UDC 391

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 17 Akademika Lavrentieva Ave., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

E-mail: darimats@ngs.ru

The work is devoted to the theme of fate in the culture and ideas of the Agin Buryats. The analysis of authentic terminology allows us to say that fate was considered by them as a share determined to a person by higher forces at birth. The arbiter of destinies was the celestial deity-demiurge; his earthly localization was the home. Human life was considered as a gift from above, which shaped the rituals of the Agin Buryats. The system of values of this people, connected with the ideas about the measurement of fate and share, predetermined the ethical norms and practices of social paternalism, which in the Buryat environment retain their significance to this day.

In studies on Buryat ethnography, the topic of fate has not received any serious coverage. Such works are not available in the format of both the entire Buryat ethnic group and its individual subethnoses, including Agin Buryats. In the works of I. A. Manzhigeev [1978], T. M. Mikhailov [1987], K. M. Gerasimova [1989, 1999, 2006], G. R. Galdanova [1987], and T. D. Skrynnikova [1997], we find some information on this complex of worldviews, but there is practically no material on the Agin Buryats. Let's try to fill in this gap.

Since ancient times, the mystery of fate has remained an unfathomable mystery. In the mythology of various peoples, the idea of fate is developed as an unknowable force that determines not only individual events, but also the entire life of a person (in a broader sense, a social collective). Belief in it was dictated by the objective lack of freedom of the individual from the collective and nature, the inability to realize the forms of individual existence that differ from those defined from the moment of birth [Karev, 2003, p. 471]. The concept of "fate" is structurally and meaningfully bipolar (limitlessness-definiteness - boundlessness-indeterminacy) [Toporov, 1994, p. 38]. The end points are the appearance of a person into the world and his departure from the world. A person is not destined to know either his birth or his last hour. Between these boundaries lies his life space, in other words, the field of fate [Pyurbeev, 1999, p. 212].

Fate in the consciousness of the Mongolian peoples, in their mythology, folklore, religion, and traditional culture as a whole is perceived as a category that reflects the idea of supernatural, divine forces that determine all events in people's lives [Ibid.]. In the traditional worldview of the Agin Buryats, it is designated by the following terms::

1) заяа, заяан (монг. zaya) - a fate intended for a person from above; zayata khun zargagui - a happy person does not engage in litigation [Buryat-Russian Dictionary, 1973, p. 254];

2) zayaabari - fate, fate; the fate of a person, allegedly predetermined by the Eternally Blue Sky, or Zayaabari tengri [Manzhigeev, 1978. p. 52]; zayaabarita-destined by fate [Buryat-Russian dictionary, 1973. p. 254];

3) kubli - share, lot, which the higher powers give to a person at birth; kubli zayaan-sput-

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nik of a person's life; zailashagui kub'i zayaan - fatum, doom; kub'i zayaatayaa uulzaha / usharha - meet your destiny (face your life partner); odo zayaan (odo mushen) - the star under which a person was born. According to I. A. Manzhigeev, khubi (fate, lot, destiny) is a fatalistic belief of shamanists that each person cannot escape the fate assigned to him at birth [1978, p. 52];

4) zol (zol zayaan, zol jargal) - happiness, happy fate of a person;

5) tabisuur, tabilan - predestination (by higher forces, God, deities and various patron spirits) of a person's existence; predestination of everything in his life: the place and time of birth, parents, conditions and quality of life, all events that are to happen. Bayazhakha tabisurtay/ tabilantay baibash - your destiny to become rich (Field materials of the author (hereinafter-PMA), informant (hereinafter - inf.) M. Dymbrylova);

6) khubi talan (from Rus. colloquial talan) - lucky, share; aza talaan - luck given by fate; muhar talaan-sudden luck;

7) fate is often associated with the road-zam, khargy zam (path, road) nakapay khargy (life path).

In the archaic views of the Buryats, including the Agin, the arbiter of human destinies was zayaan/zayaasha/zayaagsha - a heavenly deity, demiurge, one of the main tengeri (Zayaasha-tengeri). Directly related to this was Zayan Sagaantengeri (creator / creator-white tengeri) - the head of the Western, light (white) Tengri, who patronizes the talents, abilities and various activities of people that ensure human health and well-being [Mikhailov, 1987, p.14]. He was credited with the ability to assist in the fertilization and reproduction of living creatures (Manzhigeev, 1978, p. 53). Among the Mongols, the patron saint of happiness was Dzol-dzayaagachi, or Dzayaagachi-tengri, who in shamanic invocations was called "self-arisen" and "creator of everything" - the deity of human destiny, as a heavenly expression of will, the giver of life, happiness and good, the protector of property and livestock. Emegelje-dzayaagachi was considered the patroness of children, their health and happiness [Banzarov, 1997, pp. 45-46]. Zayagachi represented the rational principle in man, opposing moral corruption and, obviously, acting as such as a kind of guardian angel [Ibid.]. These mythological views are reflected in the Balagan Buryats, who believed that the hare is a" good soul " of a person, one of his two or three souls (among which there is a "bad" one); it can exist separately from him, after death it flies to the sky, is an exact likeness of a person, takes care of him [Khangalov, 2004]. Among the Agin Buryats, Zayaasha is considered the patron saint of children (uri huugedei zayaasha), cattle (malai zayaasha) and fire (galai zayaasha) (PMA, inf. Ts.-D. Baldandugarov, B. Badaraeva, M. Dymbrylova, Ts.-D. Chimitov, D. Chimitova). It was believed that if you hurt a child, you can also anger his zayaashu; when a child rejoices, his guardian (zayaashan bayasakha) rejoices with him. Baikal Buryats believe that Zayasha is the proper name of a legendary shaman who escaped from Transbaikalia and found refuge from pursuing lamas at Cape Bohan in the Baikal region. Subsequently, he was credited with the role of a "miracle-worker benefactor" who saved cattle from the plague (Manzhigeev, 1978, p. 53).

