Research On Mongolian Thought About "Sincerity To Tengger"

"Sincerity to Tengger" is the most important category in Mogolia’s ethos, which is the central rules to integrate the Mogolia as a whole. However, many scholars misunderstood it because they ignore the different developing phases of the idea of "Tengger". For example, scholars such as Yijin Hao, Yongguo Chen and Eerdemutu identify the "Tengger" with "Khan" (amounting to deny the supremacy of the authority of Tengger") and interpret "Sincerity" as Loyalty to Khan, which neglects the relevance of the connection between Khan’s authority from "Tengger" and "Sincerity to Tengger". However, it is suggested by the Secret History of Mongols that the conception of Tengger has three different phases of development. According to it, authority of Khan is not equivalent to but come from authority of Tengger and the latter is higher than the former. Moreover, it is not only Khan or Shamans who are entitled to communicate with Tengger and there are different ways for people to communicate with Tengger in different phases of development of Tengger. Based on these clarifications, we can get new interpretation about "Sincerity to Tengger" and fuller understanding about Mongolia’s ethos. Sincerity is not the loyalty to leaders of many tribes but the piety to the Supreme Menke-Tengger and Tengger as objects of worship is not Khan but the Tengger itself. Ordinary men can communicate with Tengger so long as they are pious to Tengger and piously perform their duties.