Olga Andreeva

Pandito Hambo Lama translated from Tibetan means “respected great teacher.” This is the appeal to the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, the largest association of Buddhist communities in our country. Damba Ayusheev has held this position since 1995. He is one of those about whom legends are made and songs are sung. People love Ayusheev, but Buddhist intellectuals, not so much. He is too much of a peasant on the throne, not an esthete, not enough spirituality. The RR correspondent listened to Hambo Lama for five hours and was not at all tired. The features of logic and speech of the country's main Buddhist are left unchanged.

Prologue

Hambo Lama said:

I can't pretend to be smart. Buddhism is a living religion, we should speak normally. When I stop joking, I become boring to myself. Making yourself smarter than you are - we have many more such people, you know. It’s better if they think I’m a fool.

About what a noble husband stands on

Hambo Lama was asked: does Buddhism have an idea of ​​an ideal state?

In Buddhism there is about ideal person performance,” the teacher answered. - At one time, Nagarjuna wrote a letter to Raja Udayana. He said, “To lead a country, a person must possess the seven jewels.” When I communicate with leaders, I think about those seven qualities. The lowest thing a person has is the mind. Only a collective farm fool can tell her children: I wish you were smart. like this Buryat woman we must be driven out of our society with a filthy broom.

If a person puts his mind above everything, what does he become? All the dictators who headed our states had intelligence. Nobody will say that Hitler was a fool. These were smart people, they managed to destroy entire nations and entire countries. The mind is the last of the jewels.

Behind it stands the conscience of a person. Conscience is when he controls himself. How he feels about himself. Shame follows. I arrive in the village in a jeep, dressed in lordly clothes. I walk and say: I can buy you, I can sell you. What does such a person have? No shame.

Behind shame comes the desire to learn. Here I am talking to Seryoga, saying interesting things, but I don’t see any fire in Seryoga’s eyes. The person doesn't want to learn. Behind the desire to learn comes spiritual wealth. A person must be generous. If he's not generous, it's not great person.

Above generosity is an oath. If I blurted out that I would kill him, I should kill him. An official comes and says: I promise to build a water supply system in your village. Yeah, he was chosen, five years later he comes and what does he say? Choose me again, right? Someone blurted out: you promised running water, but you didn’t deliver. He gave his word! And he is chosen again.

But the highest thing there is is faith. Intelligence, conscience, shame, desire to learn, spiritual wealth, oath and faith - none of this: this is a bad person.

About man and woman

Hambo Lama said:

How is a man different from a woman? When a woman takes, she does not think that she will lose. I found a husband, bought a car - everything, life was good. But a man, before he takes something, he must think: what will I give for this? If I give much more than I take, then I don't take it.

Once again about the noble husband

The teacher asked:

Who is the head of the Eravninsky district today?

Shagdarov.

Shagdarov is Songolian. Because the people chose him. Do you agree, right? And, for example, Nagovitsyn, the head of Buryatia, is talangut, that is, appointed. And I am Songol, I was chosen by the people to spread the teachings of Buddha, I am chosen for this. You can only become a Songol. You can be born a Horitumat, but you can be an Irkutsk Buryat - please be born. But you cannot be born a Songol. And then, over time, we will call our republic Songol. A?

You understand correctly, a normal Buddhist is also... I, for example, am not going to live here further, on this earth. I’m not going to be born back and become the nephew of our Khandayev (Deputy Minister of Construction of the Republic of Belarus, convicted of embezzlement of state funds - “RR”) - why do I need such a punishment? Only a fool would want to return to the human body and go through this school again, kindergarten. There are other places besides our poor land, and that's for sure good places. The whole world is like our desire. Millions of people once said that there is heaven. And a person’s desire - it materializes.

I am rude, unceremonious, I cannot speak intelligently. I can swear. But I will not betray my ideals, my history. Sorry.

About Bodhichita and Enlightenment

Hambo Lama said:

If you have not done anything wrong in your life, if your life has been correct, this is not a guarantee that you will go to heaven. This is not enough. My Buddhism is different. I say: help people. All the Buddha's teachings are about this. When everything is right, it means wrong. When everything is good, it is bad. Well, what did you want? Or maybe I should say something else? Practice bothichita, cultivate some qualities in yourself for enlightenment. You don’t need much intelligence here at all.

The most important thing: I do not rely on Buddha. Do you know why? I don't have a god. Buddha will definitely not come. Do you know why I'm a Buddhist? Do you know why I will follow Buddha all my life and not be disappointed in it? Do you know? Because I will never catch up with him. But I will follow the best, the strongest man of civilization. I am the one who follows Buddha. I don’t have time to prove that I’m good, that I’m gentle or sensitive - I have to go, I have to help people.

About the dignity of the people

Hambo Lama was asked: how many Buddhist believers are there now?

I do not know. This is an interesting question. We are such a mysterious people, we don’t know how many people are drilling on earth. And if I suddenly find out, I’ll die right away. But my people have the responsibility. If my people live well, it means that here, from the Irkutsk to the Amur regions, there is calm and peace. This is what I am responsible for.

We are used to thinking of ourselves as who? Third-rate. What do we say here? A Tibetan lama is a jewel, a Mongolian lama is a smart girl, and a Buryat lama is a misunderstanding. 80% of our intellectuals say so. My dear relatives, learn to respect yourself and learn to be proud of yourself. When you are near Hambo Lama Itigelov, be worthy of him. In general, I want to say that every nation considers itself worthy, every nation respects its values ​​and has support within itself.

About Orthodoxy and parallels

The teacher said:

If I had the right to appoint heads of districts, half of these heads would not have passed - I would have checked them for lice. If he has a cool car, I would immediately chase him with a filthy broom. But they would have realized quickly and arrived in a Zaporozhets. Some officials come to me and say: “I’m Orthodox, I want to find a parallel.” I say: “Get out of here with your parallels. You don’t understand anything about Orthodoxy, you fool,” I say. - You also want to understand Buddhism! Get out".

You respect your religion and respect mine. Don't talk down to me, don't. I am a Buddhist, I am not afraid of death. And if I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of anything.

About the good and the beautiful

Hambo Lama said:

Who are the Japanese fighting for at their competitions? For the Japanese Emperor. Mongols are fighting for the President of Mongolia.

What are our people fighting for? - asked the teachers.

For Buddha! I will fight for Shakyamuni Buddha. That's the idea. The goal is to have the most wonderful idea. The Japanese are a Buddhist country. Mongols are a Buddhist country. But they are fighting for identity. And you will fight for the good, for the beautiful.

About the Buryats

The teacher was asked: what needs to be done to Buryat people became great?

I have never seen in my life more stupid than these Buryat people. Imagine: the Buryats, our ancestors, created the great Buryat breed of sheep, a breed of horses, cows, and dogs. And thanks to these animals, in these unimaginable conditions, in forty-degree frost, we survived. And imagine: the communists came, and in just 40 years the bastard Buryats lost their sheep because they needed merino. These Buryats will say that the Yakuts are a little stupid. Chukchi and Evenki what? They froze there. But all these peoples - they did not give up their reindeer. The only people who have bent over so that their backs have become round are you, the Buryats.

So write: Irkutsk Buryats are cave communists-shamanists. Buddha Shakyamuni showed a miracle, demonstrated his unearthly capabilities. If he did not have such capabilities, his teaching would have long ago been what? It would be lost, right? Just as much as the Chinese promote their Confucius, the Greeks promoted Aristotle. The Germans - Nietzsche along with Hitler. And where are they, these smart people? But if people need Buddha’s teachings after three thousand years, it’s probably worth thinking about. The Irkutsk Buryats, who run after the shaman, as in cave communism, are probably worth thinking about.

