Traditional use of herbes of the Mongols

Mongolian Medicine: "the warriors of Chengis Khan (died 1227) took medicines like Acorus calamus (Tib. shu dag) to stop bleeding. The herb relieves pain and detoxifies the organism after consumption of contaminated food. During times of war, senior generals made their troops collect Acorus calamus when the army camped near rivers. They used the herb to purify water by placing it in the river, upstream of the camp.

Musk was also used to treat water. The Mongolians soaked musk in their wooden water carriers to provide flavour and purify the water. Aconitum richardsonianum lavener (Tib. sman chen) was used in the distillation of liquor. The herb was placed below the barrel of liquor as a precautionary measure. Garuda-5 or Khyunga (Tib. Khyung lnga), which prevents infectious diseases and relieves pain, is also very popular in oriental medical traditions. In this way, Mongolians have used different kinds of medicinal herbs to cure and prevent human and animal ailments."

370th anniversary of the birth of Zanabazar

BY S.UYANGA -
taken from UB POST August 3rd

THE 370TH anniversary of the birth of the first Bogd Khaan Zanabazar was celebrated on July 29 and 30 in Khar Khorin, Ovorkhangai aimag. Several state figures took part in a ceremony presided over by President N.Enkhbayar. In his opening speech Enkhbayar noted the significance of the Soyombo, the state emblem created by Zanabazar, and of Zanabazar’s influential role in Mongolian Buddhism, art and culture. The president described how the Soyombo was one of Zanabazar’s greatest works.
The highly respected symbol describes Mongolian history, tradition, statehood and independence. Enkhbayar explained that Zanabazar used the Soyombo to express his simple teaching that events that happen to a person or people are a direct result of the people’s actions. This in turn was used to express that the increase and decrease in the fortunes of the Mongol nation were due to the Mongolians themselves and it is therefore only the Mongolians who can save themselves from any misfortune.
Zanabazar lived from 1635 to 1723 and was the most important state and religious figure of his time. He is famous for creating the Soyombo alphabet and many magnificent art works including portraits of the Buddha and sculptures of the 21 taras. He was a descendant of Chinggis Khaan and promoted the growth of Buddhism in Mongolia, adjusting the religion to Mongolian traditions.
Some historians have criticized Zanabazar’s close relationship with Manchu occupiers of Mongolia. However, Doctor N.Khavkh countered this in a report he made at a scientific conference organized for the anniversary on July 6, saying that Zanabazar had no choice but to accept the support of the Manchu. He said that historical records show that at that time Russia had become strong and Mongolia was in danger of attack from Buryatia as well the strong influence of Manchu rule.
Khavkh explained that the Manchu Emperor Enkh- Amgalan put pressure on Zanabazar to allow Mongolia to become Manchu territory. However Zanabazar resisted and facilitated the keeping of Mongolia as an independent country yet under the control of the Manchu. Zanabazar played a pivotal role in saving Mongolia from being annexed to any of the powerful nations at that time such as Russia, Buryatia, and China, according to Khavkh.
A danshig Naadam (regional Naadam) event was held in Ovorkhangai to mark the anniversary, with traditional competitions of national wrestling, horse racing and archery.

Article: Byambajav reclaims sacred lands

Byambajav reclaims sacred lands
http://www.un.org/works/sustainable/byambajav_story.html

Bogh Khan, a Mongolian mountain, rises within one of the world's oldest nature preserves. Home to the Manchi monastery, it is a sacred place to local Buddhists. Such reverence did little to protect the mountain in the 1930s, when Stalinist forces destroyed the monastery. But Lama Byambajav hopes that Bogh Khan's spiritual significance will guard it against the new danger that threatens the mountain today - environmental degradation.

Since 2000, Byambajav has been at the center of a movement to encourage environmental preservation in Mongolia by reviving the traditional Buddhist reverence for nature. Working with the World Bank, World Wildlife Fund, and the Alliance for Religions and Conservation, Byambajav is trying to resurrect a centuries-old custom of preserving the natural landscapes that encompass sites considered sacred in local Buddhist tradition. As the leader of a Buddhist university in Mongolia, Byambajav is part of the Sacred Gifts to the Living Planet Campaign, a partnership between the World Bank and the Buddhist community that seeks to identify and protect these sacred places.