According to popular beliefs, the hare is localized in the home. Like many Turkic-Mongol peoples, the Agin Buryats had a widespread cult of fire. Life could not be imagined without this mysterious "brother" of the sun. Its meaning is so universal that there is not a single nation on earth that does not try to explain its origin in its legends and traditions [Lips, 2001, p. 54]. There was a special ritual complex and a system of prohibitions in relation to fire. For example, it was forbidden to throw rubbish at it, to melt the fire with sharp splinters, and to direct sharp objects at it. They thought that by doing so, you could put out zayasha's eyes: "Shoryn uzuur gal uruu haruulhagui, zayaashyngaa nyude hadhaha" (PMA, inf. by M. Dymbrylova). The ability to attract good luck, wealth and happiness was attributed to fire [Galdanova, 1987, p. 23]. Each hostess had to honor zayasha and always "feed" her hearth with a "pervinka" (untried part) of the best food, so that good luck and prosperity accompanied her family. Otherwise, it was thought, he might have turned away and brought trouble upon them. These views are reflected in the legend widely spread among the Agin Buryats:

Once upon a time, the patrons of fire of rich and poor families met. The hare of a rich family began to complain to the second that the mistress of the house did not feed him at all, that she did not even keep leftovers near the fire. And the hare of a poor family praised the mistress of his house, said that she always brings him the best part of all the food that is in the house. In the end, the second advised the first to let the cold and pestilence on the cattle of the family in which he lived. The hare of a rich family did so, and then left them. As a result, this family suffered misfortunes (PMA, inf. M. Dymbrylova, N. Rinchinov).

In the speech of the Agin Buryats, there are often metaphors associated with the name of the guardian of man and characterizing failure in business: zayaashan buruu haraa ("zayaasha turned away from him"), zayaaniin doroitoo ("fate turned away"). Zayaan has always been approached in case of severe fright, fear, for example, until now with the help of-

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The expression "Zayaan khalkhalag!"has been preserved among the Agin old people. ("May zayaan protect you!") (PMA, inf. Ts. Zh. Tsydenova, B. Dashidondokova).

It is known that the ancient Mongols had a cult of the Ever-Blue Sky (Huhe Munhe Tengeri), which supposedly controlled the fate of earthly people. Tengeri (Sky, tengri, spirit-inhabitant of heaven) as a divine providence and spirit, genius gave people a happy fate, power, or, on the contrary, deprived them of happiness and good luck. This can be judged on the basis of such stable metaphorical expressions as huniy huv zayaag tengar madne ("the tengri knows the fate of a person, everything is in the will of the Sky"), tengar ny haer hayazhee ("the tengri left him in a deserted steppe, the Sky left him in the steppe") [Pyurbeev, 1999, p. 213]. Archaic views about the protection of the Sky among the Agin Buryats still exist today: it is forbidden to relieve oneself and pour out sewage in a place visible to the Sky and heavenly bodies; a woman during menstruation cannot show her blood to the Sky, the sun and the moon (hara naranda muu muuhaigaa haruulhagui) (PMA, inf. by M. Dymbrylova). In Buryat mythology, in addition to the Tengri-patrons of human destinies-are distinguishedzayans (zayanuud), belonging to the category of lower spirits that act as intermediaries between the heavenly gods and people; this category is replenished at the expense of deceased shamans, which corresponds to the dualism of the pantheon - good and evil spirits (Banzarov, 1997; Mikhailov, 1987; Khangalov, 2004).

In the Buddhist worldview, the patron saint of fate is considered to be burhan (god), who personifies the supreme power that decides the fate of all mortals: burhan buhye madehe - "god knows everything", buhy yuumen burhanay madelde - "everything is under God's control". When people make up for their sins, ask for salvation and protection from misfortunes, they always turn to God, as evidenced by the following expression: "Burhan zaylul!" - "God, save, deliver!". The word burhan is often used together with the word tengeri: tengeri-burhan ("god is heaven"), Burhan tengeri madehe ("Heaven knows everything"). According to Buddhist beliefs, Erlik Khan was in charge of the duration of life and the fate of the soul in the future rebirth (depending on the actions performed). Believing in the protection of heaven, old people often claim that they are alive thanks to their grace: "Burhan tengeriin khayraar amidy mande yabagdana" (PMA, inf. Ts.-D. Baldandugarov). In popular beliefs, the concepts of "god" and "Buddha" are identical, although Buddhist philosophy does not recognize the personified idea of God as a creative and influencing force in human life.

