The Head of the Buddhists of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche Arrives in the Aga Buryat Okrug of Zabaykalsky Krai

Telo Tulku Rinpoche: “Visiting the Aginsky and Tsugolsky datsans filled my heart with hope and inspiration”

A delegation of Kalmykia led by the Honorary Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia and the CIS countries, the supreme lama (Shajin Lama) of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche visited the Aga Buryat Okrug of Zabaykalsky Krai on November 19.

The main point in the program of the delegation’s stay was the visit to two historic datsans of Zabaykalsky Krai — the Aginsky and the Tsugolsky — as well as the Aginsky Buddhist Academy.

At the Aginsky datsan the delegation was met by the lamas of the datsan, led by the Did Khambo Lama of Zabaykalsky Krai, Tseren Lama Dondukbaev.

According to Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the historic building of the Aginsky datsan is “charged with extraordinary energy — there you vividly feel the breath of history.”

“For many centuries hundreds of Buddhist monks and philosopher-scholars devoted themselves to contemplative practices, offered prayers and performed rituals at the Aginsky datsan. When you are there, their images distinctly rise up in the mind. Visiting this place was a true blessing for me — I felt deep emotions,” recounted the supreme lama of Kalmykia.

He noted that the temple complex turned out to be much larger than he had imagined.

“I was very glad to see the historic building, which survived a fire in 2014 but was completely restored, and I was amazed at how quickly it was restored,” Telo Rinpoche added, calling the Aginsky datsan “a unique place.”

“It is gratifying that it was possible to preserve this unique place — a focal point of culture and traditions — and to pass on this ancient heritage to new generations despite all the difficulties of modern life,” Rinpoche noted.

According to Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the statue of Buddha Maitreya located in the Aginsky datsan exceeded all his expectations.

“I had heard of it, but I could not imagine such a huge and majestic image of the Buddha of the Future,” Rinpoche commented.

The supreme lama of Kalmykia acquainted himself with great interest with the curriculum of the Aginsky Buddhist Academy, noting that “it is built with great care.”

“Although there are few students, the leaders and teachers of the academy are full of determination to work in order to continue the tradition of teaching Buddhist philosophy in Zabaykalye, a tradition rooted in the distant past,” he recounted.

The delegation of Kalmykia also visited another historic monument of Zabaykalsky Krai — the Tsugolsky datsan.

“This is a place bearing such a mark of blessing that, being here, you clearly and distinctly see what the spiritual life of the datsan was like decades or even hundreds of years ago. Fifteen hundred monks prayed within these blessed walls,” Telo Tulku Rinpoche shared his impressions, adding that a huge statue of the Buddha of the Future — Maitreya — has also been erected at the datsan.

The guests’ attention was drawn by the historic choyra datsan, which specialized in the study of philosophy and the holding of philosophical debates, the great prayer hall, the altar room of the protective deities, the ancient medical institute that it was possible to preserve, and the Buddhist stupa.

“I was very glad to visit these places; they filled my heart with hope and inspiration, and I look forward to a new opportunity to visit these blessed datsans,” Rinpoche noted, summing up the visit to the Aginsky and Tsugolsky datsans.

During the visit to Zabaykalsky Krai, Telo Tulku Rinpoche also met with the deputy head of the administration of the Aga Buryat Okrug, S.A. Tsyrenov, and the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Zabaykalsky Krai, Ts.B. Tsyrenov. The delegation also visited the Aginsky National Museum and the Aginsky Medical College.

From Zabaykalsky Krai Telo Tulku Rinpoche will travel to Tuva, where he will take part in the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected Kamby Lama (supreme lama) of the republic.