The revival and gradual development of Buddhism in Kalmykia unfolded before his eyes… Three decades ago, back in 1995, at the invitation of the Department for Religious Affairs of the Republic of Kalmykia, a young monk arrived in the steppe region. Gen Ngawang Lodoy.

“Back then there were only a few of us monks, we lived and worked in the prayer house on Lermontov Street. We conducted morning prayer services, studied the Tibetan language with the novices… Now it is hard to believe that almost 30 years have passed,” he says.

The construction of the Arshan khurul, of “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”, work in the districts, the revival in the republic of rituals lost over time - the monastic Sangha of Kalmykia then faced great and important tasks, which everyone solved together, jointly.

“The hardest part was at the very beginning, but there was an understanding that all of this needed to be done, for the good of the Kalmyk people, for the good of all sentient beings. I tried to oversee all the main projects. This includes the erection of Buddhist stupas across the region, the work of installing the 17 statues of the Great Pandits, the decoration of the altar section of the Central Khurul, the installation according to all Buddhist canons of 108 sacred objects on pillars-pedestals around the main temple, the large fruit orchard planted on the grounds of the Arshan khurul - each of these projects is very significant,” gen Lodoy continues our conversation. Also, for more than 15 years Ngawang Lodoy has been fully engaged in organizing pilgrimage tours to India, to the Teachings of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

With particular warmth he recalls his work in the Lagan district, where for 6 years he was the abbot of the local khurul. He started from the basics, taught laypeople to understand the foundations of Buddhism, they learned mantras, he showed how to do prostrations correctly. A large Buddhist community was created in the municipality. By the way, the new khurul building there was subsequently built to Ngawang Lodoy's design.

In his conversation with us, the clergyman repeatedly noted that we all now have everything for the further development of Buddhism; it is only important to strive to live by the precepts of the Great Buddha, to study the foundations, to know one's traditions, and also to pass them on to the next generations.

Gen Lodoy himself comes from a large family with many children, having chosen the path of a monk in his teenage years. “I am happy that three decades ago I was invited to Kalmykia, which became my second homeland for me, where I found many kind friends and like-minded people, where there is the opportunity to serve the Dharma.”

The “Khurul in Faces” series continues. Today in focus - gen Ngawang Lodoy