The first encyclopaedia of Buddhist philosophy has been
brought out in Russia where Buddhism has seen a revival after the
collapse of Communism.
The encyclopaedia analyses the
philosophical aspects of Buddhism in the context of different
civilisations, cultures and religions, including Hinduism, Christianity
and Islam.
Releasing the book at a function held at
the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences India’s
Ambassador Ajai Malhotra said that the philosophy of Lord Buddha was a
relevant today as ever and would continue to inspire future generations
across the world.
Dr. Marietta Stepanyants, head of
the chair of Eastern philosophies, who edited the encyclopaedia, thanked
the Indian Embassy for continued support through the funding of the
Mahatma Gandhi Chair at the Institute of Philosophy and the award of
scholarships to the best Russian students of Indian philosophy.
Ambassador
Malhotra recalled that the Embassy of India had also cooperated in the
publication in Russian in 2009 of the “Encyclopedia of Indian
Philosophy” and suggested as a next step that the Institute of
Philosophy may like to bring out an Encyclopedia of Jain Philosophy in
the Russian language. He offered the Embassy’s help for this project.
Buddhism
has been on the upsurge in Russia in recent years, along with
Christianity and Islam. Dozens of temples have come up in predominantly
Buddhist regions of Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. Buddha’s birthday has
been made a national holiday in Kalmykia this year and a 15-metre statue
of Buddha, the biggest in Russia, is being set up in Tuva.
No comments:
Post a Comment