"It is sacred duty of ours, no matter of what religion we belong, to protect and hand over to next generation this untouched nature of Mongolia," Byambajav says.

By identifying sacred sites throughout the country and re-introducing them to the local populace, the Sacred Gifts program hopes to create strong moral and religious support for environmental protection and enforcement measures. In his post as university president, Byambajav educates monks from monasteries throughout Mongolia about the importance of environmental awareness and teaches them conservation methods that they can bring back with them to their home communities.

"He is interested in environmental conservation not for economic reasons, but because it is the right thing to do. It's the moral thing to do," said Tony Whitten, a biodiversity specialist at the World Bank who has spearheaded the program.

Byambajav was part of a group formed to identify Mongolia's sacred sites. The group compiled a nationwide list by writing to the country's district governors, monks and academics and asking them to provide the names and
locations of their own local sites. The list currently includes about 600 sacred places, mostly mountains, forests, trees and springs. Maps and descriptions of these sites were published earlier this year in a booklet with forwards written by the prime minister of Mongolia and the president of the World Bank.

From among the 600 sites, the group selected five in which to begin pilot conservation programs. The five sites represent a diversity of natural zones and regions: Mazshir monastery in the central region, Amarbayasgalant monastery in the north, Baldan Breeven monastery in the east, Suvarga Hairhan mountain in the Hangai region and Zuun Choir monastery in southeastern Mongolia.

At each location, the group installed stone tablets identifying the sacred site. Representatives of the Sacred Gifts programme held educational sessions with monks from local monasteries, who joined with other people from the community in cleaning up the surrounding areas. As a result of this local commitment to the revival of these sacred sites, the traditional bans on hunting and logging have been successfully re-introduced.

The interaction between the group and the local monasteries has revealed that each of these sacred sites faces its own environmental threats. The monks at the Amarbayasgalant monastery in Selenge province told the group
that discarded plastic bottles were the biggest problem in their region. The monks already have started collecting these bottles and they are trying to educate the community about the need to properly discard them. The group now is now seeking a local recycling scheme and pricing the transportation of the bottles to the nearest facility, if no local option exists.

The entire Sacred Sites project thus far has cost roughly $70,000 - funded mainly through the World Bank - and the group hopes to extend the pilot program to other parts of the country suffering from environmental degradation. Some of the new sacred sites might encompass gold-mining operations in central and northern Mongolia. By re-introducing the worshipping traditions, local communities might be able to pressure mining companies who are not complying with requirements for environmental protection and restoration.

The program also could evolve into an entirely new initiative: spiritual tourism. Manchir monastery on Bogh Khan mountain could become a retreat center led by the Buddhist community. "It would be a spiritual, conservation-oriented tourism," Whitten says.

Faith in Motion: An introduction to Buddhism in Mongolia

Stupas on the Steppe Series: Views on Buddhism and Mongolia

Mongol Messenger

Faith in Motion: An introduction to Buddhism in Mongolia

There is no doubt Mongolia has a rich history of religion. Chinggis Khaan might be the inventor of interfaith gatherings, had only such a word existed. In spite of all the efforts in religious exchange and understanding in his time, the twentieth century brought Mongolia a period of forced religious marginalisation. But during the last fifteen years Buddhism has re-emerged from either hidden or controlled worship. This article discusses the roots and recent developments of a dynamic tradition, that like all faiths continuously needs to adapt to a changing world.

