Rafael Khakimov: “Tengrianism, the religion of the Turks, was rather abstract and simple. Tengrianism is the basis of the national identity of the Kazakhs Symbols of Tengrianism

Tengrianism was an expression of the religious and mythological views of the ancient Turks, the system underlying the Turkic mythological consciousness. The main advantage of this system of beliefs, which forms the foundation of ancient and modern Turkic folk beliefs, is a holistic perception of the Universe. Here Tengri, as the most ancient entity, is considered sacred and in all cases is associated with the sky. In Tengrism there is no mention of any other entity directly in contact with the great Creator.

Tengrianism, which is the essence of the Turkic religious and mythological consciousness and determines its structure, is a religion that does not have prophets, with the canonical text of a book sent down from above ("yazılıb-düzülüb göydən enən Tanrı elmi // To the knowledge of God written, arranged in order, descended from heaven - Glory to the Quran!").

The very order public life Turks proceeded from the beliefs associated with Tanra as the creator of the "world order". The ancient Turks believed in the omnipotence of Tanra and associated their beginning with the religious consciousness of Gok-Tanra, personifying the unity of Heaven and Earth. The word "Tanry" in the ancient Turkic language had the form "Tengri" - the divine principle in the meaning of "visible sky" and "God".

Tengrianism, as an open worldview, includes not only mythological, but also religious and philosophical ideas. Like any dynamic, open and developing phenomenon, Tengriism does not lend itself to a simple definition, any definition will be recursive in nature, and basically illuminates only the manifestation of a part of a large and complex phenomenon. Speaking about Tengrianism as a worldview system, one can understand natural philosophy and the religion of nature as complementary and interdependent elements of Tengrianism. The religion of nature presupposes the unity of the natural and the spiritual, which is expressed by man. The natural and the spiritual, as a universal whole, breaks up in the ideas of man into singularities. The deification of the universal whole also contains the deification, the spiritualization of singularities.

Turkic Tengrianism is a kind of monotheistic religion, formed around the belief in a single Gok-Tanry. In the traditional Turkic society, they did not draw portraits and did not erect monuments to Gok-Tanra, equal to the sky in its immensity and infinity. Tengrianism was a system of beliefs of a society filled with pure feelings for the supreme creator of Tanra - the creator of the order of the worlds. The main essence of Turkic Tengrism is the idea of ​​eternal life, expressed in birth, death, the cycle of rebirth.

Another advantage of Tengrianism is the absence of intermediaries between a person and Tanra, i.e. in this religion there are no prophets and divine institutions.

Tanry was not the bearer of any anthropomorphic qualities in the Tengrian worldview of the Turks, who perceived the Universe as a whole. This concept, which was at the center of the religious and mythological system of the Turks and denoted the only source of moral and spiritual strength, is associated with animistic ideas about the spirit of Heaven as the highest essence. Being the Creator of the Universe, Tanry was also considered the only source of the spiritual strength of the Turkic society. The ancient Turkic society was traditional society, and the head of this society himself was the performer of the rite dedicated to Tanra - the eternal source of strength and power.

According to the ancient Turkic religion, such entities as a mountain, a tree played the role of symbolic intermediary images in building a bridge between Gok-Tanry - the creator and guardian of all things, and man. V. N. Toporov claims that the mountain is “an image of the world, a model of the universe, which reflects all the main elements and parameters of the cosmic device ... In the ancient world, the construction of temples, sanctuaries, and altars on elevated places was common. It was believed that the gods themselves lived on the mountains, at least on some of them.

In Turkic mythological thinking, as well as in the holistic model of the Universe thought out by the Creator, ancient mountains and trees separately were carriers of the divine essence of Tanra. The mythological consciousness of the nomad linked nature (macrocosm) and man (microcosm) into one whole, and the image of the mountain performed very important indirect functions in this consciousness, playing the role of a mediator between the various principles and forces (elements) of the universe - man and nature, heaven and earth and etc. .

The mountain in the Turkic mythological consciousness was perceived as a source of sacred power rising in the center of the world, reflecting cosmic parameters, as well as the beginning of beginnings, the basis of the family, the symbol of the Motherland. The heavenly origin of the first ancestors is also associated with the mountain. Turkic kagans and people prayed in the ancient mountains to the spirit of Heaven. The Turks in their country revered one sacred mountain and believed that ancient Tengri lives on this mountain, which is the place of the oath. S. A. Tokarev in the article “On the cult of mountains and its place in the history of religion” writes that, from the numerous texts of the Bible, especially “in its historical” books, it is clear that the heights were more often associated with local deities - Astarte, Baal, etc. [7, No. 3, p. 110]. A single vertical penetrating all zones - the sky, the earth, the bottom of the earth - is the mountain.

In the times of the Gokturks, there was a belief in the divine origin of the mountains created by Tengri. According to traditional ideas, Genghis Khan, in order to thank or pray to Tengri, climbed the mountain, and, facing the sun, knelt down three times and greeted.

Gok-Tengri sacrifice ceremonies were held on the mountain, which was considered sacred. Many mountains in the meaning of “saint, ancestor, great kagan” are recognized by such names as Khan of Tanry, Buztag Ata, etc. According to Chinese sources about the Gökturks, Mount Gutlu “is named after the deity of the Earth.” The Gokturk Khagan was seated on Mount Otuken. The Tengri mountains were considered sacred by the Western Turks, as well as Mount Otuken by the Eastern Turks. And they were considered sacred because the monastery of Khan Tanra was located there.

The ancient Turks believed that the mountains were the expanse of Tengri. Visible from a distance, the blue color of the peaks, resting against the sky, can presumably be the root of this belief. These mountains, whose peaks rise to the sky and are hidden behind the clouds, seem to be talking to Tanra. The Oguzes believed that mountains, stones, rocks understand everything, respond to everything, let them pass, give lodging for the night to those who pass with good intentions. They fulfill wishes, bring news, wishing for good, protecting from curses. Therefore, they spoke, exchanged news with the mountains, greeted them, took oaths to the mountains, believed in their healing power, and even that the mountains are a source of food and water. In our opinion, this is due to the belief that the mountain is a guardian sent down from above.

At the Institute of Turkic Tengrism, one of the symbols of Gok Tengri is a great tree. In this case, the powerful Tanra is symbolized not by the tree itself, but by the concept that expresses it.

In Turkic mythological thinking, the sacred tree ( “ovliya agac// sacred tree” ) is a means of confluence with Tanra. According to legend, the tops of sacred trees, as well as the tops of great mountains, resting far into the sky and becoming invisible, reach a paradise filled with light. Over time, these sacred trees with a mediative nature turned into visible symbols of Tanra. The cult of trees was based on animistic ideas. In Altai, this ancient layer of folk beliefs has always played a prominent role, especially in Everyday life nomads who spiritualized all the forces and phenomena of nature. The world of trees was presented in the image of living people. The trees themselves were the same living beings as people. Revered trees, based on external signs, can be divided into two main categories: light forest - birch, larch, poplar, aspen; dark forest - cedar, pine, spruce, fir.

In the mention of such names of sacred trees as “Bay Terek”, “Temir Terek” or “Hayat Agach”, traces of ancient beliefs associated with the image of the cosmic tree in Turkic cosmology are clearly traced. The roots of this tree, towering in the very center of the world, extended far underground, and the branches reached the top of the world tree. Thus, the sacred tree connected with each other all three cosmic tiers (three cosmic zones) - heaven, earth and the underworld. AND I. Gurevich accurately defines the World Tree as "the main means of organizing the mythological space". Birch, for example, was perceived as a divine bridge between Tanry and his obedient servant - a man.

In the Turkic mythological system, the sacred trees that characterize the Tanras have a number of peculiar qualities.

A) The tree must be lonely. For any tree to be considered sacred, it must be the only one in its place of growth.

C) This tree must be evergreen. According to Turkic thinking, only Tengri is eternally alive, immortal. Meaning what Tengri symbolizes must also be eternal. With this quality, the evergreen tree turns into a symbol of infinity.

D) A tree considered sacred should be more powerful and majestic than those surrounding it.

E) An ancient sacred tree should not be fruitful. According to Turkic thinking, Tengri is not born and has no offspring. According to the Turkic belief, he who created everything, but being himself not created, not born and not generating Tengri, is the only one who has no beginning and no end.

E) An inviolable sacred tree must be older than those around it. In Turkic thinking, ancient age is a symbol of divinity, that is, infinity.

G) The sacred tree should give shade with its mighty branches. According to Turkic thinking, Tengri is the only force that can be called upon for help, and he helps those in trouble.

This means that the uniqueness and uniqueness, the symbolization of immortality, the place of refuge (shelter) and other similar signs of trees, mainly belong to the Great Gok-Tanry. In this regard, a lonely growing tree was revered as sacred, and cutting it down was considered a grave sin.

In “Kitabi-Dede Gorgud”, when it comes to sacred trees, along with the adjective “ gaba // rude, strongth”, the word “ Kolgəlicə // shady”, and here its mythological content is observed. Praise is often found in the epic: " May your shady, strong tree not be cut down!» .

In the lower layer of the mythological content, the word "rough" means "ancient, great, mighty, supreme" - one of the titles of Tengri. Regarding the mythological content of the word "shady", it should be noted that the shadow is a place of refuge, rest. In Turkic mythology, in order for any tree to be considered sacred, inviolable, one of the important conditions was the width of the shadow cast by it. According to Turkic thinking, one who got into trouble hid in the shade of a sacred, revered "rough, strong" tree and asked Tengri for salvation, for getting him out of trouble. Tengri, according to its saving function, saved the one who asked from trouble.

Consequently, the "sacred tree" as well as the "world mountain" symbolized the Tanras in the Turkic mythological system.

Mamedov M.M.,
Azerbaijan, Baku
[email protected]

Sources and literature:

1. Beidili J. (Mammadov). Turkic mythological dictionary. Baku: Elm, 2003 (in Azerbaijani).
2. The book of my Grandfather Korkut. Oguz heroic epic / Translated by acad. V.V. Barthold. Baku: "YNE XXI", 1999.
3. Ayupov N.G. Naturphilosophy of Tengrianism // Problems of the study of Tengri in the aspect of ideological culture. Materials of the IV International Scientific and Practical Conference "Tengrianism and the epic heritage of the peoples of Eurasia: origins and modernity". October 09-10, 2013. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, p. 38-44.
4. Beidili J.(Mammadov). The system of Turkic mythological images: Structure and function. Baku: Mutarjim, 2007 (in Azeri).
5. Toporov V.N. Mountain // In the book: Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia in two volumes. M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1991, pp. 311-315.
6. Abaeva L.L. Mountain cult and Buddhism in Buryatia. M.: Nauka, 1991.
7. Tokarev S.A. On the cult of the mountains and its place in the history of religion // Soviet Ethnography, 1982, No. 3, pp. 107-113.
8. Ögel B. Türk mitolojisi / Kaynakları ve açıklamaları ile destanlar. II cilt. Ankara: TTK,1995
9. Abdullah B. Poetics of "Kitabi-Dede Korkut". Baku: Elm, 1999 (in Azerbaijani).
10. Kypchakova N.V. On the question of the cult of trees among the Altaians / Questions of archeology and ethnography of Gorny Altai. Gorno-Altaisk. 1983, pp. 141-148.
11. Gurevich A.Ya. category of medieval culture. Moscow: Nauka, 1972.
12. Ergun M. Traces of the Turkic tree cult in the Oguz legends about Grandfather Korkut // "Dede Gorgud". Scientific and literary almanac. Baku: Syada, 2002, No. 1, pp. 3-17 (in Azeri).

Before the adoption of world religions - Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, the Turks had an ancient religion - Tengrianism.
Tengrianism is a religion based on faith in the Creator, presumably arose at the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 1st millennium BC, but no later than the 5th-3rd centuries. BC. It is brought closer to the Xiongnu chenli (“sky”), there are broader parallels with the Chinese Tian, ​​the Sumerian Dingir, “sky”. Full agreement among scientists in understanding the essence of Tengrism has not yet developed. Some researchers came to the conclusion that this dogma took the form of a complete concept with ontology (the doctrine of a single deity), cosmology (the concept of three worlds with the possibility of mutual communication), mythology and demonology (distinguishing ancestral spirits from the spirits of nature) by the XII-XIII centuries .. At the same time, in one of the ancient manuscript sources it is reported that by 165 BC. The Turks already had a fully developed religion with a developed canon, in many respects close to the Buddhist one, bequeathed by the Indian king Kanishka, from whom a branch of Buddhism originated, which received independent development and took shape as Tengrianism. Some researchers insist that Tengriism did not formalize a systematic written presentation of the theological doctrine and had a small number of sacred props, thanks to the simplicity and clarity of which existed for several thousand years in stable forms of religious ritual and practice. At the same time, another part of the researchers declare the presence of the main sacred book of the Tengrians - the "Psalter" (Turk. - "crown of the altar"), which contains the Tengrian canon - customs, rituals and rules by which it was necessary to turn to God.

Diagram of the Tengrian worldview on the shaman's drum. The world tree grows in the center and connects the three worlds: the Lower World, Middle world and the upper world.

