To identify the features of the spiritual life of modern Russia, first you need to decide what exactly is meant by this concept. The specificity of time dictates its own conditions for understanding the environment, and the law, as you know, is "what drawbar". So one can reduce the spiritual life to a formal set of indicators of the development of cultural life - theaters, museums, libraries, books. Or it is possible, having left statistics of consumption of cultural products by society , to evaluate its production potential. You can monitor the ideological fermentation of the minds of the population or provide a summary of religious development.
All these things (and not only them) constitute the totality of the spiritual life of the state, on the basis of which spiritual values are formed and developed . It is impossible to organically exclude from it, for example, bullying in the army or television propaganda. It is not easy to analyze the trends in the spiritual life of modern Russia in their totality. However, we will try to do it.
What features characterize the spiritual life of modern Russia
In order not to disperse, the next part of the article is devoted to the tuning fork of the spiritual life of the nation - religion. Namely, the analysis of spiritual life in its religious refraction. Of course, such a review cannot be exhaustive even within the chosen aspect. Religion is a complex thing, and its influence is ambiguous. The identification of any laws and the search for a common denominator of processes is always only a simplification of the real situation. Religion in practice is closely connected with politics, with the economy, with many other factors of social life. And besides, for every rule in the world of ideas there is always at least one exception. So below are the most common and not always indisputable thoughts and characteristics.
Centuries-old traditions of Orthodoxy and modern Russia
What features characterize the spiritual life of modern Russia? First, of course, the increased role of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, which over the past 25 years has gone from a tolerant survivor to a parastatal organization that claims to be the spiritual bond of the nation and the ideological platform of the upcoming Russian world. The elevation of the role of Orthodoxy was indicated by the growing clericalization of secular institutions - educational, medical, judicial and others. The actual tandem of the ruling party with the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate mobilized church forces in the field of social service and ensured its presence in almost all key social and cultural positions. As a reaction, a series of waves of disappointment and a departure from the Orthodoxy of youth and the intelligentsia took place in the country. The growth of criticism of the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, characteristic of recent years, gives reason to define this time as the beginning of the process of slowly dying out the importance of Orthodoxy in society. The Patriarchate has experienced a heyday, and in the future it will face a decline in development dynamics. As a result, many people who previously found in Orthodoxy the basis for spiritual orientation are undergoing a process of rethinking spiritual values. And this gives reason to predict the formation in the next two to three decades of a new, unique environment, which will fill the spiritual life of Russia.
Spiritual values and Buddhist influence on them in Russia
As for the other traditional religions of Russia - Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, their role, with the exception of Judaism, is somewhat similar to the Russian Orthodox Church and, in fact, is its reflection in the politics of the regions of its traditional confession. However, not without one “but” in relation to Buddhism. His role in the spiritual life of the country is replenished by the process of religious expansion of the East. Along with other teachings, which will be discussed below, Buddhist influx from abroad has formed an extensive stratum of citizens sympathetic to it in Russian society. An increase in the number of practicing religious communities, visits by foreign teachers, and the popularization of Buddhist literature have increased the influence of Buddhist spirituality on the population of Russia outside traditionally Buddhist regions.
Islamic world and Russian spirituality
As for Islam, the advancement of Muslim spirituality often took an aggressive form of propaganda and imposition. On the one hand, this led to the Islamization of part of the population and an increase in the spiritual influence of Muslim traditions. On the other hand, the reaction to Islamic expansion has generated a widespread resistance movement in society, which is characterized by a decrease in the level of tolerance and tolerance, an increase in nationalist sentiments and a fundamental politicization of spiritual institutions.
Elements of unconventional spirituality in Russia of the XXI century
The spiritual life of modern Russia is already inconceivable without the exotic traditional for our days, represented mainly by derivatives of oriental culture and mentality. Russia is experiencing, if not flourishing, then at least a significant increase in dharmic values among Russian citizens. What features characterize the spiritual life of modern Russia from this perspective? Firstly, in addition to Buddhism, which was mentioned above, various Vedic communities significantly added weight - yoga, Ayurveda, meditation, etc. Such centers have become an integral part of the spiritual life of Russia. In addition to the traditional ones, many eclectic groups, representations of NewAge movements and organizations of the occult orientation received development. Having instilled a significant part of the country's population with the eastern type of spirituality, all these organizations significantly influenced the development of the spiritual life of the population as a whole.
Separately, it must be said about the reconstruction of the Slavic pagan tradition. Its adherents managed to significantly popularize their teachings, which is reflected in the seriousness of academic research, the mass prevalence of converts and sympathizers (even among the Orthodox clergy), the growing momentum of religious construction, etc. It has to be noted that neo-pagan Slavic organizations have gone beyond the last 10-15 years the marginal organizations and now have significant weight in the spiritual life of the country.
Conclusion
So, answering the question, what features characterize the spiritual life of modern Russia, it is necessary, first of all, to note the decreasing role of Orthodoxy in the real life of people. The ROC Institute appears to be still a powerful ideological and political resource, but it has less and less relation to the formation of the spiritual image of citizens.
The role of oriental and pagan institutions in shaping a healthy spiritual image of a modern Russian citizen is growing. The principles of non-violence, a developed mental and physical culture, commitment to the ideas of the world, attention to environmental issues make these organizations promising and potentially significant in the spiritual progress of Russia. With some amendments, one can even predict an increase in the future of the neo-paganism of the national-Russian version, as one of the main spiritual driving forces of the country.
On the whole, the spiritual life of modern Russia is more and more oriented toward the import of spiritual values, which makes some conflict of Western and Eastern values more acute, of which Russia is the place of collision today.