The General Buddhist Association of Vietnam 1951–1964 (Tổng Hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam): A Forgotten Step Towards the 1964 Buddhist Church

This paper provides an overview of the Buddhist community in the 50s and 60s, addressing the creation of the first national Buddhist association: the General Buddhist Association of Vietnam (Tổng Hội Phật Gio Việt Nam, GBA). Most academic works sum up the GBA to the date of its foundation by three regional delegations of Buddhists believers in May 1951, and its participation in the political crisis of 1963, the so-called Buddhist Crisis. Its genesis, the internal structures of this first national association, the philosophy and new national narrative of its leaders, their conflictual and distant relationship with secular power and other Buddhists group, remains largely unknown. Providing a new set of contextual elements, this analysis of the GBAs history will contribute to our understanding of Vietnamese Buddhism history in the 20th century, in its continuities and inconsistencies. Essentially a failed first attempt to build a Buddhist church the history of the GBA is highly revealing of the long-standing aspirations of its creators and should be understood as a transitional step between early reform movement and the 1964 UBC. Emphasizing on cultural, social, and political matters, this paper is mainly based on barely used primary sources available in Vietnam.

Law Philosophical Foundations of the Early Eastern States

The article is devoted to the elucidation of the ideological foundations of the law of the states of the early civilizations of the East, which last from the VII millennium BC (Sumer and Akkad, Babylon, India, China and Egypt). The spontaneously formed mythical, religious, moral and rational components of the worldview, as well as elements of philosophical doctrines are analyzed, traced as the unity of the notions of the gravity of sin and sinful behavior and even the community as a whole, caste character based on the idea of the inevitability of social inequality, the subordinate position of women, and significant differences in different legal systems, based on the specifics of economic structure and political system, civilizational and cultural differences, historical features of state formation, as well as worldviews of peoples, their understanding of the world, world order, natural and terrestrial laws. It is concluded that the general primary basis of the legal worldview of the peoples of the early states of the East are mythical and religious beliefs of peoples (as, incidentally, in all other early states), which served to explain the world order and justify the general laws of nature, and also served as a criterion for evaluating human actions.These ideas were based on common to all civilizations moral ideas about good and evil, justice and injustice, truth and injustice, moral and immoral. In philosophical treatises, in some literary and legal sources of the ancient East, one can find key common moral postulates that take long from the most ancient beliefs and religions and moral rules, known to science, and then reflected in Hinduism, Christianity, Islam. From the point of view of social and state ideology, the ruling elite was interested in spreading and affirming the notions of the sanctity and inviolability of the supreme power of rulers, who often combined religious and secular power. The laws of the rulers were also proclaimed by the commands of the gods, the highe rpowers, which must be strictly observed by all. This view of laws was reinforced by a system of severe punishments for violating them. Although this together helped to centralize the early states, to establish more effective protection against external enemies, and from the point of view of internal organization to keep the people firmly in subjection, it did not contribute to the development of ideals of individual freedom.

Transformation of the image of power on the medals of the last Valois during the Religious wars

The article is devoted to the study of images of Royal power that were used by the last Valois dynasty’s representatives, reflecting the transformations that occurred in connection with the attempt to strengthen the Royal authority with intensification of secular power and gaining spiritual power. Studying the French Royal medals of the end of the XVI century, it is possible to identify the main trends of changes in the image of the Royal power during the development of religious conflict, demonstrating the increasing role of certain Christian symbols that were used both to indicate their religious position and its presentation to society during the state crisis. The study analyzes the medals of the time of Charles IX, in particular in memory of St. Bartholomew’s night, and the medals of Henry III. Analysis of these images allows us to come to the conclusion about the evolution of ideas about the king and his power from the image of the ancient hero king that was formed at the time of the beginning of religious wars, to the restoration of the idea of the most Christian king and peacemaker king, common in the pre-Renaissance era, and which is most clearly shown in the images of Henry III.