The cult of Tengri is the cult of the Blue Sky - the heavenly Master Spirit, the Eternal Sky, whose permanent residence was the visible sky. The Kipchaks called it Tengri, the Tatars - Tengri, the Altaians - Tengri, Tengeri, the Turks - Tanri, the Yakuts - Tangara, the Kumyks - Tengiri, the Balkar-Karachais - Teyri, the Mongols - Tenger, the Chuvashs - Tura; but it was always about one thing - about the male non-personalized divine principle, about God the Father. Tengri Khan was conceived as a God of truly cosmic proportions, as a single beneficent, omniscient and just. He controlled the fate of a person, a people, a state. He is the creator of the world, and He himself is the world. Everything in the Universe obeyed him, including all celestials, spirits and, of course, people.
An expressive feature of Tengrism was the allocation of three zones of the Universe: heavenly, earthly and underground, each of which, in turn, was perceived as visible and invisible.
The invisible (other) heavenly world looked like a layered cake: three, nine or more horizontal tiers, each of which was the abode of one or another deity. The Great Spirit of Heaven, Tengri, lived on the highest tier. Light and benevolent deities and spirits were attributed to the celestial zone. They traveled on horseback, so horses were sacrificed to them. In the visible sky, near - domed, there were the sun and the moon, the stars and the rainbow.
The middle world, invisible, was inhabited by deities and spirits of the surrounding nature: the owners of mountains, forests, waters, passes, springs, other objects, as well as the spirits of the dead kams. They ruled the visible world and were closest to people. The permanent location of the host spirits is the border of the human and natural worlds, the zone of human invasion, which is due to its economic activity. If the flat part of the landscape is the steppe, the mountain valley belonged to people, then the places located above or below were inhabited by host spirits, and a person, being a guest there, penetrated beyond this line after “feeding”, or the simplest sacrifice. Relations between people and spirits - the owners of the area were understood as partnerships, and if they were revered, then as older relatives, or ancestors, as they were often thought of. The Turks arranged public sacrifices for the most significant owners of mountains, forests and waters. It was believed that the economic well-being of society depended on them. The middle visible world was perceived by the ancient Turks as living and inanimate. For a person, this was the most accessible world for development, knowledge, especially in those places where he was born and lived.
The lower, underworld, invisible, was the concentration evil forces led by the powerful deity Erlik. It was also multi-layered, but had a limit - it was inhabited by people whose life span in the middle world had ended. The features of the underworld are its mirror invertedness and smells that are different from earthly ones. The lower world had a visible structure with its own boundaries: any depression and opening could be the entrance to the underworld. All living things living in the earth, under the earth, in the water, were considered to belong to the lower world. Performance characteristics of the lower part human body were transferred to the "bottom" in all its manifestations.
In general, in the traditional ancient Turkic worldview, the world was not so much calculated in levels and tiers, but experienced emotionally and not as a set of symbols, but as an action, a change, in constant dynamics. The main function of the world is the continuity of life, its constant renewal, and man, as part of the world, was vitally interested in the same. All rituals, ceremonies, holidays that were coordinated with natural rhythms (time, the successive change of seasons and the movement of celestial bodies) were aimed at extending existence - directly or indirectly - on the basis of labor activity associated with animal husbandry, worship of the deified forces of nature and the cult of ancestors.
The ancient Turks believed that the Universe was ruled by: Tengri Khan - the supreme deity; deities: Yer-sub, Umai, Erlik, Earth, Water, Fire, Sun, Moon, Stars, Air, Clouds, Wind, Tornado, Thunder and Lightning, Rain, Rainbow. Tengri Khan, sometimes in conjunction with Yer (Earth) and other spirits (Yort Iase, Su Anasy, etc.), performed earthly affairs and, above all, “distributed the terms of life”, but Umai was in charge of the birth of “sons of men” - the personification of the feminine earthly principle, and their death - Erlik, "the spirit of the underworld." The Earth and Tengri were perceived as two sides of the same principle, not fighting each other, but mutually helping. Man was born and lived on earth. The earth is his habitat; after death, it absorbed a person. But the Earth bestowed on man only a material shell, and in order for him to create and thereby differ from other inhabitants on Earth, Tengri sent to Earth to a woman, a future mother, “kut”, “sur”. Breathing - "tyn" as a sign of the birth of a child, was the beginning of the period of a person's stay on the "lunar-solar earth" until death, until it was interrupted - "tyn bette". If "tyn" was a sign of all living beings, with "kut", the very essence of life of divine origin, coming from the Cosmos, they associated the life force of a person from his birth until his death. Together with the “kut”, Tengri gave the person “sagysh” (“myn”, “bager”) and this distinguished him from all living beings. "Syur" was also bestowed upon man along with kut. It was believed that "sur" contained his inner psychological world, which grew up with him. In addition, Tengri bestowed a “kunel” on a person, thanks to which a person was able to anticipate many events - “kunel size”. After death, during burning physical body of the deceased, “kut”, “tyn”, “sur” - all simultaneously evaporated in the fire, and the deceased “flew off”, moving to Heaven along with the smoke of the funeral pyre, where he became a spirit (spirit of ancestors). The ancient Turks believed that there is no death, there is a stable and consistent cycle of human life in the Universe: being born and dying against their will, people did not come to Earth in vain and not temporarily. They did not fear the death of the physical body, understanding it as a natural continuation of life, but in a different existence. Prosperity in that world was determined by how relatives performed the rites of burial and sacrifice. If they were serviceable, the spirit of the ancestor patronized the family.
Deeply revered by the ancient Turks was the "cult of heroic ancestors, famous for their exploits on the battlefield" or creations, material and spiritual, which glorified the name of the Turks. The Turks believed that in addition to the physical nutrition of the body, it is necessary to nourish the soul. One of the sources of soul energy was the spirit of the ancestors. It was believed that where the Hero lived and worked, or the Genius of deeds, there, even after death, his spirit could provide constant protection and help to his relatives and people. The Turks erected stone monuments to glorious ancestors, words about a feat and an appeal to descendants were engraved on the plates. The monument was a meeting place between people and the spirit of the ancestor. During commemorative sacrifices, prayers, sometimes on a national scale, the spirit of the ancestor found a temporary refuge in the monument, the rest of the time he lived in Heaven. Stone monuments in ancient times stood from the Altai to the Danube and were destroyed in the Middle Ages after the adoption of world religions by the Turks.
The tradition of honoring the spirits of ancestors obliged the Turks to know their genealogy up to the seventh generation, the exploits of their grandfathers and their shame. Each man understood that his actions would also be evaluated by seven generations. Belief in Tengri and in the celestials urged the Turks to worthy deeds, to the accomplishment of feats and obligated them to moral purity. Lies and betrayal, deviation from the oath were perceived by them as an insult to nature, therefore, to the Deity itself. Recognizing the collective responsibility for the clan and tribe, as well as the presence of hereditary traits, the Turks did not allow people involved in the betrayal to live and have descendants.
The veneration of ancestors among the Turks (and Mongols) found expression in their totemic attitude towards the Wolf - the ancestor of Bozkurt, the guarantor of the immortality of the Turkic people, sent by the Great Tengri, which is symbolized by the sky-blue color of Bozkurt's wool. The ancient Turks believed that their ancestors descended from Heaven and with them the "heavenly wolf" - a heavenly being, an ancestor spirit, a patron spirit. “The beliefs associated with Bozkurt in the mythological texts of the Turks are divided into three parts: belief in Bozkurt as the father, the founder of the clan; faith in Bozkurt as a leader and faith in Bozkurt as a savior. The ancestor-Bozkurt did not appear by chance at those historical moments when the Turkic people were on the verge of extinction, and every time He stood at the origins of their revival. Bozkurt is an indispensable warrior, a leader who led the Turks to the path of military victories during periods when their national life was seething and great campaigns were made. "The golden wolf's head flaunted on the Turkic victorious banners", causing fear of him in the enemy. The Turks revered the wolf as intelligent, selfless, devoted to a friend, a leader among animals. He is bold and freedom-loving, not amenable to training, and this differs from service dogs and vile jackals. The wolf is the orderly of the forest, when the Spirit of Heaven and Earth became unbearable and they needed to be cleansed, then heavenly people and Bozkurts were born among the Turks, who guided the Turkic world with their behavior and example.
The Kagan (Khan) power was consecrated in the name of the Blue Sky - Tengri. After the kagan was elected, he became the high priest in the state. He was revered as the son of Heaven. The task of the khan was not only to take care of the material well-being of his people, his main task was to strengthen the national glory and greatness of the Turks. Tengri punished kagans with death, captivity, other punishments, and sometimes entire nations for their crimes or misdeeds. Everything depended on Tengri, grace or punishment usually followed instantly or for sixty years (the average life expectancy of a person) in sunny world it was impossible to avoid them. After the death of a person, Tengri's power over him ceased.

The word Tengri, written in the ancient Turkic runic script (Orkhon-Yenisei script)

The rites of honoring Tengri Khan were quite strict, prayers were long and purifying the soul. Under all circumstances in life, they turned to Tengri for help, and if the appeal was to other deities or spirits, then it was necessarily mentioned after the exaltation of Tengri. They prayed, raising their hands up and bowing to the ground, asking for a good mind and health, to help in a just cause, in battle, in household affairs; no other was asked. And Tengri helped everyone who revered Him and himself showed activity, purposefulness in action.
Every year, public prayers were held on a national scale - sacrifices. At the beginning of summer, at the time specified by the kagan, tribal leaders, beks, noble generals and noyons, etc., gathered in the horde (capital). Together with the kagan, they climbed the sacred mountain to make a sacrifice to the Great Tengri. On this day, prayers to Tengri were held throughout the state. Thousands of people from nearby villages and cities came to the sacred mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and springs. Prayers were held without women and kams, the latter were never part of the priests (soothsayers) of the Tengri religion, their role was magic, healing, including hypnosis, conspiracies - they were simply feared. Tens of thousands of bonfires burned near birches on sacred lands, horses, sheep, and lambs were sacrificed. They worshiped the Heavenly God, raising their hands up and making earthly bows, asking Him to give a good mind and health, to help in a just cause; no other was asked. And Tengri provided assistance to those who revered Him and was active himself, i.e. in addition to prayer, he performed a purposeful action. Everything ended with a festive feast, fun, various games, competitions, horse races.
The sacrifices of Yer-sub (Great deity, the visible world in the image of the Motherland) during the period of the Turkic Khaganates also had a national character. With the adoption of Islam or other religions, all-Turkic prayers on a state scale ceased, local tribal prayers were predominantly developed. The ritual aspect of praying to Tengri began to weaken, and then gradually disappear.
The steppe dwellers emphasized their obedience to Tengri Khan using ancient symbol, the sign of an equilateral cross is “adzhi”: it was applied to the forehead with paint or in the form of a tattoo. He symbolized the concept of room - the world from where everything originates and where everything returns. There is heaven and earth, up and down with their patrons. Rum swims in the boundless ocean on the back of a huge fish or turtle, pressed down for greater stability by a mountain. At the base of the mountain rests the serpent Begsha. From time to time, a cruciform vajra - a “diamond” flashes in the room like lightning, by analogy with Buddhism, a symbol of indestructibility. During the excavations of the steppe city of Belenjer in Dagestan, the remains of temples and preserved ancient crosses were discovered. Archaeologists found the same crosses on gravestones from Baikal to the Danube - on the land of the historical Desht-i-Kipchak. Archaeologist M. Magometov, who studied the remains of the ancient temples of the Kipchaks, describes his findings as follows: “They are located in the center of the mound groups and differ small size... The broken internal outlines of the building recreate in terms of the shape of an equilateral cross. In addition to strength, indestructibility, the cross, apparently, also symbolized the crossroads where the paths of the world converge. In contrast to the rules adopted by world religions, in Tengrism they built temples in honor of deities or ancestral spirits with one interior room intended only to preserve their symbols. According to the ideas of the ancient Turks, deities and spirits visited temples only on the days of religious festivities. The rest of the time, the deities were in their tiers in the sky, and the spirits were mostly in the mountains. The Tengrian temple was a holy place; ordinary believers were not allowed to enter the temple. Only a clergyman in the course of the service could briefly visit him. Once a year he was allowed to enter the altar of the temple. Such a tradition was justified by the fact that the temple was considered a place of rest for the deity, and believers were supposed to pray only near it. The site for prayer was called "haram" - "a place for prayer." Everything else, except for prayer, was forbidden here, hence another meaning of the word "haram" - "ban", "forbidden". Tengrian temples were called "kilisa" - from the name of the sacred mountain Kailash, one of the highest mountains in the south of the Tibetan Plateau. Among many peoples of the East, it was considered the abode of the gods. According to some researchers of Tengrism, Southern Tibet used to be a traditional place of pilgrimage for the Turks. People stopped on the shore of Lake Manas and looked at Kailash from afar. Here they prayed and had philosophical conversations.
The rituals recorded among the ancient Turkic peoples had different functions. And so their ritual actions were different. Some were accompanied by sacrifices, others were limited only to prayers. When pronouncing prayers, knowledge about deities and spirits, the owners of the area, their characters, etc. was required. The ancient Turks used sacred oral texts that were passed down from generation to generation and were called algysh, algas, alkysh, under these names they are also found in ancient Turkic monuments. During the sacrifices, reading algysh was an important attribute of the holiday. Algysh were read in their native dialect clearly and distinctly, so as not to anger the patrons, for this, before the start of the festival, one, more often two, who could speak algysh, was chosen from those present. During public prayer, they were engaged in sprinkling, accompanying him with algysh.
There were many cult rites in the Turkic religion. The Chinese chronicle says: “The Turks honor fire above all else, honor air and water, sing a hymn to the earth, worship the only one who created heaven and earth, and call him God (Tengry).” They explained their reverence for the sun by the fact that “Tengri and his assistant Kun (Sun) lead the created world; the rays of the sun are the threads through which the spirits of plants communicate with the sun. The Turks twice a year sacrificed to the sun - light: in autumn and at the end of January, when the first reflections of the sun appeared on the tops of the mountains. The moon was not an object of worship. Her veneration arose much later and was only among the traditions associated, apparently, with the lunar calendar. The cult of fire among the Turks, like the Mongols, was associated with the belief in its powerful cleansing power from evil, bestowed by Tengri. Information has been preserved by the Byzantine ambassador Zemarch (568), who, before being admitted to the khan, underwent a rite of purification by fire. The funeral rite of the Turks, the custom of burning the dead, is connected with the cult of fire. Among the deeply revered objects of nature, the Turks had metal - iron, from which weapons were forged. It is found in all the legends in which the ancient Turks set out the history of their origin. The Huns were the first in Central Asia to master the industrial extraction of iron. “According to Chinese sources, the development of metallurgy allowed the Ashina clan to re-equip their army and create selected strike units from plate cavalry - fuli, i.e. storms are wolves. “The Huns prayed to iron and the blade was made a symbol of it, which the Romans called the sword of Mars. On the border of the Turkic empire, Byzantine ambassadors in the 6th century were present at a religious ceremony during which iron was offered to them.
So, Tengrianism, being a formalized religion, for many centuries, through a system of spiritual codes, cultivated and socialized certain stable ethnic constants of the nomadic peoples of the Steppe, where the psychological type of "heavenly people" was formed: a freedom-loving Turk - a fearless warrior, mobile, temperamental by nature, and the owner at home - a woman (husband owned only weapons). In all Turkic clans, tribes and hordes, they were all united by one idea of ​​Unity through the "striving for the Eternal El" - the guarantor of order in the Steppe, born as far back as Mete-shanyu in the 2nd century BC. “With complete political fragmentation, the ideological unity of the Turkic tribes was preserved; ethnic tradition, which is also a signal heredity, was not violated, the unforgettable deeds of their ancestors inspired them to a feat. As a result, the Turks created dozens of empires and khanates. Often the war carried them away from their homes for thousands of kilometers. Born in one region, the Turks died more often in another. His homeland was the Steppe.
The most prominent traits of the Turks, in addition to fortitude and confidence in the future, bestowed by Tengri, were social solidarity and respect for public opinion, commitment to hierarchy and discipline, special respect for elders, deep respect for the mother. The Turkic community initially suppressed betrayal, flight from the battlefield, denunciation, irresponsibility, lies. Committed to natural image life reflected the relative adequacy of the Turks with the surrounding world inspired by them. The Turk always chose a clear, precise line of behavior not cluttered with details. With a broad outlook and large-scale thinking, he had unlimited confidence and openness to life. The ancient Turks were remarkable for their enviable activity, being deeply religious, they did not divide life into otherworldly and thisworldly, but accepted it holistically as a transition from one quality to another in a single world for them.
In the X century. political conditions of close interaction of religious models of Tengrianism and Islam have historically developed. Both of them, by their nature, were organic in terms of a comprehensive spiritual influence, social regulation and control of the life of society and the individual. Faced, they did not come into an irreconcilable confrontation between themselves: on the part of the Turks, thanks to the high spirituality and rules of tolerance in the Steppe, on the part of the Muslims, thanks to the high adaptive abilities of the Islamic religion. With its high offensiveness, Islam had to go through a period of cultivation, suggesting a settled way of life in urban centers. Sufism, as a derivative of Islam, which is closest in nature to Tengrianism, having spread widely in the Steppe, introduced some elements that soften and adapt the perception by nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of the rigid prescriptions and duties of Muslims and the community as a whole. Despite the fact that the process of Islamization dragged on for centuries, the Turkic world, split by the onslaught of world religions and partly adopting Buddhism, partly Christianity, which plunged the Steppe into unprecedented religious conflicts, again tried to restore the fragmented unambiguity of the spiritual code, uniting under the banner of Islam.
The perception of Tengri in terms of its essential characteristics did not generally contradict the perception of Allah. There were also important overlapping similarities in the functioning of the Tengrian and Muslim communities. For example, the set of ancient customs of the Turks and Mongols - Yasa and the instructions of the Koran and Sunnah:
1. in defense of the family, a man was given the right to marry several women, while the first wife was considered the eldest;
2. obligated men to respect their wives and trust them; imposed a ban on alcohol;
3. they ordered the elderly to educate young people in love for their family, people (for the Tengrians - for the brotherhood of the "heavenly people" of the Steppe, regardless of clan and tribe; for Muslims, regardless of nationality - for everyone who worships Allah);
4. obligated rich people to serve the community, to help the poor;
5. proclaimed the state the owner of the land (the ruler, on behalf of the state, secured for certain duties (with the predominance of military, taking into account length of service, and with the right to be demoted for misconduct) the right to own land); the concept of selling land in cultures was absent altogether.
At the same time, Islam in the Steppe received a Turkic modification based on the continuity of the cultural traditions of Tengrism, the peculiarities of the ethnic worldview and the worldview of a person, correlated with the factor of his coexistence with spiritualized nature. Let us cite just one fact: the idea of ​​the "soul" - the most important link in the theology of each religion - in Tengrism had a different and very specific character, completely different from what is invested in the concept of "zhan" in Islam. Objectively, this created insurmountable difficulties in adequate translation into the Turkic language, gave rise to a reading of a new quality in Muslim culture, reflecting the worldview of life and death traditional for the Turks.

People believe (this is how the human heart is created!) but they believe blindly. Tradition and environment play a decisive role here. But often these traditions are only foreign dogmas on the temple of primordial national culture. Moreover, these dogmas, as a rule, were brought either on the swords of the conquerors, or by caravans of merchants, or (disinterested) missionaries. Therefore, it is vital to know the technology of the relationship between man and the cosmos, gods and people.

The Universe is an act and result of Creation, and its author is the One Creator. At different times, among different peoples, it is called differently: the Almighty, the Supreme, the Cosmos, the Cosmic Mind, the World Soul, Atman, the Logos, the Demiurge, etc. The Kazakhs (Turks) call him Zharatushy (Creator) or Zhasagan (Maker).

The One Creator is a neutral cosmic force that creates an infinite Universe (in this respect, indeed, humanity is One and God is One!). Below Him is the pantheon of the Gods - who determine the fate of Humanity and the planet Earth. In fact, these are not gods (religions in the struggle for leadership deliberately created terminological confusion, declaring each their own Idol - God and the One Creator!) - but Spirits (Spirits of Ethnoses) or Egregors (Collective Energies). The Kazakhs designate them with the word Aruakh (Spirits of the Ancestors). These spirits act as conductors through which the mystical energy of the human Heart goes to the World Soul or the One Creator.

Each ethnos (nation) has its own ethnic, natural, genetically defined and defining God (let's take it as a term - although, unlike the Creator of the One, we are talking about the Spirit of the Nation). For example, among the Semites it is Yahweh. The Jews call him Elohim, the Arabs - Allah (one ethnic group, one God - although, outwardly, different peoples and different religions!). The Hindus have Trimurti or the Trinity of Gods (Brahma, Shiva, Krishna). There are also prophets elevated to the status of God by the people themselves (Zarathushtra, Buddha, Christ). The Kazakhs (Turks) have a god - Tengri or the Great Aruakh (with a female hypostasis - Umai).

