Buddhists of Kalmykia Celebrate the First Turning of the Wheel of Teaching

Today, on the fourth lunar day of the month of the Rooster, the Buddhists of Kalmykia celebrate the festival of the First Turning of the Wheel of Teaching — “Nomin Kürdin Düütsng.”

By tradition, the festive events began at “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni” from early morning.

At 4:30, Geshe Lharampa Tenzin Thinley bestowed the one-day Mahayana vows.

At 8:00, the ritual “Määdrin ergts” was held at the Central Khurul, during which the monks and laypeople circumambulated the khurul with the statue of Buddha Maitreya and the sacred texts of the Kangyur.

At this very moment the festive prayer service is under way.