Buddha in the Mythological Tradition of the Oirats

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the religious and mythological tradition of the Oirats, which underlies their ethnic worldview. The purpose of the study is to identify the relationship of different stages in the structure of archaic myths that appeared after the Oirats adopted the Buddhism. Materials and methods. The main material of the study are samples of the Oirats’ myths of Xinjiang, published in folklore collections and periodicals in “clear writing” in the second half of the last century. The analysis of such samples of oral creativity necessitates the use of not only traditional methods of studying oral literature, but also an interdisciplinary approach that allows us to identify the regular processes that ensures the selection and preservation of certain plots and the stability of the religious and mythological tradition. Results. Historical and cultural ties of the Oirats go deep into the ancient history of the Turco-Mongol peoples of Central Asia. As a result, in their mythology and fairy-tale folklore we can see different layers of archaic myths, ancient religious views and Buddhist mythology. In the content of a number of mythological and fairy-tale plots, in which the intersection of moral and religious principles of Buddhism with oral tradition is observed, the characters are both Buddha himself and other deities of the Buddhist pantheon. Analysis of the texts of Oirat myths shows that the coexistence of the oral artistic system with Buddhist literature led to the natural introduction of the Buddhist view of the world into all aspects of the spiritual life of the Oirat ethnic group, including the structure and content of archaic myths.