It is a significant event as this year is the 250th anniversary of the official recognition of Buddhism in Russia.
Erection of the memorial Buddhist temple at the Poklonnaya Gora will remind about a common struggle of the Tuvinians, Kalmyks and Buryats against fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945. The temple will be located not far from an Orthodox church, Jewish synagogue and Muslim mosque.
The solemn ceremony began with the memorable stone blessing (bumbe – a sacred vessel). Lamas from Tuva, Biryatia and Kalmykia as well as Damba Ayusheev Pandito Khambo Lama of Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia were present at the ceremony.
This ceremony had a great meaning. The monks put “Buddhist jewels”: some species of seeds, metal and sacramental sutras into the bumbe vessel while reading their mantras. The Bumbe laying symbolizes further overall spiritual and material prosperity. The ritual’s goal is to eliminate evil and disasters.
Upon the prayer, a solemn ribbon cutting ceremony took place with the participation of Larisa Shoygu, Damba Ayusheev, Evgeniy Eremin, Yiriy Artyukh, Mikhail Slipenchik and Tatyana Odushpayak.
The State Duma deputies, Federation Council members, representatives of the President of Russia Administration, Moscow Government, authorized representatives of Buddhist regions of Tuva, Buryatiya, Kalmykiya, Zabaykalskiy Kray and Irkutsk region, representatives of these regions Buddhist clergy said the greeting words of gratitude and support.
Upon the solemn ceremony termination a concert took place. Performing artists from Tuva, Buryatiya and Kalmykiya participated in it.
Please, read below an extract of the welcome speech of Tatyana Odushpayak, the Head of “Three Jewels” local religious organization:
Dear participants and members of the Supervisory Board of the solemn foundation stone ceremony of memorial Buddhist temple at the Pobeda Park, Poklonnaya Gora, which will remind us about common struggle of the Tuvinians, Kalmyks and Buryats against the fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945
Today we celebrate a special holiday - the National Unity Day. I, like all the ceremony visitors are even more than glad and happy.
Laying the memorial stone we show our consolidated will to commemorate our great ancestors, soldiers and heroes, defenders of the Fatherland. For our multinational country building of the Buddhist temple at the Pobeda park will have a great social and cultural value and become a new testament of friendship and solidarity of peoples of Russia. The temple will have separate rooms for storage and sharing the knowledge about the war history, spiritual improvement and moral deed of the peoples of Russia who defended their Fatherland. It will also have the alter part, like many other Buddhist temples.
In 2007, in relation to the memorial Buddhist temple building idea our local religious organization “Three Jewels Moscow Buddhist Centre”, which was this project’s initiator, was founded and registered. Our religious organization, being an official customer and building owner undertook the whole scope of the project and the whole memorial Buddhist temple building process paperwork preparation.
By now, a great work to prepare and issue regulation documents in the Moscow Government has been done to receive a land plot for building. Of course, it would be impossible to succeed without the help of the deputy Larissa Shoygu. She was the only one who, starting from 2007 has believed in us and helped us and she still continues helping us in everything.
Today the whole scope of work, hundreds of letters, calls, trips, meetings and many other things seem unreal. Sometimes I ask myself “How two or three people could do all those things delivering zero balances of our religious organization which even doesn’t have any staff?”
Now I can say with confidence that the memorial Buddhist temple building initiative has got the whole-hearted support of the regional leaders of Tuva, Buryatia, Kalmykia, Zabaykalskiy Kray and Irkutsk region as well as the Buddhist leaders of these regions.
Years long efforts over the historical project have succeeded: our organization has got all the regulation documents; the land plot is ready for the erection works beginning. All the above mentioned things have been done thanks to the comprehensive and active assistance of the following people:
- Larissa Shoygu, the Deputy of State Duma.
Thank you for being with us and your constant support of our common deal!
- Pandito Khambo Lama of Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia.
Thank you for your wise recommendations!
- Evgeniy Eremin, the Head of Internal Policy Management Department of the President of Russian Federation.
Thank you for your active participation and support at the most important stage!
- Department of Interregional Cooperation, National Policy and Relations with Religious organisations headed by Yuriy Artyukh.
Thank you for your everyday and common labour, for your support from the beginning of our project!
- Gleb Cherezov, Commercial Director of Ustoychivoe Razvitie CJSC.
Thank you for your invaluable help and support of our holiday arrangement!
I would also like to express our gratitude to Shukher Altankherel, the Ambassador of Mongolia in the Russian Federation and representatives of the Union of Myanmar Republic Embassy in the Russian Federation who have visited our ceremony. Thank you for your support and attention to our historical project.
In conclusion I would like to admit that up to date our religious organisation has existed only relying upon our own efforts and expenses, without any sponsor support. Now it’s time to attract the Mass Media for active information advertising and sponsor search for historical and social memorial Buddhist temple building project.
Nowadays at the period of preparation for the 70th jubilee of the Great Victory we get lots of requests to activate the project implementation. From year to year our veterans’ number is decreasing and we would like to emphasize for our veterans “no one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten”.
Dear participants and guests, we hope you will not stay aside the historical project at the capital of our Motherland.
