Report on Buddhist monasteries in Buryatia. Ivolginsky datsan, Buddhist mausoleum of Buryatia. Who are the Buryats

Ivolginsky datsan is a large Buddhist monastery complex, the center of Buddhism in the Russian Federation, the residence of Pandito Khambo Lama. Is in locality Upper Ivolga, within the Ivolginsky district of Buryatia.

Ivolginsky datsan is a large Buddhist monastery complex, the center of Buddhism in the Russian Federation, the residence of Pandito Khambo Lama. It is located in the village of Verkhnyaya Ivolga, within the Ivolginsky district of Buryatia, approximately 36 km west of Ulan-Ude.
Ivolginsky datsan is the most famous Buddhist monastery Buryatia. It attracts numerous pilgrims and tourists who come here not only from all over Russia, but also from other countries.
Rituals are performed here daily, and religious holidays– relevant services. The Ivolginsky datsan is home to a rather unusual shrine - the incorrupt body of Khambo Lama Itigelov.

Foundation of the Ivolginsky datsan
Buddhism spread throughout Buryatia in XVII century. It was brought to these regions by Mongolian lamas. Before the revolution of 1917, there were more than 35 datsans in Russia, of which 32 were in the then Transbaikal region, which occupied most of modern Buryatia and Trans-Baikal Territory. However, then difficult times came. By the 1930s, Buddhism in our country was almost completely eradicated. Almost all datsans were destroyed, and the monks were sent to prison, exile and hard labor. Hundreds of lamas were shot. The situation began to change for the better only in the mid-1940s.
In the spring of 1945, the Council of People's Commissars of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic issued a resolution. This decree allowed the founding of a new datsan.
Local Buddhists began to collect money and religious objects. With the funds that were collected, the first temple was built in a place known as Oshor-Bulag, literally in the middle of an open field. In December 1945, an open service was held here for the first time. In 1951, land was allocated for the construction of a monastery, then houses for lamas and some outbuildings were built here.
In the 1970s, the construction of almost all of the datsan temples that exist today was carried out. In 1991, a Buddhist University was opened within the monastery. Today more than a hundred monks are trained there.
In 2002, the incorrupt body of Pandito Khambo Lama XII Itigelov was placed in the Ivolginsky datsan. To store this Buddhist relic, a new temple, where the Teacher’s body was placed in 2008.

The datsan includes 10 temples. There are also a number of other buildings and structures - the residence of the current Hambo Lama Ayusheev, libraries, educational buildings, a greenhouse, a hotel, various economic and residential buildings, and an information center.

Khambo Lama Itigelov was the spiritual leader of the Buddhists of Buryatia. According to available data, he was born in 1852 within the current Ivolginsky district.
Itigelov's parents died when he was still a child. At the age of fifteen he came to the Aninsky datsan, and then studied Buddhism there for more than 20 years.
Subsequently, Itigelov showed himself as a religious figure. In 1904, he became the abbot of one of the datsans of Buryatia, and in 1911 he was elected XII Pandito Khambo Lama.
It is generally believed that Itigelov entered nirvana in June 1927, having previously instructed the monks to look at his body seventy-five years later. He was buried in a cedar sarcophagus sitting in the lotus position, as he was in this position at the time of his departure. Itigelov's body was secretly examined by lamas twice - in the 1950s and 1970s. During the inspections, the lamas came to the conclusion that it had not changed.
In September 2002, Khambo Lama Ayusheev, together with a number of other persons, pulled out the cube with Itigelov’s body and took him to the Ivolginsky datsan.
In 2008, the Teacher’s body was transferred to a temple built for this purpose. It is revered as a shrine of Buddhism.
The new temple was built according to the drawings of Devazhin-dugan of the Yangazhinsky datsan. Devazhin-dugan was designed and built by Itigelov himself in 1906, but this temple was destroyed in the 1930s during the persecution of Buddhists.
The secret of the safety of the body of Hambo Lama is a mystery to scientists. After raising the body, some elements of biological tissues were taken, but already in 2005, any further analyzes were prohibited by Ayusheev. Laboratory data showed that the tissue was not dead.
The monks who care for the body claim that its temperature changes and even perspiration appears on the forehead. You can see the Imperishable Teacher and worship him eight times a year, during important religious holidays.

The culture and religion of the Buryats are a synthesis of Eastern and European traditions. On the territory of the Republic of Buryatia you can find Orthodox monasteries and Buddhist temples, as well as attend shamanic rituals. Buryats are a colorful people with interesting story, which developed on the shores of the majestic Lake Baikal. Religion will be discussed in our article.

