A Series of Rituals Was Held in Kalmykia

As part of a pilgrimage, members of the “Tilopa” Buddhist center performed rites for the prosperity of Kalmykia in the four cardinal directions.

The first rituals were held in the territory of the Lagan district, during which the believers visited holy places located on the land of Lagan.  In the north of Kalmykia, the rituals were held in the Tselinny district, where the Ganachakra rituals, an offering of the Oirat sang, were performed and the Altn Gerl, Ushnishavijaya, Vajravidarana, and Prajnaparamita sutras were recited.  On the southern borders of the republic, the rites were held at five holy places, including in the village of Khomutnikovsky at the “Nohan Darkin Süm” complex and at the top of Mount Sheret — the highest point of the Republic of Kalmykia. The rituals concluded in the Priyutnoye district, during which the “Tilopa” members performed the “Hazr Täklhn” and “Serjm” rituals, offering the golden drink to the protectors and masters of the locality.

The events were held with the blessing of the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia and with the direct participation of the monks of the Central Khurul “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni.” The believers who took part in the rituals have been engaged in Buddhist practice for more than 20 years and hold the appropriate empowerments to conduct them. In all, more than 1,000 prayers and mantras were recited. In accordance with Buddhist tradition, during the rituals the offerings were made with white and sweet foods.

The “Tilopa” Buddhist center was founded in 1991 and bears the name of the great Indian mahasiddha whose reincarnation is the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche. Today the center actively participates in the spiritual life of the republic.