tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:48:47 +0000http://www.doncroner.net/blog.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)Blogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-5723755131442833422Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:56:00 +00002010-03-13T10:48:48.049+08:00KhovdAmarsanaaDambijantsanDörbödsJa LamaThe Life of Dambijantsan continued: In the early Spring of 1912 Dambijantsan and his disciple Jimbe left his Headquarters on the Dund Tsenkher Gol and traveled north to the Dörvöd Dalai Khan and the Dörvöd Zorigt Khan aimags in the the border region to the west  of the four Khalkh aimags. As their names implies, these aimags, located in what is now Uvs Aimag and northern Khovd Aimag, were in http://www.doncroner.net/2010/03/mongolia-life-of-dambijantsan-among.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-6333015832830020943Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:32:00 +00002010-03-12T06:43:39.342+08:00Just had an interesting video chat with International Adventuress Gunj and her friend Denise Zabalaga, a photo-journalist who has Worked in Afghanistan and many other places. They were in Gunj’s luxurious penthouse apartment near Union Square in downtown Manhattan, just a stone’s throw from the Strand Bookstore, and I was in my hovel in Zaisan Tolgoi. Talk about inequality! Anyhow, Denise relatedhttp://www.doncroner.net/2010/03/mongolia-usa-gunj-and-friends.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-325729241708512916Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:27:00 +00002010-03-07T09:13:44.781+08:00TibetMindrolingDorje DrakWandered down to Tibet and visited Mindroling, the monastery which had been heavily damaged by the Zungarian Mongols who invaded Tibet in 1718 under the leadership of Tseveen Ravdan, the nephew of Galdan Bolshigt, who in the 1680s had led the Zungarian Mongols against the Khalkh Mongols, at that time headed by Zanabazar, the First Bogd Gegen of Mongolia, who was the great grandson of Avtai, http://www.doncroner.net/2010/03/tibet-mindroling-dorje-drak.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-1991476506859026115Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:28:00 +00002010-03-06T10:32:03.749+08:00Dalai LamaConan O’BrienIt turns out that the Dalai Lama was not summoned to the White House to make a Solomonic judgment about the Paternity of Conan O’Brien’s Baby, as I previously believed. For an intriguing account of what did go down see How to Greet the Dalai Lama.Dalai Lama leaving the White House. It’s a shame the White House doesn’t have a better garbage man. http://www.doncroner.net/2010/03/usa-dalai-lama.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-8214266980303027076Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:37:00 +00002010-03-06T08:23:37.063+08:00Dambijantsan8th Bogd GegeenJa LamaGiven the mystery surrounding his birthplace, his age, and many of the subsequent events of his life it is perhaps to be expected that in Mongolia a supernatural version of Dambijantsan Mythologem would eventually arise. This tale was told to me by a well-known and highly respected lama in Ulaan Baatar. When this lama’s teacher was a young man he had as his own teacher a lama who as a boy had http://www.doncroner.net/2010/03/mongolia-non-human-origins-of.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-5935406457933606409Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:21:00 +00002010-03-05T10:36:25.222+08:00WildflowersNine NinesThe ninth and last of the Nine-Nines—nine periods of nine days each, each period marked by some description of winter weather—began on March 3. This last Nine is Ерийн дулаан болно: the time when warm weather starts, signaling the end of winter. We did have a warm spell, with temperatures up in the mid 20sºF / –6ºC in the afternoon, but this morning it was back down to Minus 30ºF / –34ºC and http://www.doncroner.net/2010/03/mongolia-zaisan-tolgoi-ninth-of-nine.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-8673237838519846163Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:02:00 +00002010-02-26T09:09:07.435+08:00UFODambijantsanJa LamaNow an Alleged UFO Base has been spotted in Mongolia! Maybe we should also be taking a Closer Look at the Former Hideouts of Dambijantsan. http://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/mongolia-more-ufo-news.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-5732162874474619667Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:26:00 +00002010-02-28T16:00:34.677+08:00Ulaan BaatarUFOA UFO has Crashed near Ulaan Baatar: Two objects reportedly crashed to the ground near Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia on Feb. 19, 2010. The first object, according to the report on the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) Witness Database, weighed 10 kg, while the second larger object weighed approximately 2 tons. Other than that, there's not a lot of information available about the objects.http://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/mongolia-ufo-crash-lands.