About energy exchange. What happens when a person, being in his ethnic group (nation) and ethnic religion, prays in his ethnic language to his ethnic (natural, genetic) God? For example, a Kazakh (Turk) worships Tengri (let's leave aside the issue of dogmas, rituals, prophets, Holy books, etc. for the time being - for true faith is found only in a person's heart!). In this case, the Kazakh (Turkic) god Tengri, receiving an impulse of the mystical energy of the heart from the Kazakh (Turkic) ethnic group, i.e. from his own flock - automatically responds (the connection Man - God is absolute and universal!) and sends his energy-goodness entirely to his Kazakh (Turkic) ethnos, i.e. on their religious community, flock. At the same time, it is important to emphasize: not for an individual (praying), but for the entire ethnic group (this is the essence of all magical rituals- a request to the Almighty in the name of the team!). Therefore, the more united the ethnos (nation) and the stronger the religious-national spirit, the more it receives energy-goodness from its ethnic God. What happens when a person, being in his ethnic group (nation), but of a foreign religion, prays in a foreign language to a foreign God? For example, does a Kazakh (Turk) worship the Arab (Semitic) god Allah (Yahweh)? The Arab God, receiving an impulse of the mystical energy of the heart from his flock, automatically responds and sends his energy-goodness entirely to his flock or ethnic group (Arabic or, more broadly, Semitic).

Thus, the more Kazakhs (Turks) pray to the Kazakh (Turkic) god Tengri, the more the Kazakh (Turkic) ethnic group receives energy-goodness from its ethnic god Tengri.

And, conversely, the more Kazakhs (Turks) pray to the Arab (Semitic) god Allah (Yahweh), the more the Arab (Semitic) ethnic group receives energy-goodness from its ethnic god Allah (Yahweh). And the Kazakh (Turkic) ethnos itself becomes the weaker, because the output of the mystical energy of the heart in this case is irreplaceable!

This is the universal Law of Energy in the Universe.

It is in him that the secret and main cause of all world wars lies. The conquerors need not so much foreign territory and wealth (although this is important!) as human potential in the form of subtle, mystical energy of the human heart. This energy in its efficiency surpasses all types of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons! Therefore, the conquerors always strive by any means (see above) to convert the defeated (both physically and spiritually!) To their religion, faith, culture, language, ethnopsychology! For only in this case their ethnic God is saturated with the mystical energy of the human heart and automatically sends his energy-goodness to his ethnic flock.

Language plays an exceptional role in the communication between people and Gods, because thoughts, and with them the mystical energy of the heart itself, are formed and communicated to God with the help of language. The coincidence of ethnic (national) self-consciousness, ethnic language and ethnic religion - leads to a colossal increase in energy exchange and, accordingly, to an increase in the number of blessings-mercies from the ethnic God to his ethnic flock. For example, a Kazakh (Turk) prays in the Kazakh (Turkic) language to the Kazakh (Turkic) god Tengri!

The non-coincidence of ethnic (national) self-consciousness with a foreign language and a foreign religion leads to a monstrous imbalance of energy and the destruction of an ethnos (nation). For example, a Kazakh (Turk) prays in Arabic (Semitic) to the Arabic (Semitic) god Allah (Yahweh)!

Jews (Semites) are one of the few peoples who know this universal Law of Energy in the Universe and skillfully use it to conquer the whole world. Therefore, they created a triple religion (with one God!):

1. Judaism - only for Jews (the rarest exceptions, for example, the adoption of the Khazars into Judaism - only confirm the rule!): Jews pray in Hebrew to the Jewish god Elohim (Yahweh);

2. Christianity - for Western peoples: different ethnic groups in their ethnic languages ​​pray to the Jewish Prophet-God (Jesus Christ);

3. Islam - for the Eastern peoples; different ethnic groups pray in Arabic (Semitic) language to the Arabic (Semitic) god Allah (Yahweh).

The religions of the Chinese, Japanese and Hindus are just as integral and energy-intensive (for all the blurring of their ethnic religions - Buddhism).

The significance of ethnic Script is also unique - which, along with religion and language (as well as music and ethnopsychology), is the bearer of the Genetic Code of the Nation, which allows you to open and activate subtle energy channels between man and God. Each ethnic group, consciously or unconsciously, seeks to preserve its original writing. The Japanese, for example, after 20 years of experiments, refused to switch to the Latin alphabet (no matter how the computer boom inclined to this) and retained their, really not very convenient, hieroglyphs. Jews only in the XX century resurrected their ancient language (Hebrew) and ethnic writing. Georgians and Armenians, having received artificially created writing in the 5th century (the author is one person!), entered the history of human civilization. The Russians were able to do this only in the 10th century. Kazakhs (Turks) already at the turn of the UP-VIII centuries fixed poetic creations, artistically perfect, on stone steles with native Turkic, runic letters! The history of their writing goes back centuries!

In this regard, we observe the peak of energy in peoples whose ethnic writing (with other factors) corresponds to the ethnic Religion! First of all, these are Jews, Chinese, Japanese and Indians. As an example of energy imbalance, all peoples who have adopted a foreign religion. Moreover, among them there are those who have Holy Bible in their native ethnic language (Bible translation) and performs rituals in it, while praying to an alien God (Christians). There are also ethnic groups that do not have Holy Scripture in their native ethnic language (the translation was carried out only for cultural purposes!) and perform rituals in a foreign language in the name of a foreign God (Muslims)!

The energy of ethnic groups that preserve basic, genetic programs:

1. ethnic (national) identity;

2. ethnic God (religion);

3. ethnic language;

4. ethnic writing;

5. Ethnic music, ethnopsychology, lifestyle, etc. are the most perfect and, accordingly, these ethnic groups have a huge Development Potential.

The energy of ethnic groups that do not have basic, genetic programs or have not fully preserved them is mortally flawed, and these ethnic groups, with all their current well-being, are doomed to destruction and degradation.

Among the latter are the Kazakhs (Turks).

CONCLUSION: in order to restore the correct energy balance and, accordingly, to obtain the Historical Perspective, the Kazakhs (Turks) need to restore the basic, genetic programs, namely:

1. National identity (Kazakhs, Turks);

2. National (ethnic) God (Tengri) and national religion (Tengrianism);

3. National language (Kazakh) - in all areas without exception, and first of all, the status of the state language means the obligation of a person who acquires citizenship of Kazakhstan to pass an exam in the Kazakh language, etc.

4. National Writing (Runic) - through the gradual revival of the ancient Turkic runic writing and propaganda of runic literature;

5. National music, ethnopsychology, lifestyle, traditions, etc.

1. The Creator of the Universe (God) is One;

2. The fate of Humanity and the planets of our Galaxy is controlled by ethnic Gods, they are the Spirits of the Ancestors, they are the Egregors;

3. Each ethnic group has its own God (Spirit of the Nation);

4. Each person, for the sake of his own well-being and the well-being of the nation, must remain in the original, genetically determined, natural Religion;

5. The transition to a foreign religion is deadly both for the individual in particular and for the nation as a whole;

6. Missionary work (involving people of foreign ethnic groups and beliefs in a foreign religion) is one of the most radical and total manifestations of political expansionism.

Only such an understanding of the relationship between the Cosmos and Man allows one to know God in the true sense of the word, create a truly religious atmosphere in the world and avoid inter-religious (inter-confessional) conflicts.

Part 2. Islam and Tengrism

In 711-712 AD, the Turks of the Kaganate made a strategic campaign from the limits of the Chinese Wall to the borders of Northern Iran. There were two goals: 1) to repulse the military claims of the Arab Caliphate on the cities of Sogd and Tokharistan (now - the territory at the junction of Iran, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), which since ancient times were under the protectorate of nomadic Turks; 2) stop the ideological expansion of Islam.

The campaign was led by the famous Tonyukuk (“Having a Heavenly Garment” – the name as a reflection of the Tengrian symbolism!) – an adviser to four kagans, a Confucian scholar and a Tengrian apostle in one person.

The Turks called the Arabs, as well as all those who converted to Islam under pain of death, "tezek" - hence the name of the local people "Tajik".

This was the first clash of two great religious and political systems: Nomado-Tengrianism and Settled Islam; nomadic Steppe and Islamic Shahr (Cities).

At the same time, it was a continuation of the ancient confrontation between Iran and Turan. Iran, at that time already assimilated by the Arab Caliphate, and Turan, revived by the Tengrian Kaganate, with the dynastic tribe of Ashina (Alshyn, 545-745).

Thanks to this campaign, the hitherto victorious Caliphate hardly gained a foothold in Central Asia, but never entered the nomadic Steppe. Even the later, during the split of the Great Turkic Kaganate, the victory of the Arabs over the Chinese in the Battle of Talas (754) did not change the religious foundations. In that battle, the Turgeshs and Karluks fought on the side of the Arabs, on the side of the Chinese - the Kok Turks (Ashina), who, after being defeated by the Tokuz-Oguzes (Uighurs), tried to regain power with the help of their relatives who made up the guard of the Chinese army. The eternal curse of nomads is civil strife! – played in favor of the Arabs! But Islam continued to be the religion of foreigners (Arabs) and settled Tezeks (Tajiks). Known, for example, is the proud refusal of the Türgesh Khagan Sulu in response to the proposal of Caliph Hisham to convert to Islam. The Kagan, in the presence of ambassadors, arranged a review of his army and ordered the translator to say: “Tell this ambassador to tell his master that there are no barbers, merchants, or tailors among these soldiers; if they follow the precepts of Islam, then where will they get their livelihood!” Only five and a half centuries later, already in the middle of the 13th century, the Golden Horde Khan Berke (brother of the Tengrian Batu) officially converted to Islam. The new religion, of course, had circulation only in court circles. The palace, paying tribute to the interests of geopolitics, tried to adapt to dogmas alien to the nomads - but the whole Great Steppe continued to live according to the laws of Tengrianism!

This has happened more than once in the history of the Turks. At one time, the nomadic nobility joined Manichaeism (Uighurs, Uvek, “Khuastuaift” - “Penitent prayer of the Manicheans”), and Judaism (Khazars, X century - “Jewish-Khazar correspondence”), and Nestorianism (Argyns, Naimans , Kerei, XI-XII centuries - “The Legend of Prester John”), and to Catholicism (Polovtsy XIII-XIU centuries - “Code Cumanicus”). Chinese Confucianism and Indian Buddhism were also not alien to the Khagan's palaces.

In 1312, power in the Golden Horde passed to Khan Uzbek, who declared Islam the state religion. Supporters of Tengriism met this innovation with hostility: “You expect humility and obedience from us, but what do you care about our faith and confession, how will we leave the law and yasak of Genghis Khan and go over to the faith of the Arabs?”, 120 princes said (relatives, cousins, second cousins ​​of Uzbek), who refused to betray the faith of their fathers - and were insidiously killed at a feast (according to Tizenhausen; see also the works of R. Bezertinov). The remaining Tengrians from the upper class were forced to flee to Rus' - this is how almost the entire Russian nobility appeared (see: N. Baskakov, R. Bezertinov, etc.).

The road to the Steppe was truly opened to Islam only in the 18th century, after the entry of Kazakhstan into Russia (1731). The empire wanted to have in its citizenship not violent nomads, but settled shepherds who were easy to manage. A grandiose plan was developed for the so-called “sedentarization” - the forced transfer of the Kazakhs from a nomadic lifestyle to a settled way of life. For this purpose, hundreds of Tatar mullahs, who had long been in the service of the Empire, were sent to the Steppe by a special decree of Empress Catherine II to convert the Tengrians to Islam. The calculation was simple - Islam suggests! a sedentary way of life (until now, the Arabian Bedouins are the least “Islamized” in the entire “Islamic” world!), and gullible neophytes, in theory, should have quickly abandoned the traditional way of life, culture, and religion. A system of benefits and preferences was provided - in fact, trade, usury, education and ritual services were given to the Tatars at the mercy of the whole. This led to the mass migration of Tatars (and Uzbeks) to Kazakhstan, as a result of which a special caste of clergymen was created (the Kozha clan, allegedly leading its origin from the Prophet himself!). At the beginning of the 19th century, Russian travelers wrote about the “Tatarization of the Horde” (Kazakhstan).

Islamization was accompanied by the destruction of the traditional, Tengrian culture. First of all, the steles with runic texts were destroyed and the ancient Kazakh (ancient Turkic) writing itself was consigned to oblivion - i.e. taken away the memory of the people. Baksy-shamans - carriers of traditional spirituality and liaisons with the world of Aruahs - Spirits of Ancestors, were subjected to physical repressions. Even music turned out to be not pleasing to the mullahs - kobyz were publicly burned, and even harmless dombra was banned for a long time!

But, despite all this, even in the middle of the 19th century, according to Ch.Valikhanov, Islam was hardly recognized in the Steppe: “Muslimism has not yet eaten into our flesh and blood. It threatens us with the separation of the people in the future. Among the Kirghiz (Kazakhs - A.A.) there are still many who do not know the name of Mohammed, and our shamans in many places of the steppe have not yet lost their significance. We now have a period of dual faith in the steppe (highlighted by me - A.A.), as it was in Rus' during the time of St. Nestor.

The loss of one's own, national statehood and the acceptance of foreign citizenship is, first of all, the loss of the Spirit of the Nation, its moral and strong-willed core. There were precedents. In the 7th century AD. the Turks of the Kaganate for 50 years were under the rule of the Celestial Empire (Tabgach, China). Then the entire nomadic Turkic nobility began to adopt the Chinese mentality - from language and clothing to Confucian-Buddhist dogmas.

The Kazakhs were under the citizenship of Russia for 260 years! Naturally, they learned a lot from the Russian ethnopsychotype. Another thing is surprising - instead of Orthodoxy, they received Islam! But such are the paradoxes of History!

Thus, by the 20th century, the Kazakhs, retaining, in general, nomadotengrian thinking, adopted a settled way of life and the Russian language as the dominant of survival - but the Koran and Sharia were imposed on them as a spiritual guide!

These mutually exclusive components of life gave rise to violent conflicts in the minds of the people. Who are we? This question was by no means rhetorical. Kazakh science, obedient to instructions from the metropolis, dissociated itself from the history of nomads earlier than the 15th century. This means that the Kazakhs are not Turks, not Polovtsy and not Tatar-Mongols (especially not Huns, not Scythians, not Tours!). But clearly not Slavs and not Christians. Maybe Muslims?

So, it would seem, a foothold was found in the difficult process of national self-identification. It looked logical. The closest related peoples (Uzbeks, Kirghiz, Turkmens, Tatars, etc.) are Muslims. There are, however, other kinsmen - Yakuts, Khakasses, Gagauzes, Chuvashs, etc. those who did not accept Islam. But God bless them! Moreover, in quantitative terms, they are clearly inferior to the above-mentioned Muslims. So quantity prevailed over quality! Politics is above tradition. Borrowed and alien - over the original and genetically predetermined! So, we Kazakhs are Muslims! Praise be to Allah!

History seemed to back up this conclusion with facts. Yes, and the guards of the Baghdad caliphs, and the Mamluks of the Egyptian sultans, and the armies of the Khorezmshahs, and Timur's tumens - all of them were Turks who converted to Islam. Perhaps the Arabs only gave Islam to the world, but the world was conquered in the name of Islam - by the Turks! The Muslim Turks fought to the death with their brothers - the Tengrian Turks! As well as with the crusaders, and with the Mongols. On the plain of Ain-Jalut, in present-day Syria, the Kipchak Mamluks of Beybars from the Kazakh clan Bersh and the “Mongols” Kitbugs from the Kazakh clan Naiman met in a fatal battle! Sayyid Qutb, the ideologue of Islamic radicalism executed by the Islamists, wrote: “The Islamic conscience of the sultans Salakhiddin and Baibars, having prevailed over their natural Turkic origin, forced them to fight against the enemies of Islam.” It's hard to agree. Rather, on the contrary: the courage and honor inherent in the “natural Turkic origin” of the natives of the Steppe forced them to defend the “Islamic conscience” of the Arabs, who, despite Islam, were mired in “jahiliyya” - savagery (the custom of burying born girls alive, slave trade, usury, homosexuality, etc. .d!). Such are the bizarre interweaving of peoples, religions, destinies!

But nevertheless, the level of education (more precisely, the lack of education!) of the steppes played a decisive role in the formation of the “Islamic mentality”. The tsarist bureaucracy was in no hurry to build Russian, and even more so Kazakh schools for the natives. And the Tatar mullahs, with their primary education (at every mosque - a madrasah) - right there!

Literacy for the Kazakhs of the 19th century began with the ligature of Arabic letters. Runic, primordial, national writing and the great works of ancient Turkic literature were completely erased from the memory of the people! Flickering with sparks of immortality, except perhaps in heroic epics - zhyrs and verses of sacred, prophetic poets (Kaztugan, Dospambet, Bukhar, Makhambet)! Arab fairy tales and Persian poems entered the consciousness of the people - and even edifying hadith stories. Moreover, in violation of the "copyrights" of the Arabs and Persians, the mullahs began to introduce new hero- Khoja (from the Kozha clan), who accomplishes feats and miracles instead of the dashing Tengrian nomads!

The active vocabulary of the Kazakh language has also changed - Nomadotengrian, the Turkic layer turned out to be buried under numerous Arabic-Persian borrowings! Over time, the nomadic vocabulary became more and more passive - the terms of kinship, animal husbandry, nature, military affairs. The Kazakhs, even without religious Islamic zeal, were slowly sliding down the waves of linguistic and cultural changes into the raging sea of ​​Islam!

