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The only Buddhist region in Europe

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Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#61

Post by [deleted] »

trainsplanes wrote: post #56
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gross, man -- he actually brags about raping/coercing girls. "Oh, you'd like a taster? Well how about the time when Vorkuta boasts of forcing a young hitchhiker to give him a blowjob in exchange for $6. On the threat that if she did not comply he might leave her in the middle of nowhere as they were travelling alone in a car on some deserted highway somewhere in the FSU. You can only imagine how scared she must have…

People post a lot of wild stories on forums and places like reddit. Oftentimes they exaggerate or make up crazy events. It's not enough to push me to go after them.

[deleted]

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#62

Post by foxyv »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #59

It seems weird Buddhism is such a minor religion in Europe while it is so rational, based on individual experience (rather than belief) gained through reproducible applied self-regulation techniques, backed by neuroscience and explained with consistent philosophical logic.

A lot of secular buddhists tend to identify as humanists instead. It's a very popular saying: "Don't use buddhism to become a buddhist. Use buddhism to become a better whatever you are."

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#63

Post by qwerty456127 »

pilsetnieks wrote: post #19
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #7

Headline on the page is "The only Buddhist region in Europe"

I don't quite get why "country" in the title here is in quotes - even though not an independent state, it's a country the same way Wales or Scotland is a country.

I wish this could be shown higher. Sadly they have already replaced "country" with "region" despite it in fact is a country like Scotland is (or at least a state like California is).

By the way Tatarstan, another country in the Russian Federation even is officially a "sovereign state integrated with Russia". There even are such things as citizenship and constitution of Tatarstan.

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#64

Post by Grustaf »

michael1999 wrote: post #48
Grustaf wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If someone talks about “Europe” they are not referring to “anything west of the Urals”, they mean Germany, France etc, possibly Hungary, Slovakia etc or, if they are feeling generous, Ukraine and Belarus. It has never happened that two people were chatting about “European culture and values” and had the khanate of Kazan in mind.

Isn’t that exactly the point? There is a geographic Europe which is much larger and more diverse than NATO Europe, the EU, or Christian Europe like to admit.

What is the point about that? Nobody is worried about "geographic Europe", people care about actual Europe, not some technical term.

If someone is worried that Arab Muslims, or for that matter Arab Christians, will not assimilate into European culture and are incompatible with European values, how is it even remotely relevant that there is a tiny federal subject in what is technically European Russia where there's a lot of Muslims?

Only someone entirely unfamiliar with Europe would think this makes any difference. If you want to talk about Islam, focus instead on Bosnia, in the heart of Europe. While definitely not without their issues, comparing Bosniaks and Assyrians show that culture is more relevant than religion when it comes to integration.

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#65

Post by u9rptDjqLl0Pdcz »

Also of interest is the Mari Native Religion which is practiced in the Mari El Republic of Russia[0]. I believe this is the only example of an indigenous religion surviving with continued practice into the modern day. RT made a documentary about it[1].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari_Native_Religion

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ_2kpTJvj0

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#66

Post by Tabular-Iceberg »

Grustaf wrote: post #64
michael1999 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t that exactly the point? There is a geographic Europe which is much larger and more diverse than NATO Europe, the EU, or Christian Europe like to admit.

What is the point about that? Nobody is worried about "geographic Europe", people care about actual Europe, not some technical term. If someone is worried that Arab Muslims, or for that matter Arab Christians, will not assimilate into European culture and are incompatible with European values, how is it even remotely relevant that there is a tiny federal subject in what is technically European Russia where there's a…

I just think the conventional definition of Europe makes sense. Narrower definitions are too ephemeral for my taste, with countries constantly being absorbed into and breaking out of empires as they wax and wane, whereas the Ural mountains aren't going anywhere soon.

That said, to address the point that started the discussion, I think it's just silly to use "there exists some Muslim country somewhere else" as some kind of gotcha against German critics of Islam. The Ottomans were milling around Vienna for a long time, that's a whole lot closer than either Bosnia or Kazan.

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#67

Post by marto1 »

pilsetnieks wrote: post #19
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #7

Headline on the page is "The only Buddhist region in Europe"

I don't quite get why "country" in the title here is in quotes - even though not an independent state, it's a country the same way Wales or Scotland is a country.

That's correct. The республика(republic) in question - Kalmykia, is part of the Russian *federation*.

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#68

Post by michael1999 »

Grustaf wrote: post #64
michael1999 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t that exactly the point? There is a geographic Europe which is much larger and more diverse than NATO Europe, the EU, or Christian Europe like to admit.

What is the point about that? Nobody is worried about "geographic Europe", people care about actual Europe, not some technical term. If someone is worried that Arab Muslims, or for that matter Arab Christians, will not assimilate into European culture and are incompatible with European values, how is it even remotely relevant that there is a tiny federal subject in what is technically European Russia where there's a…

What is "actual" Europe? Who gets to decide?

Consider Russia: are they, or are they not "European"? Is the Orthodox Church European?

That you think the answer is so simple, or that anyone who thinks differently is "nobody" is part of why it is so unsettled.

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#69

Post by michael1999 »

MomoXenosaga wrote: post #9
Archelaos wrote: post #4

I always find it quite embarrassing when right-wing politicians here in Germany come up with this or that does not belong to Europe. In all cases this only shows their geographical and historical ignorance. Kalmykia is a good example. Most of these politicians have never understood that Buddism has been part of Europe for centuries. My favorite example, however, is that they mostly do not know that we have had a perm…

Does it matter? Germany is a secular state religion is irrelevant.

That is not my understanding.

https://www.dw.com/en/the-opaque-financing-of-germanys-churc...

Re: The only Buddhist region in Europe

#70

Post by browningstreet »

intricatedetail wrote: post #30
Archelaos wrote: post #4

I always find it quite embarrassing when right-wing politicians here in Germany come up with this or that does not belong to Europe. In all cases this only shows their geographical and historical ignorance. Kalmykia is a good example. Most of these politicians have never understood that Buddism has been part of Europe for centuries. My favorite example, however, is that they mostly do not know that we have had a perm…

Some people love gatekeeping, on both left and right spectrum. Power is a drug and this gives them a kick.

Yeah, it's never about politicians' "ignorance" or lack of knowledge. That's irrelevant. It's about their assertion and what alignments it creates with their base. Constantly correcting these kind of assertions without addressing what they're doing just adds to the noise.
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