Who are the Buryats?

This ethnic group lives on the territory of the Russian Federation, Mongolia and China. More than half of the total number of Buryats live in Russia: in the Republic of Buryatia, in the Irkutsk region (Ust-Ordynsky district), Trans-Baikal Territory (Aginsky district). They are also found in other areas of the country, but in smaller numbers. The Buryats are the oldest people in the Baikal region. Modern genetic analyzes have shown that their closest relatives are Koreans.

According to one version, the name of the people comes from the Mongolian word “bul”, meaning “hunter”, “forest man”. This is what the ancient Mongols called all the tribes that lived on the shores of Lake Baikal. For a long time, the Buryats were under the influence of their closest neighbors and paid them taxes for 450 years. The proximity to Mongolia contributed to the spread of Buddhism in Buryatia.

History of the origin of the nationality

The Buryats originated from various Mongolian tribes and at the beginning of their formation (XVI-XVII centuries) consisted of several clan groups. A new impetus for the development of the ethnic group came with the advent of Eastern Siberia the first Russian settlers. With the annexation of the Baikal lands to the Russian state in the middle of the 16th century, part of the Buryats moved to Mongolia. Later, the reverse process occurred, and before the beginning of the 18th century they returned to their native lands. Existence under Russian statehood led to the fact that Buryat tribes and groups began to unite through social and cultural interaction. This led to the formation of a new ethnic group at the end of the 19th century. The independent statehood of the Buryats (Buryat-Mongolia) began to take shape in the first half of the 20th century. In 1992, the Republic of Buryatia was formed as part of the Russian Federation, and Ulan-Ude became its capital.

Beliefs

The Buryats were under the influence of Mongolian tribes for a long time, then a period of Russian statehood followed. This could not but affect the religion of the Buryats. Like many Mongolian tribes, the Buryats were originally adherents of shamanism. Other terms are also used for this set of beliefs: Tengrism, pantheism. And the Mongols called it “hara shashyn”, which means “black faith”. At the end of the 16th century, Buddhism became widespread in Buryatia. And from the middle of the 18th century, Christianity began to actively develop. Today, these three Buryat religions coexist harmoniously on the same territory.

Shamanism

The local people have always had a special relationship with nature, which is reflected in their ancient faith - shamanism. They revered the Eternal Blue Sky (Huhe Munhe Tengri), which was considered the supreme deity. Nature and natural forces were considered spiritual. Shamanic rituals were performed at certain objects in the open air to achieve unity between man and the forces of water, earth, fire and air. Tailagans (ritual festivals) were held in areas close to Lake Baikal in especially revered places. Through sacrifices and observance of certain rules and traditions, the Buryats influenced spirits and gods.

Shamans were a special caste in the social hierarchy of the ancient Buryats. They combined the skills of a healer, a psychologist who manipulates consciousness, and a storyteller. Only someone with shamanic roots could become one. The rituals made a strong impression on the spectators, who gathered up to several thousand. With the spread of Buddhism and Christianity, shamanism in Buryatia began to be oppressed. But this ancient belief, which underlies the worldview of the Buryat people, could not be completely destroyed. Many traditions of shamanism have survived and survived to this day. Spiritual monuments of that period, in particular sacred places, are an important part cultural heritage Buryat people.

Buddhism

Residents west coast Lake Baikal remained adherents of this religion, while the Buryats who lived on east coast, turned to Buddhism under the influence of their Mongol neighbors.

In the 17th century, Lamaism, one of the forms of Buddhism, penetrates from Tibet through Mongolia to Buryatia. As the name suggests, lamas play a large role in this religious movement. They were revered as teachers and guides on the path to enlightenment. This new religion for the Buryats is characterized by a special pomp of ceremonies. The rituals are carried out according to strict rules. A striking example is the tsam-khural ritual. This theatrical rite of worship included the performance of sacred dances and the performance of pantomimes.

The devotion to shamanism among the Buryats was so great that even into Lamaism they introduced such attributes of ancient beliefs as the spiritualization of natural forces and the veneration of the guardian spirits of the clan (Ezhins). Along with Buddhism, the culture of Tibet and Mongolia comes to Buryatia. More than 100 Tibetan and Mongolian lamas arrived in Transbaikalia, and datsans (Buddhist monasteries) began to open. Schools functioned under the datsans, books were published, and applied arts developed. They were also unique universities that trained future clergy.

