 Perhaps due to misunderstandings by early western scholars attempting to understand Tibetan Buddhism, the term "lama" has historically been erroneously applied to Tibetan monks in general.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.The term Lamaism is now considered by some to be derogatory.