Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche

**Tonpa Shenrab** (, ), also called **Shenrab Miwo** (), **Shenrab Miwoche**, **Buddha Shenrab**, **Guru Shenrab**, and other titles, is the founder of Bon, the oldest religious tradition of Tibet. Bönpos (followers of Bon) usually add the honorific "Tonpa" (“founder” or “teacher”) before his name to pay respect. His story was learnt in a fourteenth-century teaching of Loden Nyingpo.

## Name origin

The name _Shenrab Miwo_ is from the Zhang-Zhung language, which is similar to Old Tibetan. It is the Zhangzhung word for "bodhisattva" (same as Tibetan _shégya sempa_, Wylie: shes rgya sems dpa').

“Tonpa” means “Founder/Teacher”; “Shenrab” is considered by Bönpos as “Buddha.” The term “Yungdrung” also has Buddhist hints: “Yungdrung” means Vajra, and “Yungdrung Tsulpa” means Bodhisattva.

## Life story

The stories of Tonpa Shenrab’s life are found in three places: the _Dodü_ (), _Zermik_ (), and _Ziji_ (). The first two are thought as hidden teachings revealed in the 10th or 11th century, while the third is orally transmitted ().

Bön tradition says that Tonpa Shenrab lived alone far from people, long before Śākyamuni. He was born in 16,017 BCE in a place called Olmolungring. He got married and taught subjects like science and medicine. At the age of 31, he left his royal life, found spiritual wisdom at Mount Kailash, and spent the rest of his life sharing the Bön religion. He lived for 82 years.

Alternative stories, sometimes framed in more “historical” terms, place Shenrab in the early 1st millennium BCE. A few accounts describe him as the first king who unified Tibet and founded the Zhangzhung kingdom in the 6th century BCE. Others identify him as a Zhangzhung prince active in the 4th century BCE. Still other traditions claim his birth as early as 1917 BCE.

Tonpa Shenrab, like Gautama Buddha, was born into a royal family. When he turned thirty-one, he gave up his royal position to seek spiritual wisdom. He chose a simple and disciplined life and began teaching the Bön religion. His journey eventually led him to Zhangzhung, a region close to Mount Kailash.

Since he was young, Tonpa Shenrab showed remarkable talents. He taught various sciences, appeared in different forms to help others, and traveled to many places. He got married at 16, battled demons at 18, taught in China and India at 20, and started preaching by the age of 26. At 31, he became a monk, reached spiritual enlightenment, and lived until he was 82.

Followers of Bön believe that in a past life, Shakyamuni Buddha was known as “Prince White Banner,” and that Tonpa Shenrab was his spiritual teacher. They say Shenrab created the Zhangzhung culture, which included skills like crafting, language, medicine, astronomy, and deep spiritual teachings. Some even believe he was the original source of world culture and the roots of Buddhism.

Tibetan Buddhists often reject these stories, saying they copy the life of the Buddha. They refer to Bön as an “outer path” (Wylie: phyi lam pa), meaning it's outside the main Buddhist teachings. Today, Bön is officially managed under the Buddhist Association of China.

## Aspects of Shenrab Miwoche

Shenrab Miwoche is said to have three aspects or forms:

- the tulku () or nirmaṇakāya, Shenrab Miwoche;
- the _dzokku_ () or sambhogakāya, Shenlha Okar and
- the _bönku_ () or dharmakāya, Tapihritsa.