The year 1741 is considered a turning point in the history of the formation of Buddhism as a Buryat religion. Empress Catherine Petrovna signed a decree recognizing Lamaism as one of the official religions on Russian territory. A staff of 150 lamas was officially approved, which was exempt from taxes. And datsans became the center of development of Tibetan philosophy, medicine and literature in Buryatia.

For almost two centuries, Lamaism has been actively developing, gaining more and more followers. After the revolution of 1917, when the Bolsheviks came to power, a period of decline in the Buryat Buddhist tradition began. The datsans were closed and destroyed, and the lamas were repressed. It was only in the 1990s that the revival of Buddhism began. 10 new datsans were built. However, back in 1947, not far from Ulan-Ude, Aginsky was founded and started working again.

Now the Republic of Buryatia is the center. In the Egituisky datsan there is a Buddha statue made of sandalwood. A room was even built for her, in which a certain microclimate is maintained.

Buddhist temples and monasteries

The Buryats were nomads. They, like many Turkic tribes, lived in yurts. Therefore, initially they did not have permanent temples. The datsans were located in yurts, equipped in a special way, and “roamed” together with the lamas. The first permanent temple, the Tamchansky datsan, was built at the end of the 16th century. Monasteries are divided into several categories:

• Dugan is a monastery temple, the name comes from the Tibetan word meaning “meeting hall”.
• Datsan means “monastery” among the Buryats, and in Tibet this was the name given to educational faculties at a large monastery.
• Khurul is the name given to all Buddhist temples of Kalmyks and Tuvans. The name comes from the Mongolian "khural", which means "assembly".

The architecture of Buddhist monasteries and temples in Buryatia is interesting, in which 3 styles can be traced:

• Mongolian style - represented by buildings reminiscent of yurts and tents. The first churches were mobile and located in temporary structures. Stationary temples were first built in the form of hexagonal or dodecagonal buildings, and then became square. The roofs were made in a shape resembling the top of a tent.
• Tibetan style - characteristic of early Buddhist temples. The architecture is represented by rectangular structures with white walls and a flat roof. Temples made in a purely Tibetan style are rare.
• Chinese style - involves luxurious decoration, one-story buildings and gable roofs made of tiles.

Many churches were built in a mixed style, for example, the Aginsky Datsan.

Ivolginsky Monastery

This datsan was founded in 1947, 40 km from Ulan-Ude. It served as the residence of the Spiritual Administration of Buddhists of Russia. In the datsan there is a sacred statue of Buddha and the throne of the 14th Dalai Lama. Every year large khurals are held in the temple. Celebrated at the beginning of spring New Year according to the eastern calendar, and in the summer - the Maidari holiday.

The Ivolginsky temple is famous for the fact that Lama Itigelov is kept there. According to legend, in 1927 the lama bequeathed to his students to examine his body after 75 years, then sat down in meditation and went into nirvana. He was buried in the same position in a cedar cube. According to the will, in 2002 the cube was opened and the body was examined. It was in unchanged condition. The appropriate ceremonies and ritual actions were carried out, and the incorrupt body of Lama Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan.

Aginsky Monastery

This Buddhist datsan was built in 1816 and lit by Lama Rinchen. The complex is main temple and 7 small sume. The Aginsky datsan is famous for the fact that since its foundation, Maani Khural (worship of the Bodhisattva Arya Bala) was performed there 4 times every day. The monastery published books on philosophy, medicine, logic, astronomy and astrology. At the end of the 1930s, the temple was closed, some buildings were partially destroyed, and some were occupied for military and secular needs. In 1946, the Aginsky Monastery was reopened and is still in operation.

Gusinoozersky Monastery

Another name is Tamchinsky datsan. Initially it was not stationary, but was located in a large yurt. In the middle of the 18th century, the first temple was built on a permanent site. And almost 100 years later, the monastery complex already consisted of 17 churches. From the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was the main monastery of Buryatia, which at that time was called Buryat-Mongolia. 500 lamas lived there permanently, and another 400 were visiting. With the Bolsheviks coming to power, the datsan was abolished, like many other religious sites. Its buildings were occupied for the needs of the state. There was a prison for political prisoners there. At the end of the 50s of the 20th century, the Gusinoozersky datsan was recognized as an architectural monument and work began on its restoration. The temple opened its doors to believers again in 1990. In the same year it was consecrated.

