Namdrol wrote:Pots are not people. For example, would we expect to find Celts today living along the Danube?Tenzin1 wrote: Radiocarbon date results for Zhang Zhung say the culture existed at least as early as 1000 BCE, per recent studies by Belleza.
Evidence is that there was a culture in Zhang Zhang and that is always done with a carbon test. And by pots one can see how the people did live etc. These are sure cultural evidences and we do speak here about the Zhang Zhung culture which is anyway the oldest Tibetan culture. They have had also a script there and there was a translation from this literature about 800.
Here Zhang Zhung Dzogchen Master , Gyerpung Nangzer Lodpo got the permission from Tapiritsa to write the ZZ Dzogchen teachings on paper. This was at the time of the cruel persecutions in Tibet caused by king Trisong Deutsen so it was the highest time for termas.
Anyway before 800 we got also Bon Dzogchen teachings but that was done in the Kagyud style (Oral)
Further evidences are:
http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiap ... et.iceage/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
That is the start.
What they mean is that we do not have a single Bon text which can be dated earlier that the 11th century.In any case, this may be why some say that Bon didn't exist before the 11th Century. It depends on how one defines Bon.
We must bear in mind that because of the Bon persecution many texts are hidden in the form of Termas. Besides that we know the mind to mind teachings and the Kagyud teachings. In the Dzogchen tradition is it also wellknown that 1 Master has only 1 follower.
But sure, when the wind of persecution went down there was free space to rewrite it down.
Further are there translations from Zhang Zhung to Tibetan and these are some earlier than the 11th century
N
Best wishes
KY