Within the Bon tradition, the heart of scriptural authority is gathered in a canon that closely parallels the structure of the Tibetan Buddhist Kanjur and Tenjur. The Bon Kanjur contains the “translated words” attributed to the enlightened founder, Tonpa Shenrab, arranged in sections such as sutra (mdo), tantra (rgyud), Prajñāpāramitā (’bum), and treasury (mdzod), while the Bon Tenjur preserves the great body of commentaries, ritual manuals, and scholastic treatises composed by later masters. This twofold canon embraces not only doctrinal expositions and contemplative instructions, but also works on ritual, medicine, astrology, and logic, reflecting Bon’s attempt to encompass the full range of religious and cultural life. In this way, the canon serves as both a scriptural foundation and a comprehensive map of Bonpo spiritual civilization.

Among the many works preserved in this canon, several stand out as especially central. The gZi brjid (“The Glorious”) is a major biographical scripture of Tonpa Shenrab, presenting his life, teachings, and miraculous activities in an extensive narrative. Closely related are the gZer mig (“Piercing Eye”) and the mDo ’dus (“Compendium of Sutras”), which combine biographical material with cosmology and essential doctrinal themes, and are often treated together as a classical triad of early Bon scriptures. These texts not only recount the founder’s story but also encode the fundamental vision of the Bon cosmos and path, so that biography and doctrine become inseparable.

Bon’s higher contemplative teachings are expressed in a rich corpus of tantric and Dzogchen literature. Cycles such as the A-khrid and the rDzogs chen snyan rgyud, together with the Zhang zhung snyan rgyud (the “Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung”), articulate Bon’s understanding of the Great Perfection and provide detailed instructions for meditation, empowerment, and realization. Alongside these stand extensive tantric materials devoted to yidam deities and protective forces, forming complete systems of practice that integrate ritual, visualization, mantra, and subtle-body yogas. Through these texts, the tradition sets forth its most refined vision of the nature of mind and reality.

A large portion of Bon literature is also devoted to ritual and practical concerns, revealing a tradition deeply engaged with the everyday needs of beings. Collections of gto, bDug, and gShen texts guide rites for healing, exorcism, protection, funerals, and the intermediate state after death, as well as rituals for prosperity, weather, and agriculture. Medical treatises and astrological and divinatory manuals further extend scriptural authority into the domains of health, time, and fate. In addition, Bon maintains a vibrant treasure (gter ma) tradition, in which hidden scriptures and practice cycles are revealed anew by later masters, continually refreshing the living stream of its canon. Through this layered body of scripture, Bon presents a path that ranges from the most practical rites of protection to the most subtle contemplations of the Great Perfection.