Gto Srung Ceremony Of Bon From The Perspective Of Anthropology

Bon religion is an indigenous religion of the Tibetan people.It is closely linked to the Tibetan local culture,has distinct regional characteristics,also has a profound impact on all levels of the Tibetan culture.It not only reflects the lifestyle and world outlook of the early Tibetan people,but also witnesses the cultural changes of the Tibetan people.Throughout history,the ruling class has strongly revered Tibetan Buddhism,imposed severe restrictions on Bon religion,and even in some places there have been repeated "Conversions".The Bon religion was gradually declining,and the activities were mainly concentrated in the fringe area of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Although Bon organizations are loose,the links are not strong enough.However,there are still a number of Bon monks wrote books,propounded ideas and initiated novice,made the Bon teachings continue to this day.Especially in Tibetan folks,a lot of rituals for eliminating foulness and dispels are preserved,and "gto" is one of them.The basic function of "gto" is to help people to avoid disasters and discomforts.It has the meaning of protection and plays an irreplaceable role in the daily life of Tibetan people.The dissertation takes the "gto srung" ceremony of Dgu Skyang Dgon Monastery in Northwest Sichuan as the research object,understand the inheritance and cultural connotation of the "gto srung" ceremony through participation in observation and cultural experience from the perspective of anthropology,summarize the characteristics of the ceremony,and analyze its function and social impact,discuss its value and significance.The "gto srung" ceremony at Dgu Skyang Dgon Monastery in northwestern Sichuan provided very rare living data for my research.The study of these rituals will not only help us better understand the Bon culture,but also help us better understand the development and changes of Tibetan folk culture.This dissertation is divided into four chapters.Chapter one mainly introduced the spread of Bon religion in Amdo area,sorted out the history and development of Dgu Skyang Dgon Monastery,delineated the religious connotation of "gto srung" ceremony,the origin and development track,as well as the status of "gto srung" ceremony.The purpose of this chapter is to grasp the historical background of this ceremony,so as to better analyze the reasons for the change of the "gto srung".Chapter two made a detailed ethnographic description of the inheritance,changes,performance procedures,and religious connotations of the "gto srung" ceremony.Based on this,a simple analysis of the role of the dharma dance is made.Chapter three summarized the characteristics of the ceremony based on the foundation,characteristics and cultural connotation,made a deeper analysis of the cultural value exerted by "gto srung".According to the work done by relevant units and personnel in recent years,the author`s opinions and countermeasures on the inheritance and protection of the "gto srung" ceremony have pointed out.Chapter four,the author jumps out of the identity of "coming in",took “The Others” view,and the methods of Ethnology and Religion as the related theory,comprehensively discussed the function of "gto srung" ceremony from the perspective of psychological comfort,religious enlightenment,social service,and cultural dissemination.