The Influence of Buddhist Culture on the Mongolian Epic Jangar.docVIP

The Influence of Buddhist Culture on the Mongolian Epic Jangar 　　【Abstract】Epics belong to Oral folk literature， which is the basis of written literature or later writers’ literature， which in turn is the knowledge of humanities， or knowledge which reflects social life. In Jangar， some Mongolian historical cultural traces can be really found. Culture， in a broad sense， includes economics， politics， military affairs， literature and art as well as religion. This paper illustrates the Buddhist elements in the Mongolian heroic epic Jangar， and argues that as an important ideological component in the Mongolian society， Buddhism which has great influence on Mongolians life is reflected in the epic Jangar. 　　【Key words】Jangar; religion; Buddhism 　　1. Introduction 　　Jangar， a Mongol Heroic Epic， is rated as Chinas top three heroic epics along with King Gesar and Manas. It is a narrative poem presented in the form of singing and story telling， popular among the Mongolian ethnic group in China， especially in areas with a large population of Mongolians in Xinjiang. Jangar was orally created by the people from Mongolian Torghud Tribe probably in the 13th century and handed down until modern times by word of mouth. There wasnt a written text until the early 19th century. Benjamin Bergmann， A German traveler， collected the first Jangar at the beginning of the 19th century among the Kalmyks in Russia. Later， the epic was introduced to other parts of the country and foreign nations in Kalmyk， Todo and Mongolian texts etc. 　　About Kalmyks in Russia， according to The Secret History of the Mongols （A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century） By IGOR DE RACHEWILTZ： “ The Oyirat （Oirat） are the historical ancestors of the Kalmucks （Kalmyks） ”. It is said that at the start of this 400-year era， the West Mongolian people （the Zunghar Mongols） designated themselves as D?rben Oirat （means “Alliance of Four”）. The alliance was comprised primarily of four major Western Mong