Soviet Russia, not immediately - but, realizing this strategic mistake, volitionally translated the Kazakhs (and other Turks) from Arabic to Latin, and then to Cyrillic. A new religion - communist atheism - replaced Arab Islam. The mosque turned into an obedient mechanism of the Soviet ideological machine. The imams, who passed through the sieve of the KGB, began to lead the spiritual life of the people. Perhaps then such pearls appeared folk wisdom: “listen to what the mullah says - but do not do what he does”, “if you beat tirelessly - and Allah will die”, “if you need to get bread - step on the Koran with your foot”, etc.

In the Kazakh Steppe, the 18th and 19th centuries passed under the sign of popular uprisings. But, unlike similar movements in Africa and the Caucasus (Abdel-Kadir, Shamil), they did not have a religious basis. Perhaps, only during the years of Soviet perestroika, Islam - as an indicator (external and easily recognizable!) of national self-identification and opposition to the metropolis - began to gain strength in line with the national liberation struggle of the Kazakhs against Totalitarianism and the Empire!

In December 1991, in Alma-Ata, activists of the Islamic faction of the Alash party (established in May 1990, chairman - A. Atabek) attempted to forcibly remove Mufti Ratbek Nysanbaev from the post. The reckless enthusiasm of Islamic neophytes (all of them were involved in Islam only 1-2 years ago) turned into years in prison and a split in the Alash party, and in the entire anti-colonial movement: from now on, Islamists and national patriots will act as separate forces, and plus National Democrats (Westerners).

The action was a political mistake (provoked by the KGB and Uzbek sheikhs, dissatisfied with the activities of Mufti R. Nysanbaev, who separated the Kazakh Muftiate from the Central Asian Muftiate, with its center in Tashkent) - but the event itself turned out to be a landmark. The Kazakh public could no longer put up with the dominance of imams in KGB uniforms. Nine years later, the odious mufti will still be removed. But, as it turned out, the problem was not in him at all. Islamic renaissance in Kazakhstan never came (although the Regime actively supports the Muftiate, hoping to find its own electorate among the believers!). Perhaps Islam itself, as a system of spiritual and cultural values, was no longer able to capture the hearts and minds of people of a computer civilization!

Only the struggle against Soviet totalitarianism made Islam attractive to passionate individuals - however, again, in line with the national liberation and democratic movements! With the acquisition by Kazakhstan of the long-awaited sovereignty and complete freedom of Islamic religion and propaganda, Islam, paradoxically, has lost its former ideological and political significance and attractiveness!

Moreover, Islam in Kazakhstan (and not only) finally split into official (the Muftiate, supported by the Regime) and informal (with leaders-sheikhs). The latter, in turn, broke up into many directions, schools and sects (often hostile to each other). Wars in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East have given rise to the concept of "Islamic fundamentalism" - although is there any religion without a foundation? The expression “Islamic terrorism” began to conjugate with this concept, although terrorism exists all over the world and has no confessional predetermination. The word “Wahhabism” has acquired an abusive connotation, although this is the name of official Islam in Saudi Arabia, the homeland of the Prophet (peace be upon him!).

In recent years, a movement for the so-called “Kazakh Islam” or “Yassauism” has emerged. Considering orthodox Islam as a form of Arab chauvinism and expansionism, the followers of the new movement are trying to introduce the concept of “Kazakh Islam”, which includes both the basic tenets of Arab Islam and the traditional beliefs of the Kazakhs. In general, this is an attempt to combine Tengrism and Islam. Opponents of this concept accuse the Yassauists of "shirk" - "polytheism". Indeed, according to the Quran, “there is no God but Allah”, and giving him “associates” is a sin. But the Kazakhs traditionally worship Aruakhs - the Spirits of Ancestors, as well as holy places in the form of mazars, etc. Not to mention the worship of Heaven, the Sun, Fire, etc. The propagandists of “Kazakh Islam” (one of the leaders is Sheikh Ismatulla, a Kazakh from Pakistan), along with the Koran, worship Ahmed Yassawi’s book “Hikmat”, and also focus on such a zombie technique as “dhikr” (choral repetition to exhaustion and catharsis of the name of Allah or an verse from the Koran), which is considered one of the manifestations of Shiism (however, the Caucasian Sunnis also use dhikr, and in the process of running in a circle, for example, the Chechens).

However, for lovers of “catharsis” and “internal improvement”, there are more effective techniques: dynamic meditations, various forms of yoga, the opening of the “third eye”, the purification of the “aura”, etc., etc. - which are offered in abundance in a refined and irresistible form by numerous sects of the esoteric East.

All these factors - and many others - do not contribute to the popularity of Islam in Kazakhstan. But, as they say, a holy place is never empty. The vacated niche is rapidly and professionally occupied by other popular beliefs: from Baptists and Hare Krishnas to evangelists and Dianetics. The Orthodox Church, of course, does not sleep either. Thus, the Kazakhs - mostly young people - found themselves in the role of a desired game and a trophy for hunters from religion!

This circumstance has baffled even the best theoreticians of Kazakh national patriotism. On the one hand - Islam, on the other - atheism, and around - missionaries of esoteric sects! One thing is clear: the elevation of Islam to the rank of the official state ideology and doctrine will inevitably lead to the growth of Islamic radicalism, which can provoke Kazakhstan's participation in the predicted world war between Christian and Islamic civilizations in the near future! The current regime, by encouraging Islam in Kazakhstan and flirting with the Islamic world, including its radical representatives (Wahhabis, Taliban, Ismailis, etc.), hopes to keep Islamic fervor at the level of the rug in the main mosque of Almaty (built with state funds). But Islamic ardor, especially the religious zeal of neophytes (and all Kazakhs are neophytes in Islam!) cannot be restrained by definition! Man is by nature prone to fanaticism and fatalism. Moreover, the most honest and courageous people will inevitably go into the so-called "Islamic fundamentalism" - because if "there is no God but Allah!", then there is only one way!

Is the Islamization of the Kazakhs a fatal inevitability? Let's try to figure it out. I will note right away (for atheists) that here I will not touch on the well-known philosophical trick on the topic that God is one, and religions are the creations of the Devil, because they share the One! For me, religions are the creations of God himself, their spiritual and social necessity is undeniable, and each religion is created for specific ethnic groups.

But it is also certain that all religions have a national basis. Moses and Jesus were sent to the Jews, Krishna and Buddha to the Hindus, Muhammad (peace be upon him!) to the Arabs. These national prophets were sent to solve purely national problems. Only then, due to many political reasons, these religions began to claim the universal scale, trying on the role of world hegemons!

It is also undoubted that the holy truths brought to foreign peoples on the edge of the sword immediately changed exactly the opposite. Iran, for example, because of a single military defeat, was cut off from its ancient, primordial, national culture. In the soul of every Iranian, on a subconscious level, a conflict rages between the genes of a fire worshiper and the conditioned reflexes of a Muslim. And this applies to all peoples without exception - those who refused under the threat of external expansion from their Natural GODS!

Speaking of religion as a divine phenomenon, we forget that God himself is also a phenomenon of Nature! God is one, one, inside he is nameless, but outside it manifests itself in the form of many names, many religions. And each religion is addressed to each specific nation, it has national specifics - like a set of chromosomes, like a language, eye shape and pulse rate! Do we really not love and respect God so much that we want to shackle him with chains of only one religion (“there is no God but Allah”, “there is no God but Jesus”, “there is no God but Buddha”, etc.). No, God is much wiser and more perfect, and He is individual in His manifestations, for He Himself created people as individuals!

Therefore, if God has not sent (yet!) to some nation its individual, national Prophet and national Religion, one should not borrow someone else's faith, one must remain in that natural givenness, which is not exactly called Paganism! For the Kazakhs, this is paganism - Tengrianism!

Tengrianism is the oldest religious system in the world. The presence of a paired Deity (Tengri - Umai, Sky - Love), a pantheon of gods (Yer-Sub - the god of the Motherland, Ot-Ana - the goddess of the Hearth and Family, Aruakhi - the Spirits of the Ancestors, etc.) - allows us to attribute the origins of this system to the very dawn of man civilizations (approximately, to the epochs of Yin-Yang in China, Shiva-Devi in ​​India, etc.).

Another indicator of the Kazakh (Turkic) culture, the Runic Writing, has an equally ancient history. The monuments of the late 7th and early 8th centuries (“Kapagan or Onginskaya inscription”, “Kul-Tegin”, “Bilge-kagan”, “Tonyukuk”, etc.) are masterpieces of world fiction.

Kazakhs have another unique phenomenon of world civilization - Nomadism or Nomadism. Gumilyov defined it as "a method of production that is almost impossible to improve." We would add - "this is a perfect way of production to create perfect material and spiritual wealth!".

Three components of the Kazakh national culture are listed here. Are they not enough - not to look for foreign gods, foreign religions and foreign sciences? Aren't they enough - to concentrate on yourself, to look inside yourself, into your National Being? Are they not enough to be a free, independent, proud, self-sufficient, great and generous people?

They object to me: all this is in the past! But isn't it possible to revive all this? Let's think together:

1. NOMADISM: for a country where agriculture is inefficient and even destructive from an environmental point of view (a virgin adventure is proof of this!), Where the raw materials industry is nearing decline (oil remains for a maximum of 50 years!) - nomadic or semi-nomadic animal husbandry - a natural basis for life people. Moreover, in the concept of “nomadism” we put not just a “production” meaning - we are talking about “nomadism of the spirit”, i.e. about the best spiritual and psychological qualities of the nation (nobility, courage, chivalry, the cult of a rider, a variety of creative talents, defined as “segiz kyrly bir syrly” - “eight talents in one soul”, etc.);

2. RUNIC: national self-consciousness begins with the national alphabet; runic writing will allow recreating a single cultural field for 4 thousand years, and will also become a bridge for the rapprochement of all Turkic peoples;

3. TENGRIANISM: return to the Natural God and his religious system will improve the nation's karma and create conditions for spiritual and material revival!

Heaven rules the earth. The living are ruled by the dead. More precisely - gone to other dimensions. The Kazakhs sacredly revere the Aruahs - the Spirits of the Ancestors. We can say that Tengri is the Great Aruakh of the entire Kazakh (Turkic) nation! And he will never let his children enter into someone else's Egregor (Collective Spirit), someone else's Religion! It is just as impossible - how to stop the course of the universe or change the genetic program of a person! In this regard, it should be noted (many simply do not realize this and, accordingly, are not discussed anywhere) that the basis of Tengrianism is the doctrine of Reincarnation, i.e. about the new birth of man on the same earth! This teaching was borrowed from Tengrism by subsequent religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.). The notorious “transmigration of souls” is the phenomenon of the Aruahs – Spirits of the Ancestors! The Kazakhs say: “Every 50 years the people are renewed!”. This means that every 50 years the Aruakhs come down to earth and incarnate in Kazakh children! The Kazakhs sacredly honor the memory of “the seven ancestors” (“zheti ata”). It is also believed that death in one's native land contributes to incarnation ("rebirth") in one's homeland and even in one's family! Therefore, leaving the golden palaces in the conquered countries, the great conquerors returned, dressed as dervishes (Otrak Khan, the conqueror of the Caucasus; Sultan Baibars, the ruler of Egypt, etc.)!

We are not sufficiently aware of the connection between language, thought and religion. Language is not just a communication tool. Language is a cosmic matrix from which blocks of consciousness are scanned and behavioral stereotypes are determined. In the Kazakh language, more than 50% of the vocabulary is Arabic-Persian borrowings. This is a consequence of Islamization. In other Turkic languages, this figure is more than 80% - because they also have a higher degree of Islamization (Uzbeks, Tatars, Turkmens, etc.) - In Russian, 50% of the vocabulary is Turkisms (Kazakhisms). What does this mean?

This means that 50% of the Kazakh language is hardly accessible to the Kazakhs (the subconscious reaction is “foreign language”!). And also the fact that 50% of the Russian language is easily acquired by the Kazakhs (the subconscious reaction is “native language”!).

And it is no coincidence that Kazakh children have difficulty mastering the Kazakh language (especially the literary language, which consists of 90% Arabic-Persian borrowings, that is, it is practically alien!). But with surprising ease they master the Russian language! And it is no coincidence that many great Russian poets - from V. Zhukovsky to O. Suleimenov - were of Turkic (Kazakh) origin!

And it is no coincidence that the program adopted by the Government for the protection and development of the Kazakh (state) language remains on paper. In order to protect and develop, it is necessary to have an idea about the mechanism of the functioning of the language in connection with thinking and religion - but this is not yet even in principle!

There is also a flip side. While the Kazakh language is 50% Islamic vocabulary, these 50% Kazakhs are open to the influence of Islam! And since the Russian language consists of the same 50% of Turkisms (Kazakhisms), then 50% of the Kazakhs will have an attraction to the Russian language and culture!

And this is a very dangerous conflict (a clash of mutually exclusive commands for the brain!) in the subconscious of the people, fraught with destructive throwing in one direction or the other. The case is not new. Even M.Ataturk tried to extinguish such a conflict, by strong-willed methods, clearing the Turkish language of Arabic-Persian borrowings (even the Koran was read only in Turkish at one time!).

One thing is clear. As long as the Kazakhs call bread “nan” (Persism) instead of the original Turkic “churek”; book - “kitap” (Arabism) instead of “bitig”; wife “ayel” (in Arabic - “concubine”, “prostitute”) instead of “katun” (in ancient Turkic - “wife of the kagan”!) etc. - national self-consciousness will degrade, national culture will be destroyed, and the very existence of the national, sovereign State hanging by a thread!

It cannot be said that Kazakh thinkers do not understand the tragedy of the situation. I know a well-known ethnographer who collected a unique “compromising evidence” on the Islamization of the Kazakhs – how runic writings were destroyed, shamans and baksy were killed and persecuted, kobyz were burned, playing the dombra was condemned, etc. But he does not publish materials - firstly, because of the danger of himself becoming the object of persecution of Islamic fanatics; secondly, out of fear to introduce a split into the “religious unity” of the Kazakhs.

The latter is a very relevant, perhaps epoch-making topic. But is there a de facto “religious unity” of the Kazakhs? If we take the maximum: traditionally consider themselves Muslims - only 50% of the Kazakhs, of which fulfilling all the requirements - no more than 20%! The rest (exactly half!) of the nation is either indifferent to religion, or convinced atheists, or followers of other religions and sects.

If Tengrianism is revived as a traditional faith (religion), then all this 50% of the non-Muslim Kazakh population will find itself in the ancient religion of their ancestors, Tengrianism. Thus, the Unity of the Nation will be achieved - on the one hand, “Kazakh Islam” (see above), on the other hand, Tengrism, as the original religion. Both here and there, faith in the Aruahs - the Spirits of the Ancestors - dominates! Perhaps it is worth introducing a new term to designate the national Kazakh religion - ARUACHISM! Let there be two components inside ARUAHISM – Islamic and Tengrian! Let the names Allah and Tengri be used in the meaning of the One God! This is enough for the Nation not to split along confessional lines. But while the Kazakh Islamists belligerently deny Tengrianism (of their own ancestors!) - the Kazakhs will go to other religions, where there is no concept of Aruakhs - the Spirits of Ancestors! In this direction, the split of the Nation is inevitable.

They tell me: only omens and superstitions remained from Tengrianism. Where is the religious system? Where are the rituals, temples, dogmas? Where is the Holy Scripture? Where is the ideology, the apostles, the prophets?

I answer: Tengri is in the heart of the Kazakh (Turk)! Everything else is a matter of faith and time. If a spark of Tengrianism burns in the soul of the people, then the fiery Prophets and the wisest apostles are ready to appear to the world! New Tonyukuk, armed modern knowledge and ancient mystical experience, are already ready for victorious campaigns! But they will move only at the call of the People! For the People themselves must choose their Spiritual Path!

My task, as a poet and scientist, is to give an objective picture of the current state of Minds and Hearts, to describe the historical relationship between Tengrianism and Islam. And remind:

“There are many gods, prophets and religions in this world - but they all live under the same Heaven. And the sky is called -

INTRODUCTION

Tengrianism

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Tengrianism

INTRODUCTION

Tengrianism- a neo-pagan cult, which is based on the pantheistic, polytheistic belief in Heaven as the supreme divine being. The name of the cult "Tengri" is derived from the Chinese "Tian Di", which means "Lord of Heaven" or "God". In Chinese, the word "tian" (sky or heaven) is denoted by the hieroglyph 天 - in Russian transcription it sounds like "tian".

the word "tengri" written in the Orkhon script .

Tengrianism is a modern reconstructed concept of belief in the supernatural, which is based on:

Pantheistic ontology with the doctrine of the supreme deity;

Cosmogony of the Far Eastern Philosophy;

Mythology and demonology of the folklore of the small Altai peoples.

The core religious dogma of Tengrianism (the cult of the supreme deity of the Eternal Sky in the pantheon of gods) was developed as a theoretical version by the Soviet historian L.N. Gumilyov and presented in his works on the history of the ancient Turks.

