Improvising tradition : lay Buddhist experiences in cosmopolitan Ulaanbaatar
Western scholars did not predict the enthusiasm for religion that would follow the end of socialism in Mongolia, yet it is an undeniable aspect of contemporary life in Ulaanbaatar. After the Mongolian Democratic Revolution of 1989 1990, many Mongols have sought to reconnect to their Buddhist past to reconstitute a sense of national identity and to deal with the economic and spiritual insecurities of the new market economy. This dissertation is an exploration of lay Buddhist experiences in Ulaanbaatar connected to two different imaginings of Buddhist tradition, or what I term 'cultural' and 'reform' Buddhism. Cultural Buddhist institutions answer Mongol desires for national identity based in religion, whilst reform Buddhist organisations offer a universal form of Buddhism that provides comprehensive doctrinal and moral education and teaches transformative practices. Both anchor themselves in tradition and both are heavily influenced by global religious pressures. The majority of Mongols visit local temples for ritual efficacy, yet, for many lay Buddhists, the break in the continuity of public institutions during the socialist period and the switch to a new and broad religious marketplace has created an environment where interactions with religious specialists are fraught with uncertainty. Most lay Buddhists are worried about their own religious ignorance and doubt the efficacy and competence of religious practitioners. For many, memory and exemplary family members are central in the creation of religious beliefs and practices, yet, often the information passed down through families and remembered from the past is incomplete and fractured. For most Mongols in Ulaanbaatar, Buddhism is a religious bricolage created from a combination of old knowledge passed down from their forebears, influences from other religions such Christianity and Shamanism, and new ideas about spirituality from New Religious Movements such as Sri Sri and the Supreme Master Ching Hai. Reform Buddhist organisations combine Tibetan religious teachings and Western religious expectations. The Dharma centres run by global Buddhist organisations offer an alternative to lay Buddhist uncertainties and the improvised religious systems that lay Mongol Buddhists tend to create. The people who visit them are embracing an alternative form of spirituality that is comparatively free from feelings of doubt. These lay Buddhists have greater consistency in spiritual concepts and their beliefs are characterised by confidence and consistency. They also learn Buddhist transformative practices in order to actively propel themselves towards Buddhist moral ideals
Thesis, Dissertation, English, 2011