The Central Khurul marked the Day Buddha Shakyamuni bestowed the first Teaching

Festively dressed monks, the sounds of Buddhist musical instruments to which the ceremonial carrying out of the statue of the Buddha of the Future — Maitreya — takes place. The other day, the believers of the steppe region marked the Day of the First Turning of the Wheel of the Teaching. This is one of the important deeds of the great Buddha Shakyamuni.

The festive events at the Central Khurul began in the morning, with the ritual “Määdrin ergts” (the Circumambulation of Maitreya).

The procession, led by the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Tenzin Choydak, performed a ritual circumambulation around the temple. Believers in national costumes carried a rotunda with the statue of Buddha Maitreya, followed unhurriedly by those who carried the sacred texts. Together with the monks, the participants of the ritual stopped at the four cardinal directions, where a ceremony of purification and ablution was performed. Each one offered their prayers for the benefit of all living beings, while the clergy recited special prayers praising Buddha Maitreya, for according to Buddhist tradition, it is he who will come into our world after Buddha Shakyamuni.

Having returned to the main prayer hall after the circumambulation, the rotunda with the statue of Buddha Maitreya was placed before the altar, after which the festive prayer service began.

This day, the day the Buddha bestowed the first Teaching, is very momentous for every Buddhist. People strive to spend it practicing the Dharma, directing their actions of body, speech, and mind for the benefit of all living beings.