Description
What is the role of reincarnations in ontological (in)security of modern societies? How can emic discourse explain Mongolia's resurrecting and legitimizing of the institution of Bogd Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, despite the geopolitical costs imposed by China over its continued ties with the 14th Dalai Lama? By analyzing and tracing the Mongolian concepts for state - Tőru and religion – Şaşin, I will decipher dominant ontological security provision authorities of historical and modern political communities in Mongolia. In doing so, I seek to illustrate how a Buddhist reincarnation can be securitized, and a transnational religious network mobilized for nation-building purposes, and how laicite-related anxieties, as well as human rights concerns over a 10-year-old reincarnate saint, be navigated within a secular state. I do this by modifying the typology of historical primary Ontological Security Provision (OSP) Arrangements to better reflect the Mongolian Buddhist context. Such reformulation allows us to explain the need for Mongolia's spiritual leader - 10th Bogd, while demonstrating how certain types of religious authorities remain the key providers of ontological security in the 21st century. The findings contribute to the methodological potential of ontological (in)security framework and role of religion in it, while explaining a geopolitical dynamic that has caused significant controversy but lacked a coherent explanation until now.
