REVISITING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR SPREAD AND DEVELOPMENT OF BUDDHISM IN BURYATIA // BSU bulletin. Philosophy. - 2022. №4. . - С. 48-56.

REVISITING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR SPREAD AND DEVELOPMENT OF BUDDHISM IN BURYATIA

The study was carried out within the grant of the Russian Science Foundation No. 21-18-00074 “Worlds of Mahayana Buddhism in the Context of World Civilizational Processes”.

DOI: 10.18101/1994-0866-2022-4-48-56 UDK: 294.321

The article deals with issues related to the spread of Buddhism in Buryatia and the factors that contributed to its successful incorporation into the culture of the Buryats as part of the Mongolian world. These factors were associated not only with the advanta- geous geopolitical position, but also with general Mongolian worldview foundations close to Buddhist ideas. The spread of Buddhism among the Buryats influenced not only on the religious traditions of the ethnic group, but also expanded the boundaries of the cultural and religious worldview of Russia as a whole. Despite the fact that Christianity and sham- anism were already widespread in the Buryats settlement area, Buddhism managed to pen- etrate the socio-cultural space of the Buryat society. Moreover, the Buddhist tradition, having become one of the ethno-differentiating characteristics, made a significant contri- bution to the development of the Buryat ethnic group. It is also of great significance to the development of Buryat cultures in general. Buddhism in Buryatia spread in the conditions of interaction with shamanism. As a result of this interaction a peculiar regional form of Buddhism inherited Tibetan and Mongolian traditions began to develop.

Buddhism, Vajrayana, Buryats, Buddhism in Buryatia, Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhism; Buddhist cults, assimilation of cults, shamanism, shamanic-Buddhist synthesis, religion in Buryatia, Buryat mentality, Buryat culture.