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AgataBareja-Starzyńska,ByambaaRagchaaNotesontheSurvivalofBuddhism…
1.TheDestructionofBuddhistInstitutionsandMass
Repression
ThepersecutionofBuddhisminMongoliawhichfollowedthePeople,sRevo-
lutionin1921intensifiedafterthepassingofthe8thJetsundampain1924
andculminatedwiththegrowingpowerofthecommunistsinthe1930s.The
communistsplannedtoeliminateBuddhistideology.Thisresultedinthealmost
completeannihilationofBuddhismontheMongolianPlateau,itsproponents–
theBuddhistclergy,andtheirmaterialbasis–themonasteries.
TheresearchconductedbyanumberofWesternandMongolianscholars,in-
cludingKaplonski(2008),Teleki(seeinternetsource:Documentation…),Baabar
(aliasBatbayar1999),SoninbayarandAmgalan(2008),Erdenesaikhan(2013)
andmanyothers,3hasdocumentedmanydetailsofthedestruction.Thenumber
ofmonksandlayBuddhistbelieverswhoweremurdered,particularlyinthe
1930s,isnotclear,butestimatesreachashighasthetensofthousands.Precise
figuresaboutthevictimsofthepurgesaredificulttoobtain,sincethegovern-
mentswhichfollowedtheruleoftheJetsundampafrom1925until1989/90tried
tokeepthemsecret.Onlyafter1990wasitpossibletoaccessthearchivesand
acquiresomedata.MassgraveswereuncoveredinseveralplacesinMongolia,
bringingtolightthemasskillingofmonksandotherelementsofthedarkpast
(Batbayar1999:364).However,fewwitnessesoftheseeventsarestillwithus.
ThestruggleofcommunistsagainstBuddhismwastwofold:firstly,thede-
structionofmonasteriestogetherwiththeconfiscationofmonasticpropertyand,
secondly,theeliminationoftheBuddhistclergy.Initseforttogainpowerover
thecountry,theMongolianPeople,sRevolutionaryParty,beinganorganofthe
Comintern,sawasitsgreatestideologicalenemytheBuddhistclergy.Thecom-
munistsusedtheoldmethodofdivideandrule.Mongoliansocietywasdivided
accordingtothesocialstatusintorichandpoor(баян,я0уу),orfeudallordsand
theirsubjects(фео0ал,ар0).TheBuddhistclergywerelabelledasflyellowlords”
(шарфео0ал),meaningBuddhistfeudallords,andwereseenasaseparategroup
fromlaycitizens,whowerereferredtoasflblack”(хар).
Moreover,theBuddhistclergywerealsodivided,intoflhighlamas”(0330
лам),suchasreincarnations(хутагтхувилгаан)andmonasticauthorities(3рх
м303лтнYY0),andcommonmonks,lit.fllowerlamas”(0оо0лам).Sincethe
majorityoftheMongolianpopulationweredevoutBuddhists,itwasdificultto
3Choibalsan:flBythe11thmonthofthe29thyear[November1939]thenumberoflamas
killedwas20,356.Amongthemwere600highlamas,3,174mid-levellamas,and13,120
low-levellamas.”QuotedinBatbayar1999:369.ForthehistoryofBuddhistmonasteries
inMongolia,seeDocumentationofMongolianMonasteries,http://www.mongoliantemples.
org/index.php/en.