In our republic we have a problem with the Khori-Buryats. Why? Because the Khora dialect, which is taken as a basis, which starts with “ha,” is the smallest dialect in Mongolian people. Today, only 300 thousand Buryats speak it. Whereas six million Mongolians speak “sa,” you know? It is easier for the Selenga Buryats, who are sakaya, to speak, for example, with the Mongols. And the Khorin Buryats cannot talk to anyone. The question is asked: these 300 thousand Buryats, well, can they have an influence on the saplings? Can not. And today the Buryats are losing their language. What to do? My opinion is to transfer everyone to the pricking dialect. Keep in mind, I'm going against my people. I'm a hacker.

About Buryats and sheep

And then the Hambo Lama was asked again: what needs to be done for the Buryat people to become great?

The only animal that will save my people is the ram. Why? When the time of Maitreya comes, a person's body will be as big as an elbow, and life on earth will last no more than ten years. All animals will fall and lose height. The only animal that will retain its height, strength and power is the ram.

Why? There was experience in Semipalatinsk. A nuclear bomb was detonated. And there was one sloppiness: they didn’t notice the flock. Normal Soviet roteness. Well, of course, the nuclear explosion swept away everything. And when, three days later, they took off in a helicopter and began to fly over the site of this defeat, they, to their surprise, found a flock. They drove it in and began to examine it. And when everyone was examined, they were surprised: the meat of the sheep was not contaminated, although they breathed contaminated air and drank contaminated water. Why? Because a sheep's intestine is 46 meters long, and as long as food goes through it, everything remains there. And when it reaches the brain, there is nothing there.

About Buryats and cows

And for the third time the teacher was asked: what needs to be done for the Buryat people to become great?

I told one deputy minister Agriculture Russia: the billion population reached by China and India depends on only one animal - the cow. Chinese people don't drink cow's milk, and Hindus don’t eat meat, it makes no sense for them to keep a cow. And they reached a billion people.

Why can't we become as numerous? Because we eat this beef. And according to Buddhism, according to knowledge invisible world, it is believed that a celestial goddess sits on a cow and protects the mother’s womb. This means that if a person eats beef, his family will disappear, women will stop giving birth. I told the minister: if you want the population of Russia to increase, remove the beef, just remove the beef. If you want to say that the Chinese and Indians are fools, then tell them directly.

About the great Russian people

Hambo Lama said:

Russians themselves are an experimental people. Everything bad that happens in the world will definitely pass through Russia. Whatever idea appears in the world, it will definitely come to Russia and will definitely end in either a revolution or some kind of crisis. This is a great people.

What's the worst thing about us? The space is huge. Any good idea, which originated in Primorye, will die by the time it reaches Moscow. Any idea that arises in Moscow, until it reaches Vladivostok... We do not hear each other. Let’s do this: we’ll send the Russians to Germany, and we’ll bring the Germans here. Let them try to live in such territories: they will survive - they will not survive. Well, just experimental.

For some reason, many Russians inside are now a little weaker. Why do we have nationalism? He comes when the people weaken and begin to be afraid. And when a person is healthy, this does not exist at all. I believe that this is nationalism. If a nation is healthy, it has no time for this.

About Putin and White Tara

The teacher asked: what do you think about Putin?

Hambo Lama thought and said:

When they ask me why I don’t go against our leader, I say: “I can’t go because he is White Tara for me, I can’t go against my goddess.” A man who has power over one sixth of the landmass of the earth, who can start a war with one button - this man has enormous power. It's ten times worse for him than for me.

I should help him, and not say: let’s change him, if I don’t like him, we’ll appoint someone else. This is the easiest thing. And when people say to me: “Who do you love more, the Dalai Lama or the President?” - I say: “Listen, dear comrades, who feeds me, who gives my old people money - a foreign big lama or the president of the country?”

They say to me: “But our president is Russian, not a Buddhist.” What difference does it make to me? I respect this person and I respect this position. De facto and de jure, today I serve President Putin. Medvedev will become president again, and I will serve him. If Zyuganov becomes president, I will be forced to serve him. And don’t say: “Why are you so boring, you have no imagination!” There are 500 thousand Buryats behind me, and you want me to risk them? It doesn’t take much intelligence to say that I am a great person and throw people to the slaughter. I'm not saying that I'm afraid of anyone. I can't be scared. I can answer in such a way that it will not seem a little.

Someone will come here new president Republic of Buryatia - okay, go and take command. Just remember one thing: I won’t ask you for anything. You will soon ask me for peace and - what? And peace.

About the search for emptiness

The teacher said:

Do you know why Buddhists can talk about everything? The ultimate goal of a Buddhist is to catch emptiness. Not to see it, not to feel it, but to catch it. How can you catch emptiness that you will never see? And when the question of emptiness begins, it turns out that there is nothing right.

Everything we say is empty words. Every thing is empty in its essence. Why, it turns out, did I study? To understand the emptiness. And in order to understand emptiness, your mental effort alone, the ability to recite mantras, is not enough. The accumulation of good deeds is necessary, then the door to emptiness will open. Or it may not open at all. The Dalai Lama himself said: “I have not seen a person who has caught emptiness.” Why? Because the one who caught the void will never say it.

Press service of the Sangha of Russia

Damba Ayusheev has held this position since 1995. He is one of those about whom legends are made and songs are sung. People love Ayusheev, but Buddhist intellectuals, not so much. He is too much of a peasant on the throne, not an esthete, not enough spirituality. The Russian Reporter correspondent listened to Hambo Lama for five hours and was not at all tired. The features of logic and speech of the country's main Buddhist are left unchanged.

Prologue

“I can’t pretend to be smart.” Buddhism is a living religion, we should speak normally. When I stop joking, I become boring to myself. Making yourself smarter than you are - we have many more such people, you know. It’s better if they think I’m a fool.

About bodhichite and enlightenment

“If you haven’t done anything bad in your life, if your life was right, this is not a guarantee that you will go to heaven.” This is not enough. My Buddhism is different. I say: help people. All the Buddha's teachings are about this. When everything is right, it means wrong. When everything is good, it is bad. Well, what did you want? Or maybe I should say something else? Practice bothichita, cultivate some qualities in yourself for enlightenment. You don’t need much intelligence here at all.

The most important thing: I do not rely on Buddha. Do you know why? I don't have a god. Buddha will definitely not come. Do you know why I'm a Buddhist? Do you know why I will follow Buddha all my life and not be disappointed in it? Do you know? Because I will never catch up with him. But I will follow the best, the strongest man of civilization. I am the one who follows Buddha. I don’t have time to prove that I’m good, that I’m gentle or sensitive - I have to go, I have to help people.

About the dignity of the people

Hambo Lama was asked: how many Buddhist believers are there now?

- I do not know. This is an interesting question. We are such a mysterious people, we don’t know how many people are drilling on earth. And if I suddenly find out, I’ll die right away. But my people have the responsibility. If my people live well, it means that here, from the Irkutsk to the Amur regions, there is calm and peace. This is what I am responsible for.

We are used to thinking of ourselves as who? Third-rate. What do we say here? The Tibetan lama is a jewel, the Mongolian lama is a smart girl, and the Buryat lama is a misunderstanding. 80% of our intellectuals say so. My dear relatives, learn to respect yourself and learn to be proud of yourself. When you are near Hambo Lama Itigelov, be worthy of him. In general, I want to say that every nation considers itself worthy, every nation respects its values ​​and has support within itself.

About Orthodoxy and parallels

- If I had the right to appoint heads of districts, half of these heads would not have passed - I would have checked them for lice. If he has a cool car, I would immediately chase him with a filthy broom. But they would have quickly realized and arrived on the Zaporozhets. Some officials come to me and say: “I’m Orthodox, I want to find a parallel.” I say: “Get out of here with your parallels. You don’t understand anything about Orthodoxy, you fool. You also want to understand Buddhism! Get out".

