Manjushri made by
V.Väärtnöu 2002.
Münko, a lama and a Tibetan medicine specialist from the
Buryat Ivolga monastery. He became later Bandida
Khambo-lama. Munko Lama belonged to generation of the so-called
"old lamas" who taught Buryat Buddhist tradition during
bolshevik repressions.
After WW II he officially re-established Buryat Buddhist tradition.
1982 photo;V.Väärtnöu
Buddhism appeared in
the territories of modern Russia as early as the late 16th century, when
early Russian explorers travelled to and settled in Siberia and what is now the Russian Far
East. It is also believed that Indian King Ashoka had sent monks to
spread Buddhism all over
the world including Siberia.
Mongolian and Tibetan lamas first appeared on the
eastern shores of Lake
Baikal in the middle of the 17th century and quickly spread Buddhism in the area. Later
in that century Buddhism
emerged as the dominant religion in Tuva. The Kalmyks who migrated from China to the lower reaches of the Volga River in the
later half of the 17th century also professed Buddhism. Tsarist authorities were fairly
tolerant with respect to Buddhists.
Buddhist
monasteries
Religious centers - Buddhist monasteries, or datsans - appeared in other areas of Buryatia, too. Within a short
time most of the Buryats
living east of Lake
Baikal were converted to Buddhism. In 1764, Zayaagiyn Damba Darjaa, the
high priest of the Tsongol datsan - the oldest in the Baikal region
- became head of the entire Buddhist clergy with the title Bandida
Khamba Lama.
Kalmyks
In the late sixteenth century the Kalmyks were converted to
Buddhism by Mongolian lamas in Dzungaria (China). In the seventeenth century, they moved to
the lower reaches of the Volga River, retaining their religion. At that time the Kalmyks
gained access to the first works of Buddhist
literature translated from the Tibetan
language.
The main form of Buddhism in Russia is the Gelukpa school of Tibetan
Buddhism. Although Tibetan
Buddhism is most often
associated with the peoples of Tibet, in the north the school spread into
southwestern and northern China,
Mongolia, and finally Russia. In the south, it took
hold in Bhutan and parts of
northern India and Nepal.
Buryatia
,Tuva
Afterwards, it began to spread into the geographically and
culturally adjacent Russian
constituent regions known today as: Amur Oblast, Buryatia, Chita Oblast, Tuva Republic, and Khabarovsk
Krai. There is also Kalmykia, another constituent republic of Russia that is in fact the only
Buddhist region in Europe,
perhaps paradoxically located to the north of the Caucasus. Buddhism has been in Russia for four centuries.
In the second half of the XVIIth century Buryats were incorporated into Russia. Beginning from 1727 when
the treaty determining the borders between Russia and Manchu-Chinese empires was signed the Buryats
started the official
development within the Russian state. In Czarist Russia,
where Orthodoxy was the
predominant state
religion, Buddhists were subjected to certain restrictions. Buddhist monks (lamas) were made dependent on the local police
and were subordinated to the chief provincial board. The
regulations for the lamaist clergy, introduced in 1853, established
the almost despotic reign of officials under the czar. The latter
made the most important assignments concerning even the clerical
posts; in official documents the Buddhists like all non-Orthodox
Christians were called "otherbelievers", or
"the followers of the alien belief" (Russian:
иноверцы inovertsi)
and the religious problems of the Buddhist were the concern of a
special department for foreign religions. Nevertheless, Buddhism began spreading
among the Buryats in the 17th century and became an essential and
significant element of social, spiritual and material life of most
Buryat ethnic groups, and has played a great role
in their political and spiritual consolidation. This process of
consolidation was stimulated by the formation of a centralized
system of the Buryat Buddhist religious administrative
structure.
Kalachakra Tantra and
West
The spread of the Shambhala myth and the Kalachakra Tantra
in the West has a history of its
own. It does definitely not first begin with the exile of the lamas from Tibet (in 1959) and their diaspora across the whole world, but rather
commences at the beginning of the twentieth century in Russia with the religious
political activity of an ethnic Buryat by the name of Agvan Dorjiev. He was convinced that the
union of Tibet with Russia
would provide the Highlands with an extremely favorable future, and
was likewise able to convince the hierarchy upon the Lion Throne of
the merits of his political vision for a number of years.He thus
advanced to the post of Tibetan envoy in St. Petersburg and
at the Russian court. His work in the capital
was extremely active and varied. Since the end of the 19th century
Buddhism had become
fashionable among the Russian high society.
Peter
Badmayev
Tibetan medical doctor Peter Badmayev was head of the most
famous private hospital in St. Petersburg.
There the cabinet lists for the respective members of government
were put together under his direction. R. Fülöp-Miller has vividly
described the doctor’s power-political activities: "In the course
of time medicine and politics, ministerial appointments and 'lotus
essences' became more and more mingled, and a fantastic political
magic character arose, which emanated from Badmajev’s sanatorium
and determined the fate of all Russia. The miracle-working doctor
owed this influence especially to his successful medical-political
treatment of the Tsar. Badmajev’s
mixtures, potions, and powders brewed from mysterious herbs from
the steppes served not just to remedy patient’s metabolic
disturbances; anyone who took these medicaments ensured himself an
important office in the state at the same time" (Fülöp-Miller,
1927,).
Buddhist temple in St.
Petersburg
The Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg
For this "wise and crafty Asian" too, the guiding idea was the
establishment of an Asian empire with the "White Tsar" at
its helm. Buryats had received initiations into the Time Tantra from the
Ninth Panchen Lama
which were supposed to have been of central significance for Russias future vision. At the center of Agvan Dorjiev ’s activities in Russia stood
the construction of the Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg. The
shrine was dedicated to the Kalachakra deity. A painter by the name
of Nicholas
Roerich, who later became a fanatic propagandist for Kalachakra
doctrine, produced the designs for the stained-glass windows. Work commenced in
1909. In the central hall various main gods from the Tibetan
pantheon were represented with statues and pictures, including
among others Dorjiev’s wrathful initiation deity, Vajrabhairava. Regarding the décor, it is
perhaps also of interest that there was a swastika motif which the
Bolsheviks knocked out during the Second World War. Stalinist secret police
agents tried to oppress all religious groups, leading to a decline
in Buddhism.
Tibetan
Buddhism is primarily practiced by the indigenous peoples in
various regions of central and eastern Russia, except for a few Russian converts based
mainly in the larger cities such as St. Petersburg or Moscow, where there is greater
access to urban Buddhist centers or similar facilities.
The other major forms of Buddhism found in Russia are mostly Mahayana Buddhism
traditions too, originally practiced by the Vietnamese
or Chinese immigrant communities
based mainly in the large cities.
The Russian Federation and Austria are the only two European states today that recognize Buddhism as
an "official", though not necessarily "state religion" in their respective
countries. Moreover, Russia
also recognized it in the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation as
native to Russian soil, along
with Islam, Judaism, and Orthodox
Christianity. Most other religious groups are unrecognized, and
must officially register and may be subject to refusal in
recognition by the state.
There are a few dozen Buddhist university-monasteries throughout
Russia, but concentrated in the Russian Far East and Siberia, known in Russian as Datsans. Adherents to Buddhism
account for approximately 700,000 in the Russian Federation, about
0.5% of the total population.
Ivolga
monastery
Organizations: The highest authority for Russian Buddhists is
the Central Buddhist Board based in the Ivolga Datsan in the Buryat. (A permanent
office in Moscow is concerned
with external relations). The congress of clergy and laity convenes
once in four years and elects the members of the Board. Head of the
Central Buddhist Board is Bandida Khambo-lama.
Russian Buddhism is representative of the Gelugpa school ("the School
of Virtue"), which is a branch of Tibetan Buddhism in the Mahayana
tradition, that is, "the broad path" of salvation from endless
rebirth in the world of suffering. Russian Buddhism has a number of
specific ritual peculiarities that have taken shape over the course
of history. Historically it has been marked by the prevalence of
rural lamas living outside datsans because of the nomadic way of life. To
some extent, this tradition has survived to this day. In
keeping with tradition, six major holidays, khurals, are celebrated
annually and are attended by a large number of people who bring
various gifts to datsans as
well as money and food for lamas.
