Reincarnation of Tilopa Telo tulku occupies the position of chief lama, Shajin Lama, Kalmykia. His secular name is Erdni Basanovich Ombadykov. However, after he was recognized at the age of 8 as a new reincarnation of the famous Mongolian line of Dilova-Khutukht, his secular name can now only be found out from Wikipedia

Rebirth of Tilopa. Telo Tulku holds the position of Chief Lama, Shajin Lama, Kalmykia. His secular name is Erdni Basanovich Ombadykov. However, after he was recognized at the age of 8 as a new reincarnation of the famous Mongolian line of Dilova-Khutukht, one can now only learn about his secular name from Wikipedia. After Erdni Ombadykov was recognized as a reborn by the Dalai Lama XIV himself, he began to bear his official title - Telo tulku, where Telo is the Tibetan pronunciation of the name of the great Indian yogi Tilopa (in Mongolian Dilova). To be recognized as a reincarnation of Tilopa is a great honor and high prestige. So Erdni Basanovich, at the age of eight, became one of the most respected tulkus (reincarnates) of the Buddhist world.

American roots. The current rebirth of Tilopa was born in 1972 in the first capital of the United States of America, the city of Philadelphia, into a family of Kalmyk emigrants. About 2,000 Kalmyks live in the United States today. Since childhood, English became the native language of the little Kalmyk degenerate, but after his parents, on the advice of the XIV Dalai Lama, sent their son to study in India, Tibetan became his second native language.

Disciple of the Dalai Lama. The traditional place of training for Kalmyk lamas in Tibet was the Gomang Faculty of Drepung Monastery, which was recreated by Tibetan refugees in India. Telo Tulku spent 13 long years studying. During the years spent in India, Telo Tulku became a close disciple of the 14th Dalai Lama and accompanied him during the Tibetan hierarch’s visits to Russia in the early 90s. Either on the initiative of the main Tibetan hierarch, or at the request of the Kalmyk Buddhists themselves, in 1991, 19-year-old Telo Tulku was elected Shajin Lama of Kalmykia.

New Shajin Lama. Before Telo Tulku, the position of Supreme Lama of the Kalmyks was held by the Buryat Lama Tuvan-Dorji, sent to Kalmykia by the Central Spiritual Administration of Buddhists, the only official organization of Buddhists in the USSR and in the first years after its collapse. Probably, the Kalmyks themselves considered the fact that the position of the Supreme Lama of the Kalmyks was occupied by Buryats as a temporary and forced decision. Therefore, as soon as the figure of Telo tulku, a high-status and well-educated Kalmyk, appeared on the horizon, the choice became obvious.

Achievements. Kalmykia recently celebrated Telo Tulku’s twentieth anniversary as Supreme Lama of the Kalmyks. Over the years, the charisma of the reincarnate was supplemented by the authority of an active Buddhist figure. Indeed, in addition to the achievements of the Shajin Lama routinely listed in the media, including the restoration of dozens of monasteries, the construction of the largest Buddhist temple in Russia and Europe, others can be mentioned. It will not be an exaggeration to say that over these 20 years Telo Tulku has gained popularity and love among the Buddhists of Kalmykia, who are proud of his education, manners, modesty and closeness to the Dalai Lama. Telo Tulku holds meetings with young people, teaches them how to cook vegetarian dishes, gives lectures on how remain a Buddhist in an urban environment. Shajin Lama's age, his urban upbringing, and openness to the modern world, which he inherited from his teacher, also have an effect.

