A New Addition to the Monastic Sangha of Kalmykia

And we have good news. There is a new addition to the Monastic Sangha of Kalmykia. Recently, at Drepung Gomang, our young countryman, known in lay life as Dmitry Vodopyanov, received the novice monastic vows of a “getsul” from the abbot of the monastery himself, the Venerable Geshe Jigme Gyatso, and received the monastic name Tenpa Gyatso.

18-year-old Dmitry chose the path of monasticism himself. After finishing secondary school, he came to “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni” as a novice (manji). As the monks of the Central Khurul note, for several years before that, Dmitry constantly visited the temple during the summer holidays, learned the basics of Buddhism, learned to read and write in Tibetan, and memorized prayers. He was helped in this by the respected Sanan Gelung (Matvenov). Last autumn, Dmitry set off to study in India. And now he can be congratulated on receiving his monastic name — Tenpa Gyatso. He is studying in his first year, and in just a few months his first exams await him at Drepung Gomang University.