the history of buddhism among the mongols 383
had a great impact on the formation of Qubilai’s political and religious
world-view.^17
Also the Khitan nobleman Yelü Chucai (1189–1243), a
higher of cial of the Jin, contributed to this.^18 Yelü Chucai had assumed
of ce with inggis Khan in the period of the conquest of the Jin empire.
In his service under inggis Khan and Ögedei Khan, he contributed
greatly to the development of an administrative system that also ful lled
the rulers’ needs in dealing with sedentary communities. He is credited
with the famous—though much older—saying that an empire can be
conquered from the saddle of a horse, but cannot be governed from
a saddle.^19 Yelü Chucai was a Buddhist, and he de nitely in uenced
inggis and Ögedei as such.
Haiyun was not the only dignitary who belonged to the Chan school
and to whom the Mongolian Khans paid their respects. Also Wansong
Zhanglao (1166–1246) and, above all, Zhanglao Fuyu
(1203–1275) enjoyed the same prestige. In the time of the Great
Khans Güyüg and Möngke, the supreme control over the Buddhist
monks in Karakorum, the capital of the Mongolian empire, rested
with Zhanglao Fuyu.^20
1.4. Early Mongolian Relations with Tibet and Tibetan BuddhismThe rst contacts with Buddhism in Tibet proper date from 1240. In
1227, inggis Khan nally destroyed the Tangut empire Xixia. As a
result, the Mongolian empire became a direct neighbour of Tibet.
After Ögedei ascended the throne in 1229, his son Köden (Godan)
(1206–1251) was enfeoffed with the western part of the former Tangut
empire. In 1240 he sent an army to Central Tibet. This brought the
whole territory from Kong-po in the southeast of Tibet to the border
with Nepal under Mongolian rule. The Mongolian troops were under
the supreme command of general Doorda (Tib. Dor-ta/rDo-rta). The
main army of the Mongols advanced to the territory in the Northeast
of Lhasa. They destroyed the Rva-sgreng and rGyal-lha-khang mon-
asteries and killed ve hundred monks. When, farther to the east, the
Mongols also sought to attack the ’Bri-gung monastery, the principal
(^17) oyiúi 1998, pp. 131–133.
(^18) On Yelü Chutsai, see Franke 1948, pp. 277–279; Franke & Trauzettel 1968,
p. 224; Munkuev 1965, pp. 11–29. 19
On this saying, see Munkuev 1965, pp. 19, 73 and 106 n. 97.
(^20) oyiúi 1998, p. 135.