Directly related to fate are the sahyusans perceived by Buddhism - the guardians of the faith, who patronize people depending on their year of birth and sphere of life. For example, the protector of those born in 1976 is considered to be Buddha Manla, the patron of study is Buddha Manjushri. Each Agin family has its own hereditary sahyusans. According to informant Ts. Zhapova, there are seven of them: Jamsaran, Lhama, Guni Lham, Baldan Lham, Sagaan Shuherte, Mahagala, Damdin. Ts-D. Baddandugarov named five: Lhama, Jamsaran Khan, Dorlig, Sagaan ubgen, Mahagala. Images of sahyusans can be seen on Buddhist altars near images of the Buddha and the Dalai Lama. All of them are honored, they are offered "white" food**. Buddhist temples regularly hold various khurals (prayers) in their honor. People, believing in the possibility of obtaining well-being through the location of sahyusans, "try not to miss them" (PMA, inf.

According to the traditional views of the Agin Buryats, every person from birth is endowed with his share (kub) from above, so the news of the appearance of a new person has always been perceived with joy. The child was never considered a burden, which is reflected in the following saying: "Huuged oryn hubitayaa, edlehe zooriteeee delhei deere erene" - "A child always comes to this world with his share/attracts his share, good luck". It should be emphasized that the calculation of the age of all Buryats took place from the time of birth to the time of birth.-

* Erlik Khan, Erlik, Erlen Khan (Buryat), Erlik Nomun Khan (Mong.), Erlik Nomin Khan (Kalm.), Erlik Lovun Khan (Tuv.), Irlik (Khakas.) - in the myths of the Mongol peoples and Sayan-Altai Turks, the lord of the kingdom of the dead, the supreme judge in the afterlife, the devil, the demiurge, or the first living being created by the demiurge. The name goes back to the ancient Uighur erklig-kagan ("mighty sovereign") - the epithet of the lord of the Buddhist hell of Yama. Nomun Khan is a Mongolian tracing of Yama's title - "king of the law", "lord of the faith". In addition, in Mongolia, Erlik is often referred to as Choijal (from Tibet. Choigyal - "king of the law"). According to Buddhist lore, Erlik was once a monk who attained a high degree of sanctity and gained supernatural power, but he was executed on false charges of theft or killed by robbers because he was an unwitting witness to their crime. Decapitated, but still alive, Erlik put a snake's head on his head and became a terrible slayer demon. He was tamed by the "conqueror of death" Yamandag (Skt. Yamantaka), who threw Erlik into the underworld, where he became the lord and judge in the afterlife (Neklyudov, 1988, p. 667).

** "White" food-a symbol for milk and products made from it, used for ritual purposes for offerings to gods and spirits. Such food is also served to honored guests.

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the appearance of the embryo in the womb, so the child at birth was already" one " year. In the future, the age was counted from Sagaalgan (New Year according to the lunar calendar), regardless of the date of birth of a person. The value of human life and health, as well as the secondary importance of material things, is evidenced by the popular opinion: "Amidah mandah yabaa haa, edihe hool edlehe edlelshye hododoo oldoho" - " If you are alive and well, there will always be food and clothing." As already noted, the prerogative of giving people a share belonged to the zayaashi or sahyusans. Everything that a person was supposed to have in life - property, livestock, children - corresponded to the Kubli. He might have had a bad or a good fate. A person with a good fate was called cain zayaatai hung, zayaatai hung; with a bad one-muu zayaatai, zayaagui, zayaa muutai. Заяаша (заяан) it could endow a person with an incomplete share, as evidenced by the following concepts: hubigui, zayaagui, aza talaangui - "without a share, fate, luck/luck". In the old days, the Buryats, believing in the fate of people who are immune to various diseases allegedly sent by various spirits, called them khatuu zayatai hung (dosl. "a person who has an invulnerable origin") [Manzhigeev, 1978, p. 52].

The Agin Buryats have widespread ideas that God or a higher power in the form of Heaven distributes life forces and benefits among all people. Getting your share (part) it was considered as one of the most important conditions of human life. A. K. Baiburin is right when he claims that in traditional culture the fate of a child is determined by the time and place of birth. The values included the hour, day of the week, phase of the month, weekdays or holidays. These representations are due to the semantic disparity of time periods in the traditional worldview. The best moment for the birth of a child is when the natural life force is manifested to the maximum extent [Baiburin, 1993, p. 51].

