History of the Early Period of Buddhism & Bon in Tibet

The indigenous Tibetan tradition of Bon developed in Zhang-Zhung, western Tibet. With the establishment of the Tibetan Empire and the introduction of Buddhism from India and China in the 7th century, Bon rituals were adopted at the imperial court. Bon was not yet an organized religion. During the subsequent centuries, the interaction between Bon and Buddhism was primarily political rivalry within the court, between the pro-Chinese, the pro-Indian and the xenophobic, conservative Bon factions. This culminated, over the next centuries, in the Bon faction being sent into exile, the pro-Indian faction gaining supremacy over the pro-Chinese, Buddhist institutions being persecuted due to the overly strong political influence of the monasteries and their economic drain on society, the Tibetan empire breaking up, and then Buddhism being reintroduced from India.

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