Buddhism Drew Many Mongolians to India

by Jack Sabharwal. UBPost, April 17, 2009

Ulan Bator, Mongolia -- The Mongolian community, which existed in Kalimpong, India, beginning in the 1950s, was almost a continuation (as well as much smaller version) of the Mongolian community in pre-Communist Tibet, especially in Lhasa. Contact between the Mongols and Tibet is said to have started during Chinggis Khaan’s time.

Although Buddhism used to flourish in Mongolia during the reign of Chinggis Khaan, and even more while his grandson Kublai khan was in power, “the good time did not last for long”. Thus, the meeting of Altan Khaan and Sonam Gyasto in 1578 becomes the real beginning of Buddhism in all parts of greater Mongolia.

Sonam Gyatso was a head of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism and was later recognized as the third Dalai Lama.

In fact, the title “Dalai Lama” was give for the very first time to Sonam Gyatso at the above-mentioned meeting.

There were always special communities of Mongol monks wherever there were larger Buddhist institutions in Tibet. In some important monasteries in Tibet, some sections were specially established for Buddhist students from all over greater Mongolia.

This gradually become a tradition, at least in some of the major institutions in Tibet, such as Kumbum, Labrang, Drepung, Sera and Gandan, and many more. India and Tibet were considered among the Mongols as “burhanii-oron”, meaning “the land of the Buddha”. Thus, Mongol pilgrims who would go to Tibet would often extend their journey into the holy sites of India.

Darjeeling and Kalimpong, India, are located on a former trading route that connected the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and India, making the two cities important centers of commerce. Kalimpong also became an academic center as a number of the foremost scholars of Himalayan culture from all over the world chose to reside there. There were some Tibetans living in Darjeeling and Kalimpong even before the Chinese invasion of Tibet. A few Mongols were there as well. After 1959, many Tibetan refugees settled down in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Most of the Mongols who accompanied Tibetans to India had settled down in Kalimpong. These Mongols mostly were monks, but later some of them got married, and gradually formed a special community of Mongols.

There were some very talented scholars among them as well as some high-ranking lamas, religious leaders and noble families. Mongolian scholars such as Da-Lama, Rigzin Wangpo, Geshe Wanggyal, Geshe Kaldan, Geshe Agwang Nima, Lama Chimpa, and many others played important roles in academic activities in Kalimpong. For instance, Lama Chimpa assisted Russian scholar Dr. George Roerich in compiling a large Tibetan-Sanskrit dictionary.

Some Mongols were invited to teach at famous Indian institutions such as Benares Hindu University in Varanasi, India, the International Academy of Indian Culture in both New Delhi and Nagpur, and Delhi University. Those Mongols who remained monks lived in Tibetan monasteries elsewhere. For instance, Mongol monks had done important works during the restoration of Dre-pung Gomang, one of the most important Tibetan monasteries in southern India.

Something also worth mentioning about the Mongols community in India is that they gave great importance to the education of their next generations. For example, Tohtoh, who later immigrated to the US and became one of the founders of the Mongol-American Cultural Association, was a brilliant student of the Central School for Tibetans in Mussorie, India.
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP