On March 18 the solemn “Shiräd zallhn” ceremony (enthronement ceremony) of the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia will take place at the Central Khurul

The solemn “Shiräd zallhn” ceremony (enthronement ceremony) of the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia will take place at the Central Khurul. In February of this year the monastic Sangha of Kalmykia elected a new Shajin Lama of Kalmykia; he became Geshe Tenzin Choydak (Ovyanov Mutul Vladimirovich), who was confirmed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. “By Buddhist tradition, the main attribute of the supreme spiritual hierarch is the throne. The holder of the main throne in the khurul is the Shajin Lama. Thus, after the election of a new Shajin Lama, a special ceremony, the ‘Shiräd zallhn,’ always follows, after which the new Shajin Lama is considered the full-fledged head of all the clergy of Kalmykia; this can be compared to an inauguration in secular power,” said the head of the administration of the Central Khurul, Yonten-Gelung. Everyone who wishes may come to the ceremony and offer a khadak to the Shajin Lama, thereby expressing reverence not only to him but to the Teaching of the Buddha and to our religious traditions, whose revival will undoubtedly bring benefit to our people.