The Interpretation of Rainis’ (1865–1929) Intellectual Heritage in Intercultural Education in the Context of the Reception of Asia’s Spiritual Culture

Along with the Baltic and European intellectual tradition, Asian spiritual teachings were also of great importance in the worldview of the notable Latvian poet and playwright Rainis, especially Buddhism, which he became acquainted with through European translations. It was the synthesis of these teachings with the knowledge of European philosophy that led to one of his most essential theories about the connection between man, society, universe and man’s task in this context, which is reflected in his entire oeuvre. The task of this article is to show the importance of the reception of Asian spiritual heritage in Rainis’ worldview, his dramaturgy and poetry – in order to obtain a more complete picture of him. This approach is extremely relevant in the process of humanitarian education in the conditions of globalization, while presenting him as an example of the reception of world cultural heritage in the works of national writers and outlining the mechanism of understanding the transcultural orientation of national authors. The reception of Asian spiritual heritage in Rainis’ worldview and writings has, with rare exceptions, remained unexplored in literary studies and completely ignored in teaching materials. In order to understand Rainis’ original message to humanity, it is necessary, in parallel with a new interpretation of the content of his work, to identify the sources Rainis used, delving into Buddhist, Hinduist and Daoist philosophies and Asian culture, without which Rainis’ message is incomprehensible.