Putin Greeted Russian Buddhists on the Lunar New Year

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President V V Putin greeted Russian Buddhists on the coming of the Lunar New Year and the beginning of the White month. The Kremlin website noted:

Drawing on the centuries-old historical, cultural, and spiritual traditions of their ancestors, Russian Buddhists celebrate this significant event widely. This holiday symbolises the renewal of man and nature, so, it’s common to sum up the year, sincerely wish each other health, and ask for fulfilment of one’s desires. People care for their loved ones and give alms to the needy. It’s important for the Buddhist community to participate actively in the life of our country, to strengthen their interaction with state and public organisations, to give much care to educating young people, and to implement popular charitable and educational initiatives. Such fruitful work deserves the deepest respect. I wish that the New Year would be successful and prosperous for Buddhist people.

5 February 2019

Interfax-Religion

http://interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=71973

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27 March 2016. Happy Easter to All My Friends Keeping Western Easter

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This is a turn-of-the-20th-century Russian Easter greeting card. My, my, my… it’s got an Easter Bunny… with eggs! Of course, there were many RCs and Lutherans in the old empire (along with a generous sprinkling of Mennonites and native Russian Baptists)… so, some of their imagery influenced the larger Russian Orthodox culture (it worked the other way ’round, too!). People were tolerant of one another… they wished each other well on their respective holidays. We should do likewise… we’re Christians; that’s what we do…

Have a happy and most blessed holiday. I bow before you in respect…

BMD

10 December 2015. Buddhist Festival in Piter

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Monks celebrate the Buddhist holiday Zula Khural (“Festival of Thousand Candles”) at the Datsan Gunzechoinei in St Petersburg.

9 December 2015

Russia Beyond the Headlines

http://rbth.com/multimedia/photo_of_the_day/2015/12/09/1000-buddhist-candles-in-st-petersburg_549297

13 July 2015. A Look Over the Fence… The Heart Sutra

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Ani Choying Drolma sings the Heart Sūtra

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Ani Choying Drolma sings the Great Compassion Mantra

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Buddhism is one of the Big Three Traditional Religions in Russia (the other two are Orthodox Christianity and Islam). Judaism and the Evangelical Church (Lutherans, NOT non-Christian American Radical Sectarians) are minor traditional religions, with real Russian Protestants (not American Sectarian wannabes) being acceptable too. Buddhists make up about 1 percent of the Russian population (1.5 million), with about a third of these actively practising to some extent or other. Buddhist friends tell me that the Heart Sūtra is the most popular sūtra amongst believers, more popular than Om mani padme om (“The jewel is in the lotus”) is. I know next-to-nothing about Buddhist theology, so, I can’t comment on that. However, this is part of Russia, too. It’s all ours or none of it’s ours… simple as that…

BMD