Indologist Viktoria Lyssenko of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Philosophy recently lectured at Kashmir University. She spoke to Aditi Bhaduri on Indology in Russia currently:
What is the state of Indic studies in Russia today?
Currently certain branches of Indology, which were earlier under strict ideological control – like religion and philosophy – are flourishing. Thanks to the initiatives of Prof Marietta Stepanyants, the author of the first textbook on Eastern philosophies, and the Indian embassy in Moscow, a unique chair of Indian Philosophy named after Mahatma Gandhi has been established at the Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences. Sanskrit and courses on various branches of Indian philosophical traditions are taught. Last year, the first specialised encyclopedia of Indian philosophy, prepared by Russian Indologists, was published and the State Commission declared it the best book of the year 2009. We actively cooperate with colleagues from the Indian Council for Philosophical Research.
What made you study Indian philosophy?
As a girl i read an extract from the Upanishads. It left a deep impression on me that when i, as a student of philosophy in Moscow State University, had to choose a language from among Spanish, Arabic and Sanskrit, i chose Sanskrit. For years i engaged in the study of the Vaisheshika school of thought. Buddhism came later when i was asked to write an article on the study of Buddhism in Russia, and i gradually immersed myself in Buddhism.
Your most recent lecture was in Kashmir University.
The lecture was organised by the Centre for Central Asian Studies. I was moved by the interest my lecture generated. I talked about faith and knowledge in early Buddhism, which generated fierce discussion, especially the premise that in Buddhism, as presented in the first two parts of the Tipitika, faith was not considered necessary for religious fulfilment. The Buddha said not to accept anything on simply faith, but on personal experience, of which he considered meditative experience the best. The audience said that without faith in God there can be no religion, hence Buddhism is not a religion at all. For a long time belief in god/gods was an essential feature of religion. But now many scholars are talking about the possibility of salvation as an essential feature, or as in Buddhism – liberation from sansar.
What are the current trends you see in Indian philosophical studies?
I have always found the enquiry into the nature of consciousness the strongest element of Indian philosophical thought. This can enrich modern research in the cognitive sciences. However, what concerns me is the estrangement between the study of traditional Indian philosophical schools and the study of Buddhism. True, Buddhism for long disappeared from the Indian scene, but the fundamentals of its philosophy were formulated as part of Indian philosophical thought with its traditional polemics and constant exchange of ideas between different schools. This deep familial link of Buddhism with the Indian philosophical soil that engendered it is being missed by both Buddhist and Hindu philosophy studies. Buddhists study six Hindu darshans, but in a rather formal way as if these were dogmatic systems. Specialists on darshanas also formally study Buddhism. In my opinion, the important aspect missing is the mutual enrichment of both traditions, their constructive impact on each other.
Source: Times of India
