RLB56 Buddhism in Russia

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2022
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Luboš Bělka, CSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Matouš Vencálek
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable of Seminar Groups
RLB56/Kombi: Fri 4. 3. 14:00–15:40 J22, Fri 1. 4. 14:00–15:40 J22, Fri 29. 4. 14:00–15:40 J22, L. Bělka
RLB56/Prez: Mon 14:00–15:40 G32, L. Bělka
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course offers an outline, history and presence of Buryat Buddhism (a northern branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The first lectures inform about the history and presence of academic Buryatology, literature in Czech and other languages, including information on the internet sources. Follows information about periods in the historical, cultural and religious development of respective Buryat Buddhist traditions. In the main part of the course students gain the historical and factual outline of the political and religious history of Buryatia, i.e.the history and current state of Buddhism in Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva and Russia; the relationship to Russian Orthodox Church; the minority role of Buddhism in Russia (St. Petersburg and Moscow especially); geopolitical relationships with Mongolia, China and Tibet. Some space is devoted to the aspects of life and culture around the Lake Baikal. At the end of this course, students should be able to understand the basic concepts of the Tibetan Buddhism in Russia as well as be able to know relevant historical data.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students should be able to:
  • Define basic relations between religion and politics in Russia;
  • Define basic forms of religious life in Buryatia;
  • Describe basic structure of the monastery;
  • Describe basic examples of important Buryat Buddhist personalities.
    • Syllabus
    • Introduction. Literary sources: Russian, Western and Czech Buddhist and Tibetanist studies about Buddhism in Russsia.
    • Buryatia: Land and people. Geographical, ethnographical and political-historical overview.
    • Spreading of Tibetan Buddhism Northward: History of Dharma spreading into Mongolia, Kalmykia and Tuva.
    • Buryatia: Political and religious history I.: Spreading of Tibetan Buddhism from Tibet and Mongolia to Trans-Baikalia (17-18 centuries).
    • Buryatia: Political and religious history II.: Tsongol (Murocha) monastery and the chiurch development in contemporary Buryatia.
    • Buryatia: Political and religious history III.: Tamcha (Gusinoozersk) monastery.
    • Destruction of the religious life in the early Soviet era: 1920's and 1930's - intervention of the "scientific" atheism.
    • Monastic life in Buryatia: Buryat monastic educational system and clergy. Buryats monastery schools.
    • Khubilgan institution in Buryatia: Buryat re-incarnations (Tib. tulku; Mong. khubilgan) - Norboyev, Dandaron and Tundupnyip lineages.
    • Important figures in Buryat Buddhism: Agvan Dorzhiev (1854-1937) a Bidiya D. Dandaron (1914-1974).
    • Buddhism in Russia after the Second World War I.: The first restoration of the religion.
    • Buddhism in Russia after the Second World War II.: The second restoration of the religion.
    • Ivolginsk monastery and St. Petersburg Buddhist shrine.
    Literature
      required literature
    • BĚLKA, Luboš. Mandala a dějiny: Bidija D. Dandaron a burjatský buddhismus (Mandala and History: Bidia D. Dandaron and Buryat Buddhism). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, 170 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6725-7. Digitální knihovna FF MU info
    • BĚLKA, Luboš. Tibetský buddhismus v Burjatsku (Tibetan Buddhism in Buryatia). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2001, 348 pp. Religionistika, sv. 10. ISBN 80-210-2727-4. info
      recommended literature
    • KULESHOV, Nikolai S. Russia's Tibet file : the unknown pages in the history of Tibet's independence. Edited by Alexander Berzin - John Bray. 1st ed. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1996, xxiii, 144. ISBN 8186470050. info
    • SNELLING, John. Buddhism in Russia : the story of Agvan Dorzhiev Lhasa's emissary to the tsar. Shaftesbury: Element, 1993, xiv, 320. ISBN 1852303328. info
    • CYBIKOV, Gonbožab Cebekovič. Cesta k posvátným místům Tibetu : podle deníků vedených v letech 1899 až 1902. Translated by Josef Kolmaš. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1987, 373 s. info
    Teaching methods
    Lectures; reading of literature; class discussion; study of multimedia presentations.
    Assessment methods
    Colloquium
    Written test based on the required reading, lectures, and presentations (100 points, the minimum of 60 points is required to pass the test). Test represents 100% of overal evaluation in the course.
    Language of instruction
    Czech
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Study Materials
    The course is taught once in two years.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2002, Spring 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019.
    • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2022/RLB56