"Tengri" has also been mentioned as the "supreme god" of the Mongol tribes since the 13th century. Questions of religious beliefs of the Mongols during the reign of Genghis Khan are devoted to the work of the doctor of the University of Belgrade Erenzhen Khara-Davan “Chinggis Khan as a commander and his legacy. Cultural and historical sketch of the Mongol Empire of the XII-XIV centuries”, published in 1929. The preface to the Russian edition was written by none other than the same Lev Gumilyov.

In the classical scientific environment (ethnography, religious studies) "Tengrianism" as separate definition religion or belief does not apply. The reason for this is the weak scientific and theoretical base of the theory of passionary ethnogenesis, within the development of which the theses of the beliefs of the ancient Turks and steppe nomads were put forward.

"Tengrianism" as a religion of the ancient Turks with a monotheistic concept is also proposed as a hypothesis by the popular author of alternative history Murat Aji. In the book “The Turks and the World: A Secret History”, M.Adzhi states that “the Turks carried the faith in the God of Heaven to the world”, meaning by God the cult of the “Eternal Blue Sky”.

The concept of the mythology of "Tengrianism" as an element of systemic religious belief is presented in the work of the Kazakh writer Orynbai Zhanaidarov "Myths of Ancient Kazakhstan. Children's Encyclopedia of Kazakhstan. - Almaty. "Aruna", 2006. The book is recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, while the publication was published under the program of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Issued in 10,000 copies

In a brief annotation, "Myths of Ancient Kazakhstan" is presented as "a colorfully illustrated book, which collects and clearly presents the myths of the nomadic peoples who lived in ancient times on the territory of Kazakhstan."

In this paper, an assessment will be given to the main "dogmas" of the concept of "Tengrianism".

ONTOLOGY OF "TENGRIANISM"

"Tengrianism" as a result of religious syncretism

In the introduction of this work, "Tengrianism" is defined as a neo-pagan cult, reconstructed by historians in the Soviet era and developed by some researchers in the post-Soviet period. Therefore, the ontology of "Tengrianism" is a completely modeled hypothesis based on the subjective ideas of the author of the passionate theory of ethnogenesis L.N. Gumilyov and his followers.

As you know, LN Gumilyov was also an ethnologist and geographer. The future scientist was born in the family of Russian poets Nikolai Gumilyov and Anna Akhmatova. His father N. Gumilyov was not only a poet, but also a traveler (a famous explorer of Africa), served in the Russian army, participated in the First World War. The mother of L. Gumilyov was the Russian poetess Anna Akhmatova, a hereditary noblewoman. Therefore, it is not surprising that the developer of the theory of "Tengrianism" as the beliefs of the ancient Turks, was guided in his theses by the dogmas of the Orthodox Christian doctrine of the One God, in the traditions of which he himself grew up and was brought up. However, being a researcher of the history of the ancient Turks, L. Gumilyov was also in the orbit of Chinese sources, which provide the main historical material, which forced him to look for some kind of synthesis between the Christian doctrine of the One God, the concept of the Chinese Heaven and the beliefs of the peoples of Altai.

The problem of religious syncretism of the beliefs of the Turkic-speaking peoples of Altai has been studied in sufficient detail in Soviet and Russian ethnography and religious studies.

According to L. Gumilyov, "Tengrianism" as a creed is based on the worship of nomads to the supreme deity of the "Eternal Blue Sky" - Tengri, which has Turkic roots. In our opinion, the name "tengri" is derived from the Chinese "tian di", meaning "lord of the sky", which indicates the Chinese origin of the cult. At the same time, in the Turkic language, “sky” sounds like “kok” (“kyok”), the appearance of the word “tanir” (“tengri”) is explained by the close contacts of Turkic-speaking nomads with Chinese civilization. Given that the Turks as an ethno-linguistic community were formed in the 1st millennium AD, and their first political associations (protostates of nomads) arose as early as the 6th century. AD, it becomes clear that the tribal primitive, mostly totem (with elements of animism) beliefs that existed before that, did not meet the needs of the state system. Therefore, historians needed to imagine that the nomads had a systemic belief or religion in its institutional expression.

By this time, neighboring China (an empire with the concept of the Middle State "Zhongguo" between Heaven and Earth) was a separate civilization.

The well-known religious scholar L.S. Vasiliev in his work “History of Religions of the East” cites that “...beginning from the Zhou era, the Sky in its main function of the supreme controlling and regulating principle became the main pan-Chinese deity, and the cult of this deity was given not only a sacral-theistic, but also a moral-ethical emphasis. It was believed that the great Heaven punishes the unworthy and rewards the virtuous.

The given specificity of royal power in China is also confirmed by the English philosopher J. Thomson: “..During the Zhou dynasty, the classical concept of the king as the “son of heaven” was developed; it was systematized in a form that lasted almost unchanged for more than two thousand years. According to this concept, the king was responsible for both good administration and order in the entire material world.”

For imperial China, the identification of the ruler with Heaven meant that the emperor assumed responsibility for the whole world, in which they included China itself and the barbarian periphery surrounding it, which, according to the Chinese themselves, clearly gravitated towards the center, i.e., towards Zhongguo, the ruler of the Celestial Empire, son of heaven. This structure was also reflected in the official motto of the empire: "tian di" (Lord of Heaven) - "huan di" (Lord on earth).

The developers of "Tengrianism" completely adopted the ontology of the cult of Heaven from the ancient Chinese civilization. But if in Ancient China the cult of Heaven was necessary to give divinity to the power of the emperor, as the son of Heaven, then Gumilyov needed the cult of Heaven to ideologically legitimize the power of nomadic rulers.

It is clear that the primitive tribal beliefs of the Turks and medieval Mongols could not act as an ideological explanation for the power of nomadic rulers during major territorial conquests. This requires something global, civilizational, and since the nomads did not have such, they had to borrow the idea of ​​the divine power of the ruler from more civilized neighbors.

According to L.N. Gumilyov "Tengrianism" took the form of a complete concept by the XII-XIII centuries. Historically, this period coincides with the era of activity of the most famous nomadic ruler, Genghis Khan. As a justification, they cite the fact that Temujin, before campaigns against Northern China and Central Asia, proclaimed himself "Chinggis Khan", "son of Heaven" and received a blessing from the supreme shaman, which is quite in line with modern ideas about the theocratic nature of the ruler's power.

The cult source of "Tengrianism" can be attributed to the book of the little-known "Eurasian" Erenzhen Khara-Davan "Genghis Khan as a commander and his legacy. Cultural and historical sketch of the Mongol Empire of the XII-XIV centuries. This work, dubious from the standpoint of scientific content (republished in 1992 in Alma-Ata) is the "table bible" of all Genghis Khanophiles, as well as lovers of the alternative history of nomads.

The motivation for writing this book is given by the author in the preface and immediately sets the reader a trend in understanding it: “Until very recently, only a narrow circle of Orientalists was interested in the history of the Mongols and their brilliant leader, who inscribed brilliant pages in world history ... “Know thyself” and “be yourself” - these are the slogans that we should be guided by after unsuccessful copying spiritual culture of Europe, which have led Russia to a dead end now, starting from Peter the Great to the present day. However, such a skeptical attitude of Dr. Khara-Davan to the European cultural heritage must be assessed from the unenviable position of the author himself at the time of writing the book - he was a Russian emigrant.

The category of popular theorists of "Tengrianism" includes the Russian researcher Murat Adzhi, who considers the Turks to be the progenitors of all mankind and the founders of all earthly civilizations.

Chinese civilization and nomads: a historical perspective

Tang Empire and the Turks

The problems of the beliefs of the Turks cannot be considered in isolation from real historical processes. As you know, religious beliefs are partly a reflection of social reality. Ancient societies often worshiped their everyday reality, tribal social trims, the history of ancestors, etc. In the same way, the religious beliefs of the nomads were an extrapolation into the sphere of the supernatural of their own historical phenomena or some social expectations.

Mentioned in written sources for the first time as a political association in the 5th century, the Turks as an ethno-political community played a huge role in the territory from Northern China to North Africa. Therefore, the issues of the religious belief of the Turks require an objective assessment, free from any manifestations of voluntarism and triviality.

The definition of "Tengri" as a deity of the Turks is due to the decipherment by European ethnographers. Russian researcher V.V. Radlov translated the inscription on the Bilge kagan stele into Russian and German languages. After that, at the end of the 19th century, V. Thomsen, Kh. N. Orkhun, S. E. Malov, T. Tekin proposed new interpretations of the inscriptions of monuments in the Orkhon River valley in Mongolia (stele "Kul-Tegin").

The idea of ​​"Tengrianism" as a religion of the Turks is based on the late interpretation of the inscriptions of Bilge-kagan (stele of the Kosho-Tsaidam valley): “Tengri blessed and supported me, luck was on my side, so I became a kagan”.

When interpreting the inscriptions of the Kul-tegin stele, it must be taken into account that this stele was carved at the direction of the Tang emperor as recognition of the merits of the kagan family to the empire after the death of the rulers of the Ashina dynasty. The inscriptions on it are made in Chinese and Turkic, which made it possible later to decipher their content. Since by “Tengri” it is necessary to understand the Chinese deity of “Heaven” (tian di), the inscriptions about “blessing and supporting Tengri” rather mean blessing and support for the Turkic Khagans from the Tang emperor - the Son of Heaven in the fight against the enemies of the empire. It is known that civilizational "China" never perceived the Turks as an independent force, for the center the Turks represented nomads (periphery), who had to be constantly regulated: either to take on the service, or to push against other barbarians, or to assimilate.

The gratitude of the Tang emperor to the Ashina Turkic dynasty also becomes understandable in the light of the imminent meeting of the Chinese with the Arabs.

The Turks of the time of Bilge Khagan served in the imperial army, guarded the northern border, and helped to suppress riots on the outskirts of the empire. After the death of Kul Tegin (731), as well as the poisoning of Bilge Khagan (died in 734) for ten years, the power of the rulers of the Ashina house, who served the emperor faithfully, weakened. Already in 741, the Khaganate began Civil War, internecine strife, the invasion of neighbors, and Emperor Tang Xuanzong offered the house of the Turkic kagan political asylum and shelter in China. In 745, the history of the Ashina dynasty (including the history of the Eastern Khaganate) ended with the assassination of the last Khagan Baimei Khan Kulun Bek.

And already in 751, Tang China, not having such a powerful ally in the north as the house of Ashin, suffered a crushing defeat from the Arabs in the famous Talas battle.

This battle had a civilizational significance: the decline of the Tang Empire began and the Chinese advance to the West stopped.

The Jin Empire and the nomadic Mongols in the 13th century

The myth of the religiosity of the Mongols (the cult of worship of Heaven) is described in detail by Erenzhen Khara-Davan in the book “Genghis Khan as a commander and his legacy. Cultural and historical sketch of the Mongol Empire of the XII-XIV centuries.

Nomadic Mongolian tribes of the XI-XIII centuries. were also in the position of the Turkic tribes of the 8th century: tension on the northern borders of the Empire, internecine wars, raids and ... faithful service to the emperor!

It is known that the title "khan" was given to nomadic rulers by the imperial court. All kinds of "gur-khans", "van-khans", "ha-khans", "dayan-khans" in the service of the Son of Heaven received their titles exclusively with the permission of the office of the government of the Golden Kingdom. And the word "khan" as the title of the ruler has no definition either in the Turkic or in the Mongolian language.

The meaning of the word and its ideogram in Chinese are interesting.

In Chinese, the word "khan" as the title of nomad rulers is denoted by the signs 可汗 (ke-khan) or 大汗 (da-khan). In the first case, before the hieroglyph 汗 (sound "han"), there is a sign 可 (sound "ke"), meaning "consonant, due, permission".

In the second case, before "han" is 大 ("yes"), meaning "big, great."

The very same "han" - 汗, translated from Chinese means the noun "sweat, perspiration", as a verb means "sweat, sweat, drenched in sweat."

The combination of signs carries the meaning "obliged to sweat" or "big sweaty." Taking into account that the Chinese emperor is the "Son of Heaven", the meanings of the word "khan" and the sign 汗 take on a completely different meaning. Nomadic rulers "sweated", "were covered with sweat", "received permission to sweat" and were called "great" exclusively in the service of the EMPEROR - THE SON OF HEAVEN!

Assigning a title to a ruler is a Chinese tradition that emphasizes his status. The leaders of the nomads received titles of power only at the hands of the emperor, with the exception of traditional military ranks like: bahadur, bey, etc.

Temujin himself, before being approved by "Genghis Khan", bore the Chinese title "chauthuri", nominally corresponding to the position of commander of a regional border outpost. Moreover, according to the Secret History of the Mongols, for help in the fight against the Tatars, the titles from the Jin Empire were granted to the head of the Kereites Togoril and the head of the Taijuits Temujin: the first received the title of “vana” (ruler), and the second title of “chauthuri”.

In the relationship of the Mongols with the Jin Empire, one should also take into account the objective factor special treatment Genghis Khan to the Middle Kingdom: Temujin's Mongols were not at war with "China" in the full sense of the word. In addition to being in the service of the emperor during the war with the Tatars, Temujin paid tribute to the Jin empire until 1210.

Mongolian nomads took an active part in military conflicts on the territory of modern China on the side of one or another state association. So, for example, in 1207-1209, Temujin's forces participated on the side of Jin against the Tangut state of Xi Xia, but this does not mean that the Mongols could seriously and consistently wage war with 50 million (!) Northern China in order to conquer it. Basically, Temujin's "raids" ended with receiving gifts from one or another side of the conflict, up to the princesses of the imperial court.

China fell under the political dependence of the Mongolian military forces after the death of Genghis Khan - during the reign of Kublai Khan. At the same time, the "conquest" of China was more like pointing constitutional order and the restoration of state authorities in the Empire, brought to chaos by the current political regimes. At the same time, after the purges, Kublai Khan founded his own Yuan dynasty!

And only after the legitimization of the Mongols in China as the ruling dynasty, Genghis Khan is referred to in Chinese sources as 太祖, i.e. "Tai Zu" or "Sacred Founder - Ancestor". At the same time, as a ruler, he is endowed with the title 法天啟運聖武皇帝, meaning "The Sacred Earth Sovereign, who successfully became a warrior ruler by the law and will of Heaven." At the same time, an important transformation takes place in the title: the character 汗 "khan", meaning the title of nomadic rulers, is replaced by Genghis Khan with 皇帝 "huan di". And this is the title of Qin Shi Huangdi himself, the first emperor of a united China!

Title of the first Emperor of the united China - Qin Shi Huangdi

Mistakes in the monotheistic interpretation of "Tengrianism"

The ontology of "Tengrianism" as a doctrine of One God is highly controversial, since Monotheism (Abrahamic, prophetic) in its foundation implies One God as an extra-existent, only, transcendent Creator of being and reality, which is outside of its creation and opposes it. The unity of God implies not only his exclusivity, but also, in principle, excludes the possibility of all kinds of claims to his divinity. Monotheism should not be confused with monotheism. There is monotheism, supreme godhood, all-godliness, but these are all different manifestations of the counter-idea of ​​Monotheism.

The teaching of "Tengrianism" about one god - Tengri (while Tengri is a god who appeared after the creation of being) can be described as "monotheism" or "supreme god" in the pantheon of gods, which is just an unsuccessful imitation of the mythology of antiquity. By "antiquity" it is necessary to understand the civilizational category of the period of the 4th millennium BC. according to the 5th century AD, for example, the civilization of Sumer, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient China or Ancient Greece and Rome. At the same time, it is in no way possible to include in this definition - "Ancient Kazakhstan", which simply did not exist civilizationally.

L. Gumilyov, although he grew up and was brought up in the traditions of Orthodox Christianity, as a scientist took place in the Soviet era, so he was unlikely to understand the intricacies of the Monotheistic teaching. And for the majority of believers there is no big difference between the prophetic Monotheism and the traditional priestly monotheism, the ideas of which coexist peacefully in their minds.

Studying the history of the "ancient Turks" and Mongols, Gumilyov and Khara-Davan faced the problem of substantiating the exclusivity of the culture of the Turks and Mongols. Indeed, geographically, apart from China, there was no other civilization next to them. L. Gumilyov, unlike Western European historians, did not accept China as a peaceful power, which prevented him from recognizing the attraction of the Turkic culture to Chinese civilization (Gumilyov always considered the relationship of nomads with China exclusively through the prism of aggression and wars). But he could not geographically move China away from the Turks either.

Perhaps that is why scientists went to a little manipulation of historical facts. Firstly, the name of the deity was taken from the word “tanir”, which has become familiar in the Turkic language, meaning “Creator”, although historically it was the name of “heaven”, borrowed from the Chinese language (by the 20th century, the word “tanir” was influenced by the 1200-year-old Muslim traditions took on a completely different meaning). For example, the definition of God often used in the Turkic languages ​​as "Kudai" also has a non-Turkic, but Persian origin.

Secondly, in order to give distinctive features to the Turkic (Mongolian) deity from the Chinese, the not entirely successful Orthodox dogmatic construction of Monotheism was borrowed from Christianity.

This "little manipulation" turned into overt religious syncretism on the part of the Eurasians.

In the "Myths of Ancient Kazakhstan" O.Zhanaydarov in the chapter "On the meaning of faith in the god of the Sky Tengri" the following is given:

“From the worship of the Great Sky - omnipotent and all-encompassing - man came to the idea of ​​Eternal life, since the Cosmos itself is immortal, the world» (p. 194).