The share associated with the ideas of longevity, having many children and an abundance of livestock became a comprehensive expression of prosperity. It was determined by the measure of a person's involvement in sacred grace, in the power of deities who personify the natural principle. According to the traditional worldview, along with receiving a share - a gift - a particle of the giver's own essence was transferred to the subject (recipient). At the same time, no distinction was made between the spiritual and the material. Consumer values were the reified embodiment of mental categories [Gurevich, 1984, pp. 235-239]. Ideas about the share of the Agin Buryats are associated with the belief in the measure of ownership of life's goods and the endowment of happiness with edlehe saba, which a person received from above. Since the saba was different for everyone and, according to beliefs, affected the life expectancy, it was necessary to carefully use everything that was given to a person, because if you exhaust your share, you can bring death closer. At the same time, it was necessary to remember the impermanence of all material things and the transience of human life, which is clearly stated in the following proverb: "Zoori shuudar-bae huudar" - " Wealth is like morning dew, and the body is like shadows." According to the stories of old people, often in the event of a sudden death of a person in the prime of life, lamas-astrologers, interpreting the cause of death according to his "otherworldly will", explained that saba was used to excess (sabaya duukan edlezhe, nahaya bogonidohoho). This is stated in the legend:

Once upon a time, a rich family gave their daughter in marriage, and for the wedding feast, a large number of cattle were slaughtered to treat guests, as a result of which the bride died on the eve of leaving for the groom. At Erlikhan's trial, the girl was told that she had been given a long life, but because many cattle were slaughtered in honor of her wedding, her life was interrupted. As a result, the girl returned to earth with the condition that she would only do good deeds, not gain wealth, and not cause suffering to living beings (PMA, inf. by Ts.Zh. Tsydenova).

The so-called measure from above regulated the use of material things in life. In the past, in order to live longer, we often tried not to update our household items. People of the older generation strictly forbade the young to be deceived by excessive luck. It was believed that if you are very lucky in something, for example, hunting, you need to stop in time and take only the most necessary things from nature to maintain life. Otherwise, a person could take ahead of time everything that was intended for the whole family up to subsequent generations. According to the informant, his father, being a hunter, killed many animals and this had a bad effect on the lives of his children (PMA, inf. Baldandugarov). In these cases, the share can be considered as an irrevocably determined period and nature of an individual's life, in particular, the person's luck and prosperity. In an even more archaic context, it meant life force (vis vitalis), which a person must spend before death [Sedakova, 1990, p. 54].

In the views of the Mongolian peoples, the motif of distribution and distribution of life's share and happiness is widespread (zayaasan, noogdoson, tavisan huv/zayaany huv), apparently related to the fact that mythical spirits-masters of fate-determine in advance what will be the fate of a person. The belief in the inevitability and indeterminability (zailashgui huv zayaa) of a force that rises above people removes the question of its choice, and even more so of conflicts and confrontation with it [Pyurbeev, 1999,

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p. 214]. The idea of the determinism of human life, or rather, the inevitability of death, is reflected in a song sung by Chojil-Lham Bazaron*:

Зайсаад гарахын аргагуй
Замбуу юртэмсын заншалые,
Залуурар залахын аргагуй,
Заанай дурбэн hоёое

How it is impossible to straighten
all four tusks of an elephant,
so it is impossible to pass through life,
bypassing the laws of being

(PMA, inf. by B. Dashidondokov; translated by D. Tsydenova).

Agin Buryats believe in the predestination of human life, believing that everything is predestined from above from the very moment of conception. According to informants, the predestination of fate (tabisuur) it is identical to the concept of karma**. They believed that even the Buddhas themselves could not change it. As one informant put it, "Burhan bagsha tabisuurai urda bi orojo shada-haguib gehen Yum" - " The Buddha said that he has no power over predestination." A difficult fate could be alleviated by performing good deeds, for example, by helping the suffering and poor people (PMA, inf. Ts. - D. Lamozhapov).

According to Buddhist philosophy, the fruits of all the actions of any creature's past life program its subsequent life, up to the conditions, place of birth, future moral and physical qualities. Based on this predestination, even long before the birth of a soul in an intermediate state, the higher forces in the person of Erlik Khan determine the fate of future rebirth. The soul of a sinless person goes to the higher worlds. The possibility of rebirth in human form in a prosperous and dysfunctional social environment also directly depends on the actions performed by a samsaric being in a previous life.

In the traditional worldview of the Agin Buryats, there are views about the irreversibility of retribution for any actions performed by a person, including for sins (uylin uri). People believe in the punishment for the sins of their ancestors, which falls to the lot of descendants. If a person did not repent and did not try to atone for his sins, then the reckoning could fall on the share of children or grandchildren in the form of all sorts of troubles and misfortunes. According to popular beliefs, a person's success in life is promoted by the virtue of parents and ancestors (ehe esegyn buyan), who are responsible for the future of their descendants (PMA, inf. In these views, of course, can be traced the relics of the cult of ancestors.

The idea of the predestination of fate does not exclude the possibility of changing it in one way or another. "The idea of strict determinism existed at the level of theological speculation as a dogma, and prayers-appeals to the gods with requests for a change in fate - as a living practice" [Klochkov, 1983, pp. 43-44]. Buddhist and shamanistic cults include rituals designed to mitigate the hard fate, avert the blows of fate and lengthen the life span of a person. Agin Buryats believe in the beneficial power of such rites and rituals, which include many magical techniques for recognizing, predicting, predicting, ordering and modeling fate. Directly related to them were various methods of divination, as well as rites and rituals of the life cycle aimed at "organizing" and ordering the life/fate of a person. For example, in a marriage union in which Zurhai predicts poverty, astrologers advise lamas to periodically perform the rite of duty* * * and honor the patron saint of wealth Namsarai (Vaishravan). If a person has a need to go on the road on an unsuccessful day according to the calendar, he turns to the shaman to make a libation (serzhem) with milk and vodka to the patron spirits of the small homeland (nyutagai ezen), oboo**** (available in each locality), and ask them for patronage on the way.. Lamas recommend that travelers on the road read a prayer to the goddess Odser Chenma (Oshor zhalma), who protects them. A person born on the Sabbath, to whom zurkhai predicts a short life, should pray Sagan Dara-ehe (White Tara) and Ayusha (Amitaba) and attend khurals aimed at lengthening life (PMA, inf. B. D. Munkuev, Ts.- D. Lamozhapov, Ts. Zh. Tsydenova).

