SJ ROZAN

During the 70 years Mongolia was a member of the USSR, the Russians, as they did everywhere, tried to suppress religion. That's not so easy in a country where half the population is on the nomadic move at any one time and "religion" has more to do with organic spirituality than organized rites rituals. 90% of Mongolians identify as Buddhists, and the Russians did manage to close and in some cases destroy hundreds of monasteries and, in an uprising in which 27,000 people were killed, 17,000 of them were monks. Mongolia left the USSR in 1980, one of the first Republics to do so, and became a democracy. Freedom of religion was declared, some of the monasteries rebuilt, and training for the religious life was legal again. One of the biggest monasteries and training centers is Gandan, in Ulaan Baatar itself. If you go early in the morning you can listen to the monks chanting.

calling the monks to prayer

monks heed the call

prayer wheels at the ready

young monk enjoys his task

more calling to prayer

butter lamps

wishing pole

prayer wheels and silk cloth offering

monk heads to school

the pigeons of Gandan are sacred and they know it

talking it over with the monk

I'm a writer, publishing both as SJ Rozan and, with Carlos Dews, as Sam Cabot. (I'm Sam, he's Cabot.) Here you can find links to my almost-daily blog posts, including the Saturday haiku I've been doing for years. BUT the blog itself has moved to my website. If you go on over there you can subscribe and you'll never miss a post. (Miss a post! A scary thought!) Also, I'll be teaching a writing workshop in Italy this summer -- come join us!
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Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (3) Share on Facebook		2012-08-29 4:58 PM Mongolia: Gandan Monastery During the 70 years Mongolia was a member of the USSR, the Russians, as they did everywhere, tried to suppress religion. That's not so easy in a country where half the population is on the nomadic move at any one time and "religion" has more to do with organic spirituality than organized rites rituals. 90% of Mongolians identify as Buddhists, and the Russians did manage to close and in some cases destroy hundreds of monasteries and, in an uprising in which 27,000 people were killed, 17,000 of them were monks. Mongolia left the USSR in 1980, one of the first Republics to do so, and became a democracy. Freedom of religion was declared, some of the monasteries rebuilt, and training for the religious life was legal again. One of the biggest monasteries and training centers is Gandan, in Ulaan Baatar itself. If you go early in the morning you can listen to the monks chanting. calling the monks to prayer monks heed the call prayer wheels at the ready young monk enjoys his task more calling to prayer butter lamps wishing pole prayer wheels and silk cloth offering monk heads to school the pigeons of Gandan are sacred and they know it talking it over with the monk Read/Post Comments (3) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top