In a somewhat primitive form, the idea of ​​the eternity of the world is given elsewhere. Chapter "Soul" (p. 20) “Tyn is a spiritual property, the ability to breathe. It is inherent in man, cattle, animals, birds, grass and trees. Stones do not have this ability. .. The life of a plant is immortal and uninterrupted, because the root remains in the ground, and the plant can forever maintain its existence.

The idea of ​​the immortal, eternal Cosmos, the World, life (read the eternity of reality and being) is a concentrated expression of the idea of ​​the Chinese Heaven, but this is “not Yahweh, not Jesus, not Allah, not Brahman and not Buddha. This is the highest supreme universality, abstract and cold, strict and indifferent to man. You can’t love her, you can’t merge with her, you can’t imitate her, just as there is no point in admiring her.”(Vasiliev L.S. History of the Religions of the East. 1983 (c) Publishing House "Higher School" 1983).

The always rationally thinking Chinese, preoccupied with the urgent problem of sustenance for his family, did not particularly think about the mysteries of life, the Chinese value the material shell - their life - above all. The veneration of an abstract idea is something foreign to the practical Chinese mind.

That's why the most important feature ancient Chinese religion had a very minor role of mythology. Unlike other early societies with their own religious systems rich in mythologems that determined the face of spiritual culture, in China the place of myths was taken by historical legends “about wise and just rulers”.

However, this “shortage” was compensated by the developers of “Tengrism” with legends, fairy tales, traditions of the descendants of the Turkic-speaking Altaians. Thus, in such a dense mixture of Soviet historical science, ancient Chinese religion and dogmas Christian Orthodoxy"Tengrianism" appeared as a theoretical concept of the religious beliefs of the ancient Turks.

Problems of the cosmogony of "Tengrianism"

However, such a simplified approach not only did not solve the issues of the ontology of "Tengrianism", but also created a complete chaos of teaching, where elements of the Abrahamic tradition, the constructions of the Sumerian panethon, ancient myths, the cosmogony of the Far Eastern philosophy, the folklore of the Altai peoples, shamanism, fairy tales and legends, etc.

In "Tengrianism", as its followers suggest (the book "Myths of Ancient Kazakhstan"), along with the cult of Heaven as the Supreme Deity, there is a cult of the Goddess of a woman - the Goddess Umai, a cult of Fire - the Goddess Ot-Ana, a cult of water and earth - the Spirit of Yer-Su etc. In addition to the indicated pantheon of Tengrianism, it includes various deities reflecting cosmogony, here you can include the sons of Tengri, the deities that control the levels of the world, the spirits responsible for the change of day and night, the deities of Good and Evil, etc. The "Tengrian" pantheon surprisingly resembles the Sumerian-Akkadian (later Babylonian) pantheon of gods, as well as the ancient Greek Olympus with Zeus at the head.

The origin of the world and the supreme deity - Tengri is borrowed from the ancient Chinese tradition with elements of Indian mythology about the "golden egg". In the ritual books of Ancient China (Nineteen ancient poems) there is the following version of the creation of the world: Heaven and earth lived in a mixture - chaos, like the contents of a chicken egg. Pan-gu - the mythical ancestor lived in the middle. For a long time the world was dominated by chaos, the Chinese said, nothing could be discerned in it. Then, in this chaos, two forces stood out: Light and Darkness, and heaven and earth were formed from them.

It should be emphasized that the tradition of initial chaos, the indivisibility of heaven and earth is widespread in all ancient myths about the origin of the world. This tradition is especially clearly expressed in the Babylonian "Enum Elish" - a poem about the creation of the world.

When the sky above hasn't even been mentioned yet,

And the name of the solid earth below has not yet been thought of;

When only Apsu, their original parent,

And Mummu and Tiamtu - the one from which they were all born,

They mixed their waters together,

When the swamps had not yet been created and no island could be found,

When no god ever appeared at all,

Was not called by name and his fate was not determined -

Then gods were created among them;

Lamu and Lahamu appeared and were named.

As if repeating these legends, O. Zhanaydarov in the book "Myths of Ancient Kazakhstan" reconstructs the following story. “Once upon a time there was neither earth nor sky, but there was only one vast ocean. Once inside the ocean a White Light appeared - Ak Zharyk, from which a shining golden egg was formed. Inside it, the god Tengri, the progenitor of the whole world, slept. He slept for a very long time, millions and millions of years, and then one day he woke up. Tengri broke the egg shell and went outside. From the top of the egg, Tengri created the Sky, and from the bottom he made the Earth.(p.9-10).

“Having separated Heaven and Earth, Tengri himself divided into a man and a woman in order to produce offspring. He called the woman goddess Tengri Umai.

But if the poetic monuments of antiquity with epic theogony reflected high level civilizations of antiquity, the whimsical tales and legends of O. Zhanaydarov draw attention to the free fantasy of the author.

On page 12, the author categorically states: “Fire among the Turks is revered as aulie, i.e. sacred. The goddess Ot-Ana (Mother-Fire) was born from the foot of Tengri's mother, the goddess Umai. Her father is solid steel, her mother is flint. Ot-Ana lives in a man's dwelling, in the hearth. The ancient Turks considered fire to be a divine incarnation that gives warmth and food to a person, a gift from the goddess Umai. According to the myth, the prophet Nadulusha was the first to extract the fire. ..you can’t spit in the fire, you can’t step on burning coals, you can’t put out the flames in the hearth. It should go out on its own."

The word "aulie" is not of Turkic, but of Arabic origin. It does not mean “sacred”, but “approached”, and “aulie” is a Koranic word, mentioned in the Koran in relation to “close to God”. The statement about the Turkic origin of the word "aulie", especially in relation to frank pagan cults, is a manifestation of ignorance and voluntarism.

In general, the arbitrary presentation of fairy tales and legends by O. Zhanaydarov crosses all boundaries of intellectual permissibility. So, citing the legend “about the son of Tengri Geser” (in Kazakh, calling him Abai Kaisar - khan), the author makes the following statement: “In the Arabic Quran there is a sura dedicated to Kaisar: “In the name of Allah, the merciful, merciful” Muhammad, truly we gave you Kausar abundant”(p. 55). After such "references" a conclusion arises about the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science (!), recommending the book. The legends about Geser, the son of Tengri, are strikingly reminiscent of the exploits of Hercules, Odysseus, differing from Greek myths in the names of the characters (principality of Lin, child of Joru, evil uncle Choton, ogre Lubson, enemy Tkhotun) of clearly Sayan-Altai origin.

From ancient mythology, O. Zhanaydarov borrows the idea of ​​the levels of the world:

“Our Universe is divided into Upper, Middle and Lower worlds.

The upper world is called Kan. The land here is Altyn Telengei. It is managed by Mangyzin-matmas. The Hell of the Upper World is called Mangys-tochiri-tam. Its ruler is Patpan Kara.

The middle world is called Ezren Tengere. It is controlled by Bilgein-kere-attu-Tyaran-Myzyk-kay. The land of the middle world is Altun Sharka. The hell that belongs to her is Tepken-kara-there. Its ruler is Patpan - karakchi.

The world in which we, people, live is the smallest and lowest. It is called Kara-Tenger. The main ruler in it is Maitor. The sky of our world has thirty-three layers, one higher than the other. The hell that belongs to our Earth is called Taptan-kara-tash. It is controlled by Kerey Khan"(“Myths of Ancient Kazakhstan”, pp. 14-15).

It should be noted here that the given structure of the universe, as well as the names of deities, is completely borrowed from the mythology of the Altai peoples.

To be continued.....

Public association "IZGI AMAL"

Mankind has crossed the threshold of the second millennium with some anxiety and fears, because, according to some analysts, the era of market dictatorship and total globalization has come, when a person, forgetting the sacred precepts of God, moves further and further from the correctness of eternal truths into the vanity of mercantile interests and his purely personal problems puts above all. Today, egocentrism and selfishness come to the fore and the concept of "this is mine" has become the main law of existence.

It is even worse when people sometimes turn religion into politics in order to assert their power and authority in the world. Conflicts on religious grounds, when blood is shed, have crossed all limits of what is permitted. And, unfortunately, there are more and more facts when the leading confessions divide the world into warring regions and communities, which can, in the end, lead humanity to a general catastrophe, an apocalypse. It is surprising that believers, cherishing ossified confessional ambitions, have forgotten that God is for all people on earth after all. one (one!) no matter what name it is called - Allah, Christ, Yahweh, Buddha, etc.

Modern people, especially pragmatic atheists, must understand that thought in fact, it is material, and what has been said once is always realized, carried out (good and bad) according to the law of feedback. What is the role and strength words , prayers, appeals to God, personifying the Laws of the Universe. Faith in God is a manifestation with a plus sign, for it is the universal power of creation and harmony in the world. But the denial of God disbelief will always be with a minus sign, which always leads to disharmony and self-destruction. And it is not for nothing that God is called the Creator or Aiyy Tahara in Yakut. And the Devil and the “abaasy” ​​are a negative, destructive beginning. So choose, people, how you live on - with a minus or a plus. To believe or not to believe? To be or not to be?

If we look into the depths of the history of all mankind, we will find one essential fact that God among many ancient peoples of the world did not have a name, for it was simply Heaven (universe) or Tengri in the language of the Turkic-speaking tribes. Later He, the Almighty, began to be personified when the model of polytheism in religion began to spread, when instead of zoomorphic anthropomorphic deities appeared. But this is a separate topic, we will not go deeper.

Over time, tragicomic metamorphoses took place: a man on Earth, more and more asserting his will and power, eventually became the master of Nature, and today, having rudely pushed aside the Heavenly Father, he already imagines himself to be the messiah, the main God, like the Korean Moon, for example, or Russian Vissarion, a former policeman. This is what we have lived up to, correcting all the truths, lowering the One God from Heaven to our earthly (sinful) level.

However, not everything is lost yet, and it must be said that the ancient belief in the god Sky, in Tengri has not yet disappeared, has not died, survived to our techno-urbanized times. This truly great (cosmogonistic) faith was preserved by a relatively small people in the North, in the country of the Pole of Cold, in places where bloody conflicts and wars did not rage, where peace and tranquility reigned in the green bosom of Mother Nature. “Tahara syrdaata” is still spoken among us, it is translated into Russian as “the sky has brightened”. The concepts of "sky" and "tahara" (God) are synonymous among the Sakha people. The people retained their ancient faith in Heaven Tengri , and now the rites and algys (blessings) of this ancient religion, Tengrism, can be seen on the main national holiday Ysyakh, which is held annually at the beginning of the northern summer, more often on the day of the summer equinox, June 22.

Further, my reasoning about Tengrism is based on materials folk myths and legends and, most importantly, all this can be found in the texts of the epic of the Sakha people - olonkho , now recognized by UNESCO as a world masterpiece of folk art.

IN olonkho it says that God Tengri , Uryug Aiyy Toyon, created everything visible and invisible, as well as man and everything that exists on earth, in the Middle World. This is also written in the "Bible" of Christians and the holy books of other monotheistic denominations. Next in olonkho it is said that people are “relatives of the aiyy deities with reins behind their backs, with a bridle behind their shoulders” (kokhsütten kontөstoukh, arҕaһyttan teһiinneeh Aiyy aimakhtara). "Reins" and "bridles" for people denote their eternal connection and dependence on the deities - the aiyy of the Upper World, who control them, are the arbiters of the fate of the "two-legged" on earth. People are inextricably linked with the cosmos, the universe and are a part of the entire universe, speaking in a modern, understandable language.

Among the Sakha people, the visible symbol, the incarnation of the god Taҥar, is the sun, to which they used to pray every morning, and in Tengrism, the graphic sign of God is a cross with a circle in the center and four widely divergent rays, as written by modern researchers of this most ancient religion on earth.

By the way, the self-name of the Sakha people comes from the word "Sakh", which is translated from Turkic as light, fire, sun. They have always been sun-worshipers and idolized fire, which gives man light, warmth and life. The Sakha (Saki) were once a numerous people scattered over the vast expanses of Europe, Asia and North Africa. A lot of "Saka" can even be found (language and culture) among the Indians North America, such as the steppe tribes of the Dakotas and Sioux. In many countries of the world, traces of the activities and culture of the Saks can be found - in toponymy, names, architecture, religion, etc. But unlike some peoples of the world, they never boasted of their exclusivity and did not egocentrically close themselves within national boundaries, but always tried to share with other peoples the historical experience acquired since ancient times, dissolved in their environment, became part of their flesh and blood and spirit. And this is correct, in a divine way, in Tengrian.

Ysyakh in Yakutia - a holiday of honoring the heavenly deities - aiyy - begins with the ritual of worshiping the rising Sun, Urүҥ Aiyy Toion, which, by the way, was worshiped before even by the Mitrians. It is interesting to note the fact that the original symbol of Christianity was a fish, a lamb or a dove, and then in the 5th century new era under the influence of the Huns who invaded the Roman Empire, they adopted the cross, which flaunted on the banners of Attila, whose god was Tengri, as a symbol of their faith. This, more precisely, happened in 452, when Pope Leo I th saved the Eternal City from destruction by accepting the Tengrian cross, raised it up, welcoming the Turkic-speaking "barbarians", the warriors of Attila.

However, many historical facts and information about Tengrism have been irretrievably lost due to the appearance of later, modern faiths and religions on the historical arena. For example, the medieval Inquisition, the notorious "witch hunt" is connected precisely with the physical destruction of the adherents of the "old faith" - Tengrianism. These ardent Jesuits fought against the fact that the Tengrians have always been supportive of all beliefs and confessions existing in the world and denied the dominance and dictatorship of only one faith in the world. “Do not destroy, but create” - demands the supreme god of the Sakha people - Aiyy Tahara. And the sacred word “aiyy” itself means creation, creation, work for good. In addition, this religion requires respect and love for "water, forests and land", all nature, where the "two-legged" person lives. However, our modern techno-civilized world, full of greed and thirst for consumerism, hastily and soullessly destroys the surrounding space, the environment in which it lives. Every year we increase the extraction of natural resources, unfold the interior of the earth, cut down forests, pollute water bodies, leaving behind mountains of waste and a dead desert. The land and waters are polluted to the limit. The air is poisoned by poisonous gases; plankton and whales die in the seas and oceans. And all this is destruction, violation of the laws of Heaven - Tengri , Almighty. But why do not all the leading, dominant religions of the world stand up in full growth to protect Nature? Where are their loud voices? Something is not heard. They may not protest angrily from the fact that their sacred books mainly preach the laws of morality and morality of human life, behavior and lifestyle of a person in everyday life, in a team, among their own kind. And there is no in these scriptures that it is necessary to protect nature, the environment, which is what the Tengrian faith teaches everyone about.

But why can't believers, understanding and aware of the environmental disaster taking place in the world, find a common language, unite against the onset of total destruction? Self-destruction. Unfortunately, most states and communities in the world live with the concerns of the “daily day”, momentary affairs, without thinking about the future. People closed themselves in their own political, economic and religious systems, ignoring, not listening to the voice of reason, not respecting each other, but rather, enmity. Okay, if it's politics. But it is paradoxical and, most importantly, insulting that people who believe in God because of some petty differences in matters of faith, even among the same confession, kill, destroy each other physically! Consider Christian Ulster or Muslim Baghdad. And bloody explosions in Pakistan, America, Russia, when extreme religious fanaticism turns into an extremist political act. Religion is turning into an instrument of the policy of some authoritative states. Everywhere conflicts, strife, disagreement... Where is the way out? What can save an ambitious humanity that has fallen into extremes?

To save, as I think, faith in the One God can. It was precisely such a faith that united all people that was Tengrianism, the adherent of which was the great reformer and "man of the millennium" - Genghis Khan. Seeing that the world was mired in bloody skirmishes and wars, realizing that violence and murder had become a total disaster for all people, he decided to “knock out a wedge with a wedge”, that is, by force of arms to restore order and harmony in the world. But for this, a just and wise faith was still needed. And faith in Heaven Tengri well suited to this idea. In fact, Tengrianism favorably treated all the then existing religions, including even pagan ones, which were available to those peoples whose living space was annexed to his great empire by Genghis Khan. The same policy was subsequently pursued by his successors and descendants. So, for example, during the time of the Golden Horde, Orthodoxy flourished and strengthened in Rus'. The same can be said about religions in China, Iran, India, etc. Nomadic Tengrians did not destroy mosques, temples and monasteries, considering them to be the dwelling place of the one god – Heaven - Tengri , the Almighty, in whom the owners of the great Eurasian steppes believed - the Scythians, Sakas, Huns and Mongols. By the way, the word "hun" comes from the Turkic "kun" - the sun. These were the “people of the sun” or “kun dyono”, as the Sakha (Saki) call themselves from ancient times. And the sun, as you know, personified the god Tahar or T e ngri in the language of many Turkic-speaking peoples.