We can agree with the statement of M. V. Gorbunova, who believes that in traditional culture, all predictive and ritual actions were aimed at implementing specific behavioral programs aimed at avoiding unhappiness,

* Chojil-Lhama Bazaron (1878-1940) - a folk educator, a native of the Agin Buryats.

** Karma - the law of retribution for all committed acts. According to him, the consequences of every creature's actions determine the nature and conditions of its new birth and, in general, its future existence.

*** In the traditional worldview, the rite is literally perceived as" receiving " happiness, good luck and wealth from above. It exists in both the shamanic and Buddhist traditions.

**** Oboo is a place of worship located on a mountain where landscape spirits were worshipped. It was called so in cases where there was a pile of stones or tree branches (from bur. oboopo - "to collect, put in a pile").

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leveling the life field, maintaining a balance between nature and man, as well as within society [2004]. In rites and rituals during hunting and fishing, people presented gifts and made sacrifices to receive grace, as well as to "successfully communicate" with beings from the other world. "The happy fate that was delivered to people assumed an equivalent compensation. Mutual "share exchange", which underlies the relations of society with the community of another world, was the key to its life well-being. Failure to comply with this law was considered disastrous for a person. Gift exchange, conditioned by socio-economic conditions of life, was sanctioned by the worldview of people. Outside of the collective and its destinies, it was impossible not only to realize, but also to imagine one's own share and destiny" [Lvova et al., 1989, pp. 145-146]. Among the Agin Buryats, before the start of any vital event, it is customary to contact shamans or "knowledgeable people" (madelshe) with a request that they, having predicted fate with the help of spirits, give the necessary advice and make an offering of "white" food and a libation of alcoholic beverages to the patron spirits. According to tradition, each hostess, after drinking milk in the morning or brewing fresh tea, brings the first, "upper" part to the gods, the Sky and the fire of the hearth (ugloonei hunei, sayn deezhe urgehe), asking for protection, well-being and good luck. Old people-keepers of traditions, daily performing this ritual, ask the spirits-owners of the earth (including the owner of their oboo) and the Sky (Oron tengeri) to protect all living beings from troubles, sorrows and diseases:

зайсуулжа, аришлан хаража байгыт!
удэрэй тодхорhоо, гай гасаланhаа
Бухы эхэ зургаан амиды амитадые
Орон дэлхэйн эзэд! Oron tengary!

Masters of the earth! The sky!
Save all six types of living creatures,
inhabiting our world,
from troubles, sorrows and diseases!

(PMA, inf. by Ts. Zh. Tsydenova; per. by D. Tsydenova).

People who have the gift of premonition were popularly called zuntei, yuume zugnedeg, madedeg, haradag ("foreshadowing, seeing, knowing"). Small children were supposed to have this gift. Previously, many shamans used to tell fortunes on a lamb shoulder cleaned by roasting, but now they look into vodka and use Buddhist rosaries (PMA, inf. by A. Lhamaeva). Events were predicted by dreams. People who had this gift were called zuudeh tailbarilha manaha. Some animals, such as magpies, crows, turpans, dogs, and livestock, were believed to anticipate. There is even a Mongolian manuscript "Shaazgain Sudar" - "The Magpie Sutra". In it, magpies recognize future events by the time of arrival and the nature of chirping (PMA, inf. Ts. Zhapova). It was believed that the coals (honso), which took an upright position in the hearth, accurately portend the arrival of guests and the receipt of new news:

In the old days, one family expected a married daughter to come to visit, but for some reason she was not there for a long time. One evening the landlady was brushing her hair. In front of her was a bucket of water to wet her hands. At this time, the husband, looking into the fire, said that the coals predict the arrival of guests. The woman, angry, said that they would not come anyway. Then she grabbed the coals with a pair of tongs and threw them into a bucket of water. Her daughter, who was on her way home on a horse, drowned in the river (PMA, inf. D. Zh. Baldanova, Ts. Zh. Tsydenova).

To find out their fate, Agin Buryats turn to lamas-astrologers, who give various interpretations of it, based on the Mongolian astrological system - zurkhai. The main object of this system is a person's life in all its emotional and physical manifestations. According to Buddhist astrology, a person exists in a complex interaction with the forces of the cosmos, the heavenly bodies and nature. From the moment of conception in the mother's womb until death, it is under the influence of the rays of 12 star worlds, the constellation Ursa Major (Doloon Ubged - "Seven Elders"), 7 planets of the Solar system and 28 stars. The fate of a person depends on the time of his birth, the weather and the state of the environment (peace, tranquility or disasters and wars), the degree of development of society and its culture, belonging to a certain class. When recognizing a person's destiny, considerable attention in Mongolian astrology is paid to their physique, skin color and lines, face, wrinkles on it, lines on the palms, and the shape of the auricles. The lines on the palms reflect the essence of the past, present and future in fate (Zurkhai, 1991; Bazarova, 2001, p. 5).

