The Influence of the Tibetan Bon Religion of the Tang Dynasty over Dongba Religion

In the Tang Dynasty, Tibetan military forces once controlled northwestern Yunnan and western Sichuan, where the Moxie people (now called Naxi) lived in compact communities. As a result, the Tibetan Bon Religion exerted a strong influence over the life of the Naxi. Meanwhile, the rulers of Tibet were adopting a policy of supporting Buddhism and suppressing Bon Religion, so that the priests of Bon Religion in Tibet had to flee or were exiled to Yunnan and Sichuan, which in turn further influenced the Naxi's indigenous religion. Such influences are evidenced by the similarities between the deities and scriptures of both religions.