But what kind of faith was it and when did it appear and where? Studying materials on the history of the peoples of the world, we find that in the 4th-3rd millennia BC, the world's first state of Sumer was born in Mesopotamia, which has its own written language and high culture. From numerous cuneiform tablets, we also learn that the Sumerian language was similar to the Turkic, and they believed in the God of Heaven, called "dingir" or "tengir". Their existing world consisted of three parts - heavenly (upper), earthly (middle) and underground (lower), where the evil "Abza" lived. They had the World Tree as the axis of the universe, and the Sumerians called themselves "sak-geek". And they came to Mesopotamia from the northeast from Arat in the region of the Caspian Sea. Interestingly, in olonkho it is said that the ancient homeland of the Sakhas (Saks) was located near the Arat (Aral?) Sea. Are there too many coincidences with the ethno-cultural realities of the Sakha people? And are the Sumerian "Abza" evil beings "abaasy" in the epic olonkho Sakha people?

Over time, the Sumerians were defeated by other peoples and, apparently, pushed back to the northern outskirts of their empire - to the north of modern Iran and Central Asia, where in the 1st millennium BC. the states of the Turkic-speaking nomadic peoples of the Saks and Huns appeared. And here, in the vast, boundless expanses of Eurasia, the nomads' faith in the heavenly god became even stronger - Tengri , one and all. Almighty! Here, under the open sky, under the sun and stars, blown by all the winds, a person felt like a living particle, very small, of the entire universe - heyge . And now the life of a person, his fate, depended on the movement of the winds, the growth of grasses, the rays of the sun and stars, on the will of Heaven, the Most High ... And all this - Tengri who needs to pray and give gifts. Love and respect.

During the reign of the successors of Genghis Khan, the Temple of Heaven was built in Beijing, very similar in shape to the round tent of the steppes, in which the Chinese emperors of subsequent dynasties prayed, asked Heaven for grace and prosperity in the state. This rite was observed in China until the beginning of the 20th century, which is another proof that the Tengrian faith, calling everyone to worship Heaven (the universe) and Nature, was spread to many countries of the East and Eurasia. Let us recall the cult of the World Tree (Yggdrasil) and the god Odin among the peoples of Europe, which often appear in olonkho Turkic-Sakha. In Japan, the Shinto religion (Shintoism) preaches the worship of Nature and the Heaven-progenitor, whose son the emperor himself is considered to be. And the words "shogun", "samurai", "sakura" are very similar to the Yakut (Turkic) in meaning and pronunciation. One of the branches of Shinto is called "tenri-kyo", in which the supreme deity is revered Tenri . Apparently, Shintoism is a kind of eastern branch of Tengrism, as well as its northern variety in Yakutia. And the ancient Tengrian crosses are well preserved in Altai, in the regions of the Caucasus, Central Asia and, especially, in Europe.

Here it is necessary to add that Christianity adopted from the Tengrians not only symbols, but also the forms of religious rites, and, most importantly, the words and texts of prayers. In the first centuries of the new era, the fish was a symbol of Christianity, for the kingdom of Jesus Christ (the messiah) came simultaneously with the onset of the Pisces era according to the astrological calendar. Now, with the advent of the second millennium, the age of Aquarius has come into power, which means the arrival of another, revived faith. Faiths of Harmony and Peace on Earth. And harmony and peace mean for all peoples - to live in harmony with the laws of Nature and Cosmos, which is main point, the core of Tengrism. And what caused the arrival of Christianity on Earth? Christianity preaches equality before God, love and respect for one's neighbor, sympathy and philanthropy, which was urgently needed during the time of the slave system that dominated many countries of Europe and Asia. With the development of trade and crafts, large cities began to appear, in which a large number of people, to regulate the relationship of which there was a need for new laws and rules in the field of morality and mores. This is how the codes and commandments of Christ and Muhammad appeared, recorded in the Bible and the Koran. But they no longer said anything about the sky and the stars, about love for mother nature, about the environment. Times have changed, and nature has become for people just a source of material wealth, enrichment. Animals and birds were destroyed, forests were cut down, lands were dug up ... Gold, money began to play an increasingly important role in the life of man and states. And now, in our time, money has come to the fore, pushing faith in God further and further... The Golden Calf is returning, and now gold, money has become the main idol and idol of people.

However, the nomadic Turks and Mongols were not attracted by the brilliance of gold and precious stones, for they, true children of nature, rejoiced primarily in the sun, the expanse of the steppe, their swift horses and the clear sky - Kök Tengri. They did not close themselves off, did not sit behind the thick stone walls of cities, did not while away the time in rich palaces luxuriously furnished with utensils. The Turkic steppes and the Mongols preferred freedom, they loved Mother Nature, which they animated and bowed down to. And their dwellings, tents and yurts, were prefabricated, light, convenient for migration. The Sakha people had birch bark urases, in which, as I believe, rituals were held in honor of Aiyy Tahar. And the Tengrian temples, as historians write, were with tent-shaped domes, which can now be seen on Islamic mosques and Christian churches. At the base of these buildings lies the foundation-cross. An exact copy of the Tengrian (nine-domed) temple in Kazan, which existed during the time of Ivan the Terrible, now stands in the very center of the capital of Russia - Moscow, on Red Square. The tenth dome in honor of the holy fool St. Basil the Blessed was added later, unfortunately. He, this dome, is superfluous. Nine domes are in honor of the nine deities (aiyy) of the Tengrian faith. Exactly such a temple, but only wooden, stood in the center of the capital of Genghis Khan in Karakorum, as evidenced by archival documents. So, it is not in vain that St. Basil's Cathedral stands, empty and uninhabited, in Moscow - waiting in the wings. Temples and cathedrals with Tengrian hipped domes can also be seen in many European countries, even in the Vatican - the center of the world Catholic (Christian) faith. The old European temples in Greece and Rome did not have domes, the architecture of which was standard - with right angles and columns. Round, hipped forms came to Europe with Attila's Huns, just like the image of the Tengrian cross on the banners of nomads.

In addition to crosses and domes on the temples, the nomadic Tengrians placed on the territories of the conquered countries original bagan pillars (serge) as signs of their power. "Staken out," the Russians still say. European peoples now call these symbols pillars, which can be seen on the central squares of many countries of the world. Such majestically high "serge" are placed in honor of some great events or victories.

The next significant symbol of power and might is the image of the Tengrian steppe eagle on the banners and emblems of many countries, including America. This is an expressive formidable image of the Tengrian deity Hotoy Aiyy, who lives on the fourth tier of the sky. The eagle has been a symbol of the state, large tribal associations of El since ancient times. Isn’t it from here that the word “Hellas” arose, the Greek state, the development and culture of which was undoubtedly played by the Black Sea Scythians and Saks, by the way, who had long had their own written language before the Greeks and Romans and state structure. No wonder they find burial mounds, weapons and tools of the steppe centaurs in Greece. And the names of Hera, Agamemnon, Vasilene ... The latter means in Yakut "basylyk" lord.

We will not continue to search for historical traces of the Turkic-speaking Tengrians, but will pay attention to the main all-defining values ​​of life that play and will play a big role in the life of all people on Earth. These eternal values ​​the Tengrians laid down in tiers (from bottom to top) according to the degree of their significance for a person and society as a whole. And they were personified by sacred egregors having their own unique appearance and place in the hierarchy of Tengrian spirits and deities - Aiyy.

Aan Alakhchyn Khotun, for example, is considered the host spirit of the area where a person lives. She personifies a small homeland and is, speaking modern language, the main egregor of the permanent human habitat. And, indeed, everyone on Earth is connected by invisible threads (energetically) with the very area where he was born and raised, and he is constantly drawn to wherever he is. That is why the Sakha Tengrians, when returning home, to their homeland, bow (pray) and feed (please) Aan Alakhchyn Khotun with the best food and drinks. Usually these are pancakes, butter and koumiss. In this rite, the Tengrian faith, there is great respect and reverence for the environment and area with which your birth and the best childhood years are associated. Motherland!

Climbing up the stairs of Aiyy Tahara begins with love and respect for the main values ​​of human life.

On the first lower tier of the sky lives the goddess of fertility and reproduction Aiyysyt Khotun. She introduces kut » - (soul) of the child in his future parents. This intimate process, hidden from the eyes, usually took place at night, when the Moon dominated the sky, and therefore its name can be translated from Turkic as Lunar. "Ay" in many Turkic languages ​​means "moon". On the third day after the birth of a child, Aiyysyt Khotun leaves the Earth, flies back to Heaven.

In honor of the goddess Aiyysyt and the birth of a child in the family, a ceremony of worship and seeing off of this beautiful celestial is performed. In our time, this ceremony has become a celebration of a person's birthday.

Further, the goddess protects and protects the child from troubles Ieyehsit, which among Christians has become a guardian angel of man. This celestial among the Tengrians was the egregor of the whole clan, tribe. For a person, a member of the community, is educated and protected from an early age by the entire community, the collective. Accordingly, rites of reverence were already arranged for her, no longer in a narrow circle of the family, but more extensive, collective on tyusylge with sacred serge, with hanging salaam, shaming and drinking koumiss.

Followed by Dɵһɵgɵy Aiyy , or Kuru ɵ Dɵһɵgɵy . This is the patron deity of horse and cattle, the main wealth of the Sakha pastoralists. The more living creatures on the pastures, the richer, materially prosperous a person is. Thus Dɵһɵgɵy Aiyy was the embodiment, the egregor of material values ​​in the Middle World of people. And in honor of this venerable deity, rituals were held in the family, Ysyakhs with guests and gifts.

Let us rise higher along the Tengrian tier of the Sky, where on the 4th Hotoy Aiyy, which is the main totem of most clans of the Sakha people. On the standard of the head of the entire Kangalas clan Tygyn Darkhan was Khotoi - a formidable eagle. Hence, it was the eagle that became for the Tengrian-Sakha a symbol of the unification of statehood. This is stated in the text above.

Then we got to the great Uluu Toyona who gave people a “sur” spirit, without which all three “kut” (soul) of a person are inferior. In addition, he is the progenitor and patron of shamans and udagans, healers and soothsayers, as well as people of creativity and art. Therefore, it can be called the main egregor of the creative, spiritual principle on Earth.

There is also a deity on a high tier of Heaven Sүҥ Dyaagyn , which punishes mercilessly people for sins and deviations from the higher laws of Heaven, Aiyy Taҥar. And this is right, because in a Christian way, forgiving ardent criminals, letting go of evil (we gave indulgences for money), we thereby contribute to the multiplication of sins, vices, and serious crimes. Tengrian deity Sүҥ Dyaagyn did not forgive the apostates, but severely punished.

On the seventh tier of the sky lived the deities guiding and determining the fate of each person - Taҥkha Khaan, Dylҕa Khaan and Bilge Khaan. Above them sat two great aiyy of Tengrianism - Odun Khaan and Chyhys Khaan, the deities of fate and fate, which, I think, determine the life and fate of an entire people, all people of the Middle World. “Chyhys khaan yyaaҕa, Odun Khaan oҥohuuta”, people have said since ancient times. According to the law of Genghis Khan, according to the definition of Odun Khan, our life must flow and develop. Departure from the heavenly laws of the deities of Fate is fraught with "urushal" - destruction, catastrophe. A person who violated the laws of aiyy, after death, fell into “kyraman” or “dabyn”, that is, to put it simply, into heaven or hell. These words remind us of the definitions - "karma" and "devil", which are suitable in meaning.

More often, bad, sinful misdeeds of a person happen because a demon has moved into him, or in Yakut “abaaһy buulaabyt”. And so that a person cannot be influenced by negative, destructive forces, he must sincerely believe in his good aiyy, that Tahara will help him in everything. He who doubts the faith of his ancestors more often becomes a victim of evil spirits - “abaagy”. AND modern science proved that a person who sincerely believes in God or in his inner spiritual forces can overcome any misfortune, even diseases, including cancer. That is why shamans, like good psychotherapists, help the patient to get rid of the illness that has taken root in him, "cast out the evil spirit." And for a person who does not believe "neither in God nor in hell", shaman (suggestion) will not help. So the secrets of a person's fate, the results of his life entirely depend on the state of his spirit (sur) and soul (kut), which the Sakha has not one, but three.

Three souls and the spirit of a man of the Middle World in Tengrianism are connected by "reins" with the deities-aiyy living on the highest tiers of Heaven. "Buor-kut" (earth-soul) is associated with egregor-aiyy Kuru ɵ Dɵһɵgɵyem , the master of everything vital, material on earth. “Salgyn-kut” (air-soul) is associated with the celestials of the upper tiers, such as Odun Khaan, Chyhys Khaan, Bilge Khaan… This is an area of ​​information about the past, present and future of a person or an entire nation. Speaking in modern terms, this is the area of ​​the noosphere of Academician Vernadsky in the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, where all information about the past, present and future of our planet accumulates, and not everyone has access to this field, only the chosen ones, like the soothsayer Vanga.

But the most basic, central human soul among the Tengrians is “iye-kut” (mother-soul), which is given to a person by Aiyy Taҥara, Yuryuҥ Aiyy Toyon himself. After the death of a person, “iye-kut” does not disappear, sometimes it returns, having moved into a newborn by the will of Tahar. This often happens among those Yakut families who had shaman ancestors. In this regard, the Tengrian “kyraman” is similar to the concept of transmigration of souls (karma) in Buddhism. By the way, the Buddha himself, Shakya Muni, was from the Sakya tribe, those Aryans who invaded India in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. But no one knows in which god Prince Gautama (Shakya Muni) himself believed. Maybe in the "dingira", in the sky, like the ancient Sumerians of those distant times?

If we talk about the Sumerians, in particular about their great mythological hero Gilgamesh, whose name the Sumerian scholars read phonetically (in pronunciation) from cuneiforms as " bilgames ”, then he, who later became a deity among the Sumerians, is very similar to the great heroes of the olonkho of the Sakha people. Perhaps this ancient hero became a deity-aiyy Bilge Khaan among the Tengrian-Sakha, living in the upper tier of the Sky-Takar.

Very similar to this historical fact, we find in the mythology and beliefs of the European peoples. Tengrian Odun Khaan under the name One appears in Scandinavian and German sagas and myths as the main deity and hero. We also find him, Odin, in the pantheon of the ancient Aryan tribes, the genetic relationship with which scientists found among the Yakuts-Sakha, about which much has been said and written, has not yet been refuted. One Scandinavian myth says that Odin, great hero, was born and lived in the far south "in the vast green valley of seven rivers" from where the ancestors of the Scandinavian Varangians came to the north, in Turkic "barakhs" - gone. This is supposedly not far from the ancient Aryan city of Arkaim, in the north modern Kazakhstan, in the area of ​​Semirechie, where the ancestors of the Kangalas-Sakhas once lived - “Kangly”, which are often mentioned in archival documents by Arabs and Chinese. We can say that the British "Anglo-Saxons" are relatives of the modern "Kangl-Sakha". This is quite likely, because there are many Yakut words in the English language, which has already been written and proven. But this is a separate topic, the field of philologists. From this we conclude that we, the people of the Sakha, have with the Aryan peoples of Europe - Germans, Scandinavians, British, etc. - the common ancestor of Odun Khaan, who became our deity.

The geographical center of the forest-steppe area of ​​Eurasia is Altai and the Semirechye region (north-east of Kazakhstan), where since ancient times people have mined iron, copper, gold, etc. In the steppes of Baikonur, in the same place, swift-footed horses were bred. Horse And iron - these are the two main factors in the development of all further world civilization. The iron sword-batas of the steppe dwellers in battle has always surpassed the bone or bronze weapons of foot enemies who perish under the hooves of the “fast-footed monsters” of the nomads.

So movement speed And weapon quality in ancient times had the same meaning as airplanes and the atomic bomb in our time.

In the second and first millennium BC, the steppes (“centaurs”) surpassed their sedentary neighbors in everything, and then everywhere they began to adopt from them - weapons, clothes, writing (runics), faith in heavenly (anthropomorphic) gods, etc.

So, in the III century. BC e. Saks and Massagetae, having defeated the heirs of Alexander the Great, founded the Parthian kingdom, the borders of which reached India and Babylon. Prior to that, they defeated the "invincible" Persian army, killing the king himself - the great Cyrus. The greatness of the steppe batyrs of those distant times is evidenced by the remains of stone giants found in the eighties of the twentieth century (quite recently!), on the Ust-Yurt plateau (Bayt well) west of the Aral Sea (“Arat muora” from olonkho?). These tall (up to 4 meters!) statues of guardian warriors stood near two sacred mounds. On some stones there are runic texts. Similar texts (suruk-bichik) are found on the rocks of Yakutia. The number of sculptures is amazing - about seventy figures! Perhaps these stone warriors are the ancestors of the modern Sakha, whose ancestral home was the vast region of the Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash, the “Country of Aratta” among the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. Now the descendants of the famous Sakas and Massagets, who call themselves Kazakhs and Kirghiz, live there. These are the "Khas-Saki" and "Kyrgyz", blood brothers of the Yakut-Sakha, who changed over time, but retained their Turkic language and culture.