In the interpretation of the designations of the Mongolian calendar, ideas about the good and bad consequences of all days of the week, month and hours are distinguished, which have an impact on the beginning and course of many actions, such as cutting hair, going on the road, starting training, taming a horse, donating and selling livestock, slaughtering pets, getting married, cutting and sewing new clothes making felt, digging a well, starting a migration, laying and building a new house, worshipping the gods, performing rituals aimed at removing spoilage, suppressing the enemy and eliminating harmful spirits, contacting a healer, taking medicines, organizing trade, sowing seeds, making leaven (kefir, bread). In addition, there are days of spirit, breath-life and death-

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ti, as well as favorable and unfavorable combinations of years for choosing a life partner, work for each person, depending on the year of birth according to the eastern cycle. In the so-called days of death (zhasaa garag)* it is not recommended to go on the road and start important things [Mongol Zurkhain..., 2004, p. 12]. Before marriage, the lama-astrologer, by combining the years of birth of the bride and groom, found a favorable day for the wedding and appointed the reading of prayers that contribute to the happiness of the newlyweds.

In the wedding rites of Buryats, to ensure the well-being of the young and their future offspring, each guest must pronounce a yurool in which he wished to continue the family as the main goal of the marriage union. In the worldview of the Agin Buryats, the role of well-wishes with positive power is significant. This is confirmed by the desire to receive a blessing at a crucial moment in life, faith in the power of parting words of elders, especially in the blessing of parents (ehe esegyn ureel buyanay huse), which gives children strength and good luck. Benevolence regulated relationships between people and contacts with supernatural forces capable of ensuring well-being. Its important feature is the participation of a stranger in relation to a given family (genus, society) [Agapkina, Vinogradova, 1994, p.168]. The word in early archaic cultures was subject-oriented and had a magical essence [Eremina, 1991, p. 63]. According to the beliefs of the Agin Buryats, the well-wishes uttered by the older generation, especially by the four old men (Durban ubgedei yurool), had a powerful protective and life-affirming force. They protected from the influence of evil spirits, to a certain extent from Erlik Khan, as evidenced by the legend:

Long ago, Erlik sent his servants to collect the soul of a certain girl. And at that time, she was only 16 years old, and they were going to marry her off. According to custom, before the wedding, the girl and her friends traveled around all their relatives. Everyone they visited, including the elderly, said yurools and wished her a long and happy life. Because of the power of the four old men's blessings, Erlik's servants could not take the girl's soul; instead, they took the old man's soul and returned with it to their master (PMA, inf. by M. Dymbrylova).

In this legend, there are echoes of the cult of ancestors, according to which the power of progenitors performs a protective function for descendants. Today, its traces are preserved in the form of the shamanic rite ugaa hundelelge - "a tribute to the ancestors of the family". Today, representatives of many Buryat clans with shamanic roots gather together to honor their ancestral spirits in order to gain their patronage. Shamans prescribe performing this rite to people who are experiencing problems such as illness, unsettled personal life, and professional failures. During the ritual, after honoring the ancestral spirits, they received a blessing from them, which is the basis for well-being and gaining life's benefits. Making a small digression, we will give the definitions of the concepts of "blessing" and "wealth", formulated by V. N. Shinkarev, whose opinion appeals to us: "The difference between blessing and wealth is that wealth is visible, material, while blessing is invisible and intangible. Blessing - potentially (the possibility of acquiring wealth), and wealth -the realization, implementation of wishes for happiness, good luck, success " [1997, p. 105].

The antithesis of benevolence was a curse (hara'al), which negatively affects the life and fate of a person. It was believed that it could be sent by people with a "mottled" or "black" language, especially women (hara, ereen halatei). People were afraid to utter curses and tried not to use words with a negative semantic load in their speech. In the proverb "Ureelei uzuurte tohop, haraalai uzuurte shuhan" it is noted that good wishes attract good luck and wealth (oil), and curses attract quarrels and discord (blood). Lamas recommend reciting various mantras, including Aryaabala (Avalokiteshvara) and Sagaan Daraehe (White Tara), to avert the misfortune caused by swearing and cursing. According to the traditional worldview, in order not to incur the curse of spirits and people, it is necessary to live in harmony with others, take care of nature, honor the gods and their ancestors, the spirits who are the owners of their native land.

There were also all sorts of folk signs associated with a happy fate. For example, accidentally seeing snakes (mogoin suglaan) during their mating season in the spring and not being bitten is a great success in life. Stones (erdeni zendemeni) found in the entrails of an animal slaughtered for meat were believed to attract wealth and prosperity; they were kept in the house and passed down by inheritance (PMA, inf. Ts. - D. Baldandugarov).

