RUSSIA Russian Buddhists divided over war against Ukraine

Some monks blessed the volunteers and conscripts fighting on the front lines; others condemn Putin’s offensive. Buddhism has tens of thousands of followers throughout the country. The creed admits the defense of the population against external threats.

Moscow () – A sensitive issue is being debated among Russian Buddhists: the legality of the war, which seems to contradict the teachings of the religion, as can be seen from the contradictory statements of some high-ranking members of local communities. On the one hand, the head of the traditional Sangha (community) of Buryat Buddhists, Damba Ajušeev, blessed the volunteers and those mobilized at the front with the words “Buddha is with us!”. On the other hand, the head of the Kalmyk Buddhists, Telo Tulku Rinpoče, condemned the military operation in a recent interview.

Historian Andrej Terent’ev, editor-in-chief of the Nartang Buddhist publishing house, published an article in the Nezavisimaja Gazeta about “whether Buddhists can go to war”, recalling that the Buddhist theocratic state of Tibet had its own army. “Everyone knows, however, that Buddhism is a doctrine about love and peace, in which the deprivation of life of another human being constitutes the most negative action.”

In addition to the Buryats, Kalmyks and Tuvins, inhabitants of the three Buddhist-majority republics of the Russian Federation, Buddhism today has tens of thousands of followers throughout the country, even without ties of ethnic origin. Terent’ev recalls the teachings of the “five vows” that underpin the Buddhist religion, beginning with the principle that “war cannot be justified simply as a result of past actions, that is, karma.” The Buddha himself did his best to prevent wars and conflicts, trying to prevent bloodshed.

For Buddhists, karma is the main cause of all events, but “it is not omnipotent. If we rely on morality to make decisions, we can even overcome the tendencies of karma,” the specialist recalls. And he adds that “karma is not a fatalism, this is alien to Buddhism.” Ethical discipline begins precisely with the prohibition of killing, not only by avoiding criminal actions, but also by refusing to encourage others to do so, as the other four commandments also require: do not steal, do not lie, do not do impure actions, do not drink.

For monks, the rules are even stricter and apply to all branches of Buddhism, both the traditionalist Theravāda of South Asia and the more widespread Mahāyāna of the Lotus Sutra, the predominant school even among Russian Buddhists. In the second, the so-called “Bodhichitta” is also developed, the compassion for all creatures to reach the level of the Buddha himself – without dividing people into one’s own and others, friends and enemies – and without which one cannot truly speak of buddhist faith

Terent’ev recalls, however, that “Buddhism admits diversity of views, and some doubt the canonical statements of pacifism.” In this sense, the historian recalls a 2014 article by the influential American monk Bhikkhu Bodhi on the need for governments to defend the population from external threats. And he cites the example of World War II after Hitler’s invasions. In these cases, “fidelity to karma does not mean remaining passive in the face of cruel aggression, and military actions are admissible.”

In Russia, the opinion also seems to be spreading that only monks would be authorized to fight, because they have a purer heart than the lay faithful, and therefore they live the defense of the people as a necessity, but without feeding the criminal hatred of murder. War must be waged “preserving the spirit of compassion, without nurturing hostility towards living beings”, and in any case, concludes the historian of Buddhism, “all possible alternative solutions must be sought” to avoid war.