Journal of East Asian Cultures

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2024)
Articles

A Ritual Text Devoted to the Khangai Mountains Written by the Mongolian Buddhist Saint Shiva Shireet Luvsan Shiva

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  • Krisztina Teleki
Krisztina Teleki
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2024.1.2

Published 2024-01-04

Keywords

  • Mongolian Buddhism,
  • Buddhist saint,
  • reincarnation,
  • Khangai Mountains,
  • Blo bzang zhi ba,
  • ritual text,
  • Shiva Shireet,
  • Arkhangai,
  • Khangai Khan
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Teleki, K. (2024). A Ritual Text Devoted to the Khangai Mountains Written by the Mongolian Buddhist Saint Shiva Shireet Luvsan Shiva. Journal of East Asian Cultures, 16(1), 49–73. https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2024.1.2
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The article introduces a sacred text written by the Khalkha Buddhist saint and reincarnation, Shiva Shireet Luvsan Shiva (Tib. Blo bzang zhi ba, 1682‒1745), devoted to his place of living, the Khangai Mountains. His collected works printed in Beijing consist of two volumes preserved in the National Library of Mongolia. The text Invocation and Prayer to the Mighty Deity, Khangai Khan to Fulfill Hopes (Tib. Lha chen Hang ka’i rgyal po’i gsol mchod pa’i re bskong zhes bya ba bzhugs so, ff. 12r−16v, S: NL10680-068) praises Khangai Khan and his retinue to pacify and delight these celestial beings (Tib. klu sa bdag, gzhi bdag, Skr. nāga). After presenting various pleasant offerings, Khangai Khan is encouraged to fulfil his vow: to protect the Dharma and devotees, thus govern natural forces, ensure proper weather condition, increase the livestock, and support people’s well-being and prosperity. The article briefly introduces Luvsan Shiva, his reincarnation lineage, and his monastery, and provides a translation and transcription of the ritual text. The research is based on philology. A few saints of the Khangai Mountains have been studied by international researchers, and a handful of smoke offering texts devoted to the Khangai have drawn the attention of scholars. The study of Shiva Shireet’s incarnations, monastery, and activities became revitalised in 2022, when his monastery, having been destroyed in the 1930s and revived in the 1990s, started to be expanded. The innovation of the present article is the ‘discovery’ of this ritual text preserved in the National Library of Mongolia and its translation, which serve as basis for a comparative analysis of sacred texts written in honour of Khangai Khan by the sages of the mountain range. My project Religious Landscape of the Khangai Mountain Range is in progress with the support of the National Research, Development, and Innovation Office (NKFIH, FK 138052) of the Hungarian Government. It seems that the rare text written by Luvsan Shiva is unknown to local monks and at present is not in use. Almost the whole text is written in verse. It has a copious style and the specialty of describing Khangai Khan and his palace as well as offerings referring to the Khangai Mountains’ flora and fauna.

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