Perhaps due to misunderstandings by early Western scholars attempting to understand Tibetan Buddhism, the term 'Lama' has historically been erroneously applied to Tibetan monks generally. Similarly, Tibetan Buddhism was referred to as 'Lamaism' by early Western academics and travelers who 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 Bon. The term 'Lamaism' is now considered derogatory.