All Prayers Today Are for the Great Teacher — Buddha Shakyamuni

For more than 2,500 years, the Teaching of a prince named Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha Shakyamuni) has inspired millions of people. A man who, having encountered the pain and suffering of the world, set out on a journey in search of the truth. Through years of practice, reflection, and self-discipline, he attained Enlightenment.

Today, all Buddhists celebrate a unique holiday on which they commemorate three of the most important events in the life of the Buddha at once: his birth, his Enlightenment, and his passing into Mahaparinirvana. And most astonishing of all: all of these events took place on the very same day of the lunar calendar — on the 15th lunar day of the sacred month of Urs Sar, which this year fell on May 31.

In the main Buddhist temple of Kalmykia, the celebrations began early in the morning. The atmosphere here was filled with warmth and unity: to the sound of prayers offered by the monks of the Central Khurul, the sacred relics connected with the Buddha were solemnly brought out. The opportunity to see these holy relics and to pay them respect became a special spiritual event for many. Every year, it is on this very day that the faithful have the chance to venerate them.

Addressing those gathered, the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia, Geshe Tenzin Choydak, particularly emphasized that today, and indeed throughout the sacred month of Urs Sar, it is important to give meaning to inner work — to purity of thought, sincerity, and the aspiration to make the world a little bit better.

And by tradition, this day concluded with the ceremony of washing and consecrating the large thangka of Buddha Shakyamuni. The vivid colors of the image, purified by water and blessed with prayers, seemed to bring the image of the Teacher back to life — a reminder that wisdom and compassion are always near.

This holiday is not merely a tribute to tradition. It reminds each of us: the path of the Buddha is the path of a human being who found the light within himself and shared it with the whole world. And in this lies his greatest gift to us: the belief that everyone is capable of becoming kinder, wiser, and brighter.