Article
Article name	When Did Russia Recognize Buddhism? In Pursuit of 1741 Decree by the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna Officially Recognizing of Buddhism by the Russian Authorities
Authors	Tsyrempilov N.V. Candidate of History, tsyrempilov@ias.edu
Bibliographic description
Section	ORIENTAL STUDIES
UDK	294.321
DOI
Article type
Annotation	Although the Decree of 1741 was considered by many researchers as an important stage in the history of Buddhism in Russia, we still know little about it and the document itself was never published. In this paper we attempted to collect all data concerning this particular document available in Buriat, Mongolian and Tibetan written sources and Russian archives of the 18–19th centuries. Based on these materials we attempt to give our respond to the question whether this decree, which was mentioned by so many scholars, ever existed. Based on these data we assume that the document in question might exist in the status of decree, but rather as issued by local provincial government in the name of the empress, which in the 18th century Russia was a normative administrative practice. The same data allow us to argue that although we cannot refer to it as the document officially recognizing Buddhism by Russian authorities on the territories of the empire, it legitimized in fact the status of the Buddhist clergy and acknowledged their rights as imperial subjects. In its essence the command of 1741 was rather restrictive than permitting, but at the same time it recognized certain privileges similar to those enjoyed by the Buriat tribal aristocracy. In fact, we can consider this document as indirect recognition of Buddhism by Romanovs.
Key words	Buddhism, Lamaism, Russian empire, Buryats, Elizaveta Petrovna, official recognition, 1741
Article information
References	Istochniki 1. Bichikhan zapiska. Bichikhan zapiska (bucieeea iepuskt). M I-43. Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. 2. Kratkoe istoricheskoe sochinenie. Dorzhiev Agvan (Vagindra). Kratkoe istoricheskoe sochinenie o tom, otkuda, iznachal’no otdelivshis’, prishli mongol-buryaty, kogda eto proizoshlo i vo vlasti kakogo khana oni teper’ prebyvayut (Moekgo& Briyeoa folo_ feekEeea Hemi) t fca DesorejO YembE* foro% t felI Ce( DO kEa Hegea DeI Segogsea DeriKdea I DobcI DedoI Horiyegsea DeokEt buciit forosibEt). M I-46. Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. 3. Predanie o khozhdenii v Tibet Bandido Khambo Zayaeva iz tsongol’skogo roda (Coekgo& foB( ble^ t bEwdida mkEnBwa JeI t t iia DoibEoa Geje* t YeBgsea Domo(). Kollektsiya V. D. Borboeva, № 3499(2). Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. 4. Predanie o khozhdenii Khambo Zayaeva za Ucheniem (Jeye) t mkEnB iia Zesia O Dola YeBgsea Domo( BI). M II-342. Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. 5. Putevye zametki. Putevye zametki (YeBde& oa Demdeit). M I-262. Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. 6. Toboev Tugul’dur. Proshlaya istoriya khorinskikh i aginskikh buryat (HorI iia fegoiia Briyeoa ooa oa forida Ce( oa DeokEt). M I-16. Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. 7. Yumov Saintsak. Istoriya selenginskikh buryat-mongolov (SeleekkEt iia Moekgo& Briyeoa ooa oa DeokEt). Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. M I-8. 8. Yumsunov Vandan. Istoriya o proiskhozhdenii odinnadtsati khorinskikh rodov (HorI iia ferbEa NikEa fcikEt iia fo( fijego* oa DogojI). Mongol’skaya kollektsiya Tsentra vostochnykh rukopisei i ksilografov IMBT SO RAN. M I-13. 9. Rassmotrenie proektov Svoda Stepnykh Zakonov dlya kochevykh inorodtsev i Ustava o Mongolo-buryatskom Dukhovenstve. Prisutstvie Iyulya 9-go dnya 1838 goda. F. 1264. Op. 1. D. 173. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv. 10. Ustav mongoloburyatskogo dukhovenstva 1832 g., sostavlennyi baronom P. L. Shillingfon- Kashtadt. F. 1264. Op I/54. D. 212a. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv. 11. Ukhtomskii Esper, Knyaz’. Ocherk razvitiya lamaizma na vostochno-sibirskoi okraine i naibolee tselesoobraznoe sredstvo dlya bor’by s nim. F. 821, Op. 133. D.. 420. L. 91 b. References 12. 