The Buddhist teaching, at that time in Buddhist schools of Mongolia, was the major subject of study. Besides that, it was of primary importance to train monks to perform all kinds of religious rituals at numerous monasteries, and they were taught the five great sciences and the five small sciences which were introduced in Mongolia simultaneously with Buddhism. According to the ancient Indian, Tibetan and Mongolian traditions the five great sciences were Buddhist doctrine, philology, logic, art and medicine, and the five small sciences were astrology, theory of literature, allegorical poetics and playwriting.

At Buddhist schools they first taught how to read and trained them to learn by heart primary recitation. The second stage was to study in various faculties, or datsans. Faculties were the most important seats of religious education and almost every monastery had its own faculty. In Mongolian monasteries there were mostly faculties of philosophy, medicine, Mantra, Tantra and astrology. There were more than a dozen faculties at Ikh Khuree. The faculty of Tantra was founded in 1739, the faculty of philosophy – in 1756, the faculty of medicine – in 1760, the faculty of astrology – in 1779, and the faculty of Mantra was founded in 1790.

In the Gandan monastery there were three faculties of Buddhist philosophy, such as Dashchoimbol, Gungaachoiling and Idgaachoiling. The most important fundamental subject at various faculties was Buddhist philosophy, which was the core of the Buddhist doctrine. Anyone who graduated from the faculty of Buddhist philosophy got the degree of Gabju. After that he had to enter the faculty of Tantra to obtain the highest degree of Buddhology – Agramba, where the main subject of study was Tantra. It was considered that by studying Tantra one can reach the peak of Buddhist studies and acquire supernatural power. Graduates from various faculties of Buddhist studies stayed at monasteries and temples, being engaged in religious services, teaching Buddhist students, and propagating Buddhist ideology among the believers.

Those well-versed in the Buddhist teaching translated or made commentaries on Buddhist sutras as well as composed their own works. They translated and printed by xylographic means various works by ancient Indian and Tibetan scholars, and religious hymns. The 108 volumes of Kanjur, translated under the guidance of Ligden Khan were printed by xylography in 1718-1720, and in 1741-1749, the 220 volumes of Tanjur translated by 35 translators and scholars headed by Kunga-Odser were printed using wooden printing blocks.

The Mongols translated works in various fields of knowledge from Sanskrit and Tibetan, and they also created an increasing number of works of their own in Tibetan and Mongolian.

The Most Venerable Gabju Samaagiin Gombojav Khambo lama of the Gangdan Tegchenling Monastery in his report to the First International Congress of Mongolists, held in Ulaanbaatar on 1-18 September 1959, enumerated 108 authors with a list of their works, and stated that it was not the complete list. Their works numbered several hundreds and they were mainly commentaries on the basic sutras by Indian and Tibetan scholars.

There were a great number of monks who translated from Tibetan into Mongolian or composed their own works in Tibetan in both the five great and the five small sciences. For example, in philosophy – Agvankhaidav, Khamba lama of the Ikh Khuree, Agvanbaldan of the same monastery and Artsedbazar of Dalai Choinkhor Wang Banner of Sain Noyan Khan aimak, in philology – Gabju Lubsangdash and Gabju Damdinsuren of Ikh Khuree, Jamiyangarav of Sain Noyan Khan aimak, in logic – Gabju Shijiye of Ikh Khuree, Agvandorji of the same monastery, incarnated lama Lubsangsodov of Sartul Khuree of Zasagt Khan aimak, in medicine – Toyin Lubsangchoimbol of Dalai Choinkhor Wang Banner of Sain Noyan Khan aimak, in art– astrologer Ubgenkhu of Mergen Wang Banner of the Tushet Khan aimak and others created numerous valuable works.

Scholarly lamas of Mongolia, while doing translation of works by Indian and Tibetan scholars, wrote their independent works mostly on the Buddhist philosophy, particularly in the 18-19^th centuries. Certain works by Mongol monks have been highly valued by European Buddhist scholars as well as modern Mongolian scholars. In the second volume of “The History of the Mongolian People’s Republic” it was noted that the most scholarly monks studied thoroughly ancient Indian materialism, dialectics, logic and the history of Buddhist philosophy and compiled books on the defending of the progressive heritage of these subjects. One of the prominent representatives was Agvanbaldan, who in his work entitled “Commentary on the Fixed Great Tenet,” modestly called his work a commentary on “Great Tenet” by the Tibetan philosopher Jamiyanshadab (1644-1723). In fact, his work was a monograph on the history and theory of philosophy of ancient India. In his work Agvanbaldan covered not only history, ideology and the theory of Buddhism, but also various fixed tenets and problems of theory.

Various religious books appeared in xylographic print as there were a lot of xylographic printing shops such as in the Ikh Khuree Holy Lama’s Monastery, Uizen Wang Monastery, Mangkhan Khuree, Choir Monastery, Muren Monastery, Olgei Monastery, Khalkha Temple, Sartul Monastery and others. In Zuun Khuree, over thirty big monasteries were continuously offering all kinds of secular and Buddhist studies. 

