Last year, the scientific community remembered the outstanding Russian orientalist Yuri Roerich (1902-1960). A number of publications and events were dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the scientist.

On October 10, 2012, the State Museum of Oriental Studies hosted a meeting of the Academic Council, organized jointly with the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A.V. Sedov, General Director of the GMV, and E. V. Molodyakova, Deputy Director for Science of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, addressed the participants with welcoming words. The union of two Academic Councils on the occasion of the anniversary of Yuri Roerich is very symbolic. The Institute of Oriental Studies has preserved the memorial office of Yuri Nikolaevich with an extensive scientific library consisting of several thousand books in European and Eastern languages, a collection of Tibetan woodcuts and a collection of paintings. Currently, the Office is managed by S. C. Ofertas, who compiles the description and cataloging of the collection. The Museum of Oriental Art includes the Department of Roerichs ' Heritage, whose employees are engaged in the storage and study of the personal archive of the family and the museum collection of paintings by N. K. and S. N. Roerich. The department is headed by V. A. Rosov.

Ya. V.Vasilkov (MAHE named after I. N. Roerich and the development of Russian Oriental Studies) made a report on "Yu. N. Roerich and the development of Russian Oriental Studies". Peter the Great (Kunstkamera), St. Petersburg). He described the short-lived but extremely useful activity of Yuri Nikolaevich for Russian Oriental studies as a miracle and a feat, emphasizing the complexity of the task facing the scientist who returned to his homeland: the revival of classical Indological and Buddhist studies.

The report "Man and Life through the eyes of a Buddhist priest of the Jodo School" by the abbot of Seirinji Temple, Monk Kojo Namba (Tokyo, Japan) was devoted to timeless values that could serve as a basis for dialogue between Western and Eastern cultures.

One of Roerich's students, V. V. Vertogradova (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences), shared her personal memories of Yu. N.Roerich. She told about her acquaintance with Yu. N. Roerich, how their classes in Vedic Sanskrit were held, and about many interesting episodes from the teacher's daily life.

Two publications were presented at the meeting, which were prepared with the participation of employees of the Institute of Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the GMV.

The second volume of Yu. N. Roerich's selected works "Tibet and Central Asia" was published [Roerich, 2012]. The publication is a continuation of the work on the preparation and publication of the works of Yuri Nikolaevich. The first volume was published in 1999 [Roerich, 1999], and included a number of articles written in Russian by the scientist, translations of his foreign publications, bibliographic essays on Orientalists, recordings of lectures, as well as a translation of the Tibetan text - "The Life of Dharmasvamin (Chag-lotsava Chojepel)".

The second volume of the collection consists of four sections, which include quite diverse materials: scientific articles, journalistic essays, expedition diaries and working reports. The main subjects of the works are issues of Tibetology and Mongolian studies, studies of nomadic peoples. The publication reflects the breadth of Yu. N. Roerich's research interests, his competence in dealing with the problems of archeology, ethnology, linguistics, history and source studies of the Central Asian region.

The first section of the volume includes 14 scientific articles by Yuri Nikolaevich, arranged in chronological order. It includes works published in foreign publications in the 1930s.-

yah and translated from English and French. These publications were prepared during the period when Yu. N. Roerich directed the work of the Urusvati Institute for Himalayan Studies (from 1928 to 1942). The publication also includes articles published during the period of Yuri Nikolaevich's work in the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences and published in Soviet scientific publications.

In the article "Ancient Chinese Sculpture" Yu. N. Roerich gave a brief overview of the development of Chinese sculpture from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) to the Tang Dynasty (VII-X centuries), pointing out that it is difficult to judge the earlier period due to the lack of information. Without dwelling on details, Yuri Nikolaevich considered the evolution of styles in close connection with historical processes, drawing attention to the influence of Iranian tribes and Central Asian style in different periods. This work is ideologically similar to the article "The Rise of Orientalism"included in the first volume of Yu. N.Roerich's works. Yuri Nikolaevich is characterized by the involvement of a broad historical context, he repeatedly emphasizes the need to study the history of the East as an integral part of universal history, and again points out that the history of the Ancient World is not limited to the Mediterranean region.

