun rdzogs kyi theg pa), and
ࣧ Supplementary mandalas.
The third group is subdivided into three sections (A, B and C), but no special name is given to each of the three individual sections.
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vi
Bonpo mandalas.
The following list gives all the titles of the Triten Norbutse Collection reproduced in Mandalas of the Bon Religion. The number in parentheses stands for the reference number of the repository at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.
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2
In 2006, the National Museum of Ethnology published another volume showing a pantheon of Bon religion under the names, Tenpa Yungdrung, Per Kværne, M. Tachikawa and Y. Nagano (eds.), Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo, Bon Studies 10, Senri Ethnological Reports 60. The volume contains forty-nine WKDQJNDVZKLFKPD\EHGLYLGHGLQWRWKHVDPHFODVVLϧFDWLRQDVEHIRUH7KDWLV to say, the forty-nine thangkas contained in Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo KDYHEHHQFODVVLϧHGLQWRWKHIROORZLQJIRXUJURXSV
1. The vehicle of Primordial Bon purifying activities (Nos. 1-12), 2. the vehicle of miraculous power of many sorts (Nos. 13-19),
3. the vehicle of the playfulness of compassion producing real results (Nos. 20-43), and
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xi It should be noted here that deities are depicted in human form in Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo; in symbolic form in Mandalas of the Bon Religion.
Out of the forty-nine thangkas found in Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo, forty-six thangkas depict Bon pantheons found in forty-six mandalas that are included in Mandalas of the Bon Religion)RUH[DPSOH7KDQJND1RದLQBonpo Thangkas from KhyungpoVKRZVDOOWKHGHLWLHVDSSHDULQJLQ0DQGDOD1Rದ,RI Mandalas of the Bon Religion. The remaining three titles (Nos. 33, 43 and 48) of Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo have no corresponding mandalas in Mandalas of the Bon Religion.
The following list enumerates the titles of the forty-six mandalas, which are found in Mandalas of the Bon Religion and have corresponding thangkas in Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo. The three titles, which are asterisked and printed in boldface on the following list, indicate the thangkas which have no corresponding mandalas in Mandalas of the Bon Religion.
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The National Museum of Ethnology is going to furnish further materials for iconographical studies of the Bon Religion. The present volume reproduces DVHWRIϧIW\RQHWKDQJNDVQDPHGWKH5HENRQJ%RQSR&ROOHFWLRQZKLFKVKRZV DSDQWKHRQV\VWHPVRPHZKDWGLϱHUHQWIURPWKDWVHHQLQBonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo. The deities and teachers seen in the Rebkong Collection may be FODVVLϧHGLQWRWKHIROORZLQJWKUHHJURXSV
A Tonpa Shenrab and Deities, B Lamas and Siddhas, and C Tutelary or Protective Deities.
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The Twelve Deeds of Tonpa Shenrab, (A2) Deities of the Twelve Rituals, and
xiii (A3) Teachers of Discipline. Twelve thangkas of A1 depict the life of Tonpa Shenrab, who is said to be the founder of the Bon Religion. No set of twelve pictures corresponding to A1 is found either in Mandalas of the Bon Religion or in Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo+RZHYHUDVHWRIWZHOYHOLQHGUDZLQJV corresponding to the pictures of A1 is found in Samten Karmay, Feast of the Morning Light, Bon Studies 9, Senri Ethnological Reports 57, pp.173-210.
The thangkas of the second subgroup named A2 which is usually called Cho ga bcu gnyis (Twelve [Basic] rituals) depict basic central deities of the Bon Religion. Although each thangka belonging to group A shows the images of Tonpa Shenrab and deities, a monk is found at the center of Thangka No.26 belonging to A3. Nonetheless, at the center of the thangka Tonpa Shenrab himself takes the form of monk.
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7KHIROORZLQJLVDOLVWRIWKHϧIW\RQHWKDQJNDVRIWKH5HENRQJ&ROOHFWLRQ A1 The Twelve Deeds of Tonpa Shenrab
1. Birth (skye ba bzhes pa’i mdzad pa)
2. Disseminating the Teaching (bsta pa spel ba’i mdzad pa)
(VWDEOLVKLQJ3HDFHLQWKH5HDOPVRI+HOOGP\DONKDPVEGHODENRG pa’i mdzad pa)
6XEGXLQJ 7KRVH :KR DUH 'LϫFXOW WR 7UDLQ JGXO GND· EWXO ED·L mdzad pa)
5. Marriage (khab tu bzhes pa’i mdzad pa)
(PDQDWLQJ+LV3URJHQ\:KR7DPHV6HQWLHQW%HLQJV·JUR·GXOVUDV sprul kyi mdzad pa)
7. Guiding Sentient Beings to Liberation (’gro ba thar bar drangs ba’i mdzad pa)
8. Conquering the Demons (bdud ’dul ba’i mdzad pa) 9. Leaving the Teaching (bstan pa rjes bzhag gi mdzad pa) 10. Renunciation of the Worldly Life (rab tu byung ba’i mdzad pa) 11. Practice of Austerities and Asceticism (dka’ ba spyad pa’i mdzad pa) 3DVVLQJLQWR1LUYčQDP\DQJDQODV·GDVSD·LPG]DGSD
A2 Deities of the Twelve Rituals 13. Kun dbying sKu lnga G*HEVQ\HQO+DOQJD 15. Byams ldan rGyal ba 16. dPal ldan Dus kyi ’Khor lo 17. Kun rig rGyal ba
xv 47. Ma rgyud gSang mchog
48. gSang gcod Yid bzhin Nor bu 49. Srid rgyal dBu brgya Phyag stong 50. Srid rgyal bDe ’gro gSang yum
51. Brag btsan g.Yung drung dGra ’dul Thogs med rTsal
7KHWZHOYHWKDQJNDVEHORQJLQJWRWKHϧUVWJURXS$LOOXVWUDWHWKH life of Tonpa Shenrab, the greatest master of the Bon Religion, through a series of the Twelve Deeds (mdzad pa bcu gnyis). Tonpa’s life story shown by these thangkas seems to have been based upon his biographies such as gZer mig (circa the 11th century) and gZi brjid (circa the 14th century).
