Noyon Khutagt
The Noyon Khutagt is a monk of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism in the Gobi region of Mongolia. The present Noyon Khutagt is believed to be the ninth incarnation of the original Mongolian Noyon Khutagt, who himself was believed to be a reincarnation of a much earlier person in Tibetan Buddhist history.
Tradition
According to oral traditions, nine reincarnations of Noyon Khutagts in Mongolia were preceded by 33 reincarnations in Tibet and India, the first of whom is believed to have lived in Tibet about 2,000 years ago. It is believed that these reincarnations are due to the Buddhist deity Hayagriva, known as Tamdrin Yansang Yidam in Mongolian.Altangerel Perle mentioned in his work that a Tibetan lama called Bodon Chogloi Namgyal reincarnated as three different lamas at the same time in Mongolia. According to some biographies, the Gobi Noyon Khutagts were reincarnations of Sanjye-palsen. Debate continues as to who exactly Bodon Choklai Namgyal and Sangya Palsang were, and how they were connected to the Gobi Noyon Khutagts.
When the first Jetsundampa, Undur Gegeen Zanabazar was in his twenties and Ikh Khuree was established, Sonom Daichin Khoshuuch, who was a descendant of Abtai Sain Khan, traveled to Baruun-zuu and requested a lama for people to regard as root guru and a specific deity for practice from the Panchen Lama. Thus, the Panchen Lama sent Sanjye-palsen as a spiritual teacher and a statue of Odsergocha for worship and practice to Mongolia. This is recorded as:
Here ‘our khoshuu’ refers to the former ‘Mergen van’ County of the Tusheet Khan province of Mongolia. It was a big county that covered the present-day Khövsgöl, Khatanbulag, Sulin Kheer, Ulaanbadrakh, Altanshiree, Saikhandulaan, Khar-Airag, Ikhkhet, and Bayanjargalan counties of Dornogovi Province as well as Khanbogd County of Ömnögovi Province.
The next reincarnation of Sanjye-palsen lama was Agvaangonchig, who is renowned as the first Noyon Khutagt of Mongolia. After the statue of Odsergocha was brought, the Mobile Temple on wheels was built as Agvaangonchig’s residence. This temple was renowned as the Noyon Khutagt’s ‘Khuree Urguu’ which means ‘residential temple’ or ‘palace’.
Later, the First Noyon Khutagt, Agvaangonchig, visited Lhasa in a wooden snake year of the eleventh cycle of the lunar calendar, and requested permission from the Fifth Dalai Lama to establish a new monastery. After his return from Lhasa, in a fire horse year, the First Noyon Khutagt established a temple and named it ‘Khindurabjaaling’. It became renowned as ‘Khuree Khural’ in the beginning and as ‘Khuree Aimag’ later on. Much later, the Fourth Noyon Khutagt Jamyan-Oidovjamts established the Yidam Temple right after he had brought Yansan Yidam from Lhasa.”
A text entitled “The Origin of the Khalkha Noyon Khutagts”, written in classic Mongolian scripts, is among various items preserved in our era. This text corroborates some of the above-mentioned information. It contains a list of names of the seven reincarnations of Noyon Khutagts in Mongolia and the thirty-one previous reincarnations in India and Tibet in chronological order. Paintings have been found of each of these reincarnations as Buddhas. These paintings can be regarded as source material on the origins of the Mongolian Gobi Noyon Khutagts and their previous reincarnations in India and Tibet.
Incarnations of Noyon Khutagts
- Bodon Chogloinamgyal
- Zanadhara
- Genen Lhamo Lanaamo
- Zanyon Heruka
- Lodoidonsonrabdan
- Janchubsemba Jila dorjelanaamo
- Zanadharalamo
- Lopen Dagpa dorje
- Shivaaryi
- Dubchen Guguryi
- Lopen Sakyashyinen
- Agiivanchug
- Sesherivaa
- Tudevbudhashri
- Lochen Vairochana
- Danaglam
- Serjebzunba
- Dubchen Namkhaidorj
- Tudev-Dajir
- Tudevdarchentsanachir
- Lamashan
- Danagdorje
- Karmarolpaidorje
- Ronsomchoi
- Nyamral
- Lodoisengii
- Tsarchen
- Zanindraa
- Sereravsi
- Gungaadorje
- Sangyapalsan
Gobi Noyon Khutagts
The first Noyon Khutagt to be identified among Gobi Buddhists was Agvangonchig, in 1622.Generally speaking, Gobi Noyon Khutagts were among the most influential Mongolian Rinpoches in Mongolia, China, and other countries. Besides their dharma education and deeds, they were holders of the Governor's stamp for their own Banner, which of their disciples made up the entire administration unit, during both the regimes of [Manchu Qing dynasty|Qing dynasty|Manchu Qing Dynasty] and Bogd Khan, the Eighth Jetsundampa, of Mongolia.