Here it is necessary to note the fact that the Semirechie and Altai region is also the ancestral home of the ancestors of many peoples of Europe and Asia, from the British to the Japanese, who now live on the outskirts of this great forest-steppe Eurasia, who have changed very much since those forgotten, distant times. But they are united by the roots of the ancient (pra-Turkic) language, runic script, epic tales and myths, elements of military (knightly) culture and the Tengrian faith. For example, the knights of King Arthur and the Tokugawa samurai have much in common both in weapons and in the rules of military ethics. For example, "honor above all!" Here one can add the sacred megalithic stones "menhirs", which were used in the rites of worship of the Eternal Sky, the stars-luminaries, Tengri. “Mengir” among the Yakuts-Sakha is the word “mehe”, that is, “sacred, eternal” in meaning. These "menhirs" were preserved in Altai, from where the ancestors of many peoples spread to the countries of the world, and now they can be found everywhere - in Europe, North Africa, India, Iran, etc. And where they now rise, they were probably placed by the nomadic Tengrians. In addition to "menhirs", the peoples of Eurasia can now be united by the Great Princess of Altai - Kadyn, whose remains (relics) were recently reburied in the sacred Altai land. But this is another very significant topic. By the way, “Kadyn” among the Sakha people is “Khatyn” or “Khotun”, which means “lady”.

Now about Chyhys Khaan, a later aiyy deity in the Tengrian-Sakha pantheon, whom I consider a real historical hero - Genghis Khan, because his laws on the structure of the state (economy, taxes, religions, etc.) still work and , I believe that they are "eternal" and work in modern bureaucratic systems in many countries of the world. But what god did Genghis Khan believe in, this great reformer and transformer of the lands, the head and leader of the nomads of Eurasia? Answer: in God Tengri , in which the Tengrian faith reached its historical significance and culmination and won the respect of many peoples and countries of the world. And it was under him and his successors in many countries, including Rus', that religions were preserved and developed - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, etc. It was during the era of the Golden Horde in Rus' that the influence and power of Orthodoxy strengthened, bloody conflicts between the principalities ceased, and trade relations flourished. “The wedge is knocked out by the wedge”, and Genghis Khan established “eternal laws”, eliminating violence and murder with the sword, in which humanity followed the path of mutual understanding and religion, the laws of the God of each people. That is why he, Genghis Khan, became the "man of the millennium", and for good reason. Respect, understanding and tolerance for the faith and beliefs of other peoples made him a truly Great Man, whom the Sakha Turks elevated to the rank of heavenly-aiyy of their Tengrian faith.

From this I conclude that some deities of the Tengrian pantheon of the Sakha (Yakuts) are real historical figures who gave the peoples of the Middle World, the Earth, those unshakable laws and orders that we, the children of the 21st century, forget and do not want to observe. It is interesting that these deity heroes - Odun, Bilge and Chyhys, unlike other aiyy celestials, have quite earthly titles - “khaan”, or “khahkhan” (kagan), which translates as “protector”, according to the modern “roof” . And this means that only the laws of Heaven, God-Tengri, can protect us from ourselves and the violence of other human communities. And the same real historical figures, as we know, were Jesus Christ and Buddha. People, weak and defenseless, have always needed leading, main person-egregors, which we find in the ancient religion of the peoples of the world, not only in Tengrism.

All of the above three “kut”-souls of a person are combined with “sur” (spirit), which gives a person Uluu Toyon, who stands in the pantheon of Tengrianism separately from other aiyy deities. And the image of Uluu Toion, to which people bowed and arranged an autumn Ysyakh holiday in honor of him, had for everyone a great significance almost equivalent to Yuryuҥ Aiyy Toyon, the main deity of the Sakha people. But this is another topic that is very interesting for researchers of the Tengrian faith. Emphasis should be placed here in other vital aspects for our contemporaries. In the Tengrian faith, it is more often about the main content of the human essence - the soul. The soul of any person (kut) is always connected with the Sky, with the great Tengri and his children and helpers - "aiyy", living on different tiers of the sky.

In the life of the Tengrians, on the hierarchical ladder of Heaven, the soul of a person iye-kut occupies the highest level, is the main value in life than material, economic. The same can be said about the spiritual sphere, about cultural values, because the sphere of the deity Uluu Toion is higher than the niche of Kurүɵ Dɵһɵgɵya, which gives a person wealth and material well-being. But money, the economy and the beginning of the consumer in our time come out, unfortunately, in the first place, because the dictatorship of the market and the "system of capitalism" requires just such a correlation of values, which is contrary to the order and laws of Aiyy Tahara. Contradicts the Law of the Universe. It seems that now the deity Dɵһɵgɵy is replacing Uruҥ Aiyy Tahar himself and is becoming for us the main idol or “golden calf” of the Old Testament. Paradox. In the end, this can lead to a violation of life harmony to a global catastrophe. All this once again proves that the laws of Heaven, Aiyy Taҥara are more just than the laws of the earth, legal and economic, invented by the person himself, who imagines himself above everything and everyone, who has placed himself egocentrically in the center of the universe. Hence his barbaric, consumeristic attitude towards mother nature, forests, waters and atmosphere. Toward the environment. “Nature is not a temple, but a workshop,” say the heroes of the play by Maxim Gorky, who also claimed that there is no God. The denial of God became a harmful fashion in the 19th and 20th centuries, which is leading humanity now to self-destruction and catastrophes.

Secondly, modern people, thanks to the development of technology, are accustomed to rapid changes in places, to long trips and crossings. Distances were noticeably reduced, and people began to leave their homes more often, becoming "nomads". Hence, the mentality, the attitude of people to space and time has changed. They, like the ancient steppe nomads, began to look more often at the sky, at the stars. People began to explore the spaces of space, went beyond the boundaries of Mother Earth. All this together means that the Sky (outer space) entered the life of a person as a necessary, main principle on the “mood” of which life on Earth depends. All this was and in the Tengrian faith was and is returning.

Third, people began to understand from the state of the environment ( atmospheric air, land and water) depends on the health of people, the whole harmony of life. 2/3 of all forests that produce oxygen have already been cut down on the earth, air and water are polluted to the limit. The need for respect for forests, rivers, seas and all living creatures has come, which again brings us back to the ethical norms and laws of Tengrism.

In our "hectic" world, everything depends on the person himself. In Tengrism, the “kut” listed above (three varieties of the human soul) are subtle energy structures that, each separately, have their own quantum proton nature and impulses associated with certain field spheres of the Sky, the Earth’s atmosphere. For example, the “salgyn-kut” (air-soul) of a person is apparently associated with Vernadsky’s noosphere, where all the information of the past, future and real life on Earth, the Middle World in Yakut.

For example, a person returns to the area where he was born and raised, to his homeland, and feels very good here, as comfortable as possible, as they say now. And this means that he is energetically deeply and closely connected with this house, field, forest, river, etc. Rhythmics and biology of his nature, souls coincide as much as possible, and even, one might say, are mutually dependent on each other, because a person, in essence, from the day of birth is a part of this environment, a certain place - the Motherland. He is a living part of this environment, as an undeniable biological particle of the mother and father who gave birth to him. That is why the Tengrians deeply respected, loved this environment (homeland), and endowed with the epithet "mother", animated her, endowed her with human qualities. Humanized. Endowing the human appearance and spiritual qualities of their deities and spirits-ichchi, the Tengrians brought them as close as possible to themselves, as living acquaintances or relatives. So there was a unity based on respect and love. In this way, the Sakha were animated by trees, lakes and rivers, which they affectionately called "Ebe" - grandmother. They treated the environment, terrain, nature with great reverence. This will be, in modern terms, necessary for everyone, "ecological ethics", a high, truly human norm of morality. By the way, nothing is written about this in the religious books of the great confessions. That is why the Tenrian faith is superior to them in status and relevance. It's time for a person to break away from purely personal matters and problems, and turn his face to nature and the great cosmos, Sky-Tengri.

And what exactly does it mean to live according to the rules and laws of the god Tengri, aiyy Taҥar? What it is?

Firstly, change your attitude to things around you, big and small; love and inspire them. The Tengrians believe that every thing, even a chair or a knife, has its own "ichchi" - a soul that, like a person, can respect you or get angry. Things can even take revenge on their negligent owners. Now people, as members of the consumer society, mercilessly throw away, get rid of their “outdated”, already unfashionable things, even annually change cars for super-new brands, which will be a violation of the laws of aiyy, environmental ethics, when a person is chasing more and more fashionable and luxurious things. mercilessly pollutes its environment - the homeland, upsets Aan Alakhchyn Khotun, the Mistress of the earth. A person should love and protect his things, extending the terms of use, their lives and souls-ichchi as much as possible.

Secondly, careful and love relationship to nature, to spiritualize also every grass or tree. Perform a ceremony of respect and reverence for the area where you have come. For example, Sakha, being true Tengrians by blood, genetically, always feed, treat the spirit of fire (treat), which personifies the spirit-ichchi given forest, lakes or rivers. This is a mandatory, strict law for everyone, which, fortunately, is now observed everywhere, even in the kitchen of your friends or relatives during some celebrations or holidays. I'm not saying that people just break trees or pour all sorts of dirt into the water. This is "annyy", a sin in Yakut.

Third, the attitude to any person, especially to a child, should be extremely respectful, as to the son or daughter of Aiyy Taҥar himself, the Almighty, for it was he who gave them “kut” - the soul, and called them “aiyy aimakhtara”, “kun dyono” , which means relatives of the upper deities and they are the people of the Sun, that is, the god Tahar. Severe punishment follows for insulting or causing offense or distant one. Tengri, unlike the gods of other religions, is more severe towards people, which, I believe, is right in our too loyal and unrestrained time. For a person, having “gripped from excessive freedom,” can, in the end, kill himself, destroy everything and everyone. And that's why we need such deities as Syuҥ Diaanyn, who mercilessly punishes ardent, unbridled sinners.

Fourth , the attitude towards other religions, beliefs and confessions (with the exception of destructive, negative ones, like the sects of Satanists, for example) should always be respectful among Tengrians, because most of them are, as it were, receivers of the ancient monotheistic faith, because the suras, postulates and teachings of which in their scriptures completely coincide with the moral and ethical principles of Tengri, Aiyy Takar. For example, the “Psalter” among Christians is a set of laws of the god Tengri, the original of which, written in ancient Turkic runic letters, is now in the vaults of the Vatican archive in Rome.

Historically, the faith of the ancient peoples in Heaven, in the highest universal Absolute, was deliberately forgotten and discarded by adherents of the new, “great confessions” of the world, who were primarily interested in establishing “their true faith” everywhere, influence and power on Earth. However, over time, these confessions, surprisingly, began to split and crumble, at enmity with each other. But the most important mistake of all these religious associations, I think, is precisely the fact that they rejected its “universal” component from the ancient belief in Heaven, leaving in the postulates and “sacred laws” of their faith only moral, purely worldly rules like ten the commandments of Jesus Christ, which is also not bad of course. People have always wanted to live in peace and love in the best possible way.

Modern scientists, including physicists, are increasingly coming to the conclusion that human thought may well be realized in being, materialize. Hence the conclusion that not only the Universe (processes taking place in space) affects the life of an earthly person, but also a person, as a part of the cosmic environment, can influence (energetically) the “state and nature” of the Universe, if we accept it as a completely reasonable and great beginning - God. Hence the concept of a single whole arises: Man-Earth-Sky (space). And back. It turns out that the ancients, including the Tengrians, were right.

If we consider that God (Aiyy Taҥara) is a positive, creative cosmic energy with a plus sign, then everything bad, negative (Satan) is a destructive energy with a minus sign, and any person’s thoughts about good, beautiful and harmonious, having united with the great heavenly (divine) energy, create everything positive, good on Earth. You just have to believe and pray. And vice versa, bad thoughts contribute to the higher destructive forces and, returning, bring troubles and misfortunes to people.

Further, it must be said that the observations and conclusions of scientists regarding the habitat and biorhythmics of a person, about a single energy essence and connection of a person with the things and phenomena surrounding him, as well as with the Cosmos, completely coincide with the concepts of life, people and deities-aiyy of the Tengrian-Sakha .

In the countries of the East and Europe, before Christianity, such “popular” religions as Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Taoism, etc. flourished. But why in the 21st century, for our time, Tengrianism is suitable among many ancient religions? We have approached the Cosmos, and now the role of astrology has increased in the lives of people, the peoples of the world, when the fate of not only individuals, but also entire states depends on the position of the stars and planets. The activity of people on Earth directly depends on the activity of the Sun, as scientists have found out, conflicts and wars, storms and earthquakes, fires and floods, revolutions and restructurings begin. The influence of the Moon on nature and people has been known since ancient times. Now those who are engaged in agriculture and gardening live on lunar calendar, for their well-being now depends on the cycles of the moon. Now even our cosmonauts diligently and seriously pray before their flight into space, looking at the sky. They believe! So it turns out that human life on Earth depends on the will of Heaven, the Almighty, as our ancestors and forefathers knew. The circle is closed.

In general, if we talk about the people of Sakha (Yakuts), then this Turkic-speaking people, in my opinion, is perhaps the most ancient (relic) on Earth, which, having gone through numerous wars and disasters, managed to maintain its life core, spirit and religion, faith in Sky, Aiyy Tahara - Tengrianism.

Some may think that the author is calling people to give up their original faith and become Tengrian. Of course not. Let everyone remain in their own confession, but in a different way they will understand the image and essence of the God in whom they believe.

A positive feature of the Tengrian faith is that it has never asserted itself in the world with "fire and sword". Let us recall the laws of Genghis Khaan on tolerance and respect for the beliefs and religions of other peoples of the earth. Perhaps for this reason, this religion of the Eurasian nomads then imperceptibly dissolved, leaving noticeable traces in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc.

A modern Tengrian, who believes that there is only one God for all, can go to any church, temple or chapel and pray to Him, the Almighty, calling him Tengri in Turkic. And in this he is historically and morally right.

However, the most fair, true and joyful thing would be if a person (Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc.), who believed in the existence of the One God, calmly enters prayer houses of other (unlike his own) beliefs and confessions with a sense of great Truth, your righteousness. And this will be the victory of a Man who has got rid of malignant prejudices and religious differences and enmity.

Thus, tengrism absorbs and essentially unites the basic, main postulates of all world religions and beliefs - monotheism, polytheism and paganism, faith in the spirits of nature. And this religion calls everyone, all the peoples of the world to association that promises in the world Concord and Harmony. This is what Heaven, the Almighty, Tengri wants.

I must say that the rites in Tengrianism are surprisingly simple and acceptable to everyone. You can pray, ask for the well-being of the Almighty everywhere - at home, on the street, in nature, in temples, churches and prayer houses of all religions of the world, including pagan ones. They pray, raising both hands up and making, crossing their arms to the chest, deep bows. IN Christian churches you can be baptized, because the symbol of Tengri is the cross since ancient times. You should pray twice a day, facing the rising and setting Sun-Tengri. It is possible at noon, when the Luminary is at its zenith. From the point of view of science, it is the morning sun that gives a person the most beneficial energy for health, its rays awaken and infuse strength into every cell of the body, give a positive impulse. And, on the contrary, after sunset, a person (together with God) needs to rest, sleep soundly. Now, in our days, especially young people do not sleep at night, they become more active, and during the day they “nod” and go “to waste”. By doing this, they violate the laws of Heaven, the Almighty, because here they get a biorhythmic distortion, which only harms the health and psyche of a person. And a true, healthy life is to live in a single rhythm with Heaven, with “breathing” and the rays of the sun. For example, the Tengrian-Sakha did not know, did not drink wine, but they loved dairy food and koumiss, which is good for health. Food should be natural, preferably fresh, and they drank raw, clean water from springs, in winter and summer only ice cold, from cellars. They spent more time outdoors clean air. We worked. All this suggests that a person needs to be as close as possible to "nature", to nature, to be natural in an inhabited environment.

It is gratifying that the Sakha (Saki) people have preserved the Tengrian rites dedicated to the supreme deities Aiyy, appeals and algysy to the spirit of fire Byrdya Bytyk, the spirits-ichchi of the area - Aan Alakhchyn Khotun, Bayanay, Kүɵh Bɵllɵh, etc. After perestroika in the early 90s, when many prohibitions in the life of the people were lifted, religious societies openly arose in Yakutia - Kut-sur, Syrdyk Aartyk, Ite5el, etc. On the theme of "Aiyy үөreҕe" (Teaching of Aiyy), many books were published in which the authors propagate the moral laws of Heaven, the deities of aiyy. In this direction in Yakutsk, the "House of Archy" works well, on the top of the building of which rises a runic sign-symbol Ψ (ichchi), which means Spirit. People began to return to their ancient, primordial, Tengrian values. Now the first Tengrian temple in the world, Sata, is operating in the area of ​​Us Khaty. The prospects are good and encouraging.

And in conclusion, I would like you to get acquainted with the Tengrian prayer:

Oh Heaven! Almighty! Tengri!

Forgive us earthly sins

Forgive me for the cloudy air and waters,

Forgive me for the grasses, forests and defiled lands,

For your beautiful spoiled spaces!

Forgive me for slyness, deceit and greed,

For laziness and adultery,

For gluttony and drunkenness...

Sorry for the fun empty, causeless,

Forgive our pride and our weaknesses,

For cruelty and mercilessness to their neighbors,

Forgive me for all violations of Your heavenly laws,

Forgive for unbelief, stupidity and our disobedience,

Forgive me for the deviation from Your truths, from the laws of the all-encompassing Heaven!

May your faith and truth win!

May there be peace, unity and love on Earth!

We pray to you

Almighty! Accept!

Aman os! Tengri!

Aisen Doidu. Photo by Alexey Pavlov.

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