Page 47 [47]
OCR
REFLECTIONS ON THE REVIVAL OF KHÖGSHIN KHÜREE informants give to this aspect of their practice is heavily influenced by the fact for Informant 3 his teacher Ven. Luwsandamba had been an Assistant chanting master in Khögshin khüree while Informant 1 was himself an umdsad in his root monastery, Gundgawarlin, where he had been taught by the old monks of this monastery: "We need to teach them Mongolian specific rhythm and it is our obligation to pass down what we learnt from the previous generation." To illustrate his point of view, Informant 3 gave a moving account of how the practices at the revived Baldan bereewen, the great monastic complex in Khentii province, had been completely transformed in his relatively short lifetime after the old monks died and a younger generation of Tibetan-trained monks took over: “Baldan bereewen is one of the old monasteries and it used to organize the Mani Retreat. I visited there with elderly practitioners when I was a young monk. It was quite crowded with the Buddhists even from the eastern and western aimags, the practitioners used to come to visit and do circumambulation at the monastery. Every year the devotees waited for the Mani Retreat. Starting from 2008 when I look back, the number of the devotees to the monastery decreased. More Tibetan monks and the students of the Gandentegchenlin Monastery from philosophical datsans such as Dashchoimbel, Gungaachoilin datsans from Ulaanbaatar go there. From 1990 up to 2008, the elderly practitioners who knew the traditions and regulations of the Khégshin khiiree ceremonies and piijas were leading the monastery, but the elderly practitioners passed away. There are few people left who know the traditional ways. The way of the traditional Buddhism was more familiar to the local people and the devotees now miss what they used have, in other words now it does not meet devotees’ needs and expectations. This is not very favourable thing in Buddhism in Mongolia. People mostly are more satisfied with the old or familiar ways they used to have. The new tradition / way should do more to meet the devotees’ satisfaction. From the examples we can see it has immense influence on the Mongolian Buddhist heritages. There some talks also many Tibetans come to Mongolia. May be it is quite easier for Tibetans because all prayers and piijas are recited in Tibetan. The Buddhism in Mongolia is very developed and Mongols respect the Dharma very much. That’s why when Tibetan monks visit Mongolia, Mongols respect them a lot and they also offer as much as they can to Tibetan monks. Therefore the Tibetan monks like to come to Mongolia. The Dharma / Buddhist heritage of Mongolia and Tibet do have lots of differences like day and night.” They also drew on history to make their argument for a Mongolian form of Buddhism. Informant 1 claims it was Dsanabadsar or Ond6r Gegeen who instigated this: “I have read some books. I think that Ondér Gegeen was bit separated from Buddhism of India and Tibet. Ondér Gegeen made efforts to adapt Tibetan Buddhism into Mongolia’s culture and traditions including livelihoods.” He also cited though did not name “Mongolian scholar monks who also wrote many commentaries on sutras and created new ritual practices.” This small investigation highlighted a tension I had long been aware of since I first went to work in Mongolia to support the Buddhist revival. The irony of the situation was not lost on me. Mongolians were celebrating not only their full inde45
