Electronic Petitions of Russian Buddhists: a Way of Consolidation or Estrangement?
Electronic Petitions of Russian Buddhists: a Way of Consolidation or Estrangement?

Author(s): Bato Dondukov
Subject(s): Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Buddhist communities of Russia; crowdsourcing; electronic petitions; consolidation of Buddhists; Buddha Bars; Shivalkha Rinpoche; religious identity
Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of two electronic petitions created by Russian Buddhists, one protesting the deportation of the Buddhist teacher Shivalkha Rinpoche, the other protesting so-called Buddha Bars throughout Russia. These two causes reflect to some extent the current relationships between different categories of Buddhists, such as the clergy and laymen or traditional and modern Buddhists. The article studies reactions of different communities to these problems and traces differences in Buddhist identifications, as well as the positive or negative impact these reactions have on the consolidation of Buddhists. Finally, I evaluate the efficiency and prospects of e-petitions as a problem-solving method for Buddhists in Russia.

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