“Mongүol čaүajin-u bičig” as a source on Mongolian Buddhism

Abstract

The subject of this research is the chapter on Buddhist clergy from the ““Mongүol čaүajin-u bičig”, the Mongolian version of the “Code of the Chinese Chamber of External Relations”. The object of this research is the Manchurian policy with regards to Mongolian Buddhism. The article provides historiographical characteristics of the source in the old written Mongolian language, preserved in the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The author conducts a detailed overview of the five books of the compilation of laws; and based on the content of the articles, examines the position the Buddhist Church in accordance to the Qing legislation. It is underlined that the manuscript version of “Mongүol čaүajin-u bičig” reflects the traditional legal norms of the XIX century with regards to Buddhist religion. The author indicates the dynamic structure of the source and its evolution in terms of requirements of the time. Special attention is given to the restrictive policy of the Qing Empire in relation to Buddhist religion, as well as the interaction between religion and secular government, development of legal norms based on the “Truthful Record of the Mongols under the Qing Dynasty”. The main conclusion consists in the statement that the vertical of secular government subordinated the religious organization. The novelty is defined by involvement of the new source for analyzing the state of Mongolian Buddhism.