Buddhism had strongly influenced all spheres of spiritual life of the Mongolian society and natural history, particularly historiography, philology, translation, printing, architecture, mathematics, astrology and so on, as well as medicine and veterinary. Under the influence of Buddhism, at each major Buddhist monastery there was a workshop to produce Buddhist images, various objects related to religious services, for erecting temples and other building structures and for doing decorative work. Various trully unique works of Buddhist art are still kept in different monasteries and museums of the Mongolia.

So the Buddhist ideology, theory and teaching widely penetrated into the daily life of the Mongols from the very birth to the death and their life was directly under the blessing of monks.

During the Communist era in Mongolia, between 1936 and 1990, the only monastery which was officially permitted to hold traditional religious and cultural activities was the Gandan Tegchinleng Monastery. The Zanabazar Buddhist University of Mongolia was founded in 1970 to train monks. In early 1990 when Mongolia made a historic transition to democracy, preconditions were created for the revival of traditional studies and cultural trainings. as well as the spread of Buddhism throughout the country once again. 

Today, old Buddhist monasteries and temples are in the stage of reviving as well as resuming of old monastic schools as datsan.

Buddhist studies in Mongolia can be divided into the following sub-categories:

First. Traditional monastic studies:

Traditional monastic studies and Buddhist philosophical and tantric schools within the monasteries. 

Second. Buddhist studies that combine traditional and contemporary learning:

• General education schools with Buddhist teaching;
• Zanabazar Buddhist University of Mongolia within Gandan Tegchinleng Monastery
• Zuun Khuree Buddhist Institute within Dashichoiling Monastery
• Department of Buddhist philosophy and Traditional medicine under other universities and institutes.

Third. Buddhist culture and research centers:

They include Buddhist centers running activities in introducing and propagating Buddha’s teachings to devotees and conducting research activities.

Recently, Buddhist leaders of Mongolia put great emphasis on approaching Buddhism as an interactive learning system involving logic, reason and investigation rather than an arcane set of rituals and customs, urging the Mongolian monastic community to follow the lead of Tibetan monasteries in India where modern education including science, maths and English as pre-requisites for a complete education are taught. “Merely cultivating faith in the teaching of the Buddha is not enough, we must use critical analysis to properly understand what he taught,” one the religious leader said.

Here, we include some ideas for Buddhist education for modern society. These methods are being discussed among Buddhist leaders, educators and teachers.

In what ways can Buddhist education be made applicable to people today? First, if oral teachings were given in the language with which people are most familiar, the language in which they are educated, then they could understand the meaning better. Colloquial language communicates much better to lay people than what does classical language.

Secondly, it is essential that Buddhist doctrines be clearly and logically explained. Today’s youth is well-educated. They have knowledge of science, philosophy, psychology, and so forth. Not satisfied with hearing only the story of Buddha’s life and the Jataka tales and thereby generating faith, they now want to know how the doctrine of selflessness relates to quantum physics and how Buddha’s teachings on patience can be integrated into modern psychology. Young people who have a modern secular education will not believe in rebirth just because Buddha said so. They want to understand the logical proof for it and to know current examples of people who have memories of their previous lives.

Thirdly, Buddha’s doctrine becomes extremely clear in the minds of the youth when it is explained clearly in relationship to modern, twentieth century lifestyle and problems. In this way the profound meaning of the Buddha’s teachings is directly made applicable to current situations, and the people easily see the value of practicing the Dharma.

Fourth, Buddhism can be explained by using a variety of media. Traditionally, education was done by the disciple listening to the teacher in a strict teaching situation, or by children mimicking their parent’s actions. But now video, television, radio, comic books, weekly articles in the city newspaper, theater, and modern music are viable media for people to learn about the Dharma and to express what they have learned. If these media means are used more, then young people will feel that Buddhism fits into their modern culture.

Fifth, it is beneficial for explanation of Buddhist theory and practice to be made available to the public in general. Here, Buddhism is explained in a more academic way, without people feeling obliged to call themselves Buddhists or adopt Buddhist practices. To this effect, public talks could be given in libraries and auditoriums, as well as courses on comparative religion or philosophy could be taught at universities and adult education courses.

Lastly, inter-religious dialogue is extremely valuable, especially in multi-religious societies. In our rapidly-shrinking world, people need to respect and not offensively criticize, other religions. This can be achieved only by knowing about other belief systems and emphasizing the common, uniting points. It is important not only that religions be harmonious among themselves, but also that leaders of all religions present a united front in encouraging world peace and better living conditions. This would be a truly inspiring example of openness and tolerance for all peoples of the world.

In short, conventional Buddhism is at a critical juncture. The path to liberation and enlightenment that the Buddha described from his own experience is a timeless one. Compassion and wisdom, the essence of the doctrine, are always needed to make our lives meaningful and beneficial to others. However, if we neglect to express these principles in a form that is easily understood by the people of today, then we are denying them access to the beauty of the teachings. Having huge temples and elaborate statues will not guarantee the continuation of the doctrine in the minds and actions of people. Performing rituals which few understand while neglecting to give advice suitable to people’s mentality and problems is not sufficient to ensure that people actually benefit from the Dharma.

For people to touch the real meaning of the Dharma and to enrich their lives through Buddhism, education that is relative to their modern culture, lifestyle and language is necessary. To provide this is the responsibility and the joy of those of us who ourselves cherish having met the precious doctrine of the Buddha.