PRESENTATION OF THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE SERIES “THE LEGACY OF KALMYK GELUNGS”
The Central Khurul of Kalmykia hosted a presentation of the book by the renowned émigré public figure and Buddhist monk Sanji-Rakba Menkov “Huranghu ivel, zalvrl tergütn orshv” (Brief Refuge and Prayer Appeals to the Teachers). This book is the first volume of the large series “The Legacy of Kalmyk Gelungs.” Works by Lamas Dorji Setenov and Menke Bormanjinov are currently being prepared for publication.
A large team worked on the publication of the book under the guidance of Gelong Yonten-Lodoy. Gennady Korneev, director of the Center for the Development of the Kalmyk Language, prepared the transcription from Todo Bichig into modern Kalmyk, the translation into Russian, the biographical essay, and the glossary; Acharya Bem Mitruev served as the academic editor, and Tatyana Alekseevna Mikhaleva as the technical editor.
According to Yonten Gelong, senior administrator of the Central Khurul, from time immemorial the Kalmyk clergy have preserved and multiplied the Buddhist heritage. “Unfortunately, over the years of Soviet rule much was lost and forgotten. Now we must make every effort to revive and preserve this richest heritage. The time has come to pass on the unique knowledge of our ancestors to the future generation,” Yonten Gelong noted.
The presentation was attended by representatives of the republic’s public, members of Kalmykia’s Buddhist centers, relatives of Sanji-Rakba Menkov, as well as representatives of the Kalmyk diaspora living in the USA, people who had the chance to receive knowledge from Gelung Menkov personally — Alta Burushkin, Sanji-Altan Kuldinov, and our fellow countrywoman, researcher Gilyana Dorjieva.
Also on this day, an exhibition of thangkas dedicated to the miraculous deeds of Lama Tsongkhapa was held at the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni. These images are reproductions of 15 thangkas that were created by order of the 13th Dalai Lama and depict 150 episodes from the life of Lama Tsongkhapa. At the request of the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia, copies of the thangkas were presented by His Holiness as a gift to the Central Khurul of Kalmykia.
