Beyond “Bad Buddhism”: Conceptualizing Buddhist Counseling in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia

Authors

  • Kristina Jonutytė Vilnius University and Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4147509

Keywords:

Buryatia, Buddhist counseling, divination, ritual, post-socialist Buddhism

Abstract

In Ulan-Ude, the multi-ethnic, multi-religious capital of Buryatia, most laypeople make use of “Buddhist counseling” (Rus. priyom u lamy), or various ritual, medical and other services that ameliorate illness and misfortune. Laypeople consult lamas about a range of issues from economic to familial matters, from imp attacks to joblessness. Such Buddhist counseling is one of the most common kind of interactions with Buddhist institutions and practices in Buryatia. At the same time, it is a deeply contested practice, as local critiques refer to the rise of “consumerist”, “commercialized”, “utilitarian” or “bad” Buddhism. This article explores Buddhist counseling as a site of value-laden negotiation of post-Soviet Buddhism. It looks at normative emic notions of good Buddhist practice and their translocal sources as well as social and historical context.


Author Biography

Kristina Jonutytė, Vilnius University and Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology

Kristina Jonutytė is a lecturer at the Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies at Vilnius University (Lithuania)and an associate at Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle (Germany).

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Published

2020-11-18

How to Cite

Jonutytė, Kristina. 2020. “Beyond ‘Bad Buddhism’: Conceptualizing Buddhist Counseling in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia”. Journal of Global Buddhism 21 (November):261-76. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4147509.