A Role of Buddhism in the Shaping of Common Outposts for Russian and Mongolian Civilizations

Introduction. Russia’s Buddhist regions historically belonging to both the Russian and Mongolian civilizations are an attractive object for civilizational analysis in a variety of social sciences. Nonetheless, despite the ever-increasing role of civilizational processes in the context of the emerging and developing polycentric world order of civilization-states, scarce are studies united by a complex metascientific concept that would systematize the available empirical and theoretical information. Goals. Thus, the article attempts such research and seeks to identify the role of the Buddhist factor in the development of cross-civilizational relations in Russia through the examples of three common outposts of Russian and Mongolian civilizations — Buryatia, Tuva, and Kalmykia. The paper examines the significance of the Buddhist factor in sociocultural and political spheres of Buryatia and partly Transbaikalia, Tuva (Tyva), and Kalmykia. Materials and methods. The theoretical and methodological apparatus of the research rests on a new scientific approach — civilizational political science which considers civilizational and political processes within a stereoscopic worldview that separates political and civilizational spaces, and implies the use of an interdisciplinary research toolkit and a metascientific level of its theoretical understanding. To facilitate these, the work shall use a variety of materials, such as past and present political and legal acts from national and regional levels, media reports, statements by politicians, public and spiritual figures, data from sociological surveys, as well as special scientific investigations analyzing the mentioned sources. Results. The study suggests that the role of the religious factor — and, in particular, that of Buddhism — is significant in political and civilizational processes across the common outposts of the Russian and Mongolian civilizations throughout the territory of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, it serves as a substrate of civilizational identity, along with ethnic, cultural, confessional, linguistic ones, and factors of surrounding landscapes and commonality of historical destiny. Conclusions. Despite the importance of the civilizational factor for the examined regions, current national policies give priority to the concept of ‘political nation’ rather than that of ‘civilization-state’, which reduces somewhat due consideration of the confessional and ethnocultural diversity across the outposts, and hampers the fulfillment of their potentials in favor of development at both regional and national levels.

1. Abaeva L. L. Clergy and laymen in processes of restoration/revival of Buddhist monasteries in Buryat-Mongolia during the post-war period. Vlast’. 2019. No. 4. Pp. 229–233. DOI: 10.31171/vlast.v27i4.6634.

2. Antonov V. I. Russian identity as a factor of national security: On the statement of the problem (On the example of Buryatia, Kalmykia, Buryatsky districts of the Irkutsk Region and Zabaikalsky Krai). Innovatsionnye aspekty razvitiya nauki i tekhniki. 2021. No. 11. Pp. 85–88. (In Russ.)

3. Antonov V. I., Ochirova O. A. Russian identity as national security factor in the context of present-day migration processes: Regional peculiarities and controversies. In: Ensuring National Security in the Contemporary World. Conference proceedings (Irkutsk, 26–27 May 2016). Irkutsk: Baikal State University, 2016. Pp. 253–260. (In Russ.)

4. Arzumanov I. A. Culture-confessional factor in the consolidation processes of sociopolitical space of the Baikal Siberia. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies. 2009. No. 1 (3). Pp. 244–250. (In Russ.)

5. Bagdasaryan V. E. The concept of state-civilization: Problems of methodology and political implementation. Central Russian Journal of Social Sciences. 2022. Vol. 17. No. 6. Pp. 15–29. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.22394/2071-2367-2022-17-6-15-29

6. Badmatsyrenov T., Rodionov V. Buddhist revival and Buddhist community construction in contemporary Buryatia. State, Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide. 2020. No. 1 (38). Pp. 62–85. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.22394/2073-7203-2020-38-1-62-85

7. Bakaeva E. P. Buddhism in Kalmykia. Elista: Kalmykia Book Publ., 1994. 128 p. (In Russ.)

8. Volkova M. D. Shamans, bureaucrats, and their cosmologies: Local religious organizations in Buryatia and the Irkutsk Region. Antropologicheskij forum (Forum for Anthropology and Culture). 2021. No. 51. Pp. 39–71. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.31250/1815-8870-2021-17-51-39-71

9. Gereykhanova A. Culmination of Russia’s shift on BRICS: Ushakov tells about Summit program and agenda in Kazan. On: Rossiyskaya Gazeta (website). 2024. No. 230 (9472). Posted on 10 October 2024. Available at: https://rg.ru/2024/10/10/v-kremle-rasskazali-o-programme-sammita-briks-v-kazani.html (accessed: 11 October 2024). (In Russ.)

10. Two realities: Games of the Future opened in Kazan. On: RBC-Tatarstan. Posted on 22 February 2024. Available at: https://rt.rbc.ru/tatarstan/22/02/2024/65d66a4e9a79478edc2c5f52 (accessed: 14 October 2024). (In Russ.)

11. Zhalsanova V. G. Inter-ethnic relations in the Republic of Buryatia in the modern period (The results of a sociological study). Theory and Practice of Social Development. 2020. No. 3 (145). Pp. 18–22. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.24158/tipor.2020.3.2

12. Zhelifonov M. P. Formation of the state-civilization «Russia». 3. Universum: obshchestvennye nauki. 2024. No. 5 (108). Pp. 4–10. (In Russ.)