You respect your religion and respect mine. Don't talk down to me, don't. I am a Buddhist, I am not afraid of death. And if I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of anything.

About the great Russian people

— Russians themselves are an experimental people. Everything bad that happens in the world will definitely pass through Russia. Whatever idea appears in the world, it will definitely come to Russia and will definitely end in either a revolution or some kind of crisis. This is a great people.

What's the worst thing about us? The space is huge. Any good idea that arose in Primorye will die by the time it reaches Moscow. Any idea that arises in Moscow, until it reaches Vladivostok... We do not hear each other. Let’s do this: we’ll send the Russians to Germany, and we’ll bring the Germans here. Let them try to live in such territories: they will survive - they will not survive. Well, just experimental.

For some reason, many Russians inside are now a little weaker. Why do we have nationalism? He comes when the people weaken and begin to be afraid. And when a person is healthy, this does not exist at all. I believe that this is nationalism. If a nation is healthy, it has no time for this.

About Putin and White Tara

The teacher asked: what do you think about Putin?

“When they ask me why I don’t go against our head, I say: “I can’t go, because he is White Tara for me, I can’t go against my goddess.” A man who has power over one-sixth of the earth's land mass, who can start a war with one button - this man has enormous power. It's ten times worse for him than for me.

I should help him, and not say: let’s change him, if I don’t like him, we’ll appoint someone else. This is the easiest thing. And when people say to me: “Who do you love more, the Dalai Lama or the President?” - I say: “Listen, dear comrades, who feeds me, who gives my old people money - a foreign big lama or the president of the country?”

They say to me: “But our president is Russian, not a Buddhist.” What difference does it make to me? I respect this person and I respect this position. De facto and de jure, today I serve President Putin. Medvedev will become president again, and I will serve him. If Zyuganov becomes president, I will be forced to serve him. And don’t say: “Why are you so boring, you have no imagination!” There are 500 thousand Buryats behind me, and you want me to risk them? It doesn’t take much intelligence to say that I’m a great man and throw people to the slaughter. I'm not saying that I'm afraid of anyone. I can't be scared. I can answer in such a way that it will not seem a little.

If some new president of the Republic of Buryatia comes here, fine, go and take command. Just remember one thing: I won’t ask you for anything. You will soon ask me for peace and - what? And peace.

Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev: “My dear relatives, learn to respect yourself and learn to be proud of yourself.” This is the appeal to the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, the largest association of Buddhist communities in our country.

Damba Ayusheev has held this position since 1995. He is one of those about whom legends are made and songs are sung. People love Ayusheev, but Buddhist intellectuals, not so much. He is too much of a peasant on the throne, not an esthete, not enough spirituality. The Russian Reporter correspondent listened to Hambo Lama for five hours and was not at all tired. The features of logic and speech of the country's main Buddhist are left unchanged.

Prologue

“I can’t pretend to be smart.” Buddhism is a living religion, we should speak normally. When I stop joking, I become boring to myself. Making yourself smarter than you are - we have many more such people, you know. It’s better if they think I’m a fool.

About bodhichite and enlightenment

“If you haven’t done anything bad in your life, if your life was right, this is not a guarantee that you will go to heaven.” This is not enough. My Buddhism is different. I say: help people. All the Buddha's teachings are about this. When everything is right, it means wrong. When everything is good, it is bad. Well, what did you want? Or maybe I should say something else? Practice bothichita, cultivate some qualities in yourself for enlightenment. You don’t need much intelligence here at all.

The most important thing: I do not rely on Buddha. Do you know why? I don't have a god. Buddha will definitely not come. Do you know why I'm a Buddhist? Do you know why I will follow Buddha all my life and not be disappointed in it? Do you know? Because I will never catch up with him. But I will follow the best, the strongest man of civilization. I am the one who follows Buddha. I don’t have time to prove that I’m good, that I’m gentle or sensitive - I have to go, I have to help people.

About the dignity of the people

Hambo Lama was asked: how many Buddhist believers are there now?

- I do not know. This is an interesting question. We are such a mysterious people, we don’t know how many people are drilling on earth. And if I suddenly find out, I’ll die right away. But my people have the responsibility. If my people live well, it means that here, from the Irkutsk to the Amur regions, there is calm and peace. This is what I am responsible for.

We are used to thinking of ourselves as who? Third-rate. What do we say here? The Tibetan lama is a jewel, the Mongolian lama is a smart girl, and the Buryat lama is a misunderstanding. 80% of our intellectuals say so. My dear relatives, learn to respect yourself and learn to be proud of yourself. When you are near Hambo Lama Itigelov, be worthy of him. In general, I want to say that every nation considers itself worthy, every nation respects its values ​​and has support within itself.

About Orthodoxy and parallels

- If I had the right to appoint heads of districts, half of these heads would not have passed - I would have checked them for lice. If he has a cool car, I would immediately chase him with a filthy broom. But they would have quickly realized and arrived on the Zaporozhets. Some officials come to me and say: “I’m Orthodox, I want to find a parallel.” I say: “Get out of here with your parallels. You don’t understand anything about Orthodoxy, you fool. You also want to understand Buddhism! Get out".

You respect your religion and respect mine. Don't talk down to me, don't. I am a Buddhist, I am not afraid of death. And if I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of anything.

About the great Russian people

— Russians themselves are an experimental people. Everything bad that happens in the world will definitely pass through Russia. Whatever idea appears in the world, it will definitely come to Russia and will definitely end in either a revolution or some kind of crisis. This is a great people.

What's the worst thing about us? The space is huge. Any good idea that arose in Primorye will die by the time it reaches Moscow. Any idea that arises in Moscow, until it reaches Vladivostok... We do not hear each other. Let’s do this: we’ll send the Russians to Germany, and we’ll bring the Germans here. Let them try to live in such territories: they will survive - they will not survive. Well, just experimental.

For some reason, many Russians inside are now a little weaker. Why do we have nationalism? He comes when the people weaken and begin to be afraid. And when a person is healthy, this does not exist at all. I believe that this is nationalism. If a nation is healthy, it has no time for this.

About Putin and White Tara

The teacher asked: what do you think about Putin?

“When they ask me why I don’t go against our head, I say: “I can’t go, because he is White Tara for me, I can’t go against my goddess.” A man who has power over one-sixth of the earth's land mass, who can start a war with one button - this man has enormous power. It's ten times worse for him than for me.

I should help him, and not say: let’s change him, if I don’t like him, we’ll appoint someone else. This is the easiest thing. And when people tell me:

“Who do you love more, the Dalai Lama or the President?” - I say: “Listen, dear comrades, who feeds me, who gives my old people money - a foreign big lama or the president of the country?”

They say to me: “But our president is Russian, not a Buddhist.” What difference does it make to me? I respect this person and I respect this position. De facto and de jure, today I serve President Putin. Medvedev will become president again, and I will serve him. If Zyuganov becomes president, I will be forced to serve him.

And don’t say: “Why are you so boring, you have no imagination!” There are 500 thousand Buryats behind me, and you want me to risk them? It doesn’t take much intelligence to say that I’m a great man and throw people to the slaughter. I'm not saying that I'm afraid of anyone. I can't be scared. I can answer in such a way that it will not seem a little.

If some new president of the Republic of Buryatia comes here, fine, go and take command. Just remember one thing: I won’t ask you for anything. You will soon ask me for peace and - what? And peace.