In the traditional worldview of the Agin Buryats, there is an idea of ulzy, buyan, hasheg, hutag - "grace", which is the basis of happiness and a good share. It is considered by N. L. Zhukovskaya in relation to the traditional culture of the Mongols. The word "grace" in Mongolian languages is denoted by several phrases: ulzy-hasheg.

* Zhasaa garag - an unfavorable day for starting any business on zurkhai - for each person, depending on the year of his birth, it is different.

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ulzy-khutag, buyan-hasheg, hasheg-khutag ("happiness-prosperity, happiness-luck, merit-grace"). According to N. L. Zhukovskaya, there is a certain sacredness in the very doubling of these words. Each of them, used separately, contains a certain "happy meaning", reflecting the understanding of happiness by a nomad Mongol: good weather (without storms, hurricanes, ice), good offspring of livestock, feeding it on summer pastures and, as a result, a lot of fatty meat and dairy products, which means strong and healthy food. healthy children. Put together, they denoted not just and not so much earthly happiness as grace, predestined by Heaven, fate, an abstract non-anthropomorphic principle, the steward of the destinies of both individuals and the entire nation as a whole. The acquisition of grace does not depend on the will and desire of a person, but he can lose it through his own fault if he does not follow certain rules and violates the prohibitions aimed at preserving it. But if you live "according to the rules", grace can be preserved and happiness will accompany a person, his family and any of his endeavors throughout his life [Zhukovskaya, 1988, p. 87].

The Buryat concept of grace finds parallels with the Turkic concept of kut. According to the Khakass researcher S. A. Ugdyzhekov, the possession of supreme power among the ancient Turks was determined by the presence of the gift of Tengri in the khagan: "By the grace of Heaven and because I myself had happiness (kush-S. U.), I sat down (on the kingdom) as a khagan." Kush is associated with the concept of happiness, election, grace. It was identified with the" soul-double " of a person, at the conception of which a deity or several deities provide a certain vital embryo, a clot of energy, a certain seed of life, happiness and grace [Ugdyzhekov, 2003, p.109-110].

The possession of grace (hasheg), in contrast to the bodily soul (funeken) and the inherent life principle (sulde), which each person was endowed with from conception, was not attributed to all people. It meant the influence exerted by gods, spirits, certain persons and objects. As already noted, in the Middle Ages, during the reign of Genghis Khan and the Genghisids, the Mongols had a strong belief in the patronage of the Ever-Blue Sky (Huhe Munhe Tengeri). At that time, it was believed that all the benefits of life come from Heaven.

Simulating a happy fate, the Agin Buryats resorted to measures aimed at gaining and retaining grace. The combination of wealth, luck, health and vitality was perceived by them as a grace given from above, the favor of God, a good fate. It was believed that you can have grace and good luck from birth, or you can achieve them with your mind and effort (hara hulhooroo, ulan gararaa - "blood and sweat"), as stated in the saying "Eryehe naran-mandaha ture" - "The sun will turn in our direction - there will be a feast for us" (Russian equivalent of "And there will be a holiday on our street"). They also believed in luck "coming out of nowhere" - muhar talaan. Often, with sudden luck, Buryats say: "Muu yuumenei muhar talan bolobo" - "Luck decided to smile on the unfortunate".

Wealth and fate are interrelated categories in the worldview of the Agin Buryats. Since the core component of the worldview was the belief in destiny from above, it was believed that to those who are predestined from above, wealth will come by itself. It meant an abundance of earthly goods associated with the idea of the share, fate, luck and favor of God, the higher powers. "In traditional culture, labor and property can be valued highly or poorly; their role in human life can be understood in different ways. Economic activity is an integral part of the social practice of human interaction with the world and its creative impact on the world. It reflects the vital attitudes of society, and therefore the reconstruction of the categories of labor and property is essential for understanding the spiritual climate that prevailed in this society "[Gurevich, 1984, p. 47]. Significant importance was attached to the ways and sources of wealth accumulation. In folk folklore, a negative attitude is expressed towards people who have acquired their goods in an unjust way: bukhahaniin bulshangaaraa garaha - "what is acquired by deception will come out in a different way." Retribution for unjust enrichment could follow both during life and after death, or, as already noted, it could haunt descendants. Depending on the method of acquiring wealth, it was divided into inherited, generic, having a basis - ulatai, i.e. acquired by one's own efforts, and acquired by dishonest means - ulagui (dosl. "without a base, sole"). According to experts of antiquity, the state of modern owners have no basis, because accumulated in a short time. Material well-being served as a confirmation of the high social status of a person in society and the fulfillment of related duties. Such people enjoyed unquestionable authority and were elected by their superiors. To earn the honor and respect of their relatives, the rich man must be their support, in difficult times to provide support to those in need. The name of Sandan Zodbyn (late XIX - early XX centuries), who once possessed a huge fortune by the standards of the Buryats, is still alive in the memory of the Aginsky Buryats. According to experts in history, at the age of 25, he became one of the elected chiefs of the Aginsky Buryats (gulvaa). Sandan-noen (chief) pozhert-

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He donated 108 head of cattle for the purchase of 108 volumes of "Ganjura"*; 80 oxen, 1000 horses, 250 rams and 500 fallow deer**; silver-for the construction of the Aginsky datsan "Sogshon" [Tsyrenzhapova, 2002, p. 7].