The publication " Tibetan Drama "is an emotional and vivid description of the mystery of cham," dances of lamas", and a lively narrative. N. K. and Yu.N. Roerich were among the few Europeans who were lucky enough to witness a unique action.

The work" The Temple of the Buddha of Healing " deals with Tibetan medicine: its basic principles, history of development, traditional medicines, methods of teaching and training doctors. Yu. N. Roerich gave an overview of the medical literature, highlighting the main fundamental treatises and works of Tibetan authors translated from Sanskrit: commentaries, atlases, collections of recipes, etc. Nikolayevich noted the importance of studying Tibetan medicine as a still living tradition, but standing on the verge of extinction, absorption by modern civilization. At the same time, he pointed out the difficulties faced by European researchers, first of all, the difficulties of adequate translation of Tibetan sources. Yuri Roerich considered the medical knowledge of Buddhist speakers-learned lamas and monks-to be one of the main factors in the successful spread of Buddhism in Tibet and Central Asia.

In his article "Problems of archaeological research in Tibet", written in 1931, Yu. N. Roerich summed up some results of the first experiments in the archaeological study of Tibet and identified possible directions for future research. Yu. N. Roerich noted that many monuments dating back to the Bronze Age, such as menhirs and shrines, continued to be revered in a later period and were already connected by popular consciousness with the deities of the Buddhist pantheon.

The publication includes three articles by Yu. N. Roerich prepared specifically for the Philosophical Encyclopedia [Philosophical Encyclopedia, vol. 1, 1960; vol. 2, 1962]. These are "Buddha", "Yoga" and "Yogacaras". The article "Buddha" briefly presents only the most basic information about Shakyamuni Buddha, without revealing other meanings of this term, which is probably related to the ideological attitudes of that time. The second article provides a detailed description of yoga as a philosophical system of Ancient India and yoga methods that are part of other religious and philosophical teachings.

The second section of the publication consists of the previously unknown diaries of Yu. N. Roerich prepared for publication by V. A. Rosov: diary of an expedition to Central Asia made by the Roerich family in 1925-1928. (the entries cover a stage of a trip to Tibet from 1926 to 1928), and a diary of a Manchurian expedition (1934-1935). The information contained in the diary entries is a valuable addition to the scientific works of Yuri Nikolaevich, indicates how his research interests were formed, and contains outlines of future research. The diary materials show his role during the expedition, drawing the image of a well-prepared man for field research, an expert in the art of war and an excellent diplomat. Deep knowledge of the culture and customs of the peoples of Central Asia, excellent command of languages, the ability to find an approach to people of very different social and ethnic backgrounds greatly contributed to the success of the expedition, and sometimes saved the lives of its participants.

The independent section of the publication includes reports of Yu. N. Roerich, translated from English, on his work in the period from 1929 to 1935 and from 1957 to 1959.

The second volume of selected works of Yu. N. Roerich includes a number of journalistic works written at different times devoted to the expedition impressions, as well as the family's work

The Roerichs, their ideas in the field of preserving the cultural heritage of humanity, the work of Nicholas Roerich.

The second edition, dedicated to the anniversary of Yuri Nikolaevich, is a collection of articles by Russian Orientalists devoted to the life and scientific activities of the scientist [Yuri Roerich: living Heritage, 2012]. The publication was prepared by V. A. Rosov. The collection includes memoirs and interviews of Yuri Nikolaevich's students and friends: T. Y. Elizarenkova, Shagdaryn Bira, M. F. Drozdova-Chernovolenko, A.M. Pyatigorsky. The memoirs convey a vivid impression of people who closely communicated with Yuri Nikolaevich, contain many details that complement the ideas about the personality and activities of the outstanding orientalist.

Almost every student and colleague who knew Yu. N. Roerich intimately notes the influence that the scientist's personality had on their scientific path and life values.

