‘Begin the Morning with a Prayer, and Spend the Day in Temporal Affairs’: Buddhist Ethics in Usun Debeskertu Khan’s Homilies

The combination of two rules — temporal and religious ones — is typical for Classical Mongolian ‘twofold’ didactic compositions. Buddhist ethics is a specific moral system represented by a corpus of reputable texts compiled by monastic elites in accordance with their beliefs. Even if some of the works do not focus on religious precepts as such, certain ultimate objectives of the former are explained from the perspective of the Buddhist teaching. And one such didactic composition is The Story of Usun Debeskertu Khan. Its Oirat translation bears different titles, including ones mentioning those are precepts of the Tibetan King Tri Ralpachen (Oir. Usun Debeskertu Khan). The text is compiled from versified homilies that are essentially close enough to oral aphoristic poetry, though distinguished by an explicit form. It covers all spheres of human life and structurally oppose virtuous deeds to sinful ones. The homilies primarily sought to advocate behavioral patterns that would meet socially accepted religious norms. As for instructions dealing with religious practice, those are few enough. However, the bulk of formal temporal guidelines — one way or another — contain religious aspects. Goals and Objectives. The paper aims to introduce into scientific discourse the Oirat text of The Story of Usun Debeskertu Khan and analyze its didactic contents. It is also essential to determine the religious impact and reveal the Buddhist elements. Methods. The article basically employs the historic-philosophical and comparative methods. Research novelty. Despite the wide distribution of the Buddhist ethical text in manuscript copies, its contents have never been analyzed scholarly. Results. The study shows that Buddhist ethics as a system of moral norms is manifested in different texts elaborated by monastic elites pursuant to the Buddhadharma. The composition examined emphasizes no religious aspects, though seeking to guide its readers towards the Buddhist path of salvation. Conclusions. The analysis conducted reveals the religious essence of the homilies, Buddhist ethics constituting the actual background of the formal narrative.

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