Holidays
Tsagaalgan or Sagaan Sar is a holiday celebrated on the eve of
the lunar new year, which usually falls in February. This khural is
devoted to the twelve miracles of Buddha during his dispute with six
preachers of heresy. Services and a series of religious rites are
conducted to mark the occasion. Buddhists, dressed in their best
clothes, come to pray together for well-being and more happiness.
On the eve of the new year, a solemn evening ritual is performed
during which food is served to the doksheetsi, the protectors of the faith. This
involves the ritual burning of Dugzhub, a magic pyramid of paper
and wood; according to a Buddhist belief, a ritual fire consumes
all evil thoughts.
A long note from a big white conch proclaims the first day of
the lunar new year. A traditional service is held to celebrate the
Sagaan Sar ("white month") holiday.
In the main temple lamas, replacing one another, pray for
fifteen days for peace and goodness.
The khural Duyn-khor, a second major holiday, lasts three days
in April. It is dedicated to the preaching of the sacred teaching
of Kalachakra.
The third major holiday is Gandun-Shunserme, devoted to the
birth and enlightenment of Buddha and his attainment of nirvana. It
is celebrated in early summer.
The fourth holiday Maidari is dedicated to Maidari, the Buddha of the future (Maitreya). It is always celebrated for two
days in midsummer. People spend the first day in many hours of
devout prayer. On the second day the gilded statue of Maidari is
solemnly carried out of the temple and placed on a chariot twined with silk
ribbons. It is surrounded by lamas in ceremonial dress. A green
horse of plaster is harnessed to the chariot, and the procession
sets off around the datsan. This ceremony symbolizes Maidari’s tour
of the universe and the spread of his grace throughout it. Several
thousand people gather in the datsan for the procession. Akharang, a big copper shield,
is struck with a mallet, and its sounds can be heard far away.
There is a fanfare, the drums roll, and conchs are blown. The
procession stops at every turn of the monastery walls for a reading
of sacred Scriptures. Many Buddhists attending the procession try
to approach the chariot, to hold onto its beam and harness, and to
throw money at the feet of the statue of Maidari.
The last two khurals are celebrated with less splendor,
but they also attract large crowd of believers. Lhabab Düisen,
marked in autumn, is devoted to the Buddha’s return from the
thirty-third heaven. The holiday Zula is dedicated to the passing away of the
father of Lamaism,Bogdo Tsongkhapa. A thousand candles are lit
during the service.
During the khurals prayers are said in honor of the protectors of the faith
and for well-being and peace on earth.
Lamas who live in monasteries
observe the Dulva, a traditional moral and ethical code. Depending on the level of
ordination, they participate in services and philosophical
discussions and perform special religious rites at the people’s
request.
Recently, in addition to Buryats, Kalmyks, and Tuvinians, more and more Russians, Ukrainians have been
attending Buddhist services. Previously, they all went to pray at
the Ivolga datsan, but today,
with the 1991 reopening of the temple in Leningrad, followers of
Buddhism from the Europe an part of the country
will travel there, too.
Buddhism in
science
In Russia, academic
Buddhist Studies began from the middle of
the 19th century. By the end of the century, the Russian
Buddhological School had won international prestige. With the
discovery of Buddhist manuscripts in Central Asia at the beginning of the 20th
Century, a new stage in the study of Buddhism began. The Central Asian, Sak and Uyghur Buddhist texts
with their Chinese and Tibetan translations have been published.
The international series Bibliotheca Buddhica, founded in
Russia by S.F. Oldendurg and F.I. Tsherbatsky became the center of
Buddhist studies; attracting the greatest scholars of the world: L.
de La Vallee Poussen, Max Walleser, Sylvan Levi and others.
From 1897 to 1937, the most important Buddhist texts in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Uyghur
on Buddhist philosophy, logic, etc. were printed in a
30-volume series. In 1960, V.N. Toporov published a translation of
Dhammapada,
becoming the 31st volume, and A.I. Vostrikov’s book The Tibetan
Historical Literature became the 32nd. Many of the works
published, particularly on Buddhist logic, have been regarded as
unsurpassed. In the enormous volume of buddhological works, the
quantitative contribution of Russian scientists has been rather
modest, but their qualificative aspect is of high value.
