Government and Policy

Pre-Buddhist Tibetan religious scriptures found

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-17 16:32

LANZHOU: Chinese specialists of Tibetan studies have discovered some well-preserved pre-Buddhist Tibetan religious scriptures in northwestern China's Gansu Province.

The Bon scriptures, handwritten in an ancient form of Tibetan script and bound into more than 500 books, were found in several Tibetan homes in Longnan City, said ethnic studies experts at Lanzhou University.

Judging from the characters, writing style and paper texture, the documents are about 1,000 years old and their content ranges from sutras to descriptions of ancient Tibetan rituals and customs.

Lanzhou University's ethnic studies center has established a special taskforce to study the documents. A university official said Saturday the results of the research were expected to be published before the end of the year.

The Bon religion prevailed in Tibet before the arrival of Buddhism. Its followers worshipped "natural spirits," like mountains and lakes.

In Tibetan, "Bon" means substance, implying Bon is a religion for all in the universe.