The traditions of the old Bon religion of Tibet most likely originated from ancient shamanistic rituals and beliefs of the time. They were refined by Tonpa Shenrab and became the center of religious traditions in Tibet until they were eventually supplanted by the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, and the esoteric Tantric canons introduced by Padmasambhava at the time of this story.

Though the Mayhayana tradition became the favored state religion, the older ways of the Bon persisted in the culture for many years.

Like all religions, a remnant of these traditions still exists today, though in the year 757 AD these rituals were much closer to the more primal energies of shamanism that gave rise to them.

In Taklamakan, several of the major Tibetan characters are proponents and followers of the Bon, most notably Omu Seng Tu and the Tark, two clan leaders that join the Tibetan incursion into the Tarim Basin.

Of these, the Tark embodies the darker,  more primitive and elemental aspects of the Bon tradition, as played out in scenes like “Darkened Minds.” Here the sacrificial elements that were part of the shamanistic rituals have been exaggerated to an extreme with the ritual trampling of the captive Chinese girls who made up “Omu’s Gift.”

In his turn, Omu portrays a more structured and politicized version of that creed, though the beliefs he represents are dealt with in scenes like  “Sky Funeral,” a burial rite that persists in Tibet to this day.