"Golden light sutra" as the most popular canonical work in the Buddhist community of Buryatia

The article studies the "Golden Light Sutra" as the most popular canonical work in the Buddhist community of Buryatia. A comparative analysis of the three research sources (bibliographic books on publishing activities of Buryat monasteries, collections of Tibetan books in Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies SB RAS and data of archeographic expeditions of 2002-2014) allowed us to reveal the significance of this sutra for common book culture of Buddhists in this region. More copies of the “Golden Light Sutra” found in all these sources in comparison with the exemplars of the “Diamond Sutra” and the “Great Liberation Sutra” proves its special significance for Buddhists in Buryatia. The “Golden Light Sutra” was preserved in more Buryat families than any other canonical sutra. This fact is surprising, since before the revolution this work was published in fewer places than two other popular sutras. The popularity of the “Golden Light Sutra” in the Buddhist community of Buryatia is explained by its ideological significance and peculiar secularism. So, it is necessary to distinguish in its content the chapters telling about throne, which the readers consider valuble for their worldly life.