Tatyana Troyanskaya is in the studio, and I will now greet our guests. Opposite me is Nina Kochelyaeva, director of the New Institute of Cultural Studies, executive director of the project, i.e. the film we are going to talk about today. Hello!

Kochelyaeva N.

Hello!

Troyanskaya T.

Anastasia Razlogova, CEO company "Kamer-Ton-Film-Rus" and the general producer of the film that we will talk about, as well as the general partner of the project.

Razlogova A.

Good afternoon

Troyanskaya T.

And Alla Namsaraeva, head of the press service of the Ivolginsky datsan and chief consultant of the project and film that we will talk about. Allah, good afternoon!

Namsaraeva A.

Good afternoon

Troyanskaya T.

And now about the film itself. This new picture, a film-study of traditional Russian Buddhism as a factor in the harmonious interaction of different ethnic groups and cultures based on materials from the life of Khambo Lama Etigelov. And you are filming a film dedicated to Hambo Lama Etigelov, you are doing this. Well, first I must say that Khambo Lama Etigelov is known as the incorruptible lama, and Alla has just begun to correct me that I am expressing myself incorrectly: “incorruptible lama” - they don’t say that.

Namsaraeva A.

Yes, Tatyana, this has already become a stable expression, but it is wrong. Because it is incorruptible, of course - there was no process of decay. In Buryat they call it “Erdeni Munhe Bee”, and if we translate it into Russian, it sounds like “Precious inexhaustible body”. This is how it was in 2002, when he was taken out of the sarcophagus in which he had been underground for 75 years, and all his joints worked and still work the same way, and his skin turgor is soft. This is what I am now saying in these terms - it was written down, according to our rules, according to Russian laws, in the act of exhumation. But the pathologists who conducted this study, they, of course, were as amazed as all the other people. Because he spent 75 years, as I already said, in this sarcophagus. He lived seventy-five years before and was the head of Russian Buddhists at the beginning of the 20th century. Those. at that time he was 150 years old, last year he turned 165 years old.

Troyanskaya T.

Those. for 15 years now, it turns out he’s been with us?

Namsaraeva A.

He is with us, yes. There are some euphemisms that say, somehow define, “he is with us,” “he has returned,” “he has come.” Because neither science nor Buddhism as such can say how to correctly designate the state in which he is, because it is unknown to both. And when, for example, the Dalai Lama was asked, please comment, and Lama Etigelov came. The Dalai Lama said that I cannot comment on this state because I have never been in this state, and you can comment on it only when you have already experienced it.

Troyanskaya T.

Those. It turns out that no one can comment on this condition, because no one living today has experienced this condition?

Namsaraeva A.

Yes. And in fact, a lot, not a lot, but how many films have been made about him?

Razlogova A.

There are several films about him, these are documentaries. Starting from the moment when he was just taken out, it was all filmed on video, and it all went into the film “The Message of Khambo Lama,” the very first film about Etigelov. And, in fact, then this chronicle was used everywhere, it is on the Internet, and those films that already exist about him are of a narrative nature. They talk about his life, about his contribution to Russian statehood and Russian Buddhism.

Troyanskaya T.

I think, Nina, you will tell us how your film actually differs from the films that already exist.

Kochelyaeva N.

Well, first of all, I want to say that the film has a working title, and the working title is very different from the project title that we know. Because the project itself includes two components, the first part is research, on the basis of which an analytical report is being prepared on the role of Russian traditional Buddhism as a factor in harmonious interaction with various religions, ethnic groups and culture of Russia. We all know that Russia is a multinational, multi-ethnic, multi-confessional country, and in this sense, it is important for us to identify those characteristics of Buddhism that are very productive. Because when Buddhism comes to a particular area, it does not rebuild it, but it somehow adapts to this area, including everything that came before it. Those. this is very interesting feature Buddhism, which does not break culture, but which tries to adapt...

Troyanskaya T.

Dissolves.

Kochelyaeva N.

Or he penetrates these cultures himself. This is such a very important feature that Buddhism is distinguished by, and for us it is such a very important beacon. As for the film, it has a working title, perhaps it will be adjusted during the filming process, for now we call it tentatively “The Etigelov Phenomenon. The mystery of the Buryat lama." And, of course, we would not like to go down the already beaten path when creating this film, we would like to look for other structures. A lot of films are shot in the narrative genre, in this very linear genre, when it tells where Hambo Lama Etigelov comes from, as a rule, all these films begin with the rise of his body, with this sensation. But when we were in Ulan-Ude, on the first expedition, and were talking, we had a large round table in the National Library of Buryatia, and one of the participants in this round table asked, in my opinion, one of the key questions: what if the figure of the Hambo Lama Etigelov, what will remain, what will this project be structured around? And the project will be structured, it seems to me, in people’s perception, the lamas’ perception of this phenomenon, the perception of the residents of Buryatia, and perhaps, in part, by the residents of Russia, because Buddhism is quite widespread. Now we are filming in St. Petersburg in several key places connected with Etigelov’s life - this and State Museum history of religion, and the Russian Ethnographic Museum, who gladly became partners of the project, already at this stage.

Troyanskaya T.

And datsan, of course.

Kochelyaeva N.

And right now the filming is taking place in the St. Petersburg datsan, so the director of the film, Elena Demidova, is not with us on the air right now. And what is very important for us is the not so pragmatic side of the issue related to forensic examination or some such things that, it seems to me, somewhat reduce the intensity, they can be interesting as some kind of enticing thing. It is very important for us to try to decipher certain spiritual structures, and it is no coincidence that our partner is the Buddhist Traditional Sankha of Russia; we are very grateful to them for the fact that they undertook to help us with this project. And the Buddhist University in Ivolginsky Datsan provides such constant supervision of this project. It is very important for us to structure the film according to a different principle, and on the advice of Khambo Lama Ayusheev, the current Pandito Khambo Lama, we base it on Etigelov’s messages. These are special texts that are given every day, maybe Alla will tell you about this in more detail.

Troyanskaya T.

What are messages and how do they appear, these messages.

Namsaraeva A.

Messages or teachings - that's what they are called. And the acting Khambo Lama, which Nina has already spoken about, the XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev, he just drew our attention to them when we talked to him, before starting work on this project, on this film. He says that now all Buddhists live according to the teachings that Buddha gave, but that was 2600 years ago, or that Nagarjuna gave, it was the 5th century - this is a great scientist who lived 600 years, by the way. And Tsonghawa is the one who is the founder of the Gelug line, Yellow-Capped Buddhism, and this was the 14th-15th centuries, - i.e. this all happened a very long time ago, and we are familiar with these teachings, already translated and rewritten. We now have the opportunity to receive certain teachings, certain messages from Hambo Lama Etigelov. The fact is that Hambo Lama Etigelov was not just raised at one moment with his sarcophagus together. In 1999, this happened for the first time, when one of the lamas of the Ivolginsky datsan, Bimba Lama Dorzhiev, began to appear in meditation to a certain lama, who began to say that he needed to be taken out, literally from the cemetery. And he went to the abbot of his datsan, and they went together to Hambo Lama, and Hambo Lama scolded them. Because for Buddhists, going to a cemetery, much less carrying out an exhumation, is completely unrealistic. Buddhists try not to go to cemeteries, women never go there at all, even to bury - it is believed that a woman is the keeper of the hearth of the home, and she should not appear in such places. Men go to bury and that’s it, because for Buddhists who believe in reincarnation, it is believed that the body is a shell, consciousness has come out of the shell...

Troyanskaya T.

And the body no longer matters.

Namsaraeva A.

