Discourse of the Buddhist revival among the Southern Altaians

This article discusses the Buddhist revival among the Southern Altaians. The modern Burkhanists (Ак]'ан') have divided into two groups. The Buddhist Burkhanists view their religion as a modified type of Buddhism in the Altai, while the Ак ]'ан' group disagrees with this. It is demonstrated that the Buddhist Burkhanists have been actively proselytizing among the Southern Altaians, but encounter resistance from the Ак ]'ан'. In the process of competition with the concept of “unnaturalness of Buddhism” for the Southern Altaians on the part of the Ак ]'ан' believers, the Buddhist Burkhanists have developed the discourse of the Buddhist revival. It is shown that texts and speeches belonging to this discourse are intended to confirm the ancient status of Buddhism in the Altai, and the discourse is rooted in historical data. The Buddhist Burkhanists address the Altai history starting from the ancient times and ending with present day, also using historical records by scholars and Orthodox Christian missionaries of the 19th century. Our analysis of their key arguments shows that the Buddhist Burkhanists strive to create a positive image of the historical conversion into Buddhism. Their interpretation of historical information is sometimes rather liberal and biased: only certain historical events are presented; data is often not entirely reliable, and role of Shamanism in the lives of the Southern Altaians is downplayed. It is concluded that activists of the Buddhist revival are consciously manipulating public historical conscience in order to attract believers.