13. Zhuravleva L. A., Zarubina E. V., Ruchkin A. V., Simachkova N. N., Chupina I. P. State-civilization: Concept, essence, structure. Education and Law. 2023. No. 9. Pp. 80–88. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.24412/2076-1503-2023-9-80-88

14. Law of the Republic of Buryatia of 23 December 1997 no. 610-I on Religious Activities in the Territory of the Republic of Buryatia (rev. & suppl.) On: GARANT legal reference system. Available at: https://base.garant.ru/29550105/ (accessed: 13 October 2024). (In Russ.)

15. Law of the Republic of Tuva of 1 April 1995 no. 253 on Freedom of Thought and on Religious Organizations. On: Kodeks Consortium. Available at: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/802048821 (accessed: 10 October 2024). (In Russ.)

16. Zandanova L. V., Palamarchuk A. V. The struggle against Lamaism in Eastern Siberia in the 1930s: Documents testify. Humanitarian Vector. 2016. Vol. 11. No. 4. Pp. 93–98. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.21209/2307-1842-2016-11-4-93-98

17. Ilyicheva L. E., Lapin A. V., Ilyicheva M. V. Moderate conservatism as the ideology of the Russian state-civilization. Vlast’. 2024. Vol. 32. No. 2. Pp. 24–42. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.24412/2071-5358-2024-2-24-42

18. Ilyumzhinov K. N. Kalmykia in Russia’s Political and Economic Environments, 1996−2002. Elista: Dzhangar, 2002. 136 p. (In Russ.)

19. Kitinov B. U. Political Process and Its Civilizational Foundations. Moscow: RUDN University, 2019. 368 p. (In Russ.)

20. The Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (approved by President Vladimir V. Putin on 31 March 2023). On: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (official website). Posted on 31 March 2023. Available at: https://www.mid.ru/ru/detail-material-page/1860586/ (accessed: 13 August 2024). (In Russ.)

21. Lama of Tuva: Intending to construct rehabilitation center for SVO participants. On: RIA Novosti. Religion. Posted on 12 December 2023. Available at: https://ria.ru/20231212/natsyk_dorzhu-1915188166.html (accessed: 14 October 2024). (In Russ.)

22. Matveeva E. V., Sat A. V. The phenomenon of political culture of national republics as a synthesis of traditional and modern. The Bulletin of Moscow State University of Culture and Arts. 2022. No. 4 (108). Pp. 102–107. (In Russ.)

23. Medvedev becomes White Tara. On: Gazeta.Ru. Posted on 24 August 2009. Available at: https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2009/08/24_kz_3239833.shtml (accessed: 11 October 2024). (In Russ.)

24. Mikhalev A. V. «Soft power» of today’s Mongolia and the border regions of Russia. Russia and the Contemporary World. 2014. No. 1 (82). Pp. 93–101. (In Russ.)

25. Mikhalev M. S. Ethnic resources of Tuva in national policy scenarios. New Research of Tuva. 2022. No. 2. Pp. 188–197. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.25178/nit.2022.2.13

26. Mongush M. V. Traditional and non- traditional faiths in Tuva: Past and present. Vostok (Oriens). 2007. No. 1. Pp. 16–32. (In Russ.)

27. Mongush Ch. B. Legal support regime Russian patronage in Tuva in the twentieth century. Voprosy sovremennoy yurisprudentsii. 2015. No. 5–6 (47). Pp. 71–74. (In Russ.)

28. Nimbuev G. Ch. International activities of Pandito Khambo-Lama Zh. D. Gomboev as a manifestation of people’s diplomacy. Vlast’. 2022. Vol. 30. No. 6. Pp. 247–252. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.31171/vlast.v30i6.9385

29. Ochirov U. B., Ershov S. G., Gunaev E. A. Natives of Kalmykia in the Battle of Stalingrad. Elista: Kalmyk Scientific Center (RAS), 2018. 501 p. (In Russ.)

30. Petrov I. V. Buddhist religious factor and military and political forces in the Civil War in Transbaikalia in 1917–1923. Scientific Letters of Russian Customs Academy St. Petersburg Branch Named after Vladimir Bobkov. 2023. No. 3 (87). Pp. 113–117. (In Russ.)

31. Pokaninova E. B. Inter-religious and state-confessional relations in the Republic of Kalmykia: Past and present. Sociology of Power. 2010. No. 5. Pp. 66–74. (In Russ.)

32. Putin V. V. Gornyi Altay ― Proto-Turkic Homeland: To conference attendees. On: President of the Russian Federation (official website). Posted on 8 October 2024. Available at: http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/letters/75282 (accessed: 14 October 2024). (In Russ.)

33. Tarbastaeva I. S. Role of religion in national policy of the Republic of Tyva: The analysis of government programs (2013–2020). Buryat State University Bulletin. 2020. No. 3. Pp. 11–20. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.18101/1994-0866-2020-3-11-20

34. Topchiev M. S. Main vectors of the confessional relations of the Russian Prikaspy. Scientific Journal of KubSAU. 2014. No. 102. Pp. 334–345. (In Russ.)

35. Tretiakov A. V. State-religious relations in crisis situations: The support by Russian religious organizations for a special military operation. Issues of Theology. 2024. Vol. 6. No. 2. Pp. 301–316. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.21638/spbu28.2024.208

36. Urbanaeva I. S. Buddhist connotations of B uryat’s ethnicity issues in an intercivilization cooperation retrospective review. The Journal of Eurasia and World. 2013. No. 1. Pp. 39–56. (In Russ.)

37. Shimanskaya O. K. Around the Caspian: A political process in the dialogue of civilizations. Scientific and Analytical Herald of the Institute of Europe RAS. 2019. No. 5. Pp. 133–138. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.15211/vestnikieran52019133138