Item: Tonpa Shenrab (Founder of Bon) - (main form)

A story of a previous life (Tibetan: kye rab) of Tonpa Shenrab.

This example of a narrative painting is from a set of paintings of unknown number that recounts the previous lives (Tib.: kye rab) of Tonpa Shenrab. This continuous narrative is one complete story that involves Tonpa Shenrab traveling in foreign lands with one of his brothers. The brother is killed during an altercation and a stupa is placed over his body and final resting spot.

The life story of Tonpa Shenrab along with the recounting of his previous lives are found in three principal texts: the first, and considered the oldest, is the Dodu (Wylie: mdo 'dus) in one volume and twenty-four chapters. Second is the Zermig (gzer mig) in two volumes and eighteen chapters discovered in the 10th century, followed by the Zije (Wylie: gzi brjid) comprised of twelve volumes and sixty-one chapters discovered in the 14th century by Tulku Loden Nyingpo. The last two texts belong to the Revealed Treasure tradition (Tib.: ter ma) of the Bon religion.

Jeff Watt & Lee Hartline 1-2000, revised August 2005