The datsan houses a monument of high historical and cultural value. This is the so-called “deer stone”, the age of which, according to archaeologists, is 3.5 thousand years. This stone got its name because of the images of racing deer that are carved on it.

Christianity

In 1721, the Irkutsk diocese was created, from which the spread of Orthodoxy in the Baikal region began. Missionary activity achieved particular success among the Western Buryats. Holidays such as Easter, Christmas, Elijah’s Day, etc. became widespread there. The active promotion of Orthodoxy in Buryatia was hampered by adherence to local population shamanism and developing Buddhism.

The Russian government used Orthodoxy as a way to influence the worldview of the Buryats. At the end of the 17th century, construction began on the Posolsky Monastery (pictured above), which helped strengthen the position of the Christian mission. Methods of attracting followers were also used, such as tax exemption in case of adoption of the Orthodox faith. Interethnic marriages between Russians and the indigenous population were encouraged. By the beginning of the 20th century, about 10% of the total number of Buryats were mestizos.

All these efforts led to the fact that by the end of the 20th century there were 85 thousand Orthodox Buryats. Then came the revolution of 1917, and the Christian mission was liquidated. Active church leaders were shot or exiled to camps. After the end of World War II, the revival of some churches began. And official recognition of the Orthodox Church occurred only in 1994.

Selenginsky Trinity Monastery

The opening of temples and monasteries has always been important event in strengthening Christianity. In 1680, by decree of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, it was ordered to build a monastery on the shore and make it the center of the Orthodox mission in the region. The new monastery received support in the form of government funds, as well as money, books, utensils and clothing from the king and the nobility. Holy Trinity Selenginsky monastery owned lands, fishing grounds, estates. People began to settle around the monastery.

As planned, the monastery became the center of the Orthodox faith and way of life in Transbaikalia. The monastery was revered among the population of nearby villages because it housed the icon of the wonderworker Nicholas of Myra. The monastery was visited by prominent religious, political and government figures. The monastery housed an extensive library of 105 books for those times.

In 1921, the Holy Trinity Selenga Monastery was closed. Its buildings were occupied by an orphanage for some time, and from 1929 to 1932 the monastery was empty. Then a pioneer sanatorium operated here, and later a special children's colony. During this time, many of the monastery buildings lost their former appearance, some were destroyed. Only since 1998 the monastery began to be revived.

Old Believers

In the middle of the 17th century, church reform began in Rus'. Rituals changed, but not everyone was ready for these changes, which led to a split in the church. Those who disagreed with the new reforms were persecuted, and they were forced to flee to the outskirts of the country and beyond its borders. This is how the Old Believers appeared, and its followers were called Old Believers. They hid in the Urals, Turkey, Romania, Poland and Transbaikalia, where the Buryats lived. Old Believers settled large families mainly in the south of Transbaikalia. There they cultivated the land and built houses and churches. There were up to 50 such settlements, 30 of which still exist.

Buryatia is an original, colorful region with beautiful nature and rich history. Enchanting clearest waters Baikal, Buddhist temples and sacred places of shamans attract people who want to plunge into the natural and spiritual atmosphere of the region.

Ivolginsky datsan - main center Buddhism in Russia. There are Buddhist temples in large quantities and in Kalmykia, but it is the Ivolginsky datsan that is considered the main one in our country. It is located 35 kilometers southwest of Ulan-Ude.

1. Main entrance. Today the weather has deteriorated - in the morning the sky is overcast and it is pouring rain. A tour of the datsan is conducted by one of its lamas (i.e. clergy) , and while he leads another group, we, hiding under visors from the rain, examine various trinkets, souvenirs and explore the village adjacent to the datsan.

2. Saturday is wedding time: many Buryat couples come here.

4. The Lama, sheltered from the pouring rain by the warmth of the Party, is ready to meet our group and show them the monastery.

I don’t know much about Buddhism, but to complete the picture, I’ll give some overview information that I read at one time and additionally asked the lama who was conducting a tour of the monastery.

Buddhism came to Transbaikalia from Mongolia at the beginning of the 17th century. Before this, shamanism dominated in Buryatia. People worshiped Baikal itself - the spirit big water, spirits of the area, stone, wood, fire, animals... Elements of shamanism have been preserved in today's Buryatia. Along roads you can often find wooden structures in the form of gates, the so-called “abo”. This is the abode of the spirit of a given area. Buryats, and not only them, always make a stop at the “abo” and leave something on it: a coin, candy... In the second half of the 17th century, Cossack settlers brought Orthodoxy here, and a little earlier Buddhism established itself in Buryatia. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, by her decree in 1741, approved the recognition of the Lamaist faith in Buryatia. By that time there were already 11 datsans in Buryatia. Mongolian lamas did not infringe on local beliefs, but adapted them to Buddhism. By 1917, in Transbaikalia there were 44 Buddhist monasteries, almost 150 small temples and about 6,000 Buddhist clergy - lamas.

