Buddhism in the value orientations of modern Kalmyk youth: results of a sociological research

The aim of the article is to analyze the influence of Buddhism on the value orientations of modern Kalmyk youth. In particular, the study is aimed at: (1) identifying the priority values of modern Kalmyk youth; (2) determining the level of young people’s religious identity; (3) identifying the degree of understanding by young people of basic Buddhist concepts (religious and philosophical ideas, norms) and tendencies to use these concepts as guidelines for their everyday life. The theoretical sources of the study were works on aspects of the study of religious and philosophical system of Buddhism, Kalmyk national culture and history, Kalmyk youth and socio-cultural processes in the youth environment by Russian scientists in the field of philosophy, history, Buddhology, sociology, art history. The main method of collecting empirical material was sociological survey in the form of anonymous questionnaires for representatives of Kalmyk youth. In the course of the research, 100 respondents were interviewed, of whom 45 were young men and 55 were young women. As a result of the research, the priority values of contemporary Kalmyk youth were revealed, which include the universal values of family, love, kindness and compassion, and justice. Material well-being, work, career, and self-development are also priority values fo the young generation. The obtained data revealed that the largest part of the youth consider themselves Buddhists, which indicates a high level of religious identity. However, it cannot be said that young people fully understand the content of the relevant concepts in a deep doctrinal sense because some concepts, for example, such as “karma” and “samsara” are often used in everyday life in a simplified sense, and their use is often found in elements of mass culture. The study showed that basic Buddhist religious and philosophical ideas and ethical norms occupy one of the most important places in the system of value orientations of Kalmyk youth, and that young people are guided by these concepts in their lives and regulate their daily behavior in accordance with them. Thus, it can be stated that there is a high level of religious and ethical consciousness among the contemporary young generation of Kalmyks, since some young people are oriented in their moral and ethical preferences towards both Buddhist values and generally recognized universal norms of ethics and morality