Oldal 170 [170]
OCR
ALEXA PÉTER Buddhist Monks at the Court of Kubilai Khan From the early 13? century when Mongolians contacted Tanguts and Jurchis, the way opened to Buddhist ideas as well as Buddhist works, cult objects, monks and scholars who visited them. Later, when Western trade routes were already controlled by Mongolians, they learned about the prosperous Uighur Buddhist culture in the city-states of Turkestan. At the same time Chinese, Tibetan and Indian Buddhism also flourished in the Mongol Empire. The first Buddhist advisor of the Mongol Khans was Hai yun (1202-1257), a Chinese monk. He was appointed by Güyük Khan (1206-1248) and held the same position under Môüngke and Kubilai. Hai yun introduced Kubilai to the precepts and practices of Chinese Buddhism and he was the head of all monks in Kubilai’s empire. Kubilai and Hai yun developed a close collaboration and friendship. When Kubilai’s second son was born in 1243, Hai yun gave him the name Jingim'? which means “True Gold’.' As Kubilai’s first-born son, Dorji (1240-1263) was ill and died early, Jingim became the crown prince and had ever-increasing responsibilities. Kubilai appointed him as the Prince of Yen in 1263, with jurisdiction over the area where the new capital, Tatu'* was located. In the same year, Kubilai gave the twenty-year-old prince the position of supervising the Privy Council. In 1273, he named Jingim the Heir Apparent. Kubilai thus became the first Mongol ruler to designate his own successor.'* In order to provide his son with first-grade Chinese education, the khan assigned his advisers namely Yao Shu (1203-1280), Tou Mo (1196-1280) and Wang Hsun (1235-1281) to instruct Jingim in the Chinese classics and Confucian verities. These learned men introduced him first to the Classic of filiality (Chin. Hsiao jing) " and other more complex classics, like Book of odes (Chin. Shi jing).'’ The government official Wang Hsun also provided Jingim with an essay summarising the views on government of some of the emperors and ministers of earlier dynasties in Chinese history.'* Jingim’s mother, Empress Chabi (1227-1281) was deeply impressed by the teaching of the Tibetan Buddhism and donated some of her jewelry to Buddhist monasteries. This also could be a reason for Kubilai to add Tibetan Buddhist studies to Jingim’s education.'? Chabi possessed much more knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism than KubiName variations: Jing gyim, Jim gyim, Cinggim, Chen chin, Zhen jin, Ching kim. B See Rossabi, M.: Khubilai Khan..., p. 15. Tatu became the new capital city in 1267, in the place of the former and present-day Peking. 'S See Rossabi, M.: Khubilai Khan..., pp. 107-108. The Classic of filiality is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety; that is, how to behave towards a senior such as one’s father, an elder brother, or a ruler. The Book of odes is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry, it includes more than three hundred songs, odes and hymns. Kubilai promoted the translation of many Chinese works into Mongol. See Rossabi, M.: Khubilai Khan..., pp. 107-108. See Rossabi, M.: Khubilai Khan..., p. 17. 168
