Religion in Tibet part 1

Religion underpins much of Tibetan society and has done so for many years. Buddhism has been present in the country since many years ago, reaching back all the way to the 8th Century (AD). However, after touring and researching a little into Tibetan history, I came to know that there were faiths and practices before the arrival of Buddhism. The presence of animistic/shaman religions were plenty throughout the country. This religion was named Bon which is still present in current Tibet today. The presence of these religions would slowly trickle into traditional Buddhist teachings and it is for this reason that some of the Buddhist practices vary throughout Tibet. Most of the Tibetan population follow a traditional form of Tibetan Buddhism but around twelve percent follow the ancient religion of Bon. There are also a number of folk religions that are followed by a smaller population amounting to less than ten percent.

With these main sects in place, Tibet is a great place to explore and understand much of the ancient religions and of course get to see some of the auspicious places of worship in the Buddhist religion. Aside from these religions, there are a number of minorities that practice other faiths throughout the country.