Social activities of Buddhism in Russia: philosophical foundations and practical implementation

This article analyzes the social activities of Buddhist organizations, using the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia as an example. It argues that the social activities of religious organizations are determined by their essence as social institutions and are grounded in the fundamental principles of Buddhist teachings. The author addresses the theoretical and methodological aspects of social activities and highlights various scholarly approaches to their understanding. The first approach draws on Max Weber's approach, which views religion as an active force in social life. The second approach explores how modern representatives of the theory of religious economics consider the social activities of religious organizations as competition in the religious market. Russian researchers emphasize the importance state involvement, particularly the importance of government regulation in the social activities of religious organizations and institutions. Among other approaches, the article analyzes in some detail gift exchange theory as a basis for social activities. Although Buddhist organizations have not developed a social concept, the philosophical foundations for social activities are laid out in classical Buddhist texts. These concepts include compassion and dependent origination. The Buddhist concept of the gift, an exchange between monks and laypeople, played an important role in shaping the social activities. The article demonstrates examples of the BTSR’s social activities and highlights the importance of the educational and outreach work carried out by Buddhist monasteries. Secular and Buddhist education are becoming integrated today. Based on the analysis, the author concludes that the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia is an active participant in social activities, which is rooted in Buddhist philosophical teaching, yet adapted to modern reality.

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