Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen
 | This article may incorporate text from a large language model. (September 2025) |
Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1356 Gyarong (Gyalrong), eastern Tibet |
| Died | 1415 (aged 58–59) |
| Occupation(s) | Monk, abbot, teacher |
| Known for | Founder and first abbot of Menri Monastery; major reformer of monastic Bön |
Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen (Tibetan: མཉམ་མེད་མཤེས་རབ་རྒྱལ་མཚན, Wylie: mnyam med shes rab rgyal mtshan; also spelled Nyame Sherab Gyaltsen; 1356–1415) was a key Yungdrung Bön teacher and monastic reformer credited with founding Menri Monastery (Trashi Menri) and reorganizing monastic Bön study and practice in the late 14th / early 15th centuries. He is widely revered in the Bön tradition as a principal lineage holder who revitalized scholastic and ritual institutions for Bön.[1]
Life and background
[edit]According to traditional Bön biographies, Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen was born in 1356 in the Gyarong (Gyalrong) region of eastern Tibet, the son of Lugyal and Rinchenmen. Sources describe him as precocious: he mastered ritual, medicine, astrology and Bön doctrinal study at an early age and received training from local Bon masters across Dokham (Amdo/Kham) and Nyarong.[2]
Founding of Menri and monastic reforms
[edit]Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen is traditionally credited with founding (or refounding) Menri Monastery (Trashi Menri) around 1405, establishing it as the principal monastery and seat of the Yungdrung Bön scholastic tradition. Under his leadership the Menri centre developed curricula for scriptural study, ritual training, and monastic discipline that helped transform Bön into a stable, institutional religion alongside Tibetan Buddhism. Museum and monastery catalogues, as well as Bon community histories, consistently identify him as Menri’s founder and first abbot.[3]
Teachings and legacy
[edit]Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen is celebrated in Bön liturgy and prayers (e.g., the Dechen Gyalpo supplications) as an emanation of Sherab Mawe Senge and as a principal lineage holder whose terma (revealed treasures) and teachings secured the doctrinal continuity of Yungdrung Bön. Annual commemorations of his birth and ordination are observed in Bon communities, and thangka depictions and ritual texts preserve his image and iconography (often showing him with a sword and text, signifying wisdom and doctrine).[4]
Iconography and cultural presence
[edit]Art collections and museum catalogues (including Rubin Museum and Bon art archives) preserve thangka portraits of Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen dating from later centuries; these images present him enthroned, holding a text and a sword or lotuses — symbols that link him to the protective and doctrinal deities of the Bon tradition. Such items attest to his sustained importance as a devotional figure in Bon visual culture.[5]
Reception and modern observance
[edit]Contemporary Bon organizations and monasteries celebrate Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen’s anniversary and recite traditional prayers to him; Bon teachers continue to refer to his reforms when discussing monastic ordination, curriculum, and ritual standards. Modern Bon websites and teaching centres keep his memory alive via articles, prayers, and biographical postings.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Anniversary of Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen (1356–1415)". Yungdrung Bon. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Nyammed Sherab Gyaltsen". Olmoling. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen – Teacher (thangka)". Himalayan Art Resources. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen". Gyalshen. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Nyammed Sherab Gyaltsen (thangka)". CIRDIS Archive / University of Vienna. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Nyame Sherab Gyaltsen – The great Bön masters". Shenten. Retrieved 2025-08-21.