Yes Yes. And then consciousness moves, reincarnates into some new body and continues to develop there. And then he (Hambo Lama Damba Ayusheev) told them, look for some facts that will lead you to the fact that there really is someone there, someone is waiting for us there. And for three years in a row, Bimba Lama, together with the Sheerete Lama at that time, the abbot of the Ivolginsky datsan, Dagba Lama, went in this way to the head of Russian Buddhists. They found some indirect evidence, but then the mother of one of the big lamas died, she happened to come from this area, they went to this cemetery. Khambo Lama said, well, well, since I’m here, it was in 2002, in September, he said, well, let me go there already. And he came to this place. Well, Buddhists always say, you need to see the signs, i.e. he saw some signs that were there, and he approached this place, and his grandfather, who was once a boy and went to this place with his dad and saw how Etigelov was raised and lowered again, he said, yes, yes, you got it all right. And then they found relatives, but indirect relatives, because Hambo Lama Etigelov was a monk, but he had brothers and sisters, they had children and grandchildren, and these great-nephews were found, who gave permission for exhumation.

Troyanskaya T.

Those. Did you just find it, or was there some kind of sign there?

Namsaraeva A.

There were signs. The fact is that in Buryatia there is such a terrain in that area, such small hills, and if lay people are buried, they are buried lower, but lamas were either burned or buried higher. And there in this place lay a stone that made the watershed so that the spring waters would bypass this place, so that this sarcophagus, the cedar sarcophagus, would not become saturated with water. And there were three plants growing there, medicinal plants, which are not found in wildlife in one place. The current Hambo Lama is a healer by his Lama specialization, and he knows perfectly well where everything grows in Buryatia, and he knows that these three plants are never found even nearby, let alone growing from the same place. And then he said, yes, I believe, and they started pestering him. But in fact, as it turned out, Hambo Lama Etigelov was harassed by lamas in this way both in 1955 and in 1973. In 1955, well, as the Buddhists say again, you need to see the signs, there were big winds, hurricanes, and the roofs of houses were blown away, and then they said that he was calling on the element of the wind, and they went to him, got him, performed a ritual, and again they put him there.

Troyanskaya T.

Well, that is. didn't open the sarcophagus?

Namsaraeva A.

They opened it.

Troyanskaya T.

Did you reveal it? And nothing surprised them?

Namsaraeva A.

No, they were not surprised, because he left a will when he left himself in this state, and they knew that those lamas were alive who knew that he left himself in this state. And in 1973, two years in a row, in 1972 and 1973 there were large floods, i.e. he called with the element of water. And already to beginning of XXI century, these old lamas have not remained. By the way, in the KGB archives there is, in my opinion, a document from 1955, which says that the lamas went to their idol, took it out, dug it up, performed a ritual and buried it back.

Troyanskaya T.

There is a fact.

Namsaraeva A.

And by the beginning of the 21st century nothing was said about this. I asked Hambo Lama a question: why? I believed that such facts, out-of-the-ordinary facts, should have been reported from one Hambo Lama to another.

Troyanskaya T.

Transmit.

Namsaraeva A.

Yes, how the nuclear briefcase is passed from president to president. But at some point they stopped reporting this.

Troyanskaya T.

It is not clear why this was?

Namsaraeva A.

Hambo Lama said that, most likely, they thought that if necessary, they would find out themselves, and if it was not necessary, then they did not need to know. Well, that’s how they got it and transported it to the Ivolginsky datsan, and there was a lot of talk that it would deteriorate there, in the air, you opened this sarcophagus, you got it out. And time passes, a special palace was built for him, in which he is constantly located, and he remains there. And this year he will be 16 years old, and he stays there all the time; eight times a year he is transferred to the main temple of the Ivolginsky datsan for large prayer services. And he, along with the lamas, participates in these prayer services, people come to him to worship.

Troyanskaya T.

Everyone knows that President Vladimir Putin goes there, right?

Namsaraeva A.

In 2011, the president was in the Ivolginsky datsan. It was like this interesting point, he met with Etigelov twice that time. The first time he met him was when he was first brought in; a special throne was erected for him to communicate with Hambo Lama Etigelov. And then, when he had such a planned meeting with the abbots, with the current Hambo Lama, after that he stood up and said: “We must say goodbye to the Hambo Lama.” And everyone thought that he wanted to say goodbye to Hambo Lama Ayusheev, and they began to leave. And the president took it, went out and went to the palace - he meant that he needed to say goodbye to Hambo Lama Etigelov.

Troyanskaya T.

Well, the question for the messages is, how did they appear?

Namsaraeva A.

Somewhere from 2008, since Bimba Lama, to whom all this appeared in meditation, he became the main custodian of Hambo Lama Etigelov. He gets up every morning, and, as usual, the lamas place their offerings before the Buddha before the altar every morning - he also places these offerings in front of Etigelov and conducts a prayer service. And Hambo Lama told him, well, if you have some kind of connection with him, well, ask him some question. And they tried to establish some kind of mental connection. In 2008, some such messages began to come from him, but they began to come on an ongoing basis in 2012. I spoke with both Bimba Lama and Khambo Lama about how this all happens. Bimba Lama enters this meditative state and a certain thought form appears before him, he must only have time to remember what was in this picture, what action was there, what was said, and write it down. Since Etigelov is Buryat by nationality, his native language is Buryat, he speaks all this in Buryat language, and Bimba Lama writes in Buryat. Then he brings this to the current head of the Buddhists of Russia, Hambo Lama takes it all, comprehends it, opens his Facebook...

Troyanskaya T.

It's funny, yes, new technologies and Hambo Lama. Kirill, the patriarch, doesn’t have Facebook.

Namsaraeva A.

Well, here are the advanced Buddhists. And Hambo Lama opens his Facebook and first types this message in the Buryat language in the Buryat language and gives his comment on it. And then, after two, three or four hours, he translates it into Russian and also gives his commentary. And this is not always a literal translation. Sometimes, given the different structure of the language, a different mentality, he makes some accents in order to better explain what it was.

Troyanskaya T.

And these messages, as I understand it, are also present in the film, right?

Kochelyaeva N.

Yes, through Alla we all the time receive messages from the current Hambo Lama, messages not of this kind, he expresses himself more literally, but so to speak, wishes on how to structure the film. It seems to me that a very interesting move was found - to structure the film around the messages of Hambo Lama Etigelov. Because we shoot a lot, in different places, we shoot historical things related to Hambo Lama Etigelov, because, being a museum expert by training, it seems to me very important to find objects, to find facts that once existed. But we wanted to structure the entire film around the messages of Hambo Lama Etigelov, opening each chapter of the film with them.

Troyanskaya T.

Well, you know, I read the messages, to be honest, they are very difficult to understand. You will explain them or they will appear in the film and only then what happens next will explain what is in the message.

Razlogova A.

This is what the director must decide, how he will reveal these messages.

Kochelyaeva N.

Absolutely fair point. Here it seems to me that neither producers nor project executive directors should interfere in this creative process.

Troyanskaya T.

Which continues, I'm talking about the creative process, and which we will return to soon. We continue our conversation about the new film, about Khambo Lama Etigelov, and the filming period is underway now, and the film will be... When, by the way, will it be ready?

Kochelyaeva N.

We plan to finish the painting by mid-July. Filming will have already been completed, editing of the film will be completed and post-production will be completed. This is our plan, quite tough, because I must say that we are working with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund, and, naturally...

Troyanskaya T.

It is no coincidence that Vladimir Vladimirovich went to see the Hambo Lama.

Kochelyaeva N.

Yes. And naturally, when you carry out a project for which money is given, you are obliged to follow a clear plan, and before you submit an application, you are obliged to develop this plan, starting from a plan related to travel, consultations, filming, film preparation and ending with film promotion. Because it is very important that both the film and the report that we are preparing, because from our previous stories it may seem that only the film is such integral part project...

