Establishment of the Mergen Tradition of Mongolian Buddhism

Mergen Tradition of Mongolian BuddhismThis paper investigates the Mergen Tradition of Mongolian Buddhism, which is a unique casein the history of Buddhism in Mongolia; Although Mongolian Buddhism has existed for overeight centuries since its introduction during the reign of Hublai (Kublai) Khagan, discountingthe said tradition and some minor practices, virtually all Buddhism has been practiced inTibetan. The Mergen Tradition, derived from the Neichi Toyin line of Mongolian Buddhistpractice, is a set of local Buddhist practices centred in Mergen Monastery, including abouttwenty affiliated monasteries of Urad Right Duke Banner1 in Inner Mongolia. The MergenTradition practised Buddhism purely in Mongolian. I call it the ‘Mergen’ Tradition followingthe name of the main monastery, Mergen Monastery, in which it was practised, and the corefigure of the tradition, Mergen Gegen, who was the chief incarnation lama in MergenMonastery. The third Mergen Gegen, Lubsangdambijalsan (Tib. bLo bzang bstan pa’i rgyalmtshan, 1717–1766, Mergen Gegen hereafter), was a great scholar who endeavoured toinstitutionalise the Mergen Tradition and made Buddhism truly Mongolian; Instead ofManchu centred and Tibet oriented, the Mergen Tradition managed to establish a locallysponsored, internal oriented self generating system. The Mergen Tradition of MongolianBuddhism has survived until the present and its influence has been disseminating to otherparts of both Inner Mongolia and Mongolia, for example Mongolia (the nation) has expressedinterest in importing the tradition. This paper will proceed from the origination, formationand institutionalisation of the Mergen Tradition of Mongolian Buddhism to its establishmentof self generating system