7KH ZD\ RI DUUDQJLQJ WKH WZHOYH GHHGV LV REYLRXVO\ LQϩXHQFHG E\ WKH life story of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The 5DWQDJRWUDYLEKčJD, i.e., the Uttaratantra ZKLFK LV D 0DKč\čQD %XGGKLVW ZRUN VWDWHV %XGGKD·V OLIH LQDVHULHVRIIRXUWHHQGHHGVՌ7KLVYHUVLRQRI%XGGKD·VOLIHVWRU\
VHHPVWRKDYHEHHQPRGLϧHGLQODWHUWLPHVIRUWKHWZHOYHGHHGVRI%XGGKDDUH well-known in Tibetan Buddhism. Probably Bonpos, i.e., followers of the Bon Religion, borrowed the frame of the twelve deeds when they tried to connect Tonpa’s life story with Bonpo mandala traditions.
The twelve thangkas belonging to the second group (A2, 13-25) relate the basic Twelve Rituals (cho ga bcu gnyis) of Bon Religion. As in the case of the Twelve Deeds, the Twelve Rituals are also based upon episodes found in hagiographies such as gZer mig and gZi brjid. The twelve thangkas of the Twelve Rituals (A2, 13-25) belonging to the Rebkong Collection correspond to WKHϧUVWWZHOYHPDQGDODVLQWKHMandalas of the Bon Religion (Nos. 1-12) and DOVRWRWKHϧUVWWZHOYHWKDQJNDVLQWKHBonpo Thangkas from Khyunpo (Nos.
1-12).
7KHϧUVWRIWKH7ZHOYH5LWXDOV$LVRIWHQSHUIRUPHGDWWKHWLPHRI the inauguration of a newly built temple. This ritual is based upon the story that Tonpa inaugurated a number of new temples. The second ritual (A2, 14) is carried out at the occasion of teaching precepts (vinaya) to novices. The third WKDQJND$VKRZVWKHVFHQHRIWKHϧUVWSUHDFKLQJRI7RQSD
The fourth ritual (A2, 16) is founded on the Mandala of Time-Cycle (dus
·NKRU6NWNčODFDNUDZKLFKJLYHVDVWURORJLFDOGHWDLOVQHFHVVDU\WRFRQVWUXFW a new temple. The image of the main deity found in the fourth thangka, KRZHYHULVWRWDOO\GLϱHUHQWIURPWKDWRIWKH%XGGKLVW.čODFDNUD0DQGDOD7KH ϧIWKWKDQJND$LVFORVHO\UHODWHGWRGHDWKULWXDOV7KHFHQWUDOGHLW\RI this thangka is called Kun rig, which means Vairocana in Buddhist Tantrism.
The sixth ritual (A2, 18) is based upon the episode that Tonpa suggested to a VLQIXONLQJWRPDNHRϱHULQJV
xvi
7KHVHYHQWKWKDQJND$WHDFKHVSHRSOHKRZWRSHUIRUPSXULϧFDWLRQ rituals. The eighth ritual (A2, 20) is related to medical treatment. The ninth ritual (A2, 21) is rooted in the episode that Tonpa helped an orphan prince to become a king who made his kingdom prosperous. The tenth ritual (A2, 22) is based upon the story that Tonpa taught the doctrine of the Bonpo 3UDMQčSčUDPLWč VFULSWXUHV WR SHRSOH 7KH HOHYHQWK ULWXDO $ SURWHFWV people from magical spells, leprosy, snake-bites and the like. The twelfth ritual
$WHDFKHVSHRSOHKRZWRPDNHRϱHULQJVWR7RQSDDQGGHLWLHV
The Thangka A2, 25 is supplementary to the Twelve Rituals (A2, 13- 24). The main deity of this thangka, i.e., gShen rab rNam par gyal ba, is a PDQLIHVWDWLRQRI7RQSD+HLVVDLGWRKDYHWDNHQWKLVIRUPZKHQKHWUDYHOOHG the world to rescue people. A3, 26 shows the form of Khri gtsug rgyal ba, which is the name of Tonpa after the full ordination of a monk. A2, 27 shows the lineage of teachers and disciples of Bon Religion.
The fourteen thangkas from A3, 26 up to B3, 39 do not have corresponding mandalas either in the Mandalas of the Bon Religion or in the Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo. The last twelve thangkas (C, 40-51) depict deities belonging to upper classes of the Bonpo tantric tradition. The three thangkas from Rebkong C-42, 46, 47 correspond to the three mandalas Nos. 74, 81, 85 of the Mandalas of the Bon Relgion respectively, and the two thangkas from Rebkong C-42, 47 depict the same central deities as the two thangkas numbered Nos. 24 and 25 of the Bonpo Thangkas from Khyungpo.
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