Disciple of the Dalai Lama. The high authority of the 14th Dalai Lama adds respect to Telo Tulku. The connection between them can serve as an example of the pure teacher-student relationship so valued in Buddhism. Telo tulku maintains this status as a personal disciple of the Tibetan Buddhist leader. The figure of the Kalmyk hierarch is behind all the initiatives to invite His Holiness to Russia. It was Telo Tulku who, more persistently than other Buddhist leaders in Russia, convinced the Russian authorities of the need to respect the rights of Buddhists in Russia, without stopping to directly criticize the Minister of Foreign Affairs: “... I was full of hope when Sergei Lavrov, a diplomat with capital letter, representing the Russian Federation at the UN. I was confident that he would find a diplomatic solution acceptable to both parties: Russian citizens of the Buddhist faith, and business partners from the People's Republic of China. But now, reading the transcripts of his statements, I'm starting to think I was wrong." Such an unusual emotional statement for a religious leader, made after yet another refusal of a visa to the Dalai Lama, is explained, it seems to me, not by a lack of experience, but by truly sincere emotions. These same emotions forced him to pointedly refuse to participate in the International Religious Summit, which was held in Moscow in 2006, when the Dalai Lama was not on the list of invited leaders. Then Telo Tulku’s claims were addressed to one of the organizers of the event, then Metropolitan Kirill. All this does not add love to the leader of Kalmyk Buddhists on the part of Russian and Russian Orthodox Church officials.

Relations with Buddhists of Buryatia and Tyva. Telo tulku’s visits to Buryatia cannot be called frequent. During his last visit, Telo tulku met with Hambo Lama Damba Ayusheev. After the meeting, in an interview with SaveTibet.ru, he could not contain his irritation at Ayusheev’s insufficient, in his opinion, zeal in organizing the Dalai Lama’s visit to Russia. Relations between the two leaders can be described as cool. The degree of these relations fell even lower after their interests collided in another Buddhist region of Russia - Tyva. After the election of Suldym-bashka as the new Kamba Lama of Tuva in 2010, the latter led a line of rapprochement with Kalmyk Buddhists, while previously Buryatia remained the main reference point for Tuvan Buddhists. The emerging confrontation, which, fortunately, does not take open forms, is explained by the difference in the strategic priorities of the Telo tulku and the Hambo Lama.

Strategic priorities. The current Shajin Lama of Kalmykia is often accused of lack of loyalty to Russia. The reason for such suspicions is not only the fact of his birth in the USA, but also his poor knowledge of the Kalmyk and Russian languages. Despite twenty years of living in Russia, Telo Tulku still does not feel fluent in speaking, so to speak, “profile” languages; he gives interviews and makes addresses or official congratulations on holidays in English and Tibetan. The obvious bias of the Kalmyk hierarch’s policy towards His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan refugee diaspora in India has already been used by his opponents in Kalmykia. A number of Kalmyk lamas accused Telo Tulku of ignoring lamas of Kalmyk origin and creating conditions for the dominance of Tibetans in Kalmykia. One can have different attitudes to these types of accusations, but it is quite obvious that Telo Tulku is not trying to hide his sympathy for the Tibetan refugees. He is the constant organizer of all major Russian events in “Tibetan India”. Largely thanks to this position, Telo Tulku gained high authority among Russian Buddhists, who regularly travel to India to attend the teachings of the Dalai Lama. But for this he has to pay with the distrust and coldness of the Russian authorities, who prefer to focus on the loyal and predictable Pandito Hambo Lama.

Alien in Russia. Despite the ardent love of his Kalmyk followers and young Russian neophytes, Telo Tulku remains a stranger to the Russian political elite. Officials are irritated by the principled and sometimes overly emotional position of the Shajin Lama on the Tibetan issue, his focus on the Tibetan diaspora, which is unrecognized by the official authorities of Russia. One of the Russian researchers even regards the appointment and activities of Telo Tulku as “the refusal of Kalmyk Buddhists to revive their religion in the Russian regional format and the fairway laid by Buryat traditionalists.” All this, coupled with the Shajin Lama’s American origin and the use of a translator when communicating with his own people, provides sufficient grounds for his marginalization in the Russian political space. However, the sincerity, perseverance and love of the followers is the best guarantee of the Telo tulku's firm position in his post.

Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche

Biography

Venerable Telo Tulku Rinpoche was born in America, in the city of Philadelphia in 1972. Parents are immigrants from Kalmykia who immigrated to the United States. Telo Rinpoche's grandfather was a Buddhist cleric who was subsequently persecuted. As a child, Venerable Telo Rinpoche began to show special interests that were not typical for ordinary children. At the age of four, he began to call himself a lama and said that he would become a monk. He often visited the khurul of the Kalmyk community in America. His extraordinary abilities were noted by the monks and in 1979 his family received an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After conducting special traditional inquiries, His Holiness recognized Erdni-Basan Ombadykov as the ninth incarnation of the Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa. In 1980, in the South of India at the Drepung Gomang monastery, he was officially enthroned. At Drepung Gomang Monastery, Telo Tulku Rinpoche studied logic, philosophy, history, grammar and other Buddhist disciplines for thirteen years.

In 1991, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was invited to the Republic of Kalmykia. He asked Telo Tulku Rinpoche to accompany him on this visit. In 1992, Telo Tulku Rinpoche visited the republic again. During this period, an extraordinary congress of the Society of Buddhists of Kalmykia was held at which the lama from Buryatia Tuvan Dorje was removed from the post of Shajin Lama of Kalmykia for financial fraud. Buddhists of Kalmykia unanimously supported the candidacy of Telo Tulku Rinpoche for the place of the Supreme Lama of Kalmykia.

Over the course of seventeen years, through the efforts of Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche, more than forty Buddhist temples and a huge number of stupas were erected. Also in the city of Elista, the largest Buddhist temple in Russia and Europe was erected.

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Books

• Dilova Khutukhta of Mongolia. Political memoirs and autobiography of the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama, Gordienko E. V.. Memoirs of Dilov-khutukhta Bashlugiin Dzhamsranjava (1884 1965) occupy a special place among the sources on the history of Mongolia in modern times. Their author is one of the highest lamas of Mongolia, the incarnation of Tilopa...

Telo Tulku Rinpoche was born in the United States of America.

October 27, 1972, (in the world - Erdni Basan Ombadykov). When he was six years old, during the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Philadelphia, he was recognized as the living incarnation of the Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa.

Since that time, all his activities have been inextricably linked with the revival of Buddhism in our republic.

In 1992, at a Buddhist conference, he, as the living embodiment of the Teacher, was elected Shajin Lama of Kalmykia.

From then until today, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, as Shajin Lama, has done a lot of serious work to restore and strengthen Buddhist teachings on Kalmyk land.

The current state of Buddhism in Kalmykia.

Buddhism in Kalmykia has a long and rich history. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were more than 90 large and small khuruls on the territory of Kalmykia, with about 3 thousand clergy.

In the 1930s, as a result of Stalinist repressions, almost all temples were destroyed, and the Buddhist clergy were subjected to severe repression. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Buddhism in Kalmykia was practically destroyed. The eviction of Kalmyks in 1943 completed the defeat of Buddhism.

The revival of Buddhism in the republic began only in the late 80s. and was associated with the process of perestroika in the USSR, the beginning of the democratization of public life. In 1988, the first Buddhist community was registered in Elista, and the first house of worship was opened in the same year. Lama Tuvan Dorj, who came from Buryatia, became its rector.

A significant event in the religious life of Kalmykia was the first visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV, which took place in the summer of 1991 and gave a powerful impetus to the development of Buddhism in the republic. In Elista, the Dalai Lama held three mass prayer services, visited a khurul, consecrated the construction site of a Buddhist temple complex, and met with the leadership of Kalmykia and the public of the capital.

In the fall of 1992, the Dalai Lama visited the republic again. As during the previous visit, he read prayers and delivered sermons. In addition, he ordained thirteen people as monks, among whom were not only Kalmyks, but also representatives of other nationalities. This ceremony took place in the newly erected shume temple. During his visit, the Dalai Lama visited the Caspian, Ketchenerovsky and Yashkul regions of Kalmykia. He consecrated khuruls in the city of Lagan and the village of Dzhalykovo.

An important event was the creation of the Union of Buddhists of Kalmykia (UBK). In 1991, the first conference of the OBC was held, which approved the charter and elected Shajin Lama of the Kalmyk people Tuvan Dorja. In 1992, a second conference took place. Its result was the election of Shajin Lama and President of the OBK Telo Tulku Rinpoche (E. Ombadykov). Back in 1992, a Buddhist youth center was created in Elista, which began active educational activities, including teaching the basics of Buddhism, the Tibetan language and ancient Indian logic. The center was later renamed Dharma Center.

