His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Sino-Mongolian word далай (dalai) meaning “Ocean” and the Tibetan word བླ་མ་ bla-ma (with a silent “b”) meaning “chief, high priest”.
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Monument to Zaya Pandita

Zaya Pandita or Namkhaijamts (1599–1662) was a Buddhist missionary priest and scholar of Oirat origin who is the most prominent Oirat Buddhist scholar.

Zaya Pandita was the fifth son of Babakhan, a minor Khoshut-Oirat prince. After Babakhan converted to Buddhism in the early 17th century, he, like many of the other Oirat princes, wished for one of his sons to enter the Buddhist clergy. In pursuit of his wish, Babakhan chose Zaya to become a bandi (“novice”) monk. In 1615, Zaya journeyed to Lhasa, Tibet where he would study and practice Buddhism, including study under the guidance of the 4th Panchen Lama.
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Chagdir Sandzhiev. The current state of Buddhism in Kalmykia

It’s been more than 20 years since the collapse of the USSR and the beginning of the period of genuine religious freedom in Russia. Great changes happened both in the country as well as in the minds and hearts of the citizens during this period. (more…)

Buddhist temple “Gedden Sheddup Choikorling” [ Ru | Es | Fr ]

Holy Abode of theory and practice Gelug School. Kalmyk: “Syakyusn Syume”.

Richard Gere Gets Blessed By Dalai Lama. Richard Gere received blessings from the Dalai Lama at Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya on Friday. An AP photographer was there and according to the AP’s caption, it happened at Mahabodhi temple and “Bodh Gaya is the town where Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment after intense meditation and became the Buddha.” (more…)

During his second visit to Kalmykia (Elista) in September 1992 His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama said, “The aim of my visit is to establish harmony: harmony with the environment, harmony among religions, harmony in the society and family and, – in the end, harmony of a man with his own self. I am stressing a great importance of this because everything depends on harmony in the world”.

All traditional beliefs co-exist organically in the Kalmyk society. Reviving national culture (more…)

His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama’s visit in the summer of 1991 became a marvelous in the life of the steppe republic.

The Bodhisattva of Compassion Dalai Lama stepped on the Kalmyk land for the first time during centuries-old history of Oirat-Kalmyks. Extremely deep love, joy, kindless towards the Teacher expressed by our reserved people was felt every where. (more…)

Ten thousands of believers in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha came from all parts of Russia and Kalmykia to Elista in 1991 to receive the Teaching and Blessing of Dalai Lama XIV, the incarnation of bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

Dalai Lama said “It is necessary to revive the traditional faith of the ancestors, to rebuild the temples, stupas of enlightenment and suburgans but above all it is important to build the temple in one’s soul”. (more…)