WICHITA — A Wichita State University Russian History Professor is working on two books about the resurgence of Buddhism and Buddhist imagery and symbols in the former Soviet Union. Wichita State’s Helen Hundley spent last summer in the highlands of Mongolia and Siberia for her research. Hundley says that since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s, a Buddhist explosion has spread across the region. She says the new form of “public Buddhism” has changed the physical and cultural landscape of Mongolia and Siberia alike. She says the Soviets banned public expressions of Buddhism but now roadside prayer shrines are everywhere and Buddhist prayer wheels for sale on street corners. She says in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bataar, nearly every car dashboard has a solar-powered prayer wheel.
Updated 5/15/13 @ 11:20 pm
