The chapter addresses the creation of the so-called Clear Script by the seventeenth-century Oirat lama Zaya Pandita. It was intended to serve a canonical purpose but also became an important religious and political indicator. The creation of a new script in Oiratia showed that the state had reached a new level of political maturity. It also signaled that it was no longer sufficient merely to possess copies of Buddhist canonical literature in Tibetan or other scripts. A new script allowed for greater popular access to the Buddhist teachings in the Mongolian characters that effectively communicated both eastern and western Mongolian languages. It has been posited that the Clear Script was intended for use by decentralized Mongolian states that in 1640 had entered into a political alliance to counter the growing influence of the Qing empire, a primary rival of the Oirats for control of Inner Asia.
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Introduction The Characteristics Of Buddhist States In Central Asia The Seventeenth-Century Oirats The Great Oirat Gegeen, Zaya Pandita Namkhai Jamtsu The Clear Script Failure To Find Peace And Prosperity
