International Discourses on the Dorje Shugden Deity in Contemporary Mongolia
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Abstract
The article analyses the development of the Dorje Shugden controversy in Mongolia. The practice of the Dorje Shugden worship in Mongolia was interrupted during the communist rule but today, it is being revitalized. On the one hand, international discourses on and practices of the Dorje Shugden worship strongly influence the situation in Mongolia. On the other hand, new discourses on Dorje Shugden come to the fore and the deity is becoming an important factor in the processes of forming a Mongolian national identity. Based on data collected during fieldwork in 2018 and 2019, this article compares Mongolian discourses on Dorje Shugden with discourses from other regions where this deity is worshiped, in particular Ladakh, the Tibetan exile community, and Buddhist communities based in Europe and the USA.
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