Russia’s Buddhist Dilemma: Between Orientalist Fascination and Colonial Anxiety

• In Event: Shades of Russian Orientalism: Comparing Imperial Russian Entanglements with Islamic and Buddhist Easts

Abstract

Edward Said’s argument that Western discourse framed the Buddhist East as a “good Orient” in contrast to the “bad Orient” of the Islamic world raises the question of whether this framework applies to imperial Russia. This paper examines Russian perceptions of the Buddhist Orient, focusing on the domestic Buddhist communities of the Kalmyks and Buryats. Unlike in Western Europe, where Buddhism was often idealized, Russian discourse struggled with the ambiguous status of Lamaism, which, throughout the 19th century, was not firmly associated with Buddhism as a world religion. Drawing on writings by Russian intellectuals, Orientalists, Orthodox missionaries, and colonial officials, this paper traces the shifting representations of Buddhism in Russia. By 1917, concerns over “pan-Buddhism” as a political and ideological threat had taken hold, revealing a transformation in Russia’s conceptualization of the Buddhist world and its place within the empire.

Author

• Nikolay Tsyrempilov, Nazarbayev U (Kazakhstan)