| This paper discusses the role"Gugu(aunt)Mama",who became a nun after the culrural Revolution,played in the revival of Buddhism in eastern Inner Mongolia through her life story."Gugu Mama" had the idea of becoming a nun due to the influence of social and family religious beliefs and the death of her younger brother.However,in addition to the fact that there had been no nun temples or nun organizations in Mongolia,the Buddhist system completely collapsed during the "Cultural Revolution".the Buddhist monasteries were destroyed and the lamas were forced to leave the monasteries to live secular lives.Although there was no condition for becoming a nun at that time,she still insisted on her idea of renouncing the worldly life.For example,she was never married,had no children,had not grown long hair,and chanted with soy beens instead of counting beads when her religious activities were restricted.So when Buddhism revived after the "Cultural Revolution",he went to Mount Wutai to become a buddhist nun.After becoming a nun,she took care of the elderly lama,looked after the little monks,and helped with repair and rebuild of the monasteries.Her actions are both novel and important for the restoration of Buddhism.Her action made up for the mentoring relationship destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution",especially the restoration of the monastic system in which masters took care of young lamas and disciples look after their masters.Not only that,she was worshipped by many believers for the reason that she learned from a master teachers.She played an important role in helping to repair and rebuild the monastery.Special example of her as a nun living for long periods in a lama monestary,which traditionally only permitted male monks and excluded nuns,resulted from the contributions of "Gugu Mama" Although the phenomenon of "Gugu mama" is a special case,it not only has religious cultural roots but also changes over times.It is for this reason that she was able to play such special personal role. |
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