Training in the Bon tradition today generally unfolds through relationship with living lineages, established institutions, and a supportive community of practice. Central to this is the presence of qualified Bon lamas, who transmit teachings, guide meditation, and confer empowerments within an unbroken lineage. Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, stands as the principal Bon monastery in exile, offering full monastic education in philosophy, ritual, and contemplative practice. Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, similarly maintains a systematic curriculum and serves as a major center of Bon learning. For those able to travel and work with the Tibetan language, Bon monasteries in Tibet itself remain vital sources of traditional training. In each of these settings, the path can range from lay participation in rituals and teachings to full monastic commitment.

Beyond the Himalayan region, Bon has taken root in various parts of the world through centers established by recognized teachers. Ligmincha International, founded by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, offers structured programs, retreats, and meditation instruction in many countries, as well as online teachings that make core practices more accessible. Shenten Dargye Ling in France provides multi‑year study and retreat opportunities, particularly focused on Dzogchen within the Bon context. Smaller sanghas and practice groups, often affiliated with these larger institutions or specific lamas, give practitioners a place to engage in group meditation, preliminary practices, and ritual training. Such communities allow the tradition to be lived rather than merely studied, grounding doctrinal understanding in shared practice.

Study of Bon literature can support this experiential training, provided it remains anchored in guidance from a teacher. Works by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, along with scholarly overviews of Bon’s history and philosophy, offer structured introductions to its worldview, contemplative methods, and stages of the path. These texts can illuminate the broader architecture of the tradition—its understanding of ethics, cosmology, and the gradation from foundational practices to advanced meditation—while also pointing back to the necessity of direct transmission. Academic programs in Tibetan studies and related fields may further deepen historical and textual knowledge, especially for those able to engage primary sources in Tibetan.

For someone beginning or deepening engagement, a gradual, layered approach is often most fruitful. One may start by attending introductory retreats or online courses, receiving basic instructions in meditation and refuge from a recognized Bon lama. From there, involvement can deepen into regular participation in rituals, sustained daily practice, and, where appropriate, entry into more formal study programs at monasteries or international centers. Whether as a lay practitioner or as a monastic, the heart of training lies in allowing the teachings to permeate conduct, view, and meditation, under the steady guidance of an authentic lineage and a community that embodies the living Bon tradition.