ユーシェンコ大統領への公開書簡の全文

Warsaw, Poland, 16 May, 2005
/Contacts: /
/e-mail: myohoji@land.ru, mobile in Poland: +48-663357031/

Open letter to President Yushenko
from a Buddhist monk of Japan, who lived in Ukraine 14 years, joined the Orange Revolution and expelled recently

Dear Mr. President,

Please, receive my heartfelt congratulation for the 100th day of your presidency. I would like to remind you whether you remember the sounds of the drums on the eve of your inauguration day, which sounded in the Mariinskiy park, and also whether you remember sounds of drums resounded throughout the upheaval of the Orange Revolution in the Maidan or streets of Kiev, and whenever you appeared in the public.
It is the sounds of the prayer drums beaten by the Buddhist monks of the Order Nipponzan Myohoji in Ukraine, of whom I am a Teacher since 1991, right after I personally took part in the nonviolent August revolution in Moscow during the failed coup d’etat and decided to dedicate myself for the unprecedented post-Cold war transformations, as Buddhist peace activist during the 1970-80th European peace movement.

Last 14 years of post-Soviet transitions was indeed turbulent, difficult experiment. Our Buddhist prayer drums sounded in each and every difficult incidents on this process. For instance, 1993 President Eltsin’s storm of the White House in Moscow and the most tragic post-Soviet military conflict of Chechen war were among those incidents, where we stood as witness for peace and nonviolence with our prayer drums. My outspoken criticism on Chechen war and many peace initiatives on the ground of Chechen battlefields finally led the Russian FSB to enlist me as “person non grata” in Russia since the year 2000.

Ukrainian transition process has been also no exception. Our Order often had to face the harassments of local authorities and regional Committees on Religious Affairs. The culture of Peace Festival commemorating the UNESCO year of Culture of Peace 2000 were celebrated in Kharkov, amid the threat of surrounding local police. On the day of the Enlightenment of the Buddha, participants of the ceremony were all taken to the custody of the police. Later our community building at the forest park in Kharkov were forcefully evacuated and eventually dismantled.

In the last year’s February, when I arrived to Kiev Boryspil airport, I was stopped to enter the country and deported without any appropriate explanations, except that I can not come to Ukraine for 1000 years.

However, my last 14 years’ personal interaction with Ukrainian people makes me reflect deeply their unique historical spirituality imbedded in their culture since ancient time of skifs.

Therefore, eye opening seen of millions of totally peaceful Ukrainian people’s Orange revolution was nothing but the miracle of the awakening power of this spirituality. I am truly glad that myself and our Order were in part of the most significant historical and cultural victory unprecedented in all human history. In order to commemorate this victory, our Order pronounced the proposal to build the Sacred Kurgan-Stupa in Kiev celebrating the beginning of New Era for Ukrainian history.

Mr. President,

Despite of those wonderful triumph of Orange revolution, I regret to inform you of the latest denial of my entry to Ukraine. On May 4, I was stopped at the Polish-Ukrainian border station and sent back to Poland by the SBU instruction, which, later we were told by the spokesperson of SBU answering to the inquiry of journalist, was the decision made in 2002 according to the CIS agreement on the border security.

Such SBU decisions, I believe, were unjust, unreasonable and completely outdated. It is such disgrace that post-Soviet new Russia expelled me in the end on the pretext that I am a threat to the security of the state. But in fact I was the only one Buddhist monk in the world, who dared to remain in the most crucial moments in Moscow, only praying for the future of Russia. Consequently, we all see the today’s state of affairs in Russia.

I earnestly hope, that post Orange revolution Ukraine under your presidency will never follow such disgrace and that you will keep your campaign’s promise and your vision of truly open and free democratic Ukraine, which remain to be truthful to its people and friends.

I regard my case of the Ukrainian SBU treatment as significant indication how much you could deliver your vision into reality.

During this Warsaw Summit of the Counsel of Europe, I was jointed by my students from Ukraine and Russia together to stage our Peace Prayer Vigil “Save Chechnya Now from Genocide” at the old city center of Warsaw. At the same time, I am publishing this open letter addressed to you with my hope that you may directly take notice to my appeal and investigate the issue.

With my deep prayer for the future of Ukraine and for the success of the Warsaw Summit of the Counsel of Europe. Best wishes for your health and your family.

Respectfully yours,

Junsei Terasawa,

Warsaw, Poland, May 15, 2005