It should be noted that the revival of Buddhism in Kalmykia was primarily facilitated by the policy of the current leadership of the republic, headed by the Head of Kalmykia, FIDE President K.N. Ilyumzhinov, elected to the post of head of the republic in April 1993. It was thanks to his constant support - financial and organizational - that over forty Buddhist religious buildings were built, annual trips of pilgrims to holy places for every Buddhist were organized (Tibet, India, etc.) and representatives of the Russian media at the annual press conference of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at his residence in the Indian city of Dharamsala, the arrival of outstanding teachers of various branches of Buddhism in Kalmykia.

In 1994, the International Buddhist Forum, organized by the Dharma Center, was held in Elista. About a thousand believers from Russia, the CIS countries and a number of foreign countries, as well as famous Buddhist lamas from India, Bhutan and Nepal took part in the forum. As part of this event, Buddhist prayers, dedications, a charity telethon and a spiritual-ecological expedition were held.

Subsequently, within the framework of the Dharma Center, religious communities of lay people began to form, focused on one or another of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. One of the first such communities was the Karma Kagyu center. In 1995, a branch of the International Institute of the Karma Kagyu School was opened in Elista, the program of which includes Buddhist philosophy and practice, and the Tibetan language.

“Red Cap” Buddhism is represented in Kalmykia by two more schools - Sakyapa and Nyingmapa, whose communities arose after the arrival of teachers of these traditions to Kalmykia: the patriarch of the Sakya tradition, His Holiness Sakya Tritsin, and the Nygmapa teachers, the venerable Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. Currently, there is a khurul of the Ningma school in the village of Iki-Burul.

In Kalmykia, there are also secular Buddhist organizations, whose followers adhere to the traditional Kalmyk Buddhism of the Gelugpa school. In Elista, these are primarily the Chenrezi and Tilopa centers.

A significant event for the Buddhists of Kalmykia was the opening in 1996 of Syakusn Syume in Elista. The new temple became the center of the spiritual life of our republic. Several tens of thousands of people gathered at the opening of this beautiful temple.

One of the main teachers and followers of the Gelug school is His Eminence Bogdo-gegen IX, who repeatedly visited Kalmykia. The visits of the spiritual leader of the Mongolian peoples contributed to the revival of Buddhism among the Kalmyks. During his visits, Bogdo-gegen traveled around the regions, read sermons, and gave blessings. The 2003 visit was especially fruitful, during which believers were given initiation into Kalachakra tantra.

The venerable Lama Yeshe-Lodoi Rinpoche visited our republic several times. In the early 1990s, Yeshe-Lodoi Rinpoche, on behalf of the Dalai Lama, came to Buryatia to teach Buddhist philosophy. In Kalmykia, Rinpoche gave initiations into the Yamantaka, Chakrasamvara and Guhyasamaja tantras.

In 2002-2003 Tibetan monks from the Gyudmed monastery came to Kalmykia four times. Gyudmed is famous for teaching secret tantric teachings here. In addition, its monks are famous for their original throat singing. In Elista they built three sand mandalas, which symbolize the matrix of the Universe and at the same time the palace of the deities. The Green Tara mandala was erected first, the Avolakitesvara mandala was the second, and the Yamantaka mandala was the third. It is believed that contemplation of the mandala cleanses a person of negative karma, obscurations and diseases. At the end of construction, the mandalas were destroyed, which should remind people of the frailty of existence and the need to prepare for the next life. During their visits, the monks of Gyudmed also bestowed blessings of the goddess Tara, Manla (Buddha of Medicine) and Mandzushri (Buddha of Wisdom), performed ceremonies for purifying the Universe, and gave lectures on Buddhism.

From August 3 to August 15, 2003, in Kalmykia, on the territory of Citychess, an all-Russian Buddhist retreat was held under the leadership of the venerable Geshe Jampa Tinley. It became a very important event for Buddhists not only in Kalmykia, but throughout Russia. To participate in this event, many Buddhists from different cities (Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Ulan-Ude, Kyzyl, etc.), as well as from Ukraine, arrived in Kalmykia.

