Abstract
The article deals with the older but influential idea connecting Bon to the faith present in Tibet before the early spread of Buddhism. After introducing to these views and describing the formation of an opinion on Bon among Western scholars the article indicates what about pre-Buddhist religious life in Tibet is found in primary sources (i.e. inscriptions from the Imperial period, Dunhuang manuscripts, manuscripts from other Silk road localities and oldest chronicles).
The conclusion suggests that connecting these fragments of pre-Buddhist religious life to animism, shamanism or Bon might be - despite traditional Buddhist and Bonpo narratives and local traditions - problematic and misleading.