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ACCOUNT OF THE THIRD CONFERENCE
ON MONGOLIAN BUDDHISM
The third international conference on Mongolian Buddhism was held from 25-26
April, 2019 at Eétvés Lorand University, Faculty of Humanities in Budapest, Hun¬
gary in the series of annual European seminars of the International Association for
Mongol Studies (IAMS). The conference entitled Mongolian Buddhism: Tradition
and Innovation was organized and hosted by the Department of Mongolian and Inner
Asian Studies, Eötvös Loránd University in cooperation with its Research Centre for
Mongolian Studies, Budapest Centre of Buddhist Studies, and the International Asso¬
ciation for Mongol Studies. Several other institutions, like the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Science and Sports of Mongolia — Fund for Supporting Mongolian Studies,
Gandantegchenling Monastery, the Centre of Mongolian Buddhists, the Embassy of
Mongolia in Budapest, the Dharma Gate Buddhist Church and the Eternal Art Gallery
provided support for the scientific forum. A visit in the Oriental Collection of the
Library and Information Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences completed
the event as well as a reception organized by the Embassy of Mongolia in Budapest.
During the opening ceremony Birtalan Agnes, the president of the IAMS and the
Head of the Department of Mongolian and Inner Asian Studies, and the Research
Centre for Mongolian Studies welcomed the participants. After the addressings of
Sonkoly Gabor, Dean of Faculty and Humanities, Edétvés Lorand University, His Ex¬
cellence Ds. Batbayar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia
in Hungary, the greeting words sent by Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, Prime Minister of
Mongolia, Most Ven. D. Choijamts, Abbot of the Gandantegchenling Monastery,
and Most Ven. Ch. Dambajaw, Abbot of the Dsiitin Khiiree Dashichoiling Monas¬
tery emphasized the importance of the conference and its valuable impacts on the
international studies of Mongolian Buddhism. Telo Tulku Rinpoche, Honorary Rep¬
resentative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia, and CIS Countries
at the Tibet Culture & Information Centre (Office of Tibet) in Moscow, Russia, gave
the keynote presentation of the plenary session, and Möngkebatu Isipirengleijamsu
Corji, the sixth incarnation of Mergen Gegen Monastery, Inner Mongolia, China
introduced his active monastery in brief.
The present series of conferences on Mongolian Buddhism at Eétvés Lorand
University has started in 2015 (Mongolian Buddhism: Past, Present, Future) and
continued in 2017 (Mongolian Buddhism in Practice) with great success. During
the third conference held from 25—26 April, 2019 more than 90 researchers and high
ranking lamas from 14 countries (Austria, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, the United
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