His Eminence Menri Lopon Yangton Thrinley Nyima Rinpoche participating in a Yungdrung Bon offering ritual. Photo credit: Unknown
“The holy lama is the source of everything. With body, speech and mind one should respectfully cultivate faith and zeal.” Founder of the Yungdrung Bön spiritual tradition, the Enlightened Lord Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché
The phrase “Mutsuk Marro!” is from the Zhang Zhung language and means ‘Auspiciousness and good health’. Here, it is written using the Tibetan script. In the Yungdrung Bön tradition, this phrase often occurs at the conclusion of a text as an aspirational ending.
In the Tibetan language, the word “Lama” is a compound of the words “La” and “Ma”. The word “La” in Tibetan is spelled bla. This word refers to something that is higher, in position and/or in virtue and spirituality and generally refers to someone who has taken on the responsibility of guiding others. This is also the term that is used for the equivalent of “soul” in English, although the meanings are slightly different. The word “Ma” means mother. Therefore, “Lama” refers to someone that is higher in spiritual development who guides followers.
Nine Ways 