Dongba Shilo, Founder of Dongba Religion, and His Life
This article critiques common accounts of Dongba religion's founder, Dingba Shiluo, found in works such as "A Brief History of the Naxi Nationality." It challenges the claim that Dongba religion arose from a doctrinal contest with Tibetan Buddhist lamas, and disputes the notion that Bon (the "Black Sect") is merely a branch of Tibetan Lamaism influencing Dongba religion. The author argues instead that Bon is Tibet's indigenous pre-Buddhist religion, founded by Dongba Xiraoo (Tonpa Shenrab), and that Dongba religion is essentially a Naxi variant of Bon—Dingba Shiluo and Dongba Xiraoo being the same figure, their names phonetic variants. Drawing on Tibetan-Chinese dictionaries and Bon scriptures, the article traces Shenrab's mythic genealogy, his birth at Barpo Sogyad palace in Olmo Lungring (linked to Persia/Central Asia), and his life as a prince who later devoted himself to propagating Bon teachings at age 31.
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