In 1985 with the publication of the Monuments of the Indian
Texts from Central Asia by G.M. Bongard-Levin and M.I.
Vorobyova-Desyatovskaya the edition of this series was continued.
Later on a few other publications appeared. Among them one can
mention the study and the translation from Sanskrit of the first
part of the Abhidharmakosa done by V.I. Rudoi (BB,
vol. 35), the translation from the Pali of the The
Questions of Milinda (Milindapanhi) carried out by A.V.
Paribok (BB, vol. 36) and also the publication of the work by the
Chinese author Huei Tsyao: Biographies of the Distinguished
Monks(Gao Sen Chuan) carried out by M.E.Ermakov (vol. 38).
At present Buddhism is studied at research centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, as
well as in Ulan-Ude, Elista and Kyzyl. The buddhologists in
Moscow concentrate their efforts on the role of the Buddhist cult
as well as the place and role of Buddhism in social and political life of Asian countries, and its influence on
the culture and traditions of oriental peoples. In St. Petersburg, scholars are mainly engaged
in deciphering ancient Indian
inscriptions and textological research in the field of Buddhist art and old
Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese texts and treatises. In
buddhological studies —mainly pursuing the fields of sinology and indology— notable
achievements have been made; whereas in the fields of Tibetan and
Mongolian studies, the scope of research has not been so broad.
Nevertheless, all the buddhological studies are closely
interrelated. A great many texts in the Tibetan language,
translated from Sanskrit, are accessible now; though their original
texts in Sanskrit have
been lost. Therefore the value of these Tibetan texts becomes all
the more significant. The fact that in Russia, there is a living tradition of Tibetan
Buddhism, spread among Buryats, Kalmyks and Tuvans, greatly contributed to the development
of Tibetan and Mongolian studies, and within their frame to the
buddhological studies.
Buddhism in
Buryatia
Buddhism in Buryatia, a
region in Central
Asia and southern Siberia, was the northern-most point of the
spread of Buddhism. The Buryats were, and are still are
the largest Buddhist population in Russia. The Buryats, Kalmyks and the Tuvans are the three Buddhist nationalities in
Russia, historically belonging
to the common Mongolian spiritual realm and to the Tibetan and
Mongolian cultural and religious tradition of the great Central
Asian civilization. Tibetan
religious and cultural influence has been playing, up to now, an
important role in the culture and history of these peoples.
In the beginning, Buddhist monasteries were the centers, not
only of culture and learning, but in fact they became moral and
ethical regulators of everyday life of Buryat families. Buddhism stimulated the formation of the
nation’s intellectual potential. There appeared different monastic
educational faculties with many learned monks and scholars. Among
them we can mention Agvan Dorjiev (1857-1930), one of the
tutors of the 13th Dalai
Lama, who was his representative in the Russian court and played a great role in
Tibet's international political life, establishing various
relations between Tibet and Russia. By the beginning of the
century, Buddhism had
become quite strong and this caused the anxiety on the part of the
Christian church.
In order to adapt the Buddhist teaching and church to the
rapidly developing and changing world, Agvan Dorjiev and
some prominent Buryat scholars
initiated a modernization movement among Buddhist clergy and intellectuals,
proclaiming the necessity of combining the Buddhist
philosophy with the best achievements of Western culture
and civilization.
The movement has gained a wide scope in Buryatia. It was due to the fact of mutual
interest of both: the Buddhist clergy wanted to preserve somehow
the church, by means of modification, whereas local intelligentsia
regarded Buddhist ideas as a cultural and social
basis for further national development after being freed from pagan
elements. Though "modernists" played an important role in the
national liberation movement of Buryats and promoted national and
cultural autonomy of Buryats within the Russian Federation and
establishing of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Republic after the
revolution, still the movement was doomed to failure because it was
unrealistic to expect gaining self-administration for Buryat people by means of
religious reforms and revival of national culture neither before
the revolution nor after it. The attempt of these "modernists" to
emphasize similarity of ideas in Marxism and early Buddhism also failed. This movement is all the
more noteworthy because no comparable developments took place in Tibetan
Buddhism until after the confrontation with Chinese communism in 1949. By 1935 there
were about 45 or 46 Buddhist temples and monasteries in Buryatia.
See also
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