The religious space of the Russian Federation is quite diverse. Occupying an exceptionally large territory and uniting under its political jurisdiction a huge number of peoples and ethnic groups, our country is a platform where various traditions and religions of the west and east, north and south meet. Christianity and Islam are two world religions common in our state. Together with them, the third, which is professed by many peoples of Russia, is represented - Buddhism. We will talk further about where this religion is spread in our country.
Buddhism in Russia
Buddhism is a unique religion, unlike any other. Inside, various Buddhist movements and schools also vary significantly. Due to its origin due to the religious genius of India, Buddhism has practically lost weight in its homeland . Today, the traditional countries professing Buddhist teachings are Korea, Japan, China, Nepal and others, among which Tibet stands out. Today, Buddhism in Russia is represented by almost all the main Buddhist denominations. Among them there are various schools of Mahayana, Vajrayana, Theravada, Zen, Ch'an and many other traditional and not so unions. However, most people who practice Buddhism in Russia are adherents of the Tibetan religious tradition.
Buddhist ethnography of Russia
We offer an answer to the question: what peoples of Russia profess Buddhism today?
Thanks to political events and intercultural contacts, Buddhism was first rooted among Kalmyks and Tuvans. This happened in the XVI century, when the territories of these republics, together with the peoples inhabiting them, were part of the Mongol state of Altan Khan. A century later, Buddhism penetrated the Buryats, where it successfully competed with the traditional religion of all Siberian nomads - shamanism, or otherwise Tengrism.
Buddhism in Buryatia
Buryatia is the republic of Russia, whose borders begin from the eastern shores of Lake Baikal. Being annexed to the Russian Empire, it was resistant to Russification and escaped Christianization. On the other hand, close cultural, commercial and political ties with Mongolia, and through it with Tibet, made Buddhist teaching popular among the Buryats. The first stone datsans were erected here in the 18th century.
Although among the Buddhist peoples the Buryats are the last to adopt this religion, today it is they who represent the Buddhist majority and represent Buddhism in Russia. In Buryatia, the administrative center of Russian Buddhists is located - the Traditional Buddhist Sangha of Russia, as well as the main shrines and places of worship. The most important of these is the Ivolginsky datsan, the residence of Bidedo Khambo Lama, the spiritual leader of a significant part of the Buddhists of Russia.
Along with Buddhism, among the Buryats, traditional shamanism, or the so-called black faith, is quite common.
Buddhism in Tuva
Tuva is a republic that was accepted into Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, namely, in 1911. Tuvans today profess the same form of teaching as the Buryats - the Mahayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. However, this was not always the case: the first foci of Buddhist teachings, mainly in the form of Hinayana, appeared on the territory of Tuva in the 2nd century AD, during the time of the Turkic Haganate. Subsequently, the Tuvan tribes were subordinate to the Uyghurs who conquered the lands of Tuva from the Turks. The Uighurs professed the Manichaean religion, but were also influenced by Buddhism. Having developed writing, Uyghur scholars began to actively translate Buddhist texts from Chinese and Sogdian. Over time, translators focused on Tibetan treatises, which determined the further prevalence of the Tibetan tradition. This trend was reinforced in the 13th century by the influence of Mongol teachers, who embraced the Buddhist tradition from Tibetan lamas.
The first monasteries were built in Tuva in 1772 and 1773. Although the Buddhist community of Tuva mainly adheres to the Gelug line, which implies monastic clergy, local traditions authorize the married institution of lamas, which is its unique feature. As in Buryatia, according to religious grounds, Tuvans are divided into two camps - shamanists and Buddhists.
Buddhism in Kalmykia
Kalmykia is the only European region with a predominance of the Buddhist population. Representing hereditary West Mongolian tribes, the Kalmyk family tree dates back to the Oirats, who joined the sacraments of the Buddhist religion in the 13th century due to entry into the empire of Genghis Khan. However, at this time, Buddhism was the religion of only the political elite of the Oirats. Popularization of the doctrine among the common population occurs only in the XVI-XVII centuries. And, as in the case of Buryatia and Tuva, Kalmyk Buddhism also adheres to Tibetan religious traditions. Especially this connection between Tibet and Kalmykia was strengthened after the recognition of the reincarnation of the third Dalai Lama in the Oirat boy at the beginning of the 17th century.
The spread of Buddhism among the Oirats also contributed to the formation of a separate Kalmyk ethnic group. The latter included Oirat tribes who adopted Buddhism and settled westward within the Russian state. At the same time, subject to the Russian emperor, the Kalmyks formed their own government - the Kalmyk Khanate. The latter lasted until 1771, when the decree of Empress Catherine II was abolished. Later Kalmyk Buddhism developed, acquired national features and, like the Buryat and Tuvan sangha, waged a religious struggle against shamanism.
Buddhism in the USSR
After the October Revolution, Buddhism in Russia was subject to the then fashionable spiritual trend - renovationism. The synthesis of dharma and Marxism was intended to reorganize Buddhist communities. As part of this movement in Moscow of the 20s. even the All-Russian Buddhist Cathedral took place. However, then the party’s policy changed, and mass repressions began against religious organizations . Monasteries were closed, temples were destroyed, and clergy were persecuted. Before the post-war thaw, the peoples of Russia who profess Buddhism lost more than 150 monasteries. In Buryatia, out of 15 thousand lamas by 1948, less than 600 people remained. As for Tuva and Kalmykia, there were only a few dozen out of 8 thousand clergymen in both regions.
The peoples of Russia, practicing Buddhism today
Before Perestroika, the Central Organ of the Buddhists of the USSR was the Central Organ of Buddhists of the USSR, the Buddhist body coordinating the activities of Buddhist organizations. In the early 90s, it was renamed the Central House of Artists of Russia. Now this body is called the Buddhist traditional sangha of Russia and includes the Buddhist communities of Buryatia. Religious associations of Tuva and Kalmykia remain independent. However, far from all recognize the authority of BTSR in Buryatia and beyond. As a result of political and ideological disagreements, Buddhist society has experienced a number of schisms and, in addition to the main associations, has several independent associations and independent communities.
In any case, Buddhism in Russia is represented, as before, by three main regions - Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia.
Other Buddhist communities of Russia
The traditional peoples of Russia who profess Buddhism are today not the only bearers of Buddhist culture and tradition. Recently, this religion has been noticeably popularized among young people and the intelligentsia. In large cities, various religious centers continue to open. Among them, in addition to the traditional schools of Tibetan Buddhism, there are representations of Korean, Chinese and Japanese Zen Buddhism, Theravada and Dzogchen traditions. Over the past few years, many spiritual teachers have visited Russia. In turn, representatives of Buddhist monasticism and the clergy also appeared among our compatriots.
Conclusion
The fashion for Buddhism in Russia is not unique, and in this sense, our country shares the pan-European charm of the East. Often, when acquiring in quantity, domestic Buddhophilia loses in quality, which is fraught with the spread in Russia of a superficial, marginalized version of Buddhism.
At the same time, Buddhism is a religion in Russia as traditional as Christianity and Islam. Therefore, its status and future prospects are of great importance for the successful development of Russian culture.