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REFLECTIONS ON THE REVIVAL OF KHÖGSHIN KHÜREE Informants 1 and 2 explained how their temples were "registered" with Gandan and how they attended the twice yearly meetings of Abbots and Temples’ Heads: Informant 2 — “when Gandan announces when some meetings and conferences on particular topics and issues for instance: monks’ issues and astrology then the temple joins;” Informant | — “generally for Dharma activities. I would say ... collaboration with Gandan. Like Parliament, we have Council of Abbots, this is like decision making body consists of abbots of all local monasteries.” Informant 3 had made frequent attempts to contact the Gandan monk in charge of liaison with local monasteries to request “registration but his approaches had been ignored. He was anxious to have his temple recognised as the genuine revival of Khégshin khiiree and his frustration was palpable. I had texted the said monk, as I had known him since my first visit to Mongolia, to ask him for the telephone number of the temple head of the revival of Khögshin khüree. He sent a text back with Informant 1’s phone number. I was not able to follow up with him as he had recently gone overseas for several months. Despite this Informant 3 and Ven. NB were determined to create, what they called “a fixed place for the revival” in which they would re-instate and spread the traditions and worship the protector Mahakala (Gombo Makhgal) of the area and of Khégshin khiiree. They want the temple to be a place for lay people to practice Dharma and for the younger generation to have access to a “proper place“ of Buddhist knowledge. Unlike most active temples in Mongolia today, this temple claims not to have a prayer tariff — but asks devotees to offer whatever they can. During both my visits devotees were constantly arriving with one of the monks doing püjas for individuals or small family groups. When I asked Informant 3 why local people seek out the monks I was told most come to have prayers done to improve their lot in life. Other reasons given were to help them with problems in everyday life such as death, sickness and disputes or more specifically Mongolian cultural reasons such as the hair cutting date for a baby, making a stamp on a horse or blessing a horse before a Naadam race. My other two informants also gave these reasons. Informant 1 made an interesting connection between the overall economic condition of the community and the reasons given for requesting prayers: “60-70% out of the total devotees come to request prayers and help for making their work and businesses successful and request blessings for their activities and work. The Buddhist temples, monasteries are like social barometers — when livelihood is better, people tend to come for weddings or when they experience some problems like death and sickness.” At the time of my visit there were ten monks in Gundu Yondon Rawjaalin coming from Khentii, Dornod and Ulaanbaatar: one had studied in Nepal, another completed a university degree in Buddhist studies, another monk graduated from the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art and two more were from other religious institutions. They, as did Informant | when his monastery was fully active, practice the traditional Gelugpa cycle of daily, monthly and annual rituals and ceremonies: daily khural or Tsogchin; the ceremonies of the 8", 15", 19%, 25", 29" and 30" auspicious (diiichen) days of the lunar month; the great annual ceremonies including /kh yerGol at Tsaagan sar (Lunar New Year), a ceremony on the 14" day of Zsaagan sar to commemorate 41
