Today the month of Urs Sar, sacred to all Buddhists, has begun

Throughout the entire month, special prayer services will be held at the Central Khurul of Kalmykia “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni.” Before the prayer service began, the senior administrator of the Central Khurul, Yonten Gelung, addressed those present. In his speech, he reminded everyone of the significance of the festival. “In the sacred month of Urs Sar, the result of all our actions and deeds increases hundreds of thousands of times, so for Buddhists this is a great opportunity to accumulate as much virtuous karma as possible; but at the same time one must refrain from committing non-virtuous deeds, so as not to accumulate non-virtuous karma, since the result of our negative actions also increases a hundred thousand times,” Yonten Gelung said. Yonten Gelung also spoke about the tragic events that had occurred in Tatarstan. “Unfortunately, we are meeting our sacred month with very bitter news. A terrorist attack took place in Kazan, in which children died, and a large number of people remain in the hospital. In this regard, the monks call on all believers, during this sacred month, to pray for those who died in this tragedy and for those who are in the hospital, that they may recover as soon as possible, and that such tragedies may never be repeated,” the senior administrator added.