How did Buddhism get to Mongolia

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

Certainly, for example the Secret History of the Mongols contains no reference of Buddhist influence among the Mongols. If Buddhism was so wide-spread among the Turko-Mongol tribes of Mongolia before the 13th century, the SHoM would have mentioned it.

[jstampfl]

Seems like the topic of this thread has changed. It was "How did Buddhism get to Mongolia".

I would suggest a new thread should be started.

for example: "How wide spread was Buddhism among people who lived in the Mongolian territory during the xx century."

To say that the Uighers are North Chinese may not be true depending on the time period

[Temüjin]

Feb 14, 2013 11:11:42 GMT 3 H. İhsan Erkoç said:

Certainly, for example the Secret History of the Mongols contains no reference of Buddhist influence among the Mongols. If Buddhism was so wide-spread among the Turko-Mongol tribes of Mongolia before the 13th century, the SHoM would have mentioned it.

exactly

[jstampfl]

Only a few points.

1. The Author of the SHoM is not known.

2. This is not a history of Mongols in general, but a history of the Royal family (Chinggis Khaan).

So I don't see this as an argument related to "How did Buddhism get to Mongolia"

[Temüjin]

i would strongly disagree here. the SHoM is the primary source for the period and details the ethnogenesis of the mongol people and thus mongolia as well as the mongolian creation myth. the topic is how did buddhism get to MONGOLIA, not the eastern steppe or whatever you want to read into this topic. the author of the SHOM is unknown, but i don't see how that affects anything. the SHoM is widely considered the most reliable primary source on the topic so i don't see why you would disparage it for not including references to your beloved buddhism.

[Ardavarz]

In Mongolian shamanistic beliefs there is a category of mighty spirits called Burkhans into which individuals with great personal power are transformed after death. Curiously enough "Burkhan" (or Burqan) is the Turkic word for "Buddha". And it can be found in the text of the Secret History among the verses cited there - used not in Buddhistic, but in its shamanistic sense. So it is not that the Secret History doesn't contain any traces of Buddhism - it just doesn't have any direct ones, only indirect evidences of such presence (perhaps in the past). I guess this shows that Mongolians have come into contact with Buddhism at some point even though they were not converted to it in this time. And it should have been a tradition popular enough in order to influence their spiritual notions - most likely that of the Uighurs since the adopted term was Turkic, not Chinese, Tibetan or Sanskrit. When later the Lamaistic tradition was introduced in Mongolia the old Turkic Buddhism was already long since extinct.

This topic indeed needs some specifying - whether it is about how Buddhism get to Mongolian peoples or to the territory of modern Mongolia. We should keep in mind that Steppe history is more dynamic than that of the sedentary cultures - in the Steppe peoples and cultures are like waves that come and recede one after another while passing through given lands and regions.

[jstampfl]

While there is not much reference to religion in the SHoM.

In fact, some Mongol women,including Chinggis Khan’s own mother, had
converted to a heretical form of Christianity known as Nestorian Christianity.

From:

Asian Topics in World History | Columbia University
The Mongols in World History page 3
* This is a transcript of the text found at <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols>. For working links to images,
PDF documents, and readings cited throughout this transcript, please visit the website. *

[jstampfl]

Juviani also notices religion among the Mongols:

“Princess Sorqoqtani, is praised not only for her probity and administrative ability, but also for her patronage of Islam: though a Christian ….”

Page xlv of Juvaini “History of the World Conqueror” translator's notes.

========
Page 26 in Juvaini's “History of the World-Conqueror”.

“As for his (Chinggis Khaan) children and grandchildren, several of them have chosen a religion according to their inclination, some adopting Islam, others embracing Christianity, others selecting idolarty and others again cleaving to the ancient canon of their fathers and forefathers and inclining in no direction.”

[jstampfl]

History of the Mongols: from the 9th to the 19th century
by:  By Sir Henry Hoyle Howorth

page 220

“He (Khubilai Khaan) was the first of the Mongol Khakans to definitely abandon Shamanism and to adopt Buddhism as the State Religion,... Khubilai promoted a young Lama, call Mati Dhwadsha, more widely known by his title Pakba Lama, or Supreme Holy Lama.... with the title of King of the Great and Precious Law and Institutor of the Empire.”

It is this that makes Tibetan Buddhism official within Mongolia.

[jstampfl]

The Religions of Mongolia

By: Walter Heissig

Page: 82

“A prayer of request and praise to the constellation of the Seven Old Men (doluyan ebugen) was already translated into Mongolian and Uighur in 1328.... The prayer is said to originate from India.”

Of course during the Yuan, there was support for Buddhism

[jstampfl]

The religions of Mongolia

By: Walter Hessig

Page 1
“1368 Collapse of Mongol rule over China; expulsion of the Mongols from China
1431 Buddhist mantras printed in China in the Mongolian language”

[jstampfl]

Medieval researches from eastern Asiatic sources: fragments …, Volume 2

by E. Bretschneider

Page 222

“... the Ming history notices also an embassy sent to the Chinese court by the kou shi Do-rhdji k'ie-lie-shi sz'-ba dsang-bu of Ho-lin (Kharkorum).... The kuo shi had despatched his kiang chu (chief explainer). By name Ju-nu-wang-shu, to present to the emperor a Buddha's statue of copper, sacred relics, white cloth called ha-dan, one seal of jade, four seals of gold, five of silver.... the emperor received the envoy kindly. In the next year the kuo shi of Ho-lin once more sent presents, a Buddha's statue, relics, and two horses. The emperor bestowed upon the envoy a priest's robe of silk.”

This takes place around 1380.

This book is available via Google books and can be read for free

[jstampfl]

The Mongolian Manuscripts on Birch Bark from Xarbuxyn Balgas in the ..., Part 1
By Elisabetta Chiodo

another free book from Google.

Note: Earlier I posted a reference that stated the Manuscripts found at Xar Buxyn were from the 13th-14th centuries. The manuscripts in this book are from the 16th-17th centuries. The earlier reference may be incorrect.

[Ardavarz]

Mar 14, 2013 20:42:02 GMT 3 jstampfl said:

The Religions of Mongolia

By: Walter Heissig

Page: 82

“A prayer of request and praise to the constellation of the Seven Old Men (doluyan ebugen) was already translated into Mongolian and Uighur in 1328.... The prayer is said to originate from India.”

Of course during the Yuan, there was support for Buddhism

Interesting - in India this constellation is called Saptaṛśi - "the Seven Sages" (after the seven legendary Vedic sages). I wonder whether the Mongolian name is a translation of this.

[H. İhsan Erkoç]

It most probably is.