By the beginning of the 30s of the 20th century, all Buddhist monasteries in Russia were closed. The failures of the first years of the Great Patriotic War forced the authorities to seek support from believers, and they somewhat eased the pressure on the churches. In Buryatia, it was allowed to hold services - khurals, but in the entire republic it was possible to find only 15 lamas who remembered how this was done. In 1945, believers came to the government of Buryat Mongolia with a request to open an old Buddhist temple in Tamcha and asked to revive the Tamchi datsan, resume prayers, and hold services in honor of those killed in the war. The government did not agree to this then, but allowed the allocation of a small territory for believers in the steppe near the village of Ivolga. The construction of a new datsan in the village of Ivolga began in early 1946 with the construction of a temple by rebuilding an ordinary residential building donated to the monastery by a Buryat family. Today, the first temple is given over to students of the Buddhist Institute: in the morning they memorize prayers and mantras here in Tibetan and Old Mongolian, and in the evening they hone their debating skills. The pediment of the temple is decorated with the Wheel of Teaching and the figures of two deer looking at it. Walking around the datsan is usually accompanied by the rotation of prayer wheels, the structure of which I have already written about.

One of the most revered shrines by Buddhists in Russia is the temple pure land. The precious body of the 12th Khambo Lama Itigelov is kept in this temple. Khambo Lama Itigelov died in the usual sense of the word in 1927. According to the lama, in 1927 he left in a state of meditation and bequeathed to his students that they should come in 30 years and look at his body. In 1955, members of the delegation led by Khambo Lama Barmaev raised the body, made sure of its safety and laid it back in the same place. In 2002, 75 years after the burial of the body, it was raised and moved to the Ivolginsky datsan. And when two years ago the llama’s body was examined by expert pathologists, they were struck by its fantastic state of preservation - no traces of decay, full mobility of the joints, natural skin color. The incorrupt body of Khambo Lama Itigelov attracts crowds of pilgrims to the Ivolginsky datsan. Increased in last years and the number of people wishing to study at the local Buddhist institute "Dashi Choenkhorlin", which is translated from Tibetan as "land of happy teaching." This complex of somewhat rustic-looking buildings bears little resemblance to the institute, but “Dashi Choynkhorlin” has a high reputation in the Buddhist world. In five years, young men from the Buryat, Kalmyk, and Tuvan hinterlands become highly educated here, and people in the modern sense of the word. With knowledge of English, computer science, basics of natural science. The institute graduates clergy, Buddhist and orientalist scholars, and specialists in the Old Mongolian and Tibetan languages. The best students are sent to continue their education in India, where the Dalai Lama is in exile, who, by the way, visited Buryatia in 1992 and blessed the land of Transbaikalia and all the peoples living on it. By the way, our lama who conducted the tour is also a graduate of the local institute. In general, Buddhism is a very complex religion for the uninitiated person, the essence of which is not so easy to understand.

P.S. And, yes, our lama got the party jacket after the Russian President’s visit to the Ivolginsky datsan in 2009. :)

5. Lama rotates the prayer wheel. Inside each such drum there are scrolls with mantras. It is counted how many times you turned the drum, how many times you read these mantras, that is, prayed. In the largest drum of the Ivolginsky datsan there is, according to the lamas, a scroll on which one of the main mantras is written a hundred million times. That is, one turn is a hundred million prayers offered.

We continue to get acquainted with little-known places in Russia and today we are heading to the shores of Lake Baikal, to Buryatia. There is a unique place there from a spiritual and cultural point of view - the Ivolginsky Datsan, the center of Russian Buddhism.

Russia, like a patchwork quilt, is woven from dozens of cultures. 142,905,200 dissimilar people (according to the 2010 census). Every corner of our country is unique thanks to the people living there. In the south, the color is created by the Caucasian peoples, in the Volga region - by the Tatars, Mordovians and Chuvashs, and in Siberia - by the Yakuts, Khanty and other northerners.
Today we are going to Buryatia, the center of Russian Buddhism.