Well, because we, potential viewers, will see the film.

Kochelyaeva N.

Undoubtedly. The report will be read, I hope, by students of humanities universities; it is being prepared for mass distribution, and I hope it will be used. Because it is very important to show not only the Etigelov phenomenon, but to show the role and significance of Buddhism in general. And there will be social practices Buddhism is considered, and the history of Buddhism, and many other things that, in general, will leave the film. Therefore, these are two complementary structures. And the film, of course, will be more lively, more vibrant and, naturally, designed for a larger number of readers and viewers, since the report will be designed for such a rather special audience associated with the teaching of humanities and the teaching of humanities - cultural studies, history of religion etc.

Troyanskaya T.

In this case, I have a question for the general producer of the film, Anastasia Razlogova, who must say where the film will be shown at the festival and when mere mortals, i.e. will we see this picture?

Razlogova A.

Well, as Nina Aleksandrovna already said, we have a clear plan, which we submitted to the fund even before we knew whether we would receive a grant or not. And according to this plan, the film should be shown at the Window to Europe film festival in Vyborg, where the premiere should take place. And then the film will be shown at several more Russian festivals. It will definitely be shown on television, we really hope that the Culture channel will show it.

Troyanskaya T.

Those. most likely this is Culture?

Razlogova A.

Yes. And it will definitely be shown in cinemas, this is also an obligatory part of our plan.

Troyanskaya T.

Will there be a rental?

Razlogova A.

There will be a so-called limited release, which we will try to make as wide a limited release as possible. These will definitely be film clubs, and VGIK and the Guild of Non-Fiction Film and Television, our partners, will help us with this. But these will also be central large cities - St. Petersburg, Moscow definitely, and other cities. Buryatia is one hundred percent where we will do special screenings, and we will try to do them together with the director, and we will try to present and distribute the report simultaneously with the screenings. This is one of our main tasks - the distribution of this film.

Troyanskaya T.

In general, if we talk about shows, it is possible to show it independently or still immerse yourself in the context, i.e. Is there some kind of introduction at the beginning or is the film an independent unit? It is clear that the film is still being filmed, it is difficult to say, but nevertheless?

Razlogova A.

Well, generally speaking, a film should be such an independent unit, i.e. it should convey completely everything we would like to say, without additional explanation. But when there is a director, when there are creators, of course, it is more interesting, viewers can ask questions. Moreover, the theme is this: someone knows about Etigelov, and someone doesn’t know at all, and this film needs to be made in such a way that any viewer...

Troyanskaya T.

So that everyone can understand.

Razlogova A.

- ... could understand and realize what idea, what thought we convey with our film.

Troyanskaya T.

And if we talk about the current Hambo Lama, how closely does he monitor the progress of filming? As I understand it, Alla is such a “medium” between the Hambo Lama and the film crew.

Namsaraeva A.

Well, medium is a strong word, of course. Hambo Lama asks, he asks regularly. When we talked to him about supporting this film, he also asked how, what, why, is the presidential grant fund really, and will it be interesting, and what topic are you applying for, i.e. That's all he asked. And when they gave this grant, and the decision was made, I told him that yes, we were given this grant, he was like, mmm, okay, and what do you assume. And then he gave us such a living idea, yes, he gave us this idea, to use messages, now he recently translated for us the epigraph for this film from the 27th teaching of Nagarjuna. Those. he thinks about it, and now, when I flew here on a business trip to shoot a film in St. Petersburg, he said, okay, where will you shoot? You'll be shooting there, there, there, they sent me photographs, and I'm in correspondence with him.

Kochelyaeva N.

It seems to me that this is very important, this kind of constant support, because, well, let’s say, not all of us are specialists in Buddhism. Yes, we work in some analytical structures, we have experience in preparing analytical reports, we have experience in preparing films. But I was always interested in immersing myself in an atmosphere that would allow me to reveal something that cannot be revealed by science. And so the approach and work with spiritual structures, it, firstly, requires great delicacy, i.e. These are very subtle points. Secondly, it, of course, requires constant interaction, including with the Buddhist traditional Sangha, and constant prompting, i.e. You can perceive this as a guide, or you can perceive it as certain moves that are revealed to you when preparing this or that material. And it is very important that Hambo Lama Damba Ayusheev constantly broadcasts to us some interesting thoughts, moves, etc., this helps a lot in working on the film.

Namsaraeva A.

Well, I think you're right. And I think if he saw that we did not adhere to this, he would stop giving us these ideas and helping us in this regard. Of course, we would have gone to these datsans, where we have filming scheduled at the end of May, but he wouldn’t have kept his finger on the pulse like that. And when he sees that we respond to this, he is also interested in it.

Kochelyaeva N.

You know, in fact, this is a very important work experience for me, because everything in this project turns out to be very responsive, i.e. it somehow took shape even at the application stage, when somehow everything responded and suddenly grew together into this wonderful project. Which combines both analytics and creativity. We were at the Buddhist University, wonderful hubaraks who gave absolutely brilliant interviews, and now we...

Troyanskaya T.

Khubaraki are...?

Namsaraeva A.

Students.

Kochelyaeva N.

And now we are preparing a series...

Troyanskaya T.

This is i.e. such future lamas, right?

Kochelyaeva N.

Yes. ...we are preparing a series of mini-videos like this, posting a video about the first expedition on the website, then the second expedition will follow. Because it is important not only to convey this through the film, but we also put some key things into these video materials. And this responsiveness and willingness to work, of course, impressed me very much, and I am of course grateful that everything is happening this way.

Troyanskaya T.

You know, I watched a teaser associated with the film, and there was an interview with, probably, these students, what Buddhism is for you. And amazing, completely different answers came from the students.

Kochelyaeva N.

There were not only students there, there were very different specialists, and it was a little rough cut, because it was not always possible to capture a good clear sound. Because in the library, where we filmed all the materials, there were no microphones on, so something like that. There were indeed two Khubaraks, they were Radna and Valera, they beautiful distances interview. There was a rector of the Buddhist University, a vice-rector of the Buddhist University, and if we are talking about such figures, you probably know that the Khubaraks study for eight years - these are people who have amazing knowledge. And if we talk about the rector of the Buddhist University, then, as far as I know, he studied for 17 years.

Namsaraeva A.

Sixteen years old, and he defended his degree in “geshe gabju”, this is a doctor of Buddhist philosophy.

Kochelyaeva N.

And we had various secular experts, i.e. from the Institute of Buddhist and Mongolian Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and art historians. Those. It was very important for us to bring into this project, to bring together people of very different views and very different thoughts, and try to identify what Buddhism means to them, and how it works in Everyday life. Therefore, even such funny things, when one of the Buryatsky students state university says that if he sleeps through the lecture, the Buddha will be pleased, it’s very fun. And what’s interesting is that VGIK students helped us with this video, and they were able to very quickly...

Troyanskaya T.

Those. did they film?

Kochelyaeva N.

No, they didn't film, they edited it, they put it together. And here is a young look, he allowed us to do such a very dynamic thing.

Troyanskaya T.

Will there be artistic advice from Hambo Lama?

Razlogova A.

We will, of course, show him this film, we will film in Buryatia, we will do an interview with him, and the whole group will listen to some of his instructions and wishes.

Troyanskaya T.

We will wait for the film and it’s good that it premieres not far from St. Petersburg, we’ll all go to Vyborg. I think you will also do some special show for St. Petersburg. So, in our studio we have Nina Kochelyaeva, director of the New Institute of Cultural Studies, Anastasia Razlogova, general producer of the film, Alla Namsaraeva, chief consultant of the project.

XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev, head of Buddhists of the Russian Federation.

