400 klaus sagaster
reached Kökeqota. Already in the same year or the year after, Sengge
Dügüreng Khan died.^101 Following the example set by his father, he,
too, founded a monastery in Kökeqota: the Siregetü Úoo Keyid, of
which the rst Qututu, i.e., reincarnated Lama, was to be the famous
translator Bandida Siregetü Güüsi orúi.^102
In 1587, the Dalai Lama complied with the request of Úasatu Tümen
Khan (r. 1558–1592), the nominal Mongolian Great Khan, to proceed
to the southeastern Mongolian region of aqar.^103 It appears that
Úasatu Tümen Khan was at rst an adherent of the “Red Hats”, as it
is reported that in 1576 he was converted by a certain Ildün Úanggidui
Garma Lama.^104 The term “Garma” implies that it may have been a
monk of the Karma-bKa’-brgyud-pa. The success of the Dalai Lama
with the Tümed apparently made the Khan convert to the doctrine of
the “Yellow Hats”, the dGe-lugs-pa, and made him assure them that
they could expand their doctrine amongst the Eastern Mongols.
In the delegation of the Dalai Lama there were many learned Tibetan
and Mongolian monks. One of them was another famous translator:
Ayusi Güüsi.^105 The sojourn of the Dalai Lama and his delegation in the
aqar region is a good example for the ef cient missionary technique
of the dGe-lugs-pa: they did not restrict themselves to proclaiming the
doctrine, but they founded schools in which such topics as literature,
history, grammar, calligraphy and translation were also taught. The
importance of these schools for the cultural development was immense.
It is de nitely no coincidence that it was the aqar ruler Ligdan Khan
who initiated the rst compilation of the collected words of the Buddha
in Mongolian translation, the Ganúur (Tib. bKa’-’gyur). This gigantic work
was completed in 113 volumes by a committee of thirty ve scholars in
only half a year, between November 1628 and May 1629. The editors
under the guidance of the famous translators Kun-dga’-’od-zer, Siditü
Ananda and Samdan Sengge revised older translations, but also new
translations were made. The “Ligdan Ganúur” quickly spread in many
manuscript copies throughout Mongolia.^106
(^101) Kollmar-Paulenz 2001, p. 247 n. 189.
(^102) Schmidt 1829, p. 249; Altan Orgil 1981, p. 266; Ya 1991, p. 25; Úiral 1996,
pp. 160–161.
(^103) Serruys 1967, p. 11 n. 17; Ya 1991, p. 25. Úiral 1996, p. 161, gives 1586 as the
date of the invitation.
(^104) Schmidt 1829, p. 201.
(^105) Úiral 1996, p. 161; Kas’janenko 1993.
(^106) See Heissig 1957; Heissig 1954, pp. 40–41; Heissig 1962; Heissig 1979, pp. 35–36;
Úiral 1996, pp. 161–162; Kollmar-Panlenz 2002.