Ivolginsky datsan

Ivolginsky Datsan is a Buddhist monastery, officially considered the center of Buddhism in Russia. Its history does not go back to oblivion. There are no beautiful legends about him. But everyone who has been there says that the place is magical.

Datsan - among the Buryats, this is a Buddhist monastery, which, in addition to temples, also includes a university.

Buddhism came to Russia in the 17th century. Before the revolution, there were 35 datsans in the country. But for the Bolsheviks, religion, as you know, was “opium” - all confessions were discredited.

The situation was changed by the war. If you ask how the Ivolginsky datsan appeared, local residents will answer: “Stalin gave it to me.” At the beginning of the war, the situation at the front was so difficult that the soldiers and their commanders were glad of any help. Buryat Buddhists collected 350,000 rubles (an amount unheard of at that time) and gave it to the needs of the army. They say that it was in gratitude for this generous gesture that the Soviet leadership allowed the believers to build the datsan.

Whether this is true or a local tale is unknown. But the fact that in May 1945 the Decree of the People’s Commissars of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic “On the opening of a Buddhist temple...” was issued remains a fact.

...The monastery in Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, is one of the biggest attractions I saw in the USSR. It was built when Stalin was at the height of power, I did not understand how this could have happened, but this fact helped me to realize that spirituality is so deeply rooted in the human consciousness that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to uproot it... Dalai Lama XIV

The Ivolginsky datsan began to be built in an open field. At first there was a simple wooden house, but gradually, through the efforts of believers, the monastery grew and was transformed. In 1951, the authorities officially allocated land for it, and in 1970 and 1976. Cathedral churches (dugans) were built.

Dugan is a Buddhist temple.

Today, the Ivolginsky datsan is 10 temples with unusual architecture, 5 suburgan stupas, a university, a greenhouse of the sacred Bodhi tree, enclosures with roe deer, lama houses and one of the main Buddhist shrines - the incorruptible body of Lama Itigelov... However, first things first.

What to see in the Ivolginsky datsan?

Sogchen dugan (the main cathedral temple), Choira dugan, Devazhen dugan, Jud dugan, Sakhyuusan sumee, Maidari sumee, Maanin dugan, Nogoon Dari Ekhen sumee, Gunrik dugan, Green Tara dugan - these are the names of the 10 temples of the Ivolginsky monastery. They differ in size, year of construction and purpose. So, Gunrik dugan is a temple dedicated to the Buddha Vairocana, Jud dugan is a tantric temple.

The temples were built in the Sino-Tibetan style: bright, multi-colored, with upward-curved roof corners. But at the same time, Ivolginsky buildings have unique architectural features.

There will also be a strange stone on the way. According to legend, the palm print of Green Tara (the goddess who quickly comes to the rescue) was left on it. It is believed that if you take a few steps away from the stone, make a wish (necessarily a good one), extend your hand forward and, closing your eyes, approach the stone and try to touch it, then your plan will certainly come true. If you go astray and touch something other than a stone, your desire will not come true.

In addition to temples and religious monuments (for example, suburgan stupas), on the territory of the Ivolginsky datsan there is a museum of monuments of Buddhist art, a library, a cafe, a summer hotel and trading shops. Some of them sell Buddhist souvenirs, while others are where local residents build businesses. They sell shawls, woolen mittens and socks. By talking with them, you can not only reduce the price, but also learn a lot of interesting things about the Buryat people. The cafe serves national cuisine(poses, pilaf, etc.) - this is another way to join the Buryat culture. In addition, the places around are so original, unlike European Russia, that your hands involuntarily reach for the camera. In a word, even people far from Buddhism will find something to do in the Ivolginsky datsan.

Memory revives even the stones of the past, and even drops of honey are added to the poison once drunk - although the quote belongs to the famous proletarian writer Maxim Gorky, it is precisely this that comes to mind in the Tabangut-Ichetui datsan “Dechen Rabzhalin”, when Shireete Bair Lama Chagdurov takes from the altar to the hands of a small figurine of Shakyamuni Buddha, darkened with time. Once upon a time it probably shone with gold from a home or temple altar. But what is this external gloss for the Enlightened One! “In countless worlds, the appearance and disappearance of countless buddhas is only an illusory idea for the sake of awakening and liberating those sentient beings who are still sleeping in the ocean of samsara. But we, living beings, born in our essence with Buddha nature, but giving ourselves over to the deception of life-threatening actions, still have a thick layer of “pollution.”

