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On 4 April, the “Buddhist Festival of Good Fortune” began at the “Rassvet” community centre in Moscow. The programme included lectures, meditations, masterclasses, and rituals with Tibetan monks. The festival was supposed to run until 15 April, but as reported by “Ostorozhno, novosti”, the event was disrupted by law enforcement officers. In particular, the morning livestream on VKontakte was unexpectedly cut off an hour after it started. According to eyewitnesses, law enforcement officers also detained several monks who were due to take part in the programme.
Why did law enforcement target Buddhists?
The raid may have been prompted by the sale of a book by Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the former Supreme Lama of Kalmykia, at the festival market. In January 2023, the Ministry of Justice designated him a “foreign agent”—almost immediately afterwards, the lama stepped down from his post.
Who is Telo Tulku Rinpoche?
The monk was born into a family of Kalmyk emigrants in Philadelphia. He first travelled to Russia in 1991 as part of the Dalai Lama’s delegation. The following year, he was elected the republic’s Supreme Lama.
In 2022, the lama condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: he was one of the first religious figures to publicly state his position. “The Ukrainian side, of course, is indeed right—they are defending their country, their land, their truth, their Constitution, their people,” the religious leader said. He later left for Mongolia “for political reasons.”
What will happen to the festival now?
One of the organisers, the Buddhist foundation “Nalanda,” described the disruption as a “temporary hitch” and promised to announce future events soon.