The Four Transcendent Lords
The Four Transcendent Lords are the most important deities/gods of the Bon Religion. Each of the Four Lords are typically depicted in a single composition with each surrounded by two hundred and fifty attendant deities. These attendant figures total one thousand in number and are called the 'One Thousand Enlightened Ones' of the Bon Religion. The first set of two hundred and fifty figures surrounding Satrig Ersang are female and the other three Lords are surrounded by male attendant figures.
The subject of the Four Transcendent Lords, in sets of four paintings, are typically found in every Bon Temple in the Himalayas and Tibet. These four deities hold a similar position as Shakyamuni Buddha and the Sixteen Arhats, or the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, as is customarily found in each and every Buddhist Temple in the Himalayan regions and Tibet.
The Four Lords are described in detail in chapter 30 of the Ziji, a twelve volume, sixty-one chapter, biography of Tonpa Shenrab. Chapter 30 tells the story of the death of Prince Trishang of Tazik. The Four Lords are the principal deities in the funeral ritual for the prince. In chapter 61 the Four Lords are further discussed with reference to the death and funeral of Tonpa Shenrab.