396 klaus sagaster
decline of central power implied a serious weakening in the position
of the Buddhist clergy, but was not the end of Buddhism. Although
later sources lament about the “dark times” in which the power of
shamans recovered and people no longer lived according to the rules of
religion, but, rather, engaged in sinful deeds,^83 there still were Lamas in
Mongolia, and new monasteries were even built.^84 Mongolian princes,
especially the Western Mongolian rulers Toon Tayi i (r. 1418–1440)
and Esen Tayi i (r. 1440–1455/6), even sent high-ranking monks as
members of missions of tribute and commerce to the courts of the
Ming emperors and requested them to bestow of cial titles on these
clerical envoys.^85 The Lamas hardly ever belonged to the dGe-lugs-pa
or “Yellow Hats”, the fourth school of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by
Tsong-kha-pa Blo-bzang-grags-pa (1359–1419), but rather were repre-
sentatives of the rNying-ma-pa, bKa’-brgyud-pa and Sa-skya-pa, i.e.,
the “Red Hats”. In 1431, a dhra collection was printed in Beijing
in Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian.^86 This indicates that in
these times there were Mongolians who were Buddhists.
- Revival of Buddhism under Altan Khan and the
Rise of the dGe-lugs-pa School
The situation of Buddhism in Mongolia changed considerably by
the end of the sixteenth century. In 1566, Altan Khan (1507–1582),
the powerful ruler of the Southwestern Mongolian Tümed, sent his
nephew Qututai Seen Qongtayiúi (1540 –1586) on a military mission to
Northeastern Tibet. On this mission, he came into contact with Lamas
who apparently belonged to the dGe-lugs-pa and who instructed the
Qongtayiúi about this most recent Tibetan school. In any case, Qututai
Seen Qongtayiúi suggested to Altan Khan in 1576 that he invite the
highest representative of the dGe-lugs-pa: bSod-nams-rgya-mtsho
(1543–1588). The Lama accepted this invitation and, in the fth month
of 1578, reached the place called abiyal, in the neighbourhood of
Lake Kukunor, where Altan Khan was expecting him.^87
(^83) Úiral 1996, p. 152.
(^84) Serruys 1963 and Serruys 1966. About the building of monasteries, see Serruys
1963, pp. 192–193.
(^85) Zlatkin 1964, p. 35; Serruys 1963, pp. 187ff.; Úiral 1996, p. 151.
(^86) Serruys 1963, p. 187; Heissig 1976b, pp. 8ff.
(^87) Úiral 1996, pp. 153–159. The most important source on Altan Khan, the time and