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-3501936759709726250Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:12:00 +00002010-02-24T06:18:17.709+08:00I have a hard time following the news coming out of the States. I don’t watch television, so I have to rely totally on the internet. I don’t actually click on most of the stories, but just from the headlines I gather there have been a lot of problems recently. It seems that Tiger Woods and Conan O’Brien crashed a party at the White House and after a night together in the Lincoln Bedroom Conan O’http://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/usa-latest-news.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-6771385152531773924Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:21:00 +00002010-02-21T13:57:42.810+08:00Khamariin KhiidNine NinesThe seventh of the so-called Nine-Nines—nine periods of nine days each, each period marked by some description of winter weather—began on February 14, which coincidentally was the first day of the Male Iron Tiger Year here in Mongolia. The actual moment of the New Moon was 10:52 a.m. on the 14th, so according to some interpretations the New Year began then. The Seventh of the Nine-Nines is http://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/mongolia-zaisan-tolgoi-seventh-of-nine.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-6625772681844434441Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:46:00 +00002010-02-10T17:12:13.491+08:00Nine NinesThe sixth of the so-called Nine-Nines—nine periods of nine days each, each period marked by some description of winter weather—began on February 5th. This is Zuraasan Zam Garnai, the Time When the Trail of the Road Appears. This description would seem to indicate a slight warming from the previous Nine-Nines, a time when well-traveled trails become free from ice and snow. Indeed, on the night http://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/mongolia-sixth-nine-nine-zuraasan-zam.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-8198723562794828359Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:22:00 +00002010-02-02T09:22:12.388+08:00DolonnuurDambijantsanKalmyksKalmykiaVolga RiverJa LamaAt the time Dambijantsan was born, at the beginning of the 1860s, Tibetan Buddhism, despite the continued pressure to convert the Kalmyks to Russian Orthodoxy, was still prevalent in Kalmykia, the land of the Kalmyks. In all likelihood Dambijantsan was born into a family which adhered to Buddhism to one degree or another. The first news we hear of him is that at the age of seven he was supposedlyhttp://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/mongolia-life-of-ja-lama-chapter-4.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-4668710470061092653Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:11:00 +00002010-02-01T08:11:25.246+08:00GandanBayantsagaanShambhalaUlaan BaatarLam RimWandered up to Lam Rim Monastery, on Zanabazar Street just below Gandan Monastery in Ulaan Baatar. I have gone here many times over the years but I never really knew the story behind the founding of this monastery. The other day I dropped to see Bayantsagaan, the director of the monastery, and by chance his daughter Erdenetsetseg was there. She lived in Malaysia for several years and speaks near http://www.doncroner.net/2010/02/mongolia-ulaan-baatar-lam-rim-temple.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-9172889029055773636Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:27:00 +00002010-01-30T08:29:37.880+08:00Zaisan TolgoiMarsFull MoonThe Wolf Moon of Mid-Winter will be Supersized Tonight: The 2010 Wolf Moon will appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than any other full moon this year, because our cosmic neighbor will actually be closer to Earth than usual. The moon will be at its closest perigee—the nearest it gets to our planet during its egg-shaped orbit—for 2010 at 4:04 a.m. ET Saturday, reaching a distance of http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-zaisan-tolgoi-wolf-moon.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-2329470390435953962Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:47:00 +00002010-02-02T13:35:11.875+08:00VansemberuuZavkhan AimagHere is the plant known as Vansemberuu with Otgon Tenger Mountain in the background. Vansemberuu Summit of Otgon TengerEnkhjargal, a.k.a. Yooton, the gazarchin who led me to the Vansemberuu plant, at the Otgon Tenger OvooHear the Vansemberuu Song. Here is a transliteration and translation of the Vansemberuu song by widely acclaimed translator, meditation teacher, and  Man-About-Town http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-vansemberuu-song.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-7116882641016665470Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:26:00 +00002010-01-28T18:26:33.868+08:00DambijantsanAstrakhanKalmyksJa LamaBy the beginning of 1914 Dambijantsan’s reign of terror had antagonized many of this former supporters in western Mongolia. According to the Diluv Khutagt, “The people of the Banners of that region were unable to sleep in peace, and secretly went to the Russians with a petition of complaint” accusing Dambijantsan of “autocratic and despotic behaviour.” The complaint was presented to the Russian http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-life-and-death-of-ja-lama_28.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-8267276203479643680Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:37:00 +00002010-01-29T07:32:51.707+08:00MongoliaVansemberuuZavkhan AimagOtgon TengerDuring a trip to Otgon Tenger Uul in Zavkhan Aimag I encountered the legendary plant known as Vansemberuu. The lore about this plant seems almost endless, and I am still in the process of collecting information. Vansemberuu Vansemberuu http://www.doncroner.net/2008/10/mongolia-zavkhan-aimag-vansemberuu.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-7339538940811478643Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:34:00 +00002010-01-31T18:31:53.704+08:00Even in the Howling Wilderness of Zaisan Tolgoi we cannot escape the iPad News. First there was the Breathless, Minute-to-Minute Account of the Announcement.  Then the NYT Review by In-House Computer Guru David Pogue. Also see Three Reasons the iPad WON’T Kill Amazon’s Kindle. And finally some women are apparently upset by the name: Apple's iPad Name Not the First Choice for Women. Period:Of all http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/world-ipad.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-167434359198481804Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:58:00 +00002010-01-27T16:42:21.166+08:00Nine NinesTsagaan SarThe Fifth of the Nine-Nines—nine periods of nine days each, each period marked by some description of winter weather—begins today. This is Tavisan Budaa Khöldökhgui, the time when “Cooked Rice Cannot Be Frozen.” I must admit I really don’t understand the definition of this period. It seems to me that cooked rice would be frozen at any temperature below freezing, and we can certainly expect colderhttp://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/fifth-of-nine-ninesnine-periods-of-nine.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-5383997613690964782Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:37:00 +00002010-01-26T13:28:38.770+08:00TibetPanchen LamaGaldanZanabazarDalai LamaMost traditional accounts do not mention Zanabazar’s trip to Inner Mongolia to met the Dalai Lama in early 1655. Skipping over this episode, they relate instead  that in the summer of 1655 Zanabazar decided to make another trip to Tibet: “. . . I should like to accomplish my pious desire of again making obeisance to the Dalai Lama,” Zanabazar announced, “and especially to the Holy Panchen http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-life-of-zanabazar-second-trip.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-4498486905972863864Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:34:00 +00002010-01-23T07:38:32.418+08:00Panchen LamaZanabazarTaranathaDrepungDalai LamaShankhShireet Tsagaan NuurIn late 1649, the Earth Female Buffalo Year of the 11th Rabjung according to the Kalachakra Calendar, Zanabazar would have been fourteen years old, his childhood over and his adolescence about to begin. Since the age of four, when he had been named the Bogd Gegen at Shireet Tsagaan Nuur, he had been taught by the very best religious teachers available in Mongolia, but he must have been aware thathttp://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-life-of-zanabazar-chapter-5.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-2311168273939204016Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:22:00 +00002010-01-21T08:31:55.507+08:00Yesön ZuilZanabazarAvtai KhanBogd GegeenShankhShireet Tsagaan NuurRead Chapter 4 of the Life of Zanabazar, First Bogd Gegeen of Mongolia. Zanabazar (1635–1723) http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-life-of-zanabazar-chapter-4.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-871672991960224749Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:47:00 +00002010-01-20T07:04:55.469+08:00XinjiangUrumqiNine NinesThe Fourth of the Nine-Nines, known as Dönön Ükhiin Ever Khöldöne—Time When Four Year-Old Cows’ Horns Freeze—began on Monday, January 18. This is supposed to be the coldest of the Nine-Nines, periods of nine days each, each period marked by some description of winter weather. On Monday, however, it was an incredibly balmy 14ºF / Minus 10ºC at three in the afternoon, probably the highest http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-donon-ukhiin-ever-xoldone.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-3070471620285683251Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:05:00 +00002010-01-13T08:34:26.908+08:00MongoliaNine NinesEarthquakesThe Third of The Nine-Nines began on January 9. Gurvan Ükhrii Ever Khöldönö is the nine-day period of Winter when the horns of three year-old cows freeze. This period is supposed to be colder than the First of the Nine Nines and the Second of the Nine Nines. So far this has not been the case. A couple days ago it was Minus 20ºF / –28ºC at 7:00 a.m. and this morning  Minus 31°F / -35 °C at 7:00 http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-3rd-of-nine-nines-gurvan.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76627443915486180.post-2782211205533537719Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:15:00 +00002010-01-12T18:00:26.253+08:00Here’s a Shocker! Zaisan Tolgoi was not named by the New York Times as one of the  31 Places to Visit in 2010! But Istanbul was! Let’s look at the facts. Zaisan Tolgoi, in addition to being the terminus of bus routes #7, #33, and #12 and hosting a prison,  has a newly opened  restaurant, the Irish Palace (nothing  to do with Ireland; “Irish” is just synonymous with “restaurant” in Mongolia) with http://www.doncroner.net/2010/01/mongolia-turkey-zaisan-tolgoi-istanbul.htmldon@doncroner.net (Don)2