Agvangonchig
The first Gobi Noyon Khutagt Agvangonchig was born in a water dog year of the 10th cycle of the lunar calendar as the first son of the Khalkha prince Sonom Daichin. The First Noyon Khutagt studied in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery for 30 years from age 15. When he was 45 years old, he came back to Mongolia and established Amgalan Monastery in a fire horse year of the 11th cycle of the lunar calendar. He lived and spread the Dharma in the Mongolian Gobi region and died at age 82 in a wooden monkey year. He was buried in a tomb at a place called Gua teeg.Jamyan-dambee-jantsan
Noyon Khutagt Jamyan-dambee-jantsan was born as a son of an ordinary nomad by the name of Sunder in a wooden monkey year of the 12th cycle of the lunar calendar. This lama was a great practitioner of tantric meditation and died in a water pig year of the 12th cycle at the age of 40. His body was placed in a special temple at Choi-ling Monastery.Jamyan-danzan
Noyon Khutagt Jamyandanzan was born as a son of Tseden Mergen Zasag in a wooden mouse year of the 12th cycle. This Noyon Khutagt was educated in all Buddhist fields of knowledge. In a fire dog year, when he was 23 years old, he offered presents to the Manchu Emperor with the request to build a monastery in the Gobi region. He died in an earth mouse year of the 13th cycle, at 25 years old. His body was enshrined in the Temple of Khan Bayanzurkh Mountain.Jamyang-Oidovjamts
Noyon Khutagt Jamyang-Oidovjamts was born as a son of Rinchendorj, the governor of Selenge Province, in 1765. At age 13, he was enthroned on the lion throne of Khashaat monastery, which had been bestowed on him by a Manchu Emperor. This Noyon Khutagt was accused of murdering the Manchu Emperor’s son-in-law while traveling to Erdene Zuu Monastery. Thus, he was taken to Beijing by order of the Emperor and imprisoned for some time. Finally, when he was traveling back to the Gobi he was murdered at a place called “Tsuurai”.Danzanravjaa
Noyon Khutagt Dulduityn Danzanravjaa was born in 1803 into a poor family in Shuvuun Shand, now part of Dornogovi Province, and took the vows of a monk at age six. He was identified as the reincarnation of the fourth Noyon Khutagt at age nine. An exceptional student, he returned to his birthplace at age sixteen and began to build Khamar Monastery. He developed his own tantric practice, attracted many students, and gave many teachings to the local nomadic herding community. His relationship with the local Qing rulers became increasingly tense - when he died at age 53 in 1856, there was a widespread rumour that he had been poisoned.Among both religious and secular writers and scholars of Mongolia at the time, Danzanravjaa stands out for his humour, wisdom, and popular tone. He gradually mastered written Mongolian and Tibetan languages and became a celebrated poet, with his work still enjoyed by Mongolians. In addition to being the Noyon Khutagt and a poet, he was also an artist, composer, educator, dramaturge, and functioned as a statesman of the Gobi. He was continually at odds with the Qing occupation of Mongolia. Unlike other high-ranking tulkus, he never went to Tibet; his understanding of Buddhism was entirely nomadic and Mongolian. Although he wrote poetry in Tibetan, his teachings were delivered in Mongolian. In his capacity as a religious leader, he promoted the Mongolian language and culture, and the secular education of both boys and girls.
Danzanravjaa was a controversial figure during his lifetime, given his public fondness for excessive drinking and the company of young women. He was also referred to as the sogtuu reincarnation of the Noyon Khutagt.