If you are interested in gaining insight into Mongolian nomadic and buddhist thinking, then studying Mongolian poetry, especially its doha form, is a wonderful place to start.  Here is an English language interpretation of “СЭТГЭЛИЙН БАЙГАЛИАС ЧАМАЙГ ХАЙЮУ” a poems by the Mongolian scholar-poet Zava Damdin (b.1976-). I’ve prepared some interpreting notes, yet they are not definitive. Each of us appreciates and reads poetry from a different perspective and in different ways.

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FROM THE LANDSCAPE OF THE MIND, I SEEK YOU

Each time you think of me,

A gentle mist drifts through my inner cycles.

Sometimes sunlit rain falls,

And a rainbow glistens.

Now and then, when the heart begins to ache,

It’s soothed with a melodious poem.

Riding my swift steed through the wilderness of dreams,

I gallop from afar in search of you.

Though we may not meet,

The atmosphere remains unburdened.

Mountains, vast plains and meadows rich with fruit and flowers

A visionary elder dakini

Various demons, spirits, and sky-born beings of noble origin,

Enemies, rivals, friends and companions –

Each and all shall cross my path.

Some greet me with open arms,

Others keep their distance.

Some go so far as to attempt destruction,

Yet I press on, unafraid of anything.

On my journey I do not suffer greatly,

At certain moments I find you,

Within the very landscape of my mind.

Establishing a peaceful realm without borders,

May I build a firm and true royal state.

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Translation is always an interpretation into another culture.

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СЭТГЭЛИЙН БАЙГАЛИАС ЧАМАЙГ ХАЙЮУ

Чи намайг санах бүрийд

Миний дотоод орчил дор зөөлөн будан татаж

Заримдаа нартай хур бууж солонго гилбэмүй

Үе үехэн сэтгэл хөндүүр болохуй дор

Уянгат шүлгээр илбэн илааршуулж

Зүүдний аглаг дор аргамаг хүлгээн унан

Хаа нэгтэйгээс чамайг хайн давхимуй

Учрах үгүй байсан ч бачимдах агаар үгүй

Үргэлжилсэн уул, тал, цэцэг жимст нуга

Эш үзүүлэгч дагина эмгэн хийгээд

Элдэв чөтгөр шулам ба тэнгэр язгууртад

Атаатан дайсан, анд нөхөд бүгд учирмуй

Зарим ану зочлон угтаж, зарим ану тэнсэж

Зарим ану егүүтгэхүйг хүртэл завдмуй

Гэвч би юунаас ч үл аюун орчих ба

Басхүү юун дор ч тэгтлээ үл тэчияадан зорчмуй

Харин нэгэн цаг дор тэрхүү сэтгэлийн байгалиас чамайг олж

Хил хязгаар үгүй амгалан орон байгуулан

Жинхэнэ хан төрийг бат цогцлооюу

Луут уулын шүлэгч хөвгүүн

17.11.2025

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NOTES

 

A. Mongolian Nomadic Philosophy and Understanding

 

(i) This doha reimagines nomadic cosmology as internal terrain. The “landscape of the mind” (сэтгэлийн байгаль) echoes the Mongol concept of nutag (ancestral land) not as property, but as psychic geography – an ontological homeland (Tsedev 2005, p82).

In this vocabulary, the mind is imagined as a vast geography – steppe, mountains, rivers – that mirror consciousness. This is an example of a culturally-specific blend of Vajrayana inner visualisation and nomadic epistemology of land-as-mind (Sneath 2007, p144). In this context, “mind” (сэтгэл) is not abstract but geographic — made up of emotional winds, seasonal patterns and sacred zones (Ibid. p171).

(ii) The journey on horseback through dreams is a classic motif in both Bön-influenced Buddhist retreat literature and shamanic journeying, where the rider’s passage mirrors soul-flight (Pedersen 2011, pp65–68). Bön, Tibet’s indigenous spiritual tradition, holds relevance to Mongolia through its early influence on Mongolian shamanic cosmology and ritual structure.

In Mongolian Gelug Buddhism, the motif of the “journey on horseback through dreams” reflects a syncretic fusion of tantric visualisation practices with indigenous soul-travel, where the horse serves as a symbolic vehicle for consciousness navigating visionary landscapes tied to the steppe (cf. Humphrey and Onon 1996, pp142–147; Onon, 2009).

