The Scientific Legacy of Evgeny Torchinov and His Typology of Religions

Abstract

Ten years passed after the death of outstanding Russian sinologist and religious studies scholar Evgeny Torchinov. In this paper the authors conceptualize his life and career and his academic methodology. Monograph ««Religions of the World: Experience of the Transcendence: Transpersonal States and Psychotechnique» (1997) takes a unique place in the legacy of Torchinov. Here he introduces a new conception based on transpersonal psychology of Stanislaw Grof. The perinatal and transpersonal experiences are the foundation of religion and religious experience. Torchinov offers an intuitive understanding of deep religious feelings by means of experimental science. Torchinov's model is not a way of interpretation of religion as such, but of specific parts of religious traditions. The benefits of his ideas are in limited, quite concise areas of its applicability. Torchinov believed that his concept is replacing reductionist views, essentially sociological ones.