The outgoing year is significant for Russians - 70 years Great victory in World War II. But Buddhism is considered one of the most peaceful religions and some say: “We honor the memory of the victims of the Great Patriotic War, but they themselves would never go to war.” What do you think about this, as the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha* of Russia?

In this regard, I want to say that any religion is obliged and must defend itself - this is the first rule. The second rule, if the enemy breaks into your house, no matter where he is, no matter where your house is, you must stop him. In the history of our Buddhism there were examples - the Buryat Selinga Cossack regiments. Lamas there served as clergy and took part in military campaigns. Based on this, if war comes to your home, we must protect it. And Buddhists are not prohibited from doing this.

The Buddhist traditional Sangha has priests in military units. What is their activity?

The function of our military clerics, for example Dembel Lama: he must constantly be with the soldiers, especially during exercises. Strengthen the spirit. Llamas are always needed where people have a hard time. I think that the army is one of those places where a person experiences psychological and physical difficulties. You know that people come to datsan only with problems. And soldiers cannot leave the army for datsan. From this point of view, being in harsh conditions throughout the year, they need help from our Lamas and we have created such an opportunity. Wherever a Buddhist is, he has a need to come to the Buddha and the Three Jewels*, to come under protection, to receive a blessing. This is an integral part of being human. For example, if even one Buddhist was in the Arctic and they told him that Lama had arrived, he would be happy.

- What do people most often bring to the Ivolginsky* datsan?

Everyone knows that people want to bow to Hambo Lama Itigelov*. It's important to know this. There are no other goals, no one can compare themselves with Khambo Lama Itigelov and say that people come to him. IN last years There are especially many pilgrims from abroad, from Mongolia.

- How could you explain to the common man, what is faith?

Faith is a very high point human life. I think that a person who gains faith is in outer space. A person who is immersed in everyday life does not need faith. A person who finds faith, he, as it were, rises into the above-air space and is there. Having acquired this state once, a person should not forget. I believe that faith is an achievement. People are not born with faith. Faith can only be achieved, achieved not at the level of the mind, but only with consciousness - that’s the difference.

- Can everyone come to faith?

Every person strives, but often does not feel faith. This is a feeling that must be achieved consciously. Look, a man came to the datsan and suddenly felt such peace, or such extraordinary joy, or something happened to him. He must understand this and say: “I felt something! An unprecedented state of spirit, consciousness”... This can be called a particle of faith.

- Faith and trust are words with the same root. What is trust?

By and large the same thing.


XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev

Today we remembered your words that if it is impossible to trust even yourself, how can you completely trust someone else.

Certainly! How can you trust yourself?! I'm not sure that I'll be alive tomorrow. And when people come and say: “Please believe me!”, I say “How so?!” You have to be honest. To what certain level must one be honest? This is a normal understanding for a Buddhist.


Participants of the 5th international conference “The Phenomenon of Pandito Khambo Lama Itigelov.”

In the summer, the Fifth Conference was held dedicated to the phenomenon of Hambo Lama Itigelov. Are there new participating countries? Tell us about the conference itself, what do you like, what has changed, what trends have emerged?

For me personally, the first four previous conferences became a period of studying the history of Khambo Lama Itigelov and his biography. I was looking for witnesses who could tell us how Khambo Lama Itigelov lived, and for this purpose four conferences were held. Today, at the Fifth Conference, I have already decided for myself - as a Buddhist, I am not interested in what happened before. I'm not interested in what happens next, in the future. I'm interested in today! Therefore, every day I receive teachings from Hambo Lama Itigelov through our Bimba Lama. Hambo Lama demonstrates his abilities, which can convey the Teaching to us. We comment on and study these Teachings. I think that the work of the conference should follow this path. There is a real-life Khambo Lama Dashi Dorjo Itigelov, there is a real-life Choidzhin Lama Bimba Dordzhiev. There is the fact that the words of Khambo Lama Itigelov come from this attitude, which he brings to us through Bimba Lama.


XII Pandito Khambo Lama Dasha Dorzho Itigelov

- At the conference, did you ask the participants to consider a book with messages from Khambo Lama Itigelov?

These are not my words - these are the words of Khambo Lama Itigelov in the Buryat language. I simply translated them into Russian, without losing their semantic meaning. It is important to understand that the two languages ​​are different. If I translated literally, nothing would work at all. I tried to translate the meaning. It also happens that when Hambo Lama Itigelov is asked stupid questions that are, in principle, difficult to answer, then Hambo Lama speaks differently. Here it is necessary to determine whether Khambo Lama’s answer comes from the question that was asked or whether Khambo Lama says his own.

For example, one lama, reading the mantra of Khambo Lama Itigelov “Om a guru sha sa da ra soha...”, said, “The mantra is delicious.” A mantra can be strong, powerful, but here it is delicious! It was strange for me, I had never heard such a thing that a mantra could be tasty. And Hambo Lama answered him clearly: “Feel the taste and take superpower from the mantra.” This is a very valuable Teaching! Hundreds of thousands of people will recite the mantra, and everyone has a rich imagination, and everyone will try to feel the taste of the mantra of Khambo Lama Itigelov, then they will begin to read another mantra and will distinguish them by taste. This is something that is very close, that everyone can feel.

Today I received a message through Bimba Lama: - “People are rejoicing and doing good things today. Hambo Lama says: “People’s consciousness is of priceless value.”

What does it mean? It is impossible to evaluate people's consciousness. Based on these words, it is possible to give many comments from a philosophical point of view.

- It is very interesting. Tell us how Bimba Lama receives messages?

What rituals he performs is clear. How he receives messages, he won’t say, it’s his personal experience. Here I cannot speak for him, I do not receive such knowledge. There is a certain Buddhist practice of offerings and praises, he does it, and then, when he is in meditation, the other lamas simply leave him alone. He comes after a while and says - “Here, get it”! When I start asking what and how, he, like any oracle... is beyond logic. We want to know everything right away!


Bimba Lama receiving messages from Khambo Lama Dasha Dorjo Itigelova

The funny thing is that when Bimba Lama began to receive messages, 50% of our lamas did not believe it with pleasure. There are 10% of lamas who do not believe and will never believe. What to do?! People are pragmatists. Not all are saints, there are people who directly said - we don’t believe.

I answered them: There are no problems. Sit down and study for yourself!
But when you tell a Buryat, “Then try it yourself.”
He tells me, “Why do I need this?” Then another question arises, if you can come so close to Hambo Lama Itigelov to receive the Teaching directly from him, then - Please! Do it!

There are people who say: “If I can’t, then no one can.” And this understanding is even encouraged to some extent. They say that if I don’t see it, it means he’s not there. This is what all atheism is based on.

The whole point here is that Hambo Lama Itigelov gives the Teaching, which we receive together and must work on it. Everything else is empty, composite, unnecessary. The most important thing for me is that I found where to go. This book came out, you are reading it. It will be replenished every month. On Twitter* I myself publish the teachings of Hambo Lama Itigelov every day. There are Teachings that I liked. Because somewhere I understood something. And there are others that I didn’t like at all because I didn’t understand them! (laughs).

- What is the biggest mistake for a Buddhist, in your opinion?

Not vigilance. For example, when my mother was alive, I was not vigilant towards her. Attentiveness, observation - Nice words, but completely different... We must be vigilant, especially towards the mother, towards close people. It happens that I didn’t finish speaking with a person... We say: I wasn’t attentive, I didn’t pay attention, I wasn’t polite. Here I must say simply - I was not vigilant. Everything is included in this concept. After all, you had to negotiate with the person, approach him, spend a certain amount of time on him. Then we repent and doubt. Nagarajuna said this: “A vigilant person does not die.” We die from our lack of vigilance. The most valuable thing is human life. For me this is important. For young people today, some lack luck, some lack money... I say - don't be vigilant!

- This year’s anniversary is the 80th anniversary of the Dalai Lama. Was this date somehow celebrated in Buryatia?

We had anniversary events. From a Buddhist point of view, anniversaries are none of our business, but there is, perhaps, no other opportunity to pay attention to this most important fact. Today, 80 percent of people treat birthdays with some reverence, especially women. 20 percent of Buddhists are wary of this trend. In honor of the anniversary, Alexander Aramovich Kacharov prepared a work as a gift, tankha* of the deities of long life .


Portrait of E.S. Dalai Lama in Ivolginsky datsan

Buddhism is often divided according to nationality: Chinese, Indian, Tibetan, Buryat. Is it necessary to do this?

Unfortunately, there are some peculiarities. For example, let’s take our Buryat people: we still have very strong tribal components. Each Buryat in each place has its own dialect, mentality, and much depends on climatic conditions. Or take the Buddhist pantheon, each datsan has its own sahyusan*. According to the school's philosophy Tibetan Buddhism They also differ a little from each other. One of the components of the human mind is to understand the world in comparison, and on this basis, each nation has its own attitude to the world, its own mentality. Some say that for a Chinese Buddhist, this is at the forefront; among the Tibetans - this is it; among the Mongols it is different; among the Buryats - the third; Kalmyks have their own... Everyone wants to identify themselves, everyone has their own understanding. In fact, when a lama understands Buddhism deeply, then there is no difference for him. Unfortunately, it is only about 10 percent of llamas that are above national differences. However, unfortunately, they are not always understood by society. To gain such knowledge, a lot depends on the qualities of a person. First - life experience, then - keep your mind clear. In Buryatia, we have mostly young people who are not even forty years old. Young lamas, in 20-30 years, if they keep their lives, they will reach adulthood and similar people will be able to appear among them. We are still young Buddhists, the gap that occurred from 1930 to 1970 and we were not taught - there was a gap for 40 years and we cannot immediately fill it with anything.

Recently, many ethno-confessional conflicts have arisen in the world. For example, in Burma, Sri Lanka. Is Buddhism in danger of radicalization?

We must pay tribute that in every society there are 10 percent of nationalists. If people like their ideas, then radicalization is possible. If the society is healthy, then this is not possible. It all depends on many qualities: economic weakness, epidemics, natural Disasters- As a result, many changes occur. It all depends on the balance, who will turn where and who will be at the forefront - nationalists, liberals, conservatives, etc. Society is alive, constantly in motion.

They say that there is a country's karma. If a person was born in a country and lives in it, will he also inevitably share some common karma?

No! This is complete nonsense. For some reason, our long-suffering Russia believes that it is not like that...

Not only. For example, an earthquake occurred in Nepal and the opinion immediately arises that this is the country’s karma, because the Nepalese kill cows. Although, it seems that in countries where cows are not killed, earthquakes often occur... “In Russia, during Stalin’s times, there were repressions and we are all punished for this” - there is such a version. There is a popular myth among Buddhists about the karma of a country: you were born there and you can’t do anything except pray.

One thing I can say is that such things are not welcome among the lamas of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia. If some lama says that the karma of our people, our country is somehow unfavorable, then he will be very ashamed of these words. I perceive Buddhism as freedom. For me, as a person striving for freedom, there are no limiting or suppressive factors. How can I agree with this?!

- Tell us about your “Social Flock” program, how is it developing now?

This year it is only operating at 50% capacity, we will be handing out little flowers. Only next year we will reach full course. I purchased lambs from 2014, and only in 2016 will they begin to work fully. Out of 10,000 sheep I will give away about 5,000.

According to the agreement, we will give them to the head of the settlement, for example, one hundred sheep to one head of the settlement. The head receives the sheep for himself and from this a social flock is created, then it must further develop. The head of the settlement, at his post, is fully responsible for the process. This is an elected position and each head receives a flock. You must understand that it is difficult to take 100 lambs and maintain them for free for two years - it requires certain efforts and capabilities from a person. A particular problem is that there are very few good shepherds left.


Photo by S. Tselovalnikov

- Are the people taking sheep, getting involved in the work?

Yes, sure! Today I have about twenty shepherds working for me. According to the agreement, after some time the owner must transfer some of the new lambs further, and keep some of the lambs and sheep for himself. If you do the math, it is economically beneficial. But only on condition that the person tends the flock himself. But if you hire shepherds and pretend to be a little bourgeois, then, of course, there will be problems. Unfortunately, such trends exist.

Is there any government support or subsidies? Especially now, after the introduction of sanctions and numerous promises of support for small businesses.

No! Why should we? I wouldn’t want such support, it’s like being a drug addict. For example, a person keeps a hundred cows, so what? Will everyone receive a subsidy for this? Why, if a person has a herd, then he is already a rich person. The money should go towards creating a new farmer. As it happens here: a person keeps a hundred sheep, gives a good performance, and money is poured into him. And giving to others is a certain risk. Today people do not trust people, their own people. It turns out that hiring migrants is profitable. It’s difficult with our own people; our own people don’t come to work. There is a certain psychological component to this issue. In addition to the social flock itself, you also need a strong will! Only this will help us.

- What advice would you give to the audience of the “Tibetan House”?

Work! Purely historically we need diplomatic relations with Tibet. Tibet is huge world. There must be people who deal with this people, culture, civilization. If there is one people in the world, then it has the right to have its brothers, its representatives somewhere. And the country that considers itself self-sufficient and self-respecting has a different audience that is interested in Tibetan medicine or yoga, or Spanish dancing. There should be such interest clubs. What does this mean? That the nation, the country is huge, strong and has an interest in people. All countries and peoples of the world, logically, should have representation in Russia. And there are nations that are significant for the world. The Tibetans themselves spread the Teachings of the Buddha throughout the world, preserved and developed it. They deserve respect, honor, so that they are accepted and perceived in Russia.

Indians are very enthusiastic about their culture. This year UNESCO established an international yoga day and this was widely celebrated in many cities in Russia and around the world.

If you don’t promote your idea, it turns out that you are nobody. For example, the very idea of ​​the Teachings of Khambo Lama Itigelov, it must move on. This idea shouldn't just be here. Why are we holding the conference? We have the Teachings of Hambo Lama Itigelov, which we will transmit to people. We already have the Teachings of the Buddha, the Teachings of Bogdo Tsongkhapa, and we know the Teachings of Nagarjuna. We know the teachings of great thinkers. And we are proud of it! There are people who are interested in Tsongkhapa, or Nagarajuna, Asanga, Tilopa, or those who revere the cult of Padmasambhava. Along with them, we have the Teachings of Khambo Lama Itigelov, and it must move throughout the world. As Rabindranath Tagore said: “Every nation is obliged to bring to the judgment of humanity the best that it has and thereby enrich humanity.” Today, we enrich the Buddhist world with the teachings of Hambo Lama Itigelov. This is our property, our self-respect, our pride!

I would like to end with the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “The past tense is good lesson which should not be forgotten. The present tense is an opportunity. The future is a gift." Every day I receive a gift from Hambo Lama Itigelov and have the opportunity to use it. Today, at a conference in honor of Hambo Lama Itigelov, all three times are brought together. Carefully observe the essence of the Teachings, study and begin to use.

- Thank you for your hospitality and informative interview.

Notes:
* Skt. Sangha - assembly of monks
* drill. Datsan - monastery
* Three Jewels - Skt. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha - Buddha, Teachings of Buddha, monastic community
* Ivolginsky datsan
* Hambo Lama Itigelov Dashi Dorzho
* Twitter of Pandito Khambo Lama Ayusheev