Greeting from the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia

Dear brothers and sisters! Today we hold celebrations on a happy and auspicious occasion. We are marking Urs Sar - one of the most important Buddhist holidays not only for the Kalmyk people, but for the whole world. On December 15, 1999, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution recognizing the “International Day of Vesak.” According to the resolution, Urs Sar (Vesak in Sanskrit) was recognized as an international holiday in acknowledgment of the contribution that the Buddha and his Teaching have made to the flourishing of humanity for more than two and a half millennia. The teachings and wisdom of the Buddha have for many centuries fostered peace and harmony on Earth. Now, when the world community is passing through one of the most difficult periods of our century, we must be resolved to devote ourselves to the cause of peace throughout the Earth. Peace is established not by organizations or institutions, but by each individual person. We have an inexhaustible treasury of wisdom spoken by the Buddha. By drawing near to it, we can learn how to attain inner tranquility and how to fill the hearts of people from the most varied walks of life with peace. Of course, we must perform virtuous deeds every day, but this is especially important in the sacred month of Urs Sar. In this month we must strive in the performance of virtue, in order to accumulate more merit for our own benefit, as well as for the benefit of our community, our country, and the whole world. It is said in the sutras that our merit will be multiplied if we do good on Buddhist holidays and especially on Urs Sar. I regret that I cannot be with you on this special holiday, but not a day passes that I do not think of all of you. I always pray for the good health, prosperity and peaceful existence of all living beings. Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche