Similarly, Tibetan Buddhism was referred to as "Lamaism" by early western scholars and travelers who perhaps did not understand that what they were witnessing was a form of Buddhism; they may also have been unaware of the distinction between Tibetan Buddhism and Bön.
Likewise, Tibetan Buddhism was called "Lamaism" by early western scholars and travelers who possibly failed to grasp that what they encountered was a branch of Buddhism; they may not have recognized the distinction between Tibetan Buddhism and Bön.