The celebration of the Descent of Buddha Shakyamuni to earth from the heaven of the Thirty-three Deities will be held in Kalmykia
A festive prayer service dedicated to the Descent of Buddha Shakyamuni to earth from the heaven of the Thirty-three Deities will be held at the Central Khurul of Kalmykia. According to legend, after his Enlightenment, Buddha Shakyamuni went to the heavenly realm of the Thirty-three Deities in order to bestow the Teaching upon his mother, Queen Mahamaya, who had been reborn there, and upon all the celestial beings. Before setting out for the world of the Thirty-three Deities, Buddha Shakyamuni gave a promise to his closest disciple Ananda not to give the Teaching orally in his (Ananda’s) absence; mindful of this, the Buddha began to pronounce the Teaching from his ushnisha (the protrusion on the crown of the head). During the Teaching, the deities dwelling in that place were present. Upon completion of the Teaching, the Buddha’s mother, Queen Mahamaya, attained arhatship. Buddha Shakyamuni spent three months in the heaven of the Thirty-three Deities, and when the inhabitants of the earth prayed to him with a request to descend to them, the Buddha decided to return to earth. For this, the divine architect Vishvakarma fashioned a staircase, by which the Buddha descended to earth at the place of Sankissa. According to the monks, all actions on this day are multiplied hundreds of millions of times, and therefore it is important to perform virtuous deeds that will allow one to accumulate a great amount of merit (buyan). Due to the difficult situation with the coronavirus infection in Kalmykia, the prayer service will be held in the presence of a limited number of people. However, everyone who wishes will be able to take part in the festive event online. The broadcast of the prayer service will take place on the khurul’s official YouTube channel — “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni” — as well as on the official Instagram page. The prayer service will be held on October 27, 2021, at 09:00.
