Transbaikalian Buddhism in Christian Perspective • Anna Peck (CSEEES Fellow)

During the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th centuries, Tibetan Buddhism of Gelug-pa lineage grew rapidly in East Siberian Transbaikal (Zabaikalie), establishing its organizational structure and gaining followers among the native population. Interactions with Russian Orthodox missionaries, and with Catholic and Protestant exiles, settlers, businessmen, and tourists resulted in an abundance of written and published sources that reveal the subjective understandings of their authors. This talk will examine cognitive patterns in the ways of presenting Tibetan Buddhism while considering the validity of explaining diverse and complex Siberian phenomena through a “Western” or “colonial perspective.” It will specifically address the differentiations within the “Christian perception,” pointing out specifics of the Russian Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant interpretations.

CSEEES fellow Anna Peck is a professor at the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in Warsaw and at Warsaw University. She received her PhD in history from Gdańsk University and habilitation in religious studies from Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Her interests focus on pre-revolutionary Russia, the history of and religion in Eastern Siberia, and interactions between religion and politics in the USA and Europe. Her current project considers Christian perceptions of Tibetan Buddhism in the Russian Transbaikal region. She is the author of numerous publications in Polish, English, and Russian.