Prospects for global jihadism in Southeast Asia

The article examines the relationship between local and global radical Islamist movements in the countries of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The author set out to determine the reasons for the attractiveness of the rhetoric of modern global jihadist movements for the local population in remote regions of the world. The study showed that the ideology of jihadism is based on a return to identity, the main pole of which is religion. After examining the origins of radical Islamist movements in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the author concluded that the Afghan War was the impetus for their development. The purpose of this study is to find common and distinctive characteristics of the situation with Islamist radicalism in each of the countries of the region. Analyzing the situation in Indonesia, the author concludes that the priority for local groups is local goals, and the issue of armed jihad has split the Indonesian Islamist movement into a moderate and radical wing associated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The article traces the evolution of secular power in Malaysia to the institutionalization of political Islam, starting in the 1970s. The author argues that the grows of the Islamization in Malaysia led to the fact that the modern religious and ethnic discourse of the country as a whole was prepared for the perception of the ideology of radicals when ISIS appeared in the region. The author found that the jihadist movements in the Philippines are motivated by the separatist conflict, they pursue local goals and use the rhetoric of global jihad to stimulate the struggle and intimidate opponents.

The Relationship between Islamic Structures and the State: the Case of Tatarstan

The paper focuses on the relationships that have developed over the past 30 years of the post-secularity period between the state and Islamic structures and communities using the example of the Republic of Tatarstan as a region with a significant Muslim population. Based on the data of 14 in-depth interviews with the experts, imams and residents of Tatarstan, it is shown that the secular power controls the Islamic community and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims and plays a dominant role in the interaction between the state and Islamic organizations. The modern processes of re-Islamization are associated with the risks caused by Islamic globalization which may lead to the loss of regional Islamic tradition and threaten the stability of the Republic. The state has strengthened control over the religious sphere in this context and has charged the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan with an important task of neutralizing and preventing extremism. The main ways to overcome radicalization of believers are educational activities with special attention paid to young people and work for training Muslim clergy. The paper also analyzes whether it is possible to observe the principle of secularism. Special attention is paid to the description of the two main parts that make up the Muslim Ummah of Tatarstan, their different attitudes to the issue of the state intervention in the affairs of Islam and the reaction that they received from the state and official Islamic organizations. The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan is forced to respond to the demands of not only the state, but also ordinary Muslims. However, it can hardly cope with the request to be a buffer between the secular authorities and the Islamic community.

dimensión política, socioeconómica y religiosa de la redención de cautivos en la Baja Edad Media: poder laico y órdenes religiosas

En este trabajo analizamos las relaciones de benefactoría entre el poder laico y las órdenes redentoras de cautivos –Trinidad y Merced– y el componente político e identitario de las mismas. Se abordan las dinámicas de la redención y las vías económicas por las que estas órdenes consiguieron recaudar el dinero necesario para llevar a cabo su cometido. Se expone la participación de otras órdenes y monasterios en la redención, dando origen al a la popularización de los milagros asociados a sus Vírgenes o santos titulares y las consiguientes peregrinaciones a estos cenobios. In this article we analyse the relations of benefactoría between the secular power and the redeeming orders of captives –Trinitarians and Mercedarians– as well as their political and identity component. We address the dynamics of redemption and the economic ways by which these orders managed to raise the money necessary to carry out their task. The participation of other orders and monasteries in the redemption is exposed, giving rise to the popularization of the miracles associated with their Virgin or titular saints and the consequent pilgrimages to these monasteries.

Creation of the Vyatka Brotherhood of the Saint Nicholas the Miracle Worker in the Context of the Interaction of the Secular and Spiritual Authorities of the Vyatka Province

Using mainly historical-comparative and historical-genetic methods, the question of the interaction of secular power in the person of the governor of the Vyatka province N. A. Troinitsky and the spiritual power in the person of Bishop of the Vyatka and Sloboda provinces Apollos (Belyaev) in terms of resolving the issue of opening a brotherhood in the Vyatka province to work with Old Believers, is raised in the article. In this work, on the basis of archival materials, the process of preparation for the opening of the Vyatka brotherhood of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker in the city of Vyatka in 1882 is considered. Particular attention is paid to the consideration of the position of the Bishop of Vyatka and Sloboda Apollos regarding the creation of the Vyatka brotherhood. In the course of the study, the authors come to the conclusion that Bishop Apollos was a supporter of the initiative of Archpriest Stephen Kashmensky in terms of creating a brotherhood, but at the same time sought to limit the material base of the brotherhood and create a brotherhood without funding from the consistory. As a result, through the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. P. Pobedonostsev, the misunderstanding between the secular and spiritual authorities of the Vyatka province was eliminated, and in the fall of 1882, with the blessing of the Bishop of Vyatka and Sloboda Apollos, the Vyatka brotherhood of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker was established.