DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven low grade lymphoma in the following settings: Consolidation of newly diagnosed stage IV high-risk patients after 6-9 months of intensive conventional dose chemotherapy involving doxorubicin High risk is defined as >=5 cm adenopathy and >=2 extranodal sites at diagnosis, or males with >=5 cm adenopathy and > 20% marrow infiltrate at diagnosis) Failure to achieve CR within 6 months in newly diagnosed patients with intensive doxorubicin treatment Relapse patients who are sensitive to doxorubicin or ESHAP chemotherapies Patients with resistant chemotherapy failure (allogeneic BMT only) Patients with HLA-identical sibling donors are eligible for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation; other patients are eligible for autologous marrow transplantation Bone marrow must be in complete or near complete remission (< 15 % malignant cells) in autologous transplant patients