Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The Buryats are one of the three ethnic groups of Russia who profess Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet was perceived as the Buddhist center for the Buryats since the 17th century and consequently served as a place of intense pilgrimage. Not only religious, but also academic personalities among the Buryats established connections of the Buryats with Tibet in the 19th – the beginning of the 20th centuries. Their activities also influenced geopolitical processes and Oriental studies of pre-revolutionary Russia. However, with the beginning of the Soviet regime, Buryat ties with Tibet were interrupted. Only with the revival of Buddhism in Buryatia in the post-Soviet period the tradition of pilgrimage recommenced too. Nevertheless, modern pilgrimage of the Buryats is a new phenomenon. Firstly, travelling conditions have greatly simplified the route which changes the experience of pilgrimage. Secondly, the geography of pilgrimage has significantly enlarged. Thirdly, today travel to Tibet has become available to wider population. Fourthly, a modern pilgrim sets other tasks and self-motivation. In this article, we focus on the motives of modern Buryat pilgrims and show that contact with the holy places is only one of the reasons of their pilgrimage. We show that along with the benefits for spirituality modern pilgrimage to Tibet solves the identity issues for the Buryats, as a rich historical layer, which was forgotten in the Soviet period but is of great importance for modern Buryats, is reproduced en route.

Presenters

Bato Dondukov
Senior researcher, Department of Philosophy, Culture and Religion Studies, Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation

Galina Dondukova
Junior Researcher, Department of Literary and Folklore Studies, Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation