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AgataBareja-Starzyńska,ByambaaRagchaaNotesontheSurvivalofBuddhism…
withanartificial,so-calledflsocialist”,economy,andwithtroopsoftheUSSR
stationedthroughoutthecountryafter1967.Sovietcitieswerebuiltaroundthe
militarybasestoservethearmy,inhabitedbySovietcitizenswhohadmoved
toMongolia.EveninthecapitaltherewasaseparateurbansystemwithSoviet
shops,buses,schools,andoficesexclusivelyfortheSovietcitizensandforthe
selectfewMongolswhoservedtheUSSR,spurposes.Therewasnofreedomof
movement,sincethewholecountryandallitsinhabitantswereunderclose
surveillance.SlogansaboutfriendshipwiththeUSSRwereeverywhere,butthe
shopsfortheMongolswereempty.Peoplecouldnottrusteachotherbecausethe
slightestsignofcriticismwasreportedtooficialsandmetwithharshrepercus-
sions.Andsincethepopulationwassmallandscatteredoveravastterritory,it
waseasytorepressallthosewhowereagainstthecommunistruleortheSoviet
presence.Ontheotherhand,alltheachievementsoftheMPR,suchasthein-
troductionofindustry,roadinfrastructure,andbettermedicalandeducational
systems,werecreditedtothedirecthelpoftheUSSRandthesupportofother
socialistcountries.
ItisnoteasytodocumentBuddhistactivityduringthisperiod,sincedocu-
mentationisscarceandsuchresearchmustbebasedoninterviewswithsurvi-
vors.Nevertheless,letusexaminebrieflythesituationofBuddhisminMongolia
duringtheMPRjudgingfromtwoangles:lookingatthesituationofseveral
religiousinstitutions,andbringingintolightthepersonalexperienceofsome
Buddhistpractitioners.
2.BuddhistInstitutionsduringtheMPR
Therearediferentdataregardingthenumberofmonasteriesandtemplesbefore
thepurges.TheusualnumbergiveninWesternsourcesisaround800,afigure
confirmedintheSovietdocuments,whichreferto771monasteriesand85,000
monks(Batbayar1999:363).12By1940,therewerejust251ordinarymonks
noted(PürevjavandDashjamts1965:240,254–255,259).
Onlyfivemonasteriespartiallysurvivedthepurges,accordingtotheoficial
figures(PürevjavandDashjamts1965:262).Thosefivewere:
–GandantegchenlinMonasteryinUlaanbaatar,
–DambadarjaalingMonastery,establishedin1765forthe2ndJetsundampa,
12However,inPürevjav1978:3thereisinformationthatin1924therewere113,000
monksand600bigmonasteries,aswellasover1,000smallassemblyhalls(хурлын
газруу0)ortemples(0уган).