250-letie buddizma v Buryatii i Rossii // 250-letie ofitsial’nogo priznaniya buddizma v Rossii. Tezisy dokladov nauch. konf. 16–17 iyulya 1991 g. Ulan-Ude. Ulan-Ude, 1991. S. 3–7. 13. Al’bedil’ M. Buddizm. SPb.: Piter, 2006. 14. Buryaadai tүүkhe beshegүүd, 1992. Buryaadai tүүkhe beshegүүd / sost. Sh. B. Chimitdorzhiev. Ulaan-Үde: Buryaad nomoi kheblel, 1992. 15. Buryatskie letopisi, 1995. Buryatskie letopisi / sost. Sh. B. Chimitdorzhiev, Ts. P. Vanchikova. Ulan-Ude, 1995. 16. Buryaty / otv. red. L. L. Abaeva, N. L. Zhukovskaya. M., 2004. 17. Byuler F. A. Ocherki Vostochnoi Sibiri. Lamaizm i Shamanstvo // Otechestvennye zapiski. 1859. Iyul’. T. XXV. Sankt-Peterburg. S. 201–258. 18. Vashkevich V. Lamaity v Vostochnoi Sibiri. SPb., 1885. 19. Voronets E. Iz istorii chinovnogo sibirskogo lamstva. M., 1891. 20. Voronets E. Russkim li pravitel’stvom uzakoneno inozemnoe idolopoklonnicheskoe lamstvo v pravoslavnoi Rossii? Khar’kov, 1889. 21. Voronets E. Sushchestvennaya istoricheskaya spravka po lamskomu voprosu. SPb., 1888. 22. Galdanova G. R. Traditsionnye verovaniya buryat v sisteme buddizma // Buryatskii buddizm: istoriya i ideologiya: sb. statei / otv. red. L. E. Yangutov. Ulan-Ude: Izd-vo BNTs SO RAN, 1997. S. 92–102. 23. Gerasimova K. M. Lamaizm i natsional’no-kolonial’naya politika tsarizma v Zabaikal’e v XIX i nachale XX vekov. Ulan-Ude, 1957. 24. Glotova S. A. Ukazy kak glavnye rasporyaditel’nye dokumenty kollegii (XVIII v.) // Deloproizvodstvo. 2009 № 3. S. 83–88. 25. Zhukovskaya N. L. 250 let ofitsial’nogo priznaniya buddizma v Rossii (razmyshleniya o proshedshem yubilee nekotoroe vremya spustya) // Etnograficheskoe obozrenie. 1992. № 3. S. 118–131. 26. Zalkind E. M. Obshchestvennyi stroi buryat v XVIII – pervoi polovine XIX v. M.: Nauka, 1970. 400 s. 27. Zemlya Vadzhrapani. Buddizm v Zabaikal’e: antologiya / red. P. Vaishraman. M.: Izdvo DIK, 2008. 28. Istoricheskaya entsiklopediya Sibiri / gl. red. V. A. Lamin. Novosibirsk: Istoricheskoe nasledie Sibiri, 2009. T. 1. 29. Istoriya buddizma v SSSR i Rossiiskoi Federatsii v 1985–1999 gg. / otv. red. N. G. Ochirova. Elista: Min-vo obr-ya i nauki Resp. Kalmykiya, 2011. 30. Istoriya buryatskogo buddizma. Pis’mennye istochniki / transliteratsiya, perevod, kommentarii i issledovanie Ts. P. Vanchikovoi. Ulan-Ude: Izd-vo BNTs SO RAN, 2006. 31. Komissiya dlya issledovaniya zemlevladeniya i zemlepol’zovaniya v Zabaikal’skoi oblasti. Materialy. SPb., 1899. 32. Lamaizm v Buryatii XVIII – nachala XX veka. Struktura i sotsial’naya rol’ kul’tovoi sistemy / Galdanova G. R., Gerasimova K. M., Dashiev D. B. i dr. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1983. 33. Nil (Isaakovich N. F.), arkhiep. Buddizm, rassmatrivaemyi v otnoshenii k posledovatelyam ego, obitayushchim v Sibiri. SPb., 1858. 34. Ocherk o lamaizme /gl. red. stats-sekretar’ Kulomzina I. V. Sosnovskii. SPb., 1905. 35. Pozdneev A. M. K istorii razvitiya buddizma v Zabaikal’skom krae // Zapiski Vostochnogo otdeleniya Imperatorskogo Russkogo Arkheologicheskogo obshchestva. 1886. № 1. T. 1. S. 169–188. 36. Rumyantsev G. N. Arkhiv Zasak-lamy Galsana Gomboeva. Ulan-Ude: Buryat. kn. izdvo, 1959. 37. Sanzhiev G. L., Sanzhieva E. G. Buryatiya. Istoriya (XVII−XVIII vv.). Vyp. 4. Ulan-Ude: Izd-vo Bur. gos. un-ta, 1999. 38. Ukhtomskii Esper, Knyaz’. Iz oblasti lamaizma. K pokhodu anglichan na Tibet. SPb., 1904. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv. 39. Chimitdorzhiev Sh. B. K voprosu o nachale rasprostraneniya buddiiskoi religii v Buryatii // 250-letie ofitsial’nogo priznaniya buddizma v Rossii: tezisy dokladov nauch. konf. 16–17 iyulya 1991. Ulan-Ude, 1991. S. 14–18. 40. Chimitdorzhin D. G. Buddizm v Buryatii 1945–2004. Ulan-Ude, 2007.
Full article	When Did Russia Recognize Buddhism? In Pursuit of 1741 Decree by the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna Officially Recognizing of Buddhism by the Russian Authorities
	0
	30