Yungdrung totem, a pattern symbolizing universe and auspiciousness and commonly seen in Tibet, is a totem both in Bonism and Buddhism. [Photo/Baidu]

Many people tend to regard Tibetan society as strongly influenced by Buddhism, but actually many Tibetan customs are in fact originated from the Bon Religion; and still some traditions have been inherited too long ago to be distinguished from either Buddhism or Bon, which should be dated back to the era of Zhang Zhung civilization during the 2nd and 3rd century scattered around in the places of contemporary Ngari Prefecture in western Tibet.

Burning mulberry branches in temples and monasteries, which is popular in Tibet, is a typical religious custom generated from Bonism. Other traditions such as painting the door and window bars black are also legacy of the Bon religion.

The Yungdrung Bonism was prevalent in the heyday of Zhang Zhung when there were eighteen kings ruling west and northwest part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau around the 2nd century BC. Even today, some many Tibetan people in these areas are still Bonism followers.

The throne of Bonism used to be inherited within the Tonpa Shenrab Miwo (the ancestor of Bonism, who is equivalent to Shakyamuni Buddha in Buddhism) clan. Later on it began to be passed on from masters to disciples.

The earlier Bonism did not believe in the Buddhist notion of "afterdeath", but thought the Bon wizards and witches could relieve the sufferings for people when they were alive, which can be proved in the remarks by Maxiang Chunbaji, a Bonist and a powerful minister in the Tubo kingdom during the fight between Buddhism and Bonism in the middle 8th century. By opposing the Buddhist idea of "afterdeath" or "the next life" as lies, he also demonstrated the resistant feelings of the local Bonism towards external Buddhism.

Bonism believes in animism: a heavenly God rules the heaven, mountain deities administrate mountains and treants to lead the trees; and as for rivers, lakes, mountain springs and space under the earth, there are different dragons to have the say.

When people get ill, Bonism believes that the people must have offended the deity or demon and thus they get punishment. The way to wipe out illness is showing respect and homage to the divinity. For example, mulberry branches might get burned to welcome the divinity and offerings would be burnt to feed the spirits with the aroma of food instead of human body, so that people could recover to good health. If there were suspending difficulty, a bootlace of five colors would be used to practice divination to help people make decisions.

Furthermore, people believe in Bonism often paint their doors and window bars black and draw a totem of Yungdrung in order to ward off the evil spirits. Such customs are still popular in Tibet nowadays, but are mistakenly considered as Buddhist rituals.

According to history, the Yungdrung Bonism thrieved along with the Zhang Zhung Kingdom during the ruling of the eighteen kings around the time of Nyatri Tsenpo, the ancestor of the royal clan of Tubo Kingdom around 2nd century BC until the 7th century when Tsongtsen Gampo became the Tubo King, and defeated the Zhang Zhung Kindom to integrate all split tribes into one Tibet under the Tubo Kingdom's administration.

Thence Buddhism replaced Bonism to be the national religion of Tubo Kingdom. But, knowing the deep roots of Bonism, Tsongtsen Gampo did not push the religious reform too hard on people, and also let Buddhism absorb some rituals and customs from Bonism. Meanwhile, esteemed masters of the Bon religion also changed some superficial traits of Bonists such as wearing Buddhist robes in an attempt to get away from religious and political purges.

Therefore, the Bon religion somehow survived with the essence and some rituals.

So, in a more accurate sense, Tubo culture is more of a mix of Buddhism and Bonism, and many Tibetologists believe that a study of the Zhang Zhung civilization, the originating culture of Bonism, is a must to research the origin of Tibet culture.

The king of Zhang Zhung often wears roc (a legendary big bird of great power) feather with the crown. The Zhang Zhung people live in yak skin tents or caves, do pastoral work as major business, eat yak and Tibetan sheep as main food, and worship roc as a religious totem. They believe in the Bon Religion, which sees more of ghosts, gods and prophet witchcraft, and prohibits eating wild horses.