History of the Gandantegchinlen Monastery Revisited
https://doi.org/10.22162/2500-1523-2022-2-393-404
Abstract
Introduction. The article summarizes the history of the Gandantegchinlen Monastery (Mongolia). Goals. It aims at revealing the latter’s place and role in the history of Buddhism nationwide. Insights into the history and functioning structures of the Gandantegchinlen Monastery reveal certain historical links between Buddhist centers of Mongolia and Buryatia. Being a stronghold of Buddhist education, Gandantegchenlin has made (and still does) its essential impacts on the shaping and development of religious and philosophical educational systems among Mongolic peoples — and contributed to the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhist culture. Methods. The study employs tools of factor analysis (characterizing the place and role in historical reality), the historical/genetic and retrospective research methods. Results. The retrospective analysis reveals key stages in the development of the monastery — from its earliest activities, closure, and restoration in the 1940s–1960s to present days witnessing a gradual revival of Buddhist traditions in Russia and Mongolia.
Supporting agencies: The reported study was funded by Russian Science Foundation, project no. 22-18-20001 ‘Buryat Buddhist Pilgrims in Sacred Places of Tibet: A Historical and Cultural Atlas’.
About the Authors
Tsymzhit P. Vanchikova
Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the RAS (6, Sakhyanova St., 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (History), Chief Research Associate
Nomin D. Tsyrenova
Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the RAS (6, Sakhyanova St., 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Junior Research Associate, Postgraduate Student
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Review
For citations:
Vanchikova Ts.P., Tsyrenova N.D. History of the Gandantegchinlen Monastery Revisited. Mongolian Studies. 2022;14(2):393-404. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22162/2500-1523-2022-2-393-404
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