The most important event of recent years was the visit to Kalmykia of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV in 2004, organized by the Head of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Despite the brevity, the meeting with the Teacher gave a huge impetus to the revival of Buddhism in our republic.

Another major event in the life of Buddhists in Kalmykia was the opening at the end of 2005 of a new temple in Elista - Burkhn Bagshin Altyn Sume (Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni), which is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe and built with the blessing of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama ( During his visit in 2004, the Dalai Lama consecrated the site for the construction of a khurul) with the personal funds of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

And in 2006, under the patronage of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the Days of Kalmyk Culture were held in Dharamsala, during which Kirsan Ilyumzhinov presented His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with the highest award of Kalmykia - the Order of the White Lotus for his outstanding contribution to the revival of Buddhism in Russia and Kalmykia .

For the period 1993-2002. There was a quantitative increase in Buddhist communities. Today there are 35 Buddhist associations in Kalmykia. Much has been done with government support in the construction of Buddhist temples. There are already more than 30 khuruls operating in the republic.

In recent years, large khuruls have been erected by believers and local authorities in the city of Lagan, the villages of Tsagan-Aman, Yashkul, Iki-Burul, Arshan-Zelmen, etc. Prayer houses were opened in the city of Gorodovikovsk, the Khomutnikovsky state farm, the village of Ketchenery, the village of Troitsky, etc.

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The Foundation for Promoting the Preservation of the Cultural and Philosophical Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism “Let's Save Tibet” and the Buddhist Youth Association in Moscow invite you to a meeting with the honorary representative of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia and the CIS countries, Shajin Lama (Supreme Lama) of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche. As part of the meeting, there will be a presentation of the new book “Dilova-Khutukhta of Mongolia. Political memoirs and autobiography of the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama."

The Foundation for Promoting the Preservation of the Cultural and Philosophical Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism “Let's Save Tibet” and the Buddhist Youth Association in Moscow invite you to a meeting with the honorary representative of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia and the CIS countries, Shajin Lama (Supreme Lama) of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche.

As part of the meeting, there will be a presentation of the new book “Dilova-Khutukhta of Mongolia. Political memoirs and autobiography of the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama,” telling about the previous incarnation of Telo Tulku Rinpoche. The book was published in 2018 by the “Save Tibet” Foundation for promoting the preservation of cultural and philosophical traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The executive editor of the publication, S.L., will talk about the book. Kuzmin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Candidate of Biological Sciences, leading researcher at the Department of Korea and Mongolia at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche will give a talk on the topic “What does it mean to be a tulku? My personal experience” and will answer questions from meeting participants.

The meeting will take place on November 11 (Sunday) at 14:00 at the Open World Center (Moscow, Pavlovskaya St., 18, Expo Hall, Tulskaya metro station).

Admission is free, registration is required.

About the book

“Dilova Khutukhta of Mongolia. Political memoirs and autobiography of the reincarnation of a Buddhist lama"
The memoirs of Dilov-hutukhta Bashlugiin Jamsranjava (1884–1965) occupy a special place among the sources on the history of Mongolia in modern times. Their author is one of the highest lamas of Mongolia, the incarnation of Tilopa (Tib.: Telo) - a sacred figure for followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Tilopa's current reincarnation (next after Jamsranjava) is Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the honorary representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia and the CIS countries, the Supreme Lama (Shajin Lama) of Kalmykia.

Dilova Khutukhta B. Jamsranjav is known to historians primarily as a religious, political and statesman of Mongolia. He was one of the highest reborn lamas of Mongolia - the Khutukht. During the period of repression in the 1930s, which was carried out under the leadership of the Bolsheviks by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), he, the only Khutukht who survived up to that time, managed to stay alive and leave the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR). He left political memoirs and an autobiography, which, although not without some inaccuracies, give a realistic picture of events and contain important information about a number of little-known episodes of history.