According to informants, the Aginsky Buryats in the old days treated gold with prejudice, preferring copper and silver as more noble metals, which, in their opinion, have healing properties. It was believed that a coral ring worn on the ring finger of the left hand could protect against evil spirits (daldyn yuumenkoo khalkhalha). In the legend of the Alar Buryats about jewelry, recorded by P. P. Batorov, it is said that " the components that make up wealth were created by the devil (shutkhor) himself. When he had done this, he said to God: "Gold, silver, and other rarities will arouse people's greed for gain, envy, and competition in acquiring wealth in different ways, and from this both joy and sorrow will flow in their lives; in both cases we will both be remembered: in joy they will give glory to you, and in joy they will give glory to you. sorrows will remember me""***.

According to Buddhist beliefs, material wealth is directly related to the spiritual merits of a person in "past lives", so he should take care of spiritual wealth and the "future" of his soul. Even if there is wealth, there should be no attachment to it. The Buddhist concept of the "middle way" involves avoiding excesses and extremes. It includes ideas about moderation, lack of attachment to material things, and at the same time - avoiding poverty, forcing you to direct all your forces and thoughts to survival. In Buddhist beliefs, in contrast to shamanistic beliefs, fate is freed from predestination along the line of kinship (what is written on the genus). Everything depended on the person himself, his own efforts. According to K. M. Gerasimova, Buddhist teaching presupposes an individual choice of life path and the possibility of achieving a high social status, since the criteria of social quality of a person are wisdom and moral purity as the basis of holiness and divinity. As a result of personal moral efforts ,a "rootless" but holy Buddhist monk can become a teacher of people, a mentor of a secular ruler, and can rule not only the cult community, but also the entire society, country, and state [Gerasimova, 1999, pp. 29-30].

Thus, the views about the fate of the Agin Buryats are syncretic and include both pre-Buddhist and Buddhist ideas about the duration of life, its predestination. The concepts of "fate" and "life" in the Agin Buryats are interrelated. The role of the subject of predestination is played by gods, spirits, ancestors and parents. A person as an object of predestination was given a share from the moment of conception and being in the womb of the mother. The actions of their ancestors had an impact on the lives of their descendants. In accordance with the Buddhist law of karma, the consequences of the actions of any living being determine the nature and conditions of its new birth and, in general, its further existence. The moral and physical appearance of a person, the availability of material goods, the conditions and quality of his life directly depend on the" spiritual merits "of his"past lives".

List of informants

Badaraeva Balzhima Khonchinovna born in 1927, sharayd family, Tsokto-Khangil village, Aginsky district, Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug (ABAO), 29.07.2004

Baldandugarov Tsyren-Dondog, born in 1920, ulaalzai hubduud family, Tsokto-Hangil village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 29.07.2004.

Baldanova Dulmazhab Zhambalovna born in 1955, genghen galzoud family, Tsokto-Hangil village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 25.09.2005.

Dashidondokova Butid born in 1926, abhan hargan family, Tsokto-Hangil village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 29.07.2004

Dymbrylova Manda, born in 1911, bokhoi khusai family, Suduntui village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 06.08.2004.

Zhapova Tsyregma born in 1925, sharayd family, village. Aginskoe of the Aginsky district of ABAO, 08.08.2004

Lamozhapov Tsiben-Dorzhi (Vladimir) born in 1953, bohoi huasai family, Suduntui village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 26.08.2004.

Alexandra Lhamaeva, born in 1941, abhan hargan family, Tsokto-Hangil village, Aginsky district, ABAO, 29.07.2004.

Balzhinima Dashievich Munkuyev, born in 1948, baruun Huasai family, Tsokto-Hangil village, Aginsky district, ABAO, 23.07.2004.

Rinchinov Nima born in 1922, sagaanguud family, Tsagan-Chelutai village, Mogoitui district of ABAO, 09.08.2004

Tsydenova Tsybzhit Zhamsaranovna born in 1933, galzuud family, Tsokto-Khangil village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 15.09.2006.

Chimitov Tsyren-Dorzhi born in 1918, abhan hargan family, Tsokto-Hangil village, Aginsky district of ABAO, 29.07.2004

Chimitova Dolzhin, born in 1938, ulaalzai hubduud family, Kunkur village, Aginsky district, ABAO, 23.08.2004.

* "Ganjur" (Tibet, lit. "Words") - collection of canonical Buddhist texts in 108 volumes. Translated into Mongolian from Tibetan during the reign of Legden Khan (1604-1634). It includes 1,161 works (tantras, sutras, etc.) of various contents in prose and verse (Buddha's conversations with students about morality and philosophy, mostly in the form of parables or instructive stories, the collection "Sea of Parables", etc.).

** Liang (lan) is a monetary unit and measure of weight in Ping China, equal to approximately 37.3 g (Moiseev, 2003, p. 345).

*** Batorov P. P. Mountains, gold, silver and other fossil jewels. - Repository of Oriental manuscripts and woodcuts of the BSC SB RAS. f. 14. d. 2. l. 11 - 2 - 11 - 3.

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 08.06.06.

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