Page "Mongols" Paragraph 17

In 1254 Mongke Khan organized a formal religious debate ( in which William of Rubruck took part ) between Christians, Muslims and Buddhists in Karakorum, a cosmopolitan city of many religions.

The Mongol Empire was known for its religious tolerance, but had a special leaning towards Buddhism and was sympathetic towards Christianity.

The Mongol leader Abaqa Khan sent a delegation of 13-16 Mongols to the Second Council of Lyon ( 1274 ), which created a great stir, particularly when their leader ' Zaganus ' underwent a public baptism.

Yahballaha III ( 1245 – 1317 ) and Rabban Bar Sauma ( c. 1220-1294 ) were famous Mongol ( part-Turkic ) Nestorian Christians.

The Kerait tribe in central Mongolia was Christian.

The western Khanates, however, eventually adopted Islam ( under Berke and Ghazan ) and the Turkic languages ( because of its commercial importance ), although allegiance to the Great Khan and limited use of the Mongolian language can be seen even in 1330's.

The Mongol nobility during the Yuan dynasty studied Confucianism, built Confucian temples ( including Beijing Confucius Temple ) and translated Confucian works into Mongolian but mainly followed the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism under Phags-pa Lama.

The general populace still practised Tengriism.

Dongxiang and Bonan Mongols adopted Islam, as did Moghol-speaking peoples in Afghanistan.

In the 1576 the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism became the state religion of the Mongols.

The Red Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism coexisted with the Gelug Yellow Hat sect.

Tengriism was absorbed into the newly formed state religion while being marginalized in its purer forms, later only surviving in far northern Mongolia.

Monks were some of the leading intellectuals in Mongolia, responsible for much of the literature and art of the pre-modern period.

Many Buddhist philosophical works lost in Tibet and elsewhere are preserved in older and purer form in Mongolian ancient texts ( e. g. the Mongolian Kanjur ).

Zanabazar ( 1635 – 1723 ), Zaya Pandita ( 1599 – 1662 ) and Danzanravjaa ( 1803 – 1856 ) are among the most famous Mongolian holy men.

The 4th Dalai Lama Yonten Gyatso ( 1589 – 1617 ), a Mongolian, was the only non-Tibetan Dalai Lama.

Many Buryat Mongols also became Christians due to the Russian expansion.

During the socialist period religion was officially banned, although it was practiced in clandestine circles.

Today, a sizable proportion of Mongols are atheist or agnostic.

In the most recent census in Mongolia, almost forty percent of the population reported as being atheist, while the majority religion was Buddhism, with 53 %.