Translation from English by E. V. Gordienko
Responsible editors of the Russian edition S. L. Kuzmin and Zh. Oyuunchimeg
Literary editor of the Russian edition of N. G. Inozemtseva
Save Tibet Foundation, 2018.
352 pp., 11 ill.
ISBN 978–5-905792–28–1

Telo Tulku Rinpoche

– Honorary Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia and the CIS countries, President of the Centralized Religious Organization “Union of Buddhists of Kalmykia”, Spiritual Director of the Foundation for Promoting the Preservation of Cultural and Philosophical Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism “Save Tibet” (Moscow), Spiritual Director of the Tilopa Center ( Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia).

Telo Tulku Rinpoche was born on October 27, 1972 into a family of Kalmyk emigrants in the United States. At the age of four, the future Supreme Lama of Kalmykia told his parents about his desire to become a monk. And when he was six years old, he had the opportunity to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who advised him to send the boy to study at the Tibetan monastery of Drepung Gomang in India. He spent 13 years there studying Buddhist philosophy under the guidance of distinguished Tibetan teachers. In the late 1980s, during his years of study at the monastery, he was recognized as the new reincarnation of the great Indian saint Tilopa, who incarnated twice in Inner Mongolia and three times in Mongolia.

In 1991, Telo Tulku Rinpoche first came to Kalmykia as part of the delegation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV. The first meeting with his historical homeland was followed by an invitation to lead the process of spiritual revival of the steppe republic, which was in dire need of his knowledge and spiritual experience.

In 1992, Telo Tulku Rinpoche was elected Shajin Lama (Supreme Lama) of Kalmykia. In recent years, under his leadership, over 30 Buddhist temples and houses of worship, destroyed during the years of Soviet power, have been erected. Since 2005, the residence of Telo Tulku Rinpoche has been located in the main temple of Kalmykia, the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, which is recognized as the largest Buddhist temple in Russia and Europe.

During his tenure as Shajin Lama, Telo Tulku Rinpoche has made great efforts to strengthen the religious and cultural ties that have existed for centuries between the traditional Buddhist regions of Russia and the Tibetan community led by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Telo Tulku Rinpoche accompanied the Dalai Lama during his first visits to Kalmykia in the early 90s, which became the starting point for the restoration of Buddhism in the republic. With his active participation, the long-awaited visit of the Dalai Lama to Russia in November 2004 was carried out, which gave new impetus to the process of reviving traditional Buddhist values ​​in Kalmykia and Russia as a whole.

At the personal invitation of Telo Tulku Rinpoche, in recent years, Russia was visited by the head of the Sakya school His Holiness Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, the abbot of the Drepung Gomang monastery Yonten Damcho, the former abbot of the Namgyal monastery Chado Tulku Rinpoche, leading Buddhist teachers Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, Geshe Lhakdor, Barry Kerzin, Tenzin Priyadarshi, Robert Thurman, Alan Wallace and many others.

