Research on the History of Buddhism in Kalmykia at the Present Stage

Abstract

This article reviews the main works on the history of Buddhism in presentday Kalmykia. Research on Buddhist issues as a whole and those in Kalmykia in particular started in the republic only in 1970s. No officially registered religious organizations and associations were permitted in Kalmykia after its autonomy was re-established in 1957 and before the beginning of perestroika in the USSR. Buddhist studies were also discouraged due to the atheistic policy pursued in the country. The extensive historiography of Buddhism research in Kalmykia reveals comprehensiveness and depth of the subject. Main issues that scholars of Kalmyk studies have to face include: introducing new historical sources into scientific research; studying the early period of Buddhism as it spread among the Kalmyks and their ancestors – the Oirats [Oirats]; comparative analysis of the traditions of the Kalmyks and Oirats; and interdisciplinary approaches to specifics of Kalmyk Buddhist culture. Possibilities for establishing a centralized Buddhist organization are discussed, as well as difficulties in researching unknown tragic pages of the past, including the repressions against the Buddhist clergy and church.