Return of relics

Local residents noticed this and two figures of Buddha’s disciples under a stone in Shuleg oboo even before the restoration of the datsan; sacred relics probably found their shelter there back in the days when atheists in the 1930s destroyed Buddhist temples and destroyed religious objects. These bronze sculptures survived a dangerous and troubled time, but were preserved. Perhaps one of local residents, who remained clean amid a sea of ​​filth, secretly visited this place, made modest offerings and offered prayers so that they could return again to the believers. Bair Lama says that the figurines require restoration.

The boys who came from district center village of Petropavlovka, clicking pictures on their smartphones, eagerly listening to the abbot of the datsan. He takes out from the unusual case another relic, which seems to have wished to end up in the Tabangut-Ichetui datsan - “dalgyn somo” - an ancient ritual arrow with silk ribbons and an image of Zhamsaran sakhyuusan. Considered a symbol of vitality, it was brought here by a man who later became Nizhny Chetui’s son-in-law - during a difficult period in his life, this relic came to him.

This is how in our time shrines return to their native lands. Two bronze Buddhist bowls for offerings were dug out of the ground by pigs from a neighboring flock; these ancient objects clearly belonged to the datsan before its destruction - they were given to the lamas by a resident of Lower Ichetui, Bato Munkuev. The bell and vajra were returned to the datsan by Bazarzhab ubgoo, who was once the khuvarak in this datsan.

The Tabanguts, considered the most courageous and warlike Buryat clan, who migrated from Mongolia at the beginning of the 18th century, founded their datsan here in 1773. In pre-revolutionary times, there were five dugans in the datsan: Tsogchen, Gunrig, Sakhyuusan, Maidar. The datsan staff consisted of about 115 lamas and huvaraks, which included 14 outflow lamas and 16 Cossack set lamas. According to the chronicle of 1833, 535 people visited the datsan, of which 290 were Cossacks. When Bair Lama shows on the altar photographs of lamas who in better times served in the Tabangut-Ichetui datsan, the boys ask: where are they now? They still don’t know that people reach their limit in this life, maybe some of those lamas from the photographs happened to become a victim of militant atheists or go through trials of exile in the camps. Who knows, maybe those unknown lamas have returned or are returning to revive the former glory of their predecessors.

It is known that in this datsan, Kalachakra was initiated by Galsan-Sodbo Gegeen from Inner Mongolia - the incarnation of Ochirdari, considered the guardian of the body of the Buddha.

In 1872, the Shireete Lama of the Ichetui datsan, Choidok Tsydypov, who is credited with composing the large work “Clarifying the Stages of Paths and Others” and translating into Mongolian the work of Lharamba Lama Alakshi Dandara “Teachings on Worldly Joys,” applied for the position of Pandito Khambo Lama. At one time, the shireete datsan of Tungalag Danzhin Sholkhoin, whose subordination included the head of the Khorinsky Aninsky datsan Gelun Shirab Malakhin, enjoyed great authority.

At one time, chronicles, genealogies of many families, books of a moralizing nature, works of the East were kept in the datsan; there was also a multi-volume collection of Buddhist works Ganjur and Danjur. An ancient photograph of the three-story Tabangut-Ichetui datsan took its place on the altar today, demonstrating its beauty and grandeur. These invaluable evidence of the past were obtained by a native of these places, Shaggitarov Bulat Tsydenzhapovich. Over time, perhaps many more evidence of history will return from oblivion, new old names of those who on the Dzhida land carried the Teachings of the Buddha to people.

Time of Troubles

In the 1930s, Soviet power switched to direct repressions against the church, datsans, and clergy. In those terrible years, according to surviving evidence, the Dagba Lama was hacked to death with an ax right on the porch of the datsan. Zurhaich Lama Choibon, having hidden his jewelry and Buddhist books near the foot of Mount Burhanta, fled to Mongolia without even having time to say goodbye to his brother Dorji.

In Nizhny Ichetui, no one is left indifferent to the life story of Gebshe Lama Galdan Ludupovich Zandeev, who became the link between the past and the present.

He was born in 1899 in a beautiful valley called Holoy. As a boy, from his adolescence he was sent as a khuvarak to the datsan “Dechin Rabzhiling”. Having risen to the high spiritual rank of Gebshe Lama, during the liquidation of all datsans, he was forced to flee to Mongolia. In the fall of 1933, he and his brother Dambi were detained at the border. From the Zaudinsky prison, by decision of the court, Galdan was sent into exile, and his brother was left in prison due to illness.

