History of Buddhism in Mongolia in Essay of Kensur Ngawang-Nima “Coverage of Classical Sources on History of Buddhism”

Abstract

The article considers a part of the essay “Coverage of classical sources on the history of Buddhism” by the outstanding Buryat scholar Lama Kensura Ngawang-Nima, dedicated to the history of the spread of Buddhist teachings in Mongolia. Some biographical information of the author of the essay is introduced. The materials of the fragment under study are presented, on the basis of which we can say that the author divides the spread of Buddhism in Mongolia, like many researchers, into three stages. Secular and religious figures who played an important role in the spread and formation of Buddhism among the Mongols are noted in the article. It is indicated that when writing his historical treatise, Kensur Ngawang-Nima relied on the works of his famous predecessors, such as the 5th Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsan Gyatso, Taranatha Gunga Nyingbo, Thukwan Chokyi Nyima, etc., and a part of the essay devoted to the history of Buddhism in Mongolia, based on the work “Golden Book / Altan Debter” by the famous Mongolian scholar Lama Shagdaryn Zava Damdin. The peculiarity of the historical treatise under study is that it is the only known and published work written by a Buryat in the Tibetan language in the genre of Tibetan historical literature — choichzhun.