Buddhists here in Syracuse have been pleased about news of a new Buddhist temple opening in Russia. Clearly, the greater the acceptance of Buddhism internationally the more respect Buddhists here in Syracuse receive as being part of a significant religious movement in the world. News of this new Buddhist temple in Russia has been reported upon in an article in The Buddhist Channel, http://www.buddhistchannel.tv, titled "Another Buddhist temple opens in Russia".
Pandito Hambo Lama Damba Ayushev, who is the spiritual leader of Russian Buddhists, has dedicated a new temple in the East Siberian city of Chita. Ayushev described it as a “historic event”. Chita has now become the second Russian city, after St. Petersburg, to welcome a Buddhist monastery. The idea to build this Buddhist temple came about 16 years ago. However, construction on the temple began only in 2007.
The previous Buddhist monastery was built in Chita 111 years ago and was burnt down 15 years later in unclear circumstances. The new Buddhist temple is said to resemble it, having embodied the features of the Buddhist-Buryat architecture. The statue of Buddha in Chita is in brass and has the height of an average man, 6 feet, as well as heads of dragons. The Buddhist altar was cast in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator.
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org ,reports that historically, Buddhism was incorporated into Russian lands as early as the late 15th century, when Russian explorers travelled to and settled in Siberia and what is now the Russian Far East. It is also supposed historically that Indian King Ashoka had sent monks to spread Buddhism all over the world including Siberia.
Tibetan Buddhism is the main form of Buddhism in Russia. The other major forms of Buddhism which are found in Russia are traditions practiced by immigrant communities, among them the Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, and others, who are based mainly in the large cities. And there are several Tibetan Buddhist university-monasteries throughout Russia, concentrated in Siberia and known as Datsans. There are about 700,000 Buddhist adherents in Russia which is about 0.5% of the population.
Buddhists here in Syracuse are pleased about the new Buddhist temple in Russia and the healthy state of Buddhism in Russia. This helps nurture a sharing of Buddhist values and a mutual search for world peace between Buddhists here in Syracuse and Russia.
Mandel News Service: http://www.mandelnews.com
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