For 20 long years, Galdan Ludupovich lived in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. After the end of his exile, he was afraid to return to his homeland, and did not know whether his relatives were alive. Until 1952, he grazed cows and goats and lived on these earnings.

Only in 1952 did I decide to write a letter and find out about my relatives. In the summer of 1952, his family received a letter and immediately sent a call. Returning to his native land, he lived with his family for 28 years. He lived happily among the children of his nephews and helped in raising their children. Galdan Ludupovich died at the age of 82.

Revival of the Ichetui datsan

The new history of the Tabangut-Ichetui datsan can be calculated from May 17, 2008. On this day, Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev came to the people of Dzhida. The rector of the Sartuul-Gegetui datsan, Chingis Lama, from there, Arkady Lama, the rector of the Atagan-Dyrestui datsan, Barady Lama, and the rector of the Sartuul-Bulag datsan, Bayarzhab Lama, arrived here in the area of ​​Zhargalanta not far from Nizhny Ichetui. They, together with the Bair Lama, had to make a decision on the construction of a datsan. Hambo Lama came to the land of Dzhida not empty-handed, but with some kind of map. Having placed the llamas in front of him, he gave them a real test of terrain orientation.

Is Burkhanta Ooo located on the south side of us? “It is,” came the answer.

Is there a west side sacred place Shuleg baabai? - Yes, I have. This sacred mountain, on which the Cossacks worship. The owner of these places wears shoulder straps. Those leaving for military service rose to bow before a long journey and, as legend says, returned home alive. On the northern side there should be an obo of Zhargalanta - and from time immemorial it has been in the same place. Is there a Gozogor oboo in the northeast? Does the Ichetui River flow along the western side?

When all the coordinates were confirmed, Hambo Lama made sure that the Tabangut-Ichetui datsan was located in this exact place and gave the command to the lamas to disperse in order to open their “third eye” to each. Later he placed them at four points, where pegs were driven in - this is how the outline of the current territory of the datsan was determined. A special prayer service was held on this day. In the designated area, the lamas managed to discover the preserved foundation stones of the old Tsogchen dugan. From him, according to all the canons of the location of dugans, it was possible to determine the place for the construction of Sahyusan dugan. Each datsan has its own protectors - sahyusans. When they start building a datsan, the sahyusan dugan is built first. Then the datsan finds its protector, and all further actions take place under his protection.

The boy wants to go to datsan

When the location of the current Tabangut-Ichetui datsan was determined, Bair Lama discovered that the house where he grew up as a boy on the edge with his family fit exactly within its boundaries. Mother of the same family as the first Buryat scientist Dorzhi Banzarov in Soviet time worked as a manager. She had enough social worries. The children on the herd, as Bair Lama recalls, did not cause any health problems and grew up strong. They did not know then that it was in this place that the datsan was located, but surprisingly, while still very young, at 6-7 years old, he said that he would become a lama. Recently, in one family where he was holding a prayer service, he was reminded of this. The mistress of the house began to ask her husband if he remembered how once they, the newlyweds, saw Bair swimming in a puddle and asked what he wanted to become when he became an adult. Then the boy’s answer amazed them, because in those communist times no one could have expected this.

Like all children of his time, Bair Lama managed to become an October student during his school years, and then a pioneer. Still, the desire to become a clergyman was in fact, who knows, maybe it was his karmic destiny. After graduating from school, Bair Chagdurov entered the Sartuul-Gegetui datsan as a khuvarak, where for a year he learned the alphabet of the Tibetan language and the basics of Buddhism. Then Matvey Rabdanovich Choibonov, who was the rector of the datsan, sent his student to the Buddhist University at the Ivolginsky datsan. Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev personally received a representative of the 1st Tabangut clan. In his first year, Bair was appointed head of the institute, where about a hundred people studied - he bore this responsibility for three years. He also had to strictly ask senior students if they violated the charter of the educational institution.

After 5 years of study, he was sent back to the Sartuul-Gegetui datsan as a lama. From there, three years later, Hambo Lama transferred him to the Bultumur datsan of the 2nd Tabangut family. A year later he was told to return to his homeland to revive the Tabangut-Ichetui datsan. In the spring of 2008, a large meeting was held at the school in Nizhny Ichetui. Village residents actively supported the initiative to build a dugan on the old site. In just three months they managed to build a dugan, a house for the lama. Already on Sagaalkha, the ritual of purification of Dugzhuub was carried out here.