Tibet’in Yerli İnancı Bön ve Taraftarları: Bir Giriş Denemesi
Tibet’s Native Faith Bon and its Adherents: An Introductory Essay

Summary/Abstract: Two religious traditions have been established in Tibet for centuries. The most common of these is Buddhism, which has survived under the name Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). The other is the religious tradition known as Bon, which refers to the dominant pre-Buddhist religious structure in Tibet and non-Buddhist beliefs and practices after Buddhism gained supremacy in the region. Claiming to be the indigenous faith of Tibet, Bon argues that it emerged in pre-Buddhist times and is a distinct and original faith. Bon belief, which has been struggling with Buddhism in the region for a long time, has survived to the present day with a small number of supporters (Bonpo). Some of the Bon followers, immigrated from the region with Tibetan Buddhists when Tibet came under Chinese rule in the 1950s, continue their lives in the habitats they have established in India and Nepal, where they have taken refuge. This study aims to provide an introduction to the Bon faith, which is known as the indigenous religion of Tibet and has been trying to survive in Tibetan geography for centuries. In the article, the debates on the definition of the Bon religion, its founder, basic belief principles, rituals and its current situation will be discussed.

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