Paul Goble
Staunton, Oct. 5 – Russia’s Buddhists seldom garner the attention followers of other faiths do; and when they do attract attention, most of it goes to the Buryats and Kalmyks who have long competed with each other for leadership (jamestown.org/program/moscow-reaches-out-to-buddhists-abroad-but-faces-problems-with-them-at-home/).
But the election of a new spiritual leader of the Buddhists of Tyva may change that. Not only is Loden Sherab young – 39 – but he was trained in a Buddhist seminary in India and has been the organizer of the Russian Buddhist University which is set to formally open later this month (t.me/khovalyg_live/8733 and asiarussia.ru/news/47915/).
Because he was trained abroad, the new kamby lama can be expected to become a major player in the complex diplomatic chessboard among the Dalai Lama, Russia and China; and because he is so involved in developing Buddhist education, he can be expected to have greater influence over Buddhists elsewhere in Russia than his predecessors.
But it is within Tyva, a troubled republic (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2023/08/tyva-most-dangerous-place-to-live-in.html) some have suggested will be the first to secede from Russia (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2023/06/tyva-will-be-first-republic-in-russia.html), that he likely will have the greatest impact.
Loden Sherab naturally will be under intense pressure from Moscow to rein in his fellow Buddhist Tyvans, but he has resources with his Indian training and involvement in education which could rapidly elevate him to a leading position among Tyvan nationalists (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/01/buddhist-community-in-russia-and-its.html).
In short, the new kamby lama merits close attention as he begins his five-year term in office.
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