I have found westerners often are surprised to find traces of more native traditions in the current practise of Buddhism in Mongolia. But actually if we look at the main religion of the western world, we can see similar residues of times often long forgotten. Strictly speaking, there is nothing Christian about a Christmas tree, nor about the date of December 25th. These are elements deriving from so-called pagan traditions that were practised in Europe many centuries before Christianity. The Easter bunny, that will visit us soon again, is actually the “reincarnation” of the sacred hare of the Saxon goddess Ostara (Eastre), who also gave her name to this celebration.
In general, it seems most religions that have been successfully introduced outside there native land, have adapted to the local practises and believes. Once a religion is established, the capacity to constantly adjust is need to keep track of an equally dynamic society. Even more so, without the ability to adapt, Buddhism would have never reached Mongolia.

The Past
After several initial contacts, Buddhism became significant in Mongolia only when in the 13th century it was introduced from Tibet. On the “roof of the world” Padmansambava had before been able to find a common ground between Buddhism and the indigenous traditions, often referred to as Bon. Gods from this traditional Tibetan pantheon since then clarify Buddhist principles and their images were placed on the Buddhist altars. In the cause of history several secular leaders of the Mongols established a special relationship with the spiritual leaders of Tibet. One occasion made Khubilai Khaan turn Buddhism into the court religion of the empire, and another made Altan Khaan in the 17th century come up with the name for the most well-known Buddhist leader today: Dalai Lama. During this last period Buddhism was able to reach the more common people as well, and became the predominant religion of Mongolia.
And while by that time extinct in its Indian homelands, the ability of Buddhism to adapt was proven again when it incorporated the traditional beliefs of Mongolia. For example, the ancient worship of the Eternal Heaven is still reflected in the use of blue, rather than white or yellow khadags. These ceremonial scarves are now widely used, not only in Buddhist settings, and have even replaced the coloured threads that shamans originally used. Sacred places and their spirits were not discarded as being pagan, but were recognised as Buddhist Nagas and used to promote an environmental consciousness, long before NGO’s were invented to take care of that. Ovoos started to be worshipped in Buddhist ceremonies often being followed by a Nadaam sports festival.

The Present
Once more, Buddhism is currently proving to be adaptive. Surfacing after years of limited hidden practise, it has found a world that changed dramatically. Technology has provided means of communication and transportation that in a way seem to underline the Buddhist concept of interconnection. Rationalism has triggered a desire for understanding, rather than following; for asking, rather than just bowing. Not only the lay community has changed, but the Sangha as well. Monks go and study abroad, and receive teachings not limited to their own sect.
The environmental teachings, although more relevant than ever, have had trouble resurfacing but are slowly catching up. In June this year a hundred monks from all over the country will come and discuss ecology and development with the NGO’s that partly took their place.
Another dimension of understanding the faith is the initiative to recite sutras in Mongolian, rather than the clerical Tibetan language. It is an attempt to bring the faith closer to the people, but other schools argue that they are revealing holy texts that contain secret wisdom only intended for specialists that have the necessary knowledge for understanding.

Modernity does bring new opportunities as well as challenges. Increased communication enables Buddhist communities from all over the world to interact. The technologically advanced products advertised by our modern market economy ease our life and not just that of lay people. Monks and nuns are, of course, as much part of society as anyone of us and the Buddhist notion of non-attachment, although popular in the West, seems less important in the more ritualistic practise of Buddhism here.
Urbanisation is one other phenomena affecting the monastic communities and the way they are revived. In the 19th century thousands of monks were part of the large monasteries in all the different aimags. After the almost complete destruction of monasteries in the 1930’s, now the process of establishing new temples and communities in the countryside appears to often be a challenge. As seems to be a general trend, many monks have a preference for urban life. Additionally, the monasteries – even those in the countryside - hardly ever have the monastic community resident at the monastery grounds, with Amarbayasgalant Khiid as one of the big exceptions. Living in a secular home rather than in a religious community leads to a different lifestyle which holds a risk of worldly distractions, maybe even more so than by the products of modernity.

In this dynamic period in history, Buddhism in Mongolia is redefining itself, as it always has. We look forward to sharing some of these developments here with you.

- This is the first article of a monthly series on Buddhism in Mongolia and related subjects. -

Guido Verboom is a consultant working since 2000 on different cultural and Buddhist projects in Mongolia for organisations including the Alliance of Religions and Conservation.