Since then, over 30 temples and houses of worship have been restored and built in the steppe region. Since 2005, the residence of Telo Tulku Rinpoche has been located in the main temple of Kalmykia - the “Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”. Now it is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe.
- Your Holiness, what are the primary tasks for the full development of Buddhism in Russia?
- The primary task is to preserve the purity of the tradition and teachings of the Buddha in these extremely difficult times. For 2,550 years, Buddhists have managed to maintain the purity of monastic and lay discipline, we must continue to emphasize this.
After the revolution of 1917, the Buddhist clergy and believers in Russia suffered severe trials, and we lost many values: both material and spiritual. Can we revive what has been lost, return to the pure monastic tradition, which, without a doubt, forms the basis of Buddhist teaching, dharma? I think yes. But it takes time and effort. Remember that spiritual discipline was absent in Russia for 70 years, yet today we are seeing a gradual revival of not only Buddhism, but also other religious traditions.
A lot is changing in the modern world, and Russia is no exception. Society faces many problems - political, economic, moral. To overcome these difficulties, again, spiritual discipline and a code of moral principles that corresponds to reality are needed.
It would be useful to think seriously about what the Buddhist approach to solving pressing social problems is, and to find a way to offer elements of Buddhist ethics to society. I am sure this will be beneficial and will contribute to his recovery.
- Don’t you think that the presence of the Hambo Lama of Buryatia in the Interreligious Council in your (and the Tuvan Kamba Lama’s) absence is an injustice? Maybe it's time to fix the situation?
- It is important to realize that, unlike Orthodoxy, in Russian Buddhism - and not only in Russian - there has never been centralization. Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva became part of Russia in different years (by the way, Kalmykia was the first: we recently celebrated our 400th anniversary).
The spiritual life of each people developed independently of each other, and at the same time they all maintained close ties with Tibet. This becomes obvious even with a superficial acquaintance with historical sources.
However, today only the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia is represented at the federal level - an organization that is in no way connected with the main Buddhist organizations of the other two republics: neither with the Association of Buddhists of Kalmykia, nor with the Association of Buddhists of Tuva. Their voices are not heard and their interests are not taken into account. This needs to change, and the sooner the better.
- What, in your opinion, can and should be like Buddhist education in Russia? Are you satisfied with “Fundamentals of Buddhist Culture” and the practice of introducing this discipline in schools in general?
- I consider the introduction of the subject “Fundamentals of World Religions” in schools to be a correct and timely step, since this discipline helps to open the hearts of our children. I strongly believe that the more knowledge we have about other cultures and religions, the better.
On the other hand, this subject was introduced too hastily and without proper preparatory work. The teachers who were supposed to teach this discipline did not undergo the necessary training. But, nevertheless, this is a good start, and I hope that work in this direction will continue.
As you know, Kalmykia was chosen as one of the regions where an experiment was conducted to teach the basics of religious cultures. Positive results are evident, but, above all, because the clergy of Kalmykia provided great assistance to teachers to help them understand the multifaceted philosophy of Buddhism. And, of course, we regularly meet with students from schools and other educational institutions: we give lectures and conduct seminars.
- Has the position of Buddhism in Kalmykia changed after Kirsan Ilyumzhinov left the presidential post?
- Without a doubt, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov did a lot for the revival of Buddhism. Moreover, it is very important to remember that he provided his assistance not as a government official, and not as the head of the republic. This was his contribution as a resident of Kalmykia and as a Buddhist. Of course, we are sorry that he no longer heads Kalmykia, since no one can replace Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in his promotion of Buddhism.
- What are the relationships between Buddhists and other religions in Kalmykia?
- Representatives of various religious institutions in Kalmykia have friendly relations. We maintain an open dialogue and discuss issues directly and sincerely, without fear of hurting anyone's feelings. I'm glad to say that we don't have any problems. And if they arose, we would discuss them with all openness and find a mutually acceptable solution.
I think this is happening because in Kalmykia they realize: despite all the dissimilarities in the philosophical foundations of various religions, they all strive to bring good to humanity. I was very pleased when the Orthodox Bishop Zosima (at that time he was the Bishop of Elista and Kalmykia), after meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, said that there was “a lot of Orthodox ascetics in him.” This willingness to treat the values ​​of other religions with respect and understanding truly brings people together.
- You are one of the initiators of holding the Dalai Lama’s teachings for Russian Buddhists in India. Do you really think that sermons heard so far from Russia will be able to influence the state of affairs in Russian Buddhism?
- In my opinion, the events of past years have already proven that exercises conducted even at such a considerable distance from Russia have many advantages. Firstly, people find themselves in a new environment, in another part of the globe, and get acquainted with the culture of other countries. They make pilgrimages to holy places. They meet with representatives of other branches of Buddhism, with philosophers, high lamas, and monks. All this cannot be obtained by remaining on Russian territory.
And, of course, the most important thing is that they can come into contact with the wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, receive his blessing, his philosophical teachings and initiations. We all know that His Holiness's years are passing, and our requests for an entry visa to Russia for him are rejected on a regular basis.
So, meeting him in India and other countries remains our only opportunity to learn from him and maintain contact with him. And this brings enormous benefits to everyone. I am deeply convinced that the Dalai Lama’s teachings for Russian Buddhists, even if they are held in India, have a very significant impact on the state of Buddhism in Russia. And this influence will undoubtedly expand.