Mongolian Buddhism in the Yuan Dynasty

Abstract The history of Mongolian Buddhism during the Yuan dynasty began in 1206 with the investiture of Chinggis Khan (b. ?1162, r. 1206–1227) over Yeke Mongγol Ulus (the Great Mongol Nation). After the founding of the Yuan dynasty (1206–1365) following the accession of Qubilai Khan (b. 1215, r. 1260–1294) in 1260, Chinggis Khan retroactively became the dynasty’s original emperor, Taizu (太祖). The Yuan ended in 1635 with the fall of the Northern Yuan dynasty (1368–1635) and rise of the Manchu Qing dynasty (1636–1912) in 1636. The history of Mongolian Buddhism during the Yuan dynasty breaks into four periods at three important junctures. The first period lasts from Chinggis Khan’s investiture in 1206 until the 1260 accession of Qubilai Khan and subsequent establishment of the Yuan dynasty. The second period lasts until the 1368 expulsion of the Mongols from China and subsequent establishment of the Northern Yuan. This period lasted until the 1578meeting between Altan Khan (1507–1582) and Sönam Gyatso (Bsod nams rgya mtsho, 1543–1588), which resulted in the rise of the Gélukpa (Dge lugs pa) and the creation of the institution of the Dalai Lama. The fourth period lasts until the fall of the Northern Yuan dynasty in 1635. Over the course of this history, the Mongols made Tibetan-rite Buddhism preeminent over other Buddhist traditions and made first Sakya (Sa skya) and then later Géluk Buddhism preeminent over other Tibetan Buddhist schools. They made Buddhism the state religion of a vast empire, patronized Buddhism with unprecedented munificence, and took Buddhism to its apogee as a world religion. They used Buddhism to transform the model of imperial governance and ushered in a new age in the history of politics: the age of soteriological dominion. The history of Mongolian Buddhism during the Yuan dynasty is thus not only the formative moment of Mongolian Buddhism, it is a defining moment in the history of Buddhism, the history of religion, and the history of the world.