Russian people are proud of their spirituality. After the era of communism, the old values and spiritual traditions gained strength again. Unlike many other countries, Russia is a country where spirituality is massive.
What are the roots of this spirituality, and what makes the Russian people look for something higher, ascend above the material and be ready to sacrifice so much for the sake of truth?
Russian saints
In Russia, there were no great spiritual teachers who became famous all over the world, such as Mahavira, Buddha, Moses or Christ. But this country had its own saints. Among them are Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov. Seraphim of Sarov and Sergius of Radonezh were hermits, monks. However, their lifestyle of spiritual seeking attracted followers to them.
Their teachings did not reach the world level, but they were entrenched among the believing Orthodox Christians. These saints reformed and transformed the Russian Orthodox Church. Sergius of Radonezh and his followers founded more than forty monasteries in Russia.
Seraphim of Sarov preached joy and solitude, which, according to him, helped to grow spiritually. Seraphim had visions in which the Mother of God came to him and healed him.
The Mother of God is especially revered in Russia. Her icons, for example Fedorov and Kazan, are considered miraculous and bringing grace.
Reflections of the Russian intelligentsia on the spirituality of the Russian people
A great contribution to the development of Russian spirituality was made by Russian thinkers and writers: Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alexander Dobrolyubov, Nikolai Leskov, Nikolai Berdyaev.
The spiritual quest of the Russian person was reflected in a special way in the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" by Leskov. Dostoevsky raises complex spiritual issues in his works, comparing Orthodoxy and Catholicism (The Idiot), raising the themes of violence and forgiveness (The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment), sin and innocence (The Dream of a Ridiculous Man).
In their moral conclusions and reflections, writers often relied on examples from the life of the Russian people.
Nikolai Berdyaev, reflecting on the issues of Russian spirituality, noted that the spiritual search permeates the entire life of a Russian person. Moreover, this search affects both ordinary people, peasants, and people of higher classes. The writer notes another feature of "spiritual Christianity" in Russia - this is a voluntary renunciation of culture and an appeal to nature. For Russian spirituality, according to Nikolai Berdyaev, the dissolution of man in God, a kind of impersonal divinity, is characteristic. For a Russian person in spirituality there is no human freedom and activity, but only the will of God. In this sense, the spirituality of the Russian people is much closer to the Eastern teachings of Buddhism.
The mystical thirst of the Russian people was expressed in the legend of the city of Kitezh, a kind of promised land of Orthodox Christians.
The main search for a Russian person is internal. This is spiritual work on oneself, the search for Christ in oneself, that is, the divine principle.
Russia looks to the East
The spirituality of the Russian people is manifested in relentless pursuits. In search of truth, many Russian people turn to the teachings of the East, to the spiritual traditions and practices of India, to yoga, meditation, Ayurveda. In modern Russia, many people go to India to master ancient knowledge and return to educate their fellow tribesmen.