Here is what one of Roerich's students, A. M. Pyatigorsky, said about Yu. N. Roerich: "He was not only from the' otherworldly side ' - he was from the otherworldly side. Yuri Nikolaevich is one of the few people (besides him, I know two or three other people) who existed in three cultures. Namely, firstly, in the so-called high Russian culture of the late XIX-early XX centuries... Secondly, he adopted the traditions of an absolutely elite Western culture. And, thirdly, his personality was formed on the basis of an even more elite Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhist culture " [Pyatigorsky, 2012, p. 211].

Yuri Nikolaevich was able to influence others, found a common language with any interlocutor, which was greatly facilitated by his travels and meetings with representatives of various cultures, nationalities, social strata and castes.

Yuri Nikolaevich dreamed of reviving the book series "Bibliotheca Buddhica", founded in 1897 by F. I. Shcherbatsky and S. F. Oldenburg and interrupted in 1937. In 1960, under the heading "Bibliotheca Buddhica", V. N. Toporov published a translation from Pali of" Dhammapada " (Dhammapada, 1960), one of the most important monuments of the early Renaissance. Pali Buddhism. The publication caused a scandal in academic circles: Yu. N. Roerich was accused of promoting "Indian popery". Soon after, Yuri Nikolaevich died in the prime of his scientific career, without completing many projects.

Meanwhile, in this series A. I. Vostrikov's monograph "Tibetan Historical Literature" (Vostrikov, 1962), prepared by Yu. N.Roerich and N. P. Vostrikova (Yaroslavtseva), was published in 1962.

After the death of Yu. N. Roerich, his project to create a Tibetan-Russian-English dictionary was continued by his students, employees of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences Yu. M. Parfionovich and V. S. Dylykova. The work progressed slowly, although Yu. N. Roerich completed the handwritten version in 1932-1933, but the manuscript was not translated into Russian. V. A. Bogoslovsky, K. M. Cheremisov, M. I. Vorobyova-Desyatovskaya, B. B. Badaraev, R. I. Pubaev and B. V. Semichov participated in the first stage of dictionary preparation. Eleven volumes of the dictionary were published over a ten-year period, from 1983 to 1993 [Roerich, 1983-1993].

list of literature

Vostrikov A. I. Tibetskaya istoricheskaya literatura [Tibetan Historical Literature], Moscow, 1962 (Bibliotheca Buddhica, XXXII).

Dhammapada / Translated from Pali, commentary, preface by V. N. Toporova, Moscow, 1960 (Bibliotheca Buddhica, XXXI).

Pyatigorsky A.M. The Roerich Effect / / Yuri Roerich: A living legacy. Materials for the biography. Issue I. Collection of articles and interviews / Ed. - comp. V. A. Rosov, Moscow: GMV Publ., 2012.

Roerich Yu. N. The Tibetan Language, Moscow, 1961.

Roerich Yu. N. Tibetan-Russian-English dictionary with Sanskrit parallels / Under the general editorship of Yu. M. Parfionovich and V. S. Dylykova. Issues 1-11. Moscow, 1983-1993.

Roerich Yu. N. Tibet and Central Asia. Vol. 1. Articles. Lectures. Translations / Ed. by V. A. Rosov. Samara, 1999.

Roerich Yu. N. Tibet and Central Asia. Vol. II. Articles. Diaries. Reports / Comp., preface by V. A. Rosova, Moscow, 2012.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes / Under the general editorship of F. V. Konstantinov. Vol. 1. Moscow: Sovetskaya entsiklopediya. 1960; Vol. 2. Moscow: Sovetskaya entsiklopediya, 1962.

Shonnupal, Goi-lotsawa. The Blue Chronicle of Deb-ther sNgon-po: The History of Buddhism in Tibet, VI-XV centuries / Translated from Tibet by Yu. N. Roerich; translated from English by O. V. Albsdil and E. Yu. Kharkova. SPb., 2001.

Yuri Roerich: A living legacy. Materials for the biography. Issue I. Collection of articles and interviews, edited by V. A. Rosov, Moscow: GMV, 2012.

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