BÖNPO

ATibetanform ofBuddhismthat is likely to have originated as a pre-Buddhistanimismwith shamanic leaders. Some interpreters try to maintain a distinction between Bön and Buddhism, but this ignores both Tibetan self-understandings and many centuries of history. The integration of pre-Buddhistcosmologies, practices, andperformancesis said to explain the importance ofexorcismin Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism.