Abstract

The rise of global environmental awareness results in searching for new sources of ecological values not only in Western traditions, but also in Eastern traditions and indigenous world views. The article is aimed to show the traditional ecological values of the Buryat people in the contemporary Buryat literature. The Buryats are an ethnic group living in Southeastern Siberia, on the shores of Lake Baikal, Russia. They represent the major northern subgroup of the Mongolian people and are one of the largest ethnic groups of Siberia. The Buryat literature embodies a certain set of ethno-ecological concepts based on the combination of mythological ideas and Buddhist philosophy and ethics. The idea of inseparability of man and nature is first of all rooted in the shamanic mythology of the Buryats and is widely represented in Buryat folklore. The contemporary Buryat literature revives these ideas of careful treatment of the environment. The motif of harmony between the man and nature becomes further influenced by the Buddhist philosophy, as the Buryat writers build the plot of their works with the constant reminder of human responsibility and karmic relationship of all phenomena in the world.