Religion of Mongolia. Religious institutions. The population of Mongolia

The land where the sky merges with the steppe, where the desert reigns, caravans of camels, herds of cattle and snow-white yurts of shepherd nomads, is Mongolia, a state that in its heyday has conquered almost a quarter of the globe. And they are countless hordes of Genghis Khan. Now about those times resemble only steppe mounds, excavations and legends about the untold riches of the great Khan.

Modern Mongolia

Modern Mongolia is a democratic parliamentary republic headed by the president, ruled by a great khural. The main religion of Mongolia is Buddhism. The language is Mongolian, although in the north you can often hear Chinese dialects. A close, long-term economic and political connection with the USSR was manifested in the fact that many residents of the country freely communicate in Russian and Kazakh languages. Now the country is restoring its economy, making a bet on livestock and mining. A little more than three million people live here.

Mongolia and religion

The traditional ancient religion of Mongolia is Buddhism, and more specifically, its direction, like Lamaism. It is shared by half of the country's population. Muslims, Sunnis, Christians, adherents of shamanism make about 10% more.

Until 1921, Tibetan beliefs covered almost 95% of the Mongolian population. In times of communist rule, all religions were persecuted. The destroyed monasteries, the references of monks-lamas to Siberia, all kinds of oppression led to the fact that today a whole generation of young Mongols call themselves unbelievers (more than 35%). Modern Mongolia experiences a surge of religiosity and restores lost shrines.

Buddhism in the world

One of the three major religions today is spoken by 360 million people worldwide. This is Buddhism, the religion of Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, India, East and South-East Asia. Although it is more like a philosophical teaching. Buddhists preach knowledge of the world through the knowledge of oneself - the mechanism of the work of the mind, the connection between mental and physical sensations. Ethics of this religion is based on non-harm, the development of wisdom and moderation. Communication with higher powers takes place among Buddhists through meditation. Religious areas are divided into three main branches: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana (Mongolian version).

All the world Buddhist communities are united into two large organizations, one of which is the Asian Buddhist Peace Conference, which has its headquarters in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator.

Features of Mongolian Buddhism

Tibetan interpretation of Buddhism, which professes the population of Mongolia, was called "Lamaism." This somewhat altered direction has been established among nomadic tribes, who from ancient times believed in the Eternal Blue Sky, Mother Earth, the natural spirits of the earth, fire, animals and ... the spirit of Genghis Khan, the patron of the whole country. The religion of Mongolia was established when Buddhism flexibly distorted and enriched its teachings with pagan motives. As a result of the transformation and adaptation, a special branch of Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhism-Lamaism-appeared. Vajrayana focuses on improving the spirit and body, highlighting psycho-physical energy, achieving deep states of concentration.

The spiritual leader of Vajrayana is the Dalai Lama, which literally means "there is no higher".

Religious sights of Mongolia

Religious buildings, which serve as a center for the residence of monks-lamas, are entire settlements from tiered buildings of temples, pagodas, memorial complexes. Cattle breeding and the nomadic way of life of the ancient inhabitants of the Mongolian steppes did not contribute to the development of settled places of residence. The only places with permanent location were the monasteries of Mongolia. Being a center of communication and religious rites, they later turned into centers of cities and towns. Some remained separate complexes. Located mainly on the slopes of the mountains, the Lamaist temple structures look very picturesque and solemn.

Islam in Mongolia

Areas of the spread of Islam Hovd and Bayan-Ulgiy are the historical territories of the settlement of the Kazakhs. Since this nation is traditionally Muslim, Islam can also be considered, in part, a native religion for the Mongols. Together with the Kazakhs, Islam is also professed by natives of Turkmenistan - the Hotons. If the Mongolian Kazakhs adhere to the more stringent principles of this faith, then the Hoton ceremonies of the ancestors are diluted by local customs and beliefs, although they sacredly revere the great-grandfathers' religion and do not forget that they are Muslims.

The largest number of mosques is located in the concentration of the Muslim population. The largest and most important of them is located in the city of Uglie. Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar is also famous for the ancient historical mosque Tuda- Mengu. Migration flows of the population are increasingly filling the capital with the descendants of Muslims; They created their own cultural center here and will soon open another Cathedral mosque.

Christianity in Mongolia

Christian communities on the territory of Mongolia appeared in ancient times. Believers merchants and artisans, once settled on a new land, erected a temple and invited their priest. During the reign of the Communist Party, any religion, including Christianity, was banned.

During the revival of religious foci, a few Catholics and Orthodox living in Mongolia were given the opportunity to have their communities and parishes, to visit temples. Representatives of this faith are mostly people who work or for some reason just live in the country.

The Catholic mission is represented by four parishes, three of which are located in Ulaanbaatar, one in Darhan. There are not many Catholics all over Mongolia - about a thousand people.

Orthodoxy in Mongolia is also present. In the capital there is the Trinity Church consecrated in 2009. His parishioners are about one hundred working in the vicinity of Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Georgians and people of other nationalities, for whom the Orthodox faith is native.

Mongolian shamans

Shamanism as a religion of Mongolia occupies a significant place in the life of the local population. This direction takes the origins of pagan worship, where all the forces of nature and natural phenomena are elevated to the rank of deities. At the same time, modern Mongolian shamans have nothing to do with quackery and ignorance. These are real mediums, who through many years of work on their spirit and body have attained the highest perfection. Plunging into a special state of trance, the shaman gets the ability to communicate with spirits, the gift of healing and prediction. The religion of shamanism is aimed at strengthening the close connection of the human body with the spiritual shell. Mongolian shamanism is closely associated with Lamaism and to this day it looks like a local exotic. In fact, the abilities and methods of shamans are seriously interested in researchers in the field of psychology and human capabilities.

Population: way of life and customs

The basic population of Mongolia still continues to lead a nomadic life. This is not just a tribute to habits and customs. The main occupation, allowing to feed, remains cattle breeding. People in yurts are friendly and friendly to all, irrespective of religion. Non-harm and tolerance are the basic principles of Buddhism and shamanism. But places of worship without faith in their effective power, but simply from idle curiosity to visit the Gentiles is not recommended. Mongols are very sensitive to their spirits.