The Altai Republic Buddhist Transfers – МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ЖУРНАЛ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ

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Anatoliy M. ALEKSEEV-APRAKSIN
Saint Petersburg State University
7-9, Universitetskaya embankment, Saint Petersburg, 199034 Russian Federation
Associate Professor of Department of Philosophy and Culture of the Orient
Hainan Normal University
99, Longkun South Road, Haikou, Hainan Province, 571158 China
Visiting Professor
Doctor of Science in Cultural Studies
e-mail: a.alekseev-apraksin@spbu.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-5009-1110

The Altai Republic Buddhist Transfers

Abstract: The article is dedicated to the multi-confessional life of the Gorny (Mountainous) Altai and the Buddhist transfers that had a profound impact on culture of the Altai peoples. Methodological basis of the work is the theory of cultural transfers, comparative principles, and cultural studies. This paper represents results of scholarly study of the region’s Buddhist realities undertaken by researchers. Here the author provides the diachronic analysis of the Buddhist transfers in their ethnosophical and historical dimensions. Modern Altai Buddhism is studied in its development based on both historical data and mythological sources. It is shown that the coexistence of Buddhist traditions today is based on the principle of complementarity of traditional, modernist, and metacultural views. Addressed to different people and representing alternative paths to a common goal, they are connected in diverse ways as the history of the region's culture witnesses. It justifies the logic of adopting the status of a traditional Buddhist region acquired by the Altai Republic in 2003. The article substantiates the relevance of the Buryat transfer concerning the revival of the Altai traditions and ethnocultural originality. The significance of Tibetan transfer supported by the Dalai Lama is revealed here. Transnational Gelug tradition’s presence serves as a pitchfork for classical forms of monastic studies and model practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Rich in its ethnosophical content, a Japanese transfer which solves the local problems of mental and physical recovery of the local population, has been studied. The Yungdrung Bon tradition with its close relations with shamanic practices is also presented; it demonstrates significant potential for meaningful disclosure of the most ancient forms of the Altai culture. The metacultural Diamond Way (Russian-European transfer of the Tibetan Vajrayana) is presented in more detail. This tradition satisfies the demands of people interested in yogic self-actualization outside of monastic life and ritual practices. According to the author, the development of all existing branches of Buddhism is based on historical, ethnocultural, and ethnosophic foundations and thus helps the consolidation of the Altaians and cultural revival of the region.

Key words: Buddhism, ethnosophy, Ak-Burkhan, Gelug, Kagyu, Lotus Sutra Community, Yungdrung Bon.

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For Citation:

Alekseev-Apraksin, A. (2022) The Altai Republic Buddhist Transfers. International Journal of Cultural Research, 4 (49). 106–122. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2022_4_106

DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2022_4_106