Kalmykia celebrated the Birthday of Buddha Shakyamuni

Today, festive events dedicated to the Birthday, Enlightenment and Parinirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni were held at the Central Khurul of Kalmykia “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”.

The festive prayer service was led by the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche. He congratulated all Buddhists on the arriving festival - the Birthday, Enlightenment and Parinirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni. In his speech, the Head of the Buddhists of Kalmykia reminded all those present of the history and significance of this festival. “Today we celebrate the most important of all Buddhist festivals. In Sanskrit this festival is called Vesak, and in Kalmyk - Urs Sar. What is Urs Sar? What kind of festival is this? It is a festival connected with the three great deeds of the Buddha: birth, enlightenment, and passing into parinirvana. It is a day when we should try to accumulate merit - buyn - as much as possible. On this day one should recite prayers, meditate, perform prostrations and circumambulate sacred objects, turn prayer wheels,” Telo Tulku Rinpoche said.

“To put it in simple terms, this month can be called a month of fasting. The Orthodox observe Great Lent, Muslims Ramadan, and for us Urs Sar is a time when we refrain from eating meat and drinking alcohol, thereby accumulating good merit and leaving karmic imprints,” Rinpoche-la added.

At the conclusion of the festive prayer service, on the square in front of the khurul, all believers were treated to bortsyki, fruit and sweets. Also on this day, all who wished had the opportunity to behold the sacred relics - a sprout of the Bodhi tree and the sharira of Buddha Shakyamuni. All these relics were presented as a gift to the Central Khurul several years ago by the monastic community of Sri Lanka.

At 12:00, in the library of “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”, the taking of the vow of sobriety and abstinence from smoking took place. Those wishing to take the vows were met by a monk of the Central Khurul, Gen Sanan, who explained the procedure, significance and responsibility for making such a decision. At 14:00, in the conference hall of the khurul, a screening of the film “Little Buddha” was held, and the festive events concluded with the ritual of bathing the thangka of Buddha Shakyamuni.