(iii) This poem transcends any fixed sense of identity or nationhood: “peaceful realm without borders” reflects non-territorial sovereignty, typical of steppe kingship rooted in virtue, not land (Sneath 2007, p171).

 

B. Mongolian Poetics and Doha Form

 

(i) This is an example of a dream-doha, a sub-genre rooted in Vajrayana, but expressed through the following Mongolian poetic devices:

• Parallelism contrasts – “enemies, spirits, friends” to create inclusive spiritual cosmology
• Internal rhythm – echoed through alliteration and vowel harmony (e.g., учрах үгүй байсан ч бачимдах агаар үгүй)
• Personal mythopoesis – where the use of “Poet-Son of Dragon Mountain” echoes bardic pseudonymy, blending mystical identity with ancestral invocation (Damdinsüren 1973).

(ii) The poem integrates oral lyricism, nature-based mysticism, and Buddhist meditative landscapes thereby an example of how the doha form has been integrated into Mongolian poetics.

(iii) In terms of further study, each line or couplet in the original Mongolian dream-doha contain a complete thought and meaning, which can be understood and then studied independently and in greater depth (if it stimulates your interest). Refer to Section D (see below) for an  example.

 

C. Mongolian Vajrayana and Gelug Buddhist Epistemology

 

1.This poem fuses Vajrayana inner yoga, Gelug reasoning, and poetic imagery in the following ways:

(i) Subtle body imagery: The “inner cycles” (Дотоод орчил) and “dream rides” indicate meditative familiarity with prāṇa-nāḍī systems from completion stage yoga (Wallace 2001, p125).

(ii) In the Mongolian Vajrayāna tradition, dream yoga (rmi lam) serves as a visionary path where the poet traverses inner landscapes animated by karmic presences—echoing the genre of self-revelatory narratives analyzed by Janet Gyatso in her study of Tibetan autobiographical visions (Gyatso 1998).

(iii) Madhyamika Non-Dualism: The poem resists clinging to either meeting or separation, exemplifying freedom from dualistic grasping (Dreyfus 2003, 201). “Though we may never meet, the atmosphere remains unburdened” (Учрах үгүй байсан ч бачимдах агаар үгүй) is a poetic rendering of detachment (apranihita), a Mahayana ideal where love without clinging becomes a path to realisation (Ibid. p167).

(iv) Bodhicitta and Kalyanamitra: The pursuit of the beloved (perhaps a yidam, lama, or ideal companion) through the heartland of mind can also be read as the seeking of the ultimate spiritual friend.

2.There are so many interpretive layers for the line, “Жинхэнэ хан төрийг бат цогцлооюу”, the literal translation of which is, “May I firmly assemble and manifest the true khan-state.”

(i) In terms of political-spiritual kingship (töriin khan), in Mongolian Buddhist and political theory, хан төр does not simply mean the state, but refers to a divinely ordained sacred kingship. This echoes the Chakravartin (universal monarch) ideal from Indian and Tibetan Buddhism and the traditional Mongolian dual-order of tör (state) and shashir (religion). Chakravartin is the idea of a universal monarch who rules ethically and justly, and who is guided by Dharma rather than by conquest (see Tambiah 1976, pp33–35).

(ii) Although this idea alludes to Chakravartin Buddhist king-ship, in this doha I feel the concept is being applied internally, suggesting a sovereign mind-state beyond worldly regimes (Bat-Ochir 2020, pp93-96; Bira 1996). An alternative interpretation of this line could be, “And manifest the authentic kingdom of awakened mind.” 

(iii) And in Vajrayana Buddhism, especially in the Kalachakra and Dzogchen traditions, the meditator-practitioner is often imagined as a “king of mind” or “lord of mandala”, ruling over the inner constituents — winds, channels and thoughts. In this context, constructing a peaceful realm can imply attaining non-dual awareness and mastery over mental obscurations. Thus, “ build a firm and true royal state” is a metaphor for realising a stable, sovereign and enlightened mind, a vajra realm beyond duality and samsara (Wallace 2001, p132; Dreyfus 2003, p190).

 

D. The line, “Эш үзүүлэгч дагина эмгэн хийгээд”

I found this phrase the most difficult to move from Mongolian conceptualisations into the English language whilst also retaining its depth of culturally-loaded meanings. This is the path I travelled to reach my decision.

1. The literal breakdown of this Mongolian phrase is as follows:

Эш үзүүлэгч (esh üzüülegch) – “One who gives prophecies” or “seer”; literally, “sign-seer” or “diviner.” Rooted in Mongolian Buddhist terminology for individuals who perceive omens, signs, or spiritual visions.

2. Дагина эмгэн (dagina emgen) – a composite term combining: дагина (dagina) a “fairy” “spirit woman,” or “celestial female being” (often translated as dakini in Buddhist texts); and эмгэн (emgen) = “old woman” or “crone,” often used with reverence, denoting elderly wisdom or ancestral feminine power.

In Anglo-Celtic thought, a fairy is a supernatural being or spirit associated with nature, often dwelling in liminal spaces and possessing magical powers, ranging from mischievous to benevolent.

In Chinese thought, a fairy (仙, xiān) is an immortal, otherworldly being who has attained transcendence through spiritual cultivation, often dwelling in celestial realms and embodying harmony with nature and the Dao.

In American Indian traditions, a spirit woman is a sacred, often supernatural female figure who mediates between the human and spirit worlds, embodying wisdom, healing, or transformation.

In Mongolian Vajrayāna Buddhism, a dakini is a female embodiment of enlightened energy, acting as a spiritual muse, protector, or wrathful guide who aids in the practitioner’s inner transformation.

In Tibetan thought, a khadroma (མཁའ་འགྲོ་མ་, kha’ ’gro ma) is a “sky-goer” or dakini — a female embodiment of enlightened energy who moves through space and acts as a muse, guide, or fierce protector in tantric practice, representing wisdom in action.

In Anglo-Celtic thought, the crone is the wise elder woman archetype, representing the final stage of the feminine life cycle, often linked to prophecy, death, and transformative knowledge.

The term old woman generically refers to an aged female, but it often carries reductive or dismissive connotations that erase the cultural, spiritual, or archetypal richness found in figures like the crone, elder, or wisdom-keeper—terms that better honour age with dignity and power.

3. In terms of meaning in a cultural and literary context, the phrase “эш үзүүлэгч дагина эмгэн” refers to a wise, prophetic elder woman, often portrayed in Mongolian spiritual and mythopoetic literature as (a) a seer-woman or visionary elder; (ii) a blending of a shamanic figure and a dakini (female spiritual energy in Vajrayana); and (iii) someone both respected and feared, who can deliver spiritual messages, tests and/or guidance.

In this poem, she may represent a liminal archetype: neither purely divine nor mortal, not fully dangerous nor benevolent, and possibly an example of the “wild women” in steppe cosmology (cf. Humphrey 1996, p212).

4. Translation into English possibilities include: prophetess crone, visionary spirit-woman, prophetic wise woman, seer-elder with the phrase that preserves yet separates the duality: elder Dakini and prophetic crone. And there are many other alternative compound phrasings, but no need to list them here …

Question:

From these many options, which phrase would you (as an interpreter) choose?

Depending on tone and audience, would you lean more towards the poetic?

Or play it safe, and sit with the technical?

5. In the end, I rendered “Эш үзүүлэгч дагина эмгэн” as the translation-friendly, “visionary elder dakini“. This figure (эш үзүүлэгч дагина эмгэн) occupies a rich and complex role in both Mongolian oral literature and Vajrayana-inflected Buddhist ritual texts. This archetype blends elements of Buddhist dakini, ancestral feminine wisdom and shamanic seer. Her appearances function across genres: as teacher, guide, initiator, or even challenger.

In traditional Mongolian epics like the Jangar or Geser, prophetic elderly women often appear at liminal points. External appearance: old, ragged, and possibly mad-seeming women who conceal sacred or prophetic wisdom. Function: to deliver hidden truth or reveal the hero’s fate through omens or visions, thereby acting as initiators, sending the hero on a path of transformation. For example, in Geser, an old woman (emgen) foretells the reincarnation of the Buddha as Geser Khan and provides the ritual means to recognise him (Heissig 1971, p124).

In Mongolian tantric liturgies (e.g., Жинайн Доржнамжом), dakinis appear in wrathful or peaceful forms and are invoked as guardians of sacred knowledge. The phrase “Жинайн Доржнамжом” is a Mongolian transliteration of a name that refers to the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi in an honorific form. 

Zava Damdin Rinpoche’s inclusion of this figure of a visionary elder dakini seems to position her within both a Mongol nomadic narrative of a journey through moral, physical, and visionary landscapes AND a Buddhist tantric journey, where the rider’s encounters reflect internal yogic trials and encounters with wisdom protectors. Thus, she is not merely a “crone” but a cultural and spiritual threshold guardian.

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If there are any errors of judgement in this article, they are of my own making.

For these, I humbly apologise.

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REFERENCES

English Language Sources

Bat-Ochir, Boldbaatar. 2020. Buddhism and Law in Mongolia. Leiden: Brill.

Dreyfus, Georges B. J. 2003. The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Eliade, Mircea. 1964. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Elverskog, Johan. 2010. Buddhism and Islam on the Silk Road. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Gyatso, Janet. (1998). Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary. Princeton University Press.

Heissig, Walther. 1966. A Lost Civilization: The Mongols Rediscovered. London: Thames and Hudson.

Heissig, Walther. “Mongolian Epics and Oral Traditions.” In Oral Literature of the Asian Minorities, edited by Klaus Sagaster, 1–25. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1971.

Humphrey, Caroline. 1996. Shamans and Elders: Experience, Knowledge and Power among the Daur Mongols. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Kaplonski, Christopher. 2004. Truth, History and Politics in Mongolia: The Memory of Heroes. London: RoutledgeCurzon.

Kværne, Per. 1995. The Bon Religion of Tibet: The Iconography of a Living Tradition. London: Serindia Publications.

Pedersen, Morten Axel. 2011. Not Quite Shamans: Spirit Worlds and Political Lives in Northern Mongolia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, pp65–68.

Samuel, Geoffrey. 1993. Civilized Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan Societies. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Sneath, David. 2007. The Headless State: Aristocratic Orders, Kinship Society, and Misrepresentations of Nomadic Inner Asia. New York: Columbia University Press.

Tambiah, Stanley Jeyaraja. 1976. World Conqueror and World Renouncer: A Study of Buddhism and Polity in Thailand Against a Historical Background. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ujeed, U.B. Indigenous Efforts and Dimensions of Mongolian Buddhism: The Mergen Tradition. PhD diss., SOAS University of London, 2009.

Wallace, Vesna A. 2001. The Inner Kalacakratantra: A Buddhist Tantric View of the Individual. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

Mongolian Language Sources

(with English translations)

Bira, Sh. 1996. Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhism: Historical Continuities [Tövd-Mongol Buddizmiin Tüüxen Kholboo]. Ulaanbaatar: ShUAKh Hevlel.

Choijamts, D. 2012. Lamrim Teachings in Mongolian Buddhist Monasticism [Mongol Khiidiin Lamrimiin Surgaal]. Ulaanbaatar: Gandantegchinlen Khiid.

Damdinsüren, Tsendiin. 1973. The Principles of Mongolian Poetics [Mongol Shülegiin Züin Onoliin Ündes]. Ulaanbaatar: Institute of Language and Literature, Mongolian Academy of Sciences.

Danzan, Luvsandorj. 1999. On the Path of the Yellow Teachings [Sharyn Nomyn Zamaar]. Ulaanbaatar: Sodpress Publishing.

Jargalsaikhan, B. 2018. On the Consciousness of the Steppe [Tal Nutgiin Ukhamsriin Tukhai]. Ulaanbaatar: Mönkhiin Üseg.

Luvsandorj, M. 2010. Mongolian Buddhist Ethics [Mongoliin Buddiin Yos Züi]. Ulaanbaatar: Admon Press.

Tsedev, Ch. 2005. The Worldview of Nomadic Mongols [Nüüdėlchdiin Yertöntsiig Üzeh Üzel]. Ulaanbaatar: National University of Mongolia Press.

Zava Damdin. 2015. Collected Works [Zava Damdiny Büteelüüdiin Emkhetgel]. Ulaanbaatar: Gandantegchinlen Khiid.

end of transcript.

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© 2013-2025. CP in Mongolia. “Mongolian Poetry 21: From the Landscape of the Mind, I Seek You” is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ScholarGPT provided an additional channel for research. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 23 November 2025. Last updated: 23 November 2025.