Introduction. In Buddhism, human birth is considered a rare opportunity and the best condition — to put an end to further births and attain the utmost spiritual goals. In comparison to other realms of existence in saṃsāra (animals, pretas, etc.), the human realm is referred to as ‘the fortunate one’ and birth in a human body is called ‘the precious (Tib. rinchen) birth’. Goals. The work seeks...
Oriental StudiesFebruary 21, 2025Anatoliy I. Gogolev, Natalia A. Struchkova, Kapitolina M. Yakovleva et al.
Introduction. Yakut shamanism is an important aspect of traditional culture that specifically articulates certain customary beliefs. The paper analyzes various approaches to understanding shamanism, including evolutionist theory, a constructivist approach, and the concept of ‘invented tradition’. It is noted that Yakut shamanism has pronounced dualistic features reflecting the division of...
Oriental StudiesSeptember 18, 2023Liudmila S. Dampilova, Evdokia E. Khabunova, Balzira V. Elbikova
Introduction. In the Buryat tradition, healing was a most common function attributed to shamans. The main pragmatic aspect of healing depends on the semiotic component of a ritual, communicative connection with the other world being a key indicative. Healing practices of Turko-Mongolian shamans were distinguished by that rituals were accompanied by spells aimed at propitiating or neutralizing...
Oriental StudiesApril 21, 2021Liudmila S. Dampilova, Ekaterina V. Sundueva
Introduction. In mythologies of the world, the image of the snake ranks among the most studied characters and has various interpretations. In folklore of Turko-Mongols, it has also been a subject of multiple analyses. Still, the article makes a first attempt at revealing the image of the snake as a taboo sacred character in ritual folklore of the Mongolic peoples. Goals. The paper primarily...