Outline of the Contents of The Bönpo Tenjur

Like the Buddhists, Bönpos also have a vast collection of commentarial, philosophical, and ritual texts known as the Tenjur (brten 'gyur). The contents are divided into three basic categories: "External" (phyi), including commentaries on canonical texts dealing with monastic discipline ('dul ba), morality, metaphysics, and the biographies of Tönpa Shenrab; "Internal" (nang), comprising the commentaries on the Tantras including rituals focussing on tantric deities and the cult of dâkinîs, goddesses whose task it is to protect the Doctrine, and worldly rituals of magic and divination; and finally "Secret" (gsang ba), a section that deals with meditational practices.

I. EXTERNAL (phyi)

• Monastic Discipline (vinaya, 'dul ba)
• Cosmology (abhidharma, mdzod)
• Discourses (sûtra, mdo)
  • Commentaries ('grel pa)
  • Ritual (cho ga)
    • rNam rgyal
    • Byams pa
    • rNam dag
  • Ancillary Texts

II. INTERNAL (nang)

• sPyi spungs
  • Commentaries
  • Ritual
• Phur pa
• Ma rgyud
• Ge khod
• Rol pa
• sPyi 'dul
• sTag lha
• Rig 'dzin (vidyâdhara)
  • Collectively
  • Individually
    • sNya chen li shu stag ring
    • Khod spungs dran pa nam mkha'
    • Tshe dbang rig 'dzin
• gCod
• Prophecies, etc.
• Dâkinîs (mkha' 'gro ma)
• Protectors (dharmapâla)
  • Srid pa rgyal mo
  • Mi bdud
  • Gas bcan dmag dpon
  • A bse
  • Ma bdud
  • Ma mo
  • 'Dzam lha
  • rGyal po shel khrab can
• Worldly Ritual
  • Srid gshen
  • 'Phrul gshen
  • sNang gshen
  • Phya gshen
• Collected Works (gsungs 'bum)

III. SECRET (gsang ba)

• Basic Texts
• Ancillary Texts

IV. PROFANE TEXTS

• bZo rig
• sGra chad rig
• Phyi rig
• gSo rig