Friday, November 17, 2006

Mongolia | Bayankhongor Aimag | Gobi Desert

Wandered out to Bayankhongor Aimag for a camel trip through the Gobi. Traveled 173 miles by camel in twelve days. Southern Bayankhongor Aimag is truly the Big Empty. During twelve days of travel we did not see another human being.
Amarbuyant Khiid, where we started the camel trip
Heading south from Amarbuyant Khiid
According to legend many frightening apparitions appear out of the dust storms and mirages of the Gobi Desert. At first glance this might appear to be one of them, but actually it is only camel herder, historical consultant, and discoist Zolzaya.
The Big Empty
A Marlboro Moment for camel herder Davakhoo
Camel herder and historical consultant Zolzaya stuffing her pie holeThree brothers I hired camels from: Zevgee, Khaidav, and Davakhoo

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amarbuyant is place where 13th Dalai lama took refuge during British invasion of Tibet in 1909 or 1910, right?
Is it known where in Mongolia did 3rd D.L. Sonam Gyatso died? Was it within borders of todays country or in Inner Mongolia?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for e-mail clarification.

I was reading glossary of mongolian buddhism I found on mongoluls.com. It's nice and interesting but it has most peculiar definition of Shambhala: "shambala -Mentioned in the Kalachakra tantra. A heavenly nation. There are to be 25 kings. At the present moment the 17th is in power. The 25th king Rigden dagva is to attack the Islam world 2227 after this only Buddhism in the world."
I thougt Raudra Cakrin- 35th king is the one who should come visit some day. Can't get who is that Rigden dagva person and what's his beef with islam...

Anonymous said...

"The present 21. Kalkin king Aniruddha (Tib.Magakpa)(1927-2027), was prophesied to rule in a time when Vajrayana Buddhism and the Kalachakra is nearly extinguished." Knowing the history of 20th century one can pretty much take that for fact. And duration of reign of 100 years per king means that 25th king does'nt come to the trone before 2327. and first contact with humans he has left for last years of his term in 2424.
At least so I find out recently trying to make myself more familiar with line of Shambhala kings.

I see also that Shambhala was multiconfessional society until 8th king- or first Kalkin- Manjughoshikirti (Tib. Jampal Trakpa) who "converted a group of non-Buddhist Brahman priests of Shambhala to Buddhism and gave them the Kalachakra initiation, thereby uniting all inhabitants into one "vajra caste," or family of tantric practitioners. He said to have predicted the coming of "barbarian Dharma" after 800 years (about 600 CE), which some observers take to be Islam."

Don Croner said...

Yes, you are correct: according to the traditional chronologies we are living during the time of the 21st Kalkin King Aniruddha, “at a time when Vajrayana Buddhism and the Kalachakra is nearly extinguished.” This is the prophecy. However, events have turned out somewhat differently. Due to the fact of the Dalai Lama being forced to leave Tibet he has given the Kalachakra Initiation world-wide over thirty times to millions of people and Vajrayana Buddhism is now practiced in many countries. This may have speeded up the timetable for the arrival of the last king. Several sources maintain that although each king is supposed to reign for 100 years the length of their reign actually varies according to circumstances. Thus is possible that Aniruddha did not rule for 100 years and that a later king is now on the throne of Shambhala, and thus is it also possible that the last king may soon make his appearance, as many Mongolians now believe. Danzan Ravjaa claimed that he would be reincarnated as a general in the army of the last king of Shambhala (along with the last Bogd Gegeen) and his Shambhala Land in the Gobi has now been reconstructed at Kharmiin Khiid, putting one more piece of the puzzle into place.

Anonymous said...

Mongolia RULEZ!