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AgataBareja-Starzyńska,ByambaaRagchaaNotesontheSurvivalofBuddhism…
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theMongolianStateCommissionforRehabilitation(MонголУлCынЦагаатгах
АжлыгУдирданЗохионБайгуулахУлCынКомиCC)wasestablished.Thiswas
followedbythefoundingoftheResearchCenterforVictimsofPoliticalPersecu-
tions(УлCтөрийнталаархэлмэгдэгCдийнCудалгаанытөв)on24March1993.
TheCenterpublishedfourvolumes,knownasWhiteBooks,containingre-
cordsandtestimoniesofstateoppression.AmongtheAppendicestothosevol-
umes9thereisonedevotedtofalseaccusationslevelledagainstmonks,edited
byErdenesaikhan(2013),entitledflReasonsfortheDestructionoftheMonks”.
ItpresentedthefindingsoftheResearchCenterforVictimsofPoliticalPerse-
cutions,inparticulartheworkofZorigtynLonjid.Fromhisresearch,itisclear
thatinthearchivesthereisdetailedevidenceaboutthedeathsof25,146monks
betweentheyears1937and1940(2013:148–152).10
Theanti-Buddhistpurgesofthe1930salsoresultedinthealmostcomplete
destructionofBuddhistmaterialstructuresandobjects:templeswiththeirholy
imagesandliturgicalobjectswerelootedanddestroyed.ThemajorityoftheBud-
dhistsacredtextswereburnt.Bytheearly1940s,thebattleagainsttheBuddhist
Churchwaswonbythecommunists.
AftertheBattle:theRemainsofBuddhistHeritage
andtheAttitudeoftheMongolianStatetoBuddhism
Inthelate1970s,somescholarsconcludedthat,
[b]yallavailableevidence,Buddhismnolongerexistsasapolitical,economicor
spiritualformationintheMongolianPeople,sRepublic(Moses1977:265).
And:
[Buddhism]disappearedasitdid,withlittleevidencethattherewilleverbeare-
vival(Moses1977:265).
ThesuccessiveconstitutionsoftheMPR(1924,1940,1960)allguaranteed
humanrightsandfreedomofbelief,butinreality,theantireligiouspolicywas
inforce.OrdinaryMongolshadnofreedomonaneverydaybasisinanyaspect
oftheirlives.11CommunistMongoliawasasatellitecountryoftheSovietUnion
9Thefourvolumesare:УлCтөрийнталаарх3лм3г03гC0ийн0урCгалЦагаанномvol.I,
2010,vol.II,2012,vol.III,2013,vol.IV,2014.
10IntheconferenceproceedingsofLamnarsumkhiidiinkhelmegdelbatsagaatgalsedevterdem
shinjilgeeniibagakhuralthenumberofconfirmeddeathsofpeoplepersecutedbytheState
in1937–1940wasestimatedatabove29,000.SeeSoninbayarandAmgalan2008:5.
11Observationsbytheauthors.ByambaaRagchaa(b.1958)livedinMongoliaduringthe
lastdecadesoftheMPR,andAgataBareja-StarzyńskahasvisitedMongoliaregularly
since1982.