Under the Shadow of White Tara: Buriat Buddhists in Imperial Russia (Eurasian Studies Library)

The book systematically explores the history of the Buddhist community in the Russian Empire. It offers an advanced overview of the relations that existed between the Buriat Buddhists and the Russian imperial authorities. Various institutions and actors represented Russian power: foreign and interior ministries, the Irkutsk general-governorship, the Orthodox Christian mission of East Siberia, local journalists and academic scholars. The book is focussing especially on the evolution of imperial legislation and specific administrative mechanisms aiming at the regulation of Buddhist affairs. The author demonstrates how these actors responded to conflicting situations and collisions of interests. Thus the history of relations between Russia and her Buddhist subjects is shown as a complex process with participation of a number of actors with their own interests and motivations. The book systematically explores the history of the Buddhist community in the Russian Empire. It offers an advanced overview of the relations that existed between the Buriat Buddhists and the Russian imperial authorities.0Various institutions and actors represented Russian power: foreign and interior ministries, the Irkutsk general-governorship, the Orthodox Christian mission of East Siberia, local journalists and academic scholars. The book is focussing especially on the evolution of imperial legislation and specific administrative mechanisms aiming at the regulation of Buddhist affairs. The author demonstrates how these actors responded to conflicting situations and collisions of interests. Thus the history of relations between Russia and her Buddhist subjects is shown as a complex process with participation of a number of actors with their own interests and motivations 1 Introduction From the Qing to Romanovs Russia’s Many Faiths 2 Building the Church of the Lamas Early Encounters Negotiating Loyalty Attempts to Isolate Counting the Lamas A “Tolerated” Religion Determining the Limits Winning Catherine’s Favor The Birth of the Sangha 3 Dealing with the ‘Lama Issue’ Schilling von Cannstatt’s Charter Lavinskii’s Draft Statute The 1841 Selenga-Khori Charter Levashev’s Revision 4 Learning to Live Together Murav’ev’s Provision Conflicts and Compromises Foreign Lamas Books of the Lamas Divide and Rule 5 From Lamaism to Buddhism The Tsar as Cakravartin Paganism or Noble Religion? 6 Conclusion Index