Mongolia

The legend of Shambhala was used by Mongol rebels against the Soviets in the “Shambhala Wars” as well as by the Japanese in attempts to control Mongolia in the 1920s and 30s.

During the first millennium CE, Muslims were interested to learn of the beliefs of the peoples they had conquered and now ruled, including Buddhism, while Buddhists were interested in other beliefs only when they were vying with them in debate for royal patronage and that...

Overview of the three waves of Buddhism reaching Mongolia from Central Asia and then Tibet, the subsequent exploitation of Buddhism by the Manchus, its suppression under the communist regime and the initial efforts at its revival.

A survey of the suppression of Buddhism in Mongolia during the communist period (1921–1990), including the destruction of the monasteries and purges of the monastics in 1936/37 and the restricted, partial reopening of one showcase temple in 1944.

Many foreign myths have grown around the legend of Shambhala found in the Kalachakra literature. Some were spread to win military or political support, others appeared within occult movements and mixed Buddhist ideas with concepts from other systems of belief.

A survey of how the revival of Buddhism was carried out in Mongolia after 1990, its main steps and the circumstances and issues surrounding its reestablishment and the reopening of its temples and monasteries.

“Newsweek Magazine” interview with Dr. Berzin who toured Mongolia in 1997 to deliver a series of lectures on the country’s traditional Buddhist faith, a journey that he says allowed him to witness the impact of foreign evangelists.