Sandalwood Buddha in Buryatia. "Worship" Zandan Zhuu "
sandalwood buddha
in Buryat Zandan Zhuu, Sandalwood Lord- a unique and very ancient statue, a famous relic of the Buddhist world.
This sculpture of Buddha Shakyamuni is 2 meters 18 cm high and is made of sandalwood, according to legend, around the 5th century BC, commissioned by the Raja of Oddiyana.
There is an opinion, shared by the majority, that it is the first and only statue made during the life of the Buddha.
In the Buddhist tradition, she is equated with a living Buddha and brings an unlimited blessing to the world.
Currently, the Sandalwood Buddha is recognized in Russia as a cultural monument of federal significance.
The history of appearance and the path traveled
About how the very first of the images of Buddha Shakyamuni arose, there are different points vision and many legends. The Indian version says that it was performed by Vishwamitra while the Buddha was giving a teaching. He carved a sandalwood statue, looking at the reflection in the water, as a bright radiance emanated from the Enlightened One himself.
There is also a mention in the history of Buddha Shakyamuni, indicating the existence of a statue that arose during his lifetime and is known as the “image from Oddiyana”, a statue made at the request of the ruler of this amazing ancient Buddhist country.
It is said that this sculptural portrait radiated "divine light".
In the later Mahayana sutras, it is written about him: “Maidgalyayana-putra, a follower of the Buddha, transferred the artist to heavenly spaces, where Buddha Shakyamuni retired for three months to convey the Teachings to his mother. There, the artist saw the excellent signs of the Buddha's body and captured them in the form of a sandalwood statue. When the Tathagata returned from the heavenly palaces, a sandalwood image greeted the Lord of the World” (3). This is about the Sandalwood Buddha.
According to A.A. Terentyev, according to the Chinese translation of the Ekottara-agama-sutra (from Anuttara-nikaya), set out by the Tocharian monk Dharmanandi (385 AD), the history of the appearance of the Zandan-Zhuu statue is as follows:
Buddha Shakyamuni resided in Tushita heaven preaching the Dharma to his mother Maya, who was reborn there after her death. At that time Raja Prasenajit very much wanted to see the Enlightened Lord. Then the closest disciple of the Buddha - Maudgalyayana, who had achieved miraculous abilities, transferred the masters to the Buddha so that they could see him, and upon their return they carved a life-size statue of goshirsha sandalwood.
When Shakyamuni Buddha returned, the statue greeted him and took six steps towards him, and this served as the basis for the Buddha's prophecy about this statue: it will move north, and where it will be, Buddhism should be expected to flourish.
Centuries later, the Buddha statue did indeed leave India.
The Chinese sources mention information about her further journey to the north.
China
So in the 4th century, the monk Kumarayan from Kashmir, wanting to save the precious statue during the bloody local wars, took it to Central Asia. He settled in the oasis city of the Great Silk Road called Kucha, where he married the sister of the local ruler Jivaka and became a spiritual mentor. Since that time, Buddhism began to flourish there. The son of that same monk, Kumarajiv, grew up in an environment conducive to Dharma study and became a famous Buddhist sage. His fame was so loud that in 384 troops were sent to Kucha after him from China in order to capture Kumarajiva. Together with him, the Sandalwood Buddha statue was taken to China. Since that time, China began to accumulate Buddhist wisdom in itself.
Tibet
From China, the statue went to Tibet at the beginning of the 8th century. Then the Chinese and Nepalese Buddhist princesses married the Tibetan king Srontszangambo and brought Buddhist relics to the Land of Snows, among which was a statue of the Sandalwood Buddha. The Nepalese princess Bhrikuti was considered the incarnation of Green Tara, and the Chinese princess Wen-chen was considered the incarnation of White Tara. Already under the next ruler of Tibet, Tisrondetsen, Buddhism became the state religion in this country.
Mongolia
According to other Chinese sources, during the reign of Genghis Khan, the Sandalwood Buddha ended up in Mongolia, at that time the first contacts of the Mongols with Buddhist philosophy took place, which subsequently culminated in the adoption of Buddhism at the state level.
From Mongolia, the statue again returned to China. It was kept in the province of Li, in a temple Buddhist monastery, built especially for her - Sandan-Sy "Monastery of the Sandalwood Buddha". In the 19th century, this monastery was located on the territory of the capital of China. All Buddhist pilgrims from Mongolia, Buryatia and Tibet worshiped the wonderful statue when visiting Beijing.
Russia
From China in 1901, the statue went to Transbaikalia, and since then it has not left Russia.
This happened thanks to our Buryat Cossacks, who ended up in China at that time, but it is not known exactly how.
Orientalist and Buddhist V.M.Montlevich wrote: “But fragments of information about the abduction itself have been preserved, and this information is more or less reliable, because the well-known Russian orientalist Boris Ivanovich Pankratov, who lived in China for thirty-two years (since 1916), told me in 1969 to 1948)".
In 1890-1901, the Yihetuan Rebellion broke out in Beijing, when the Yihequan secret society "Fist for Justice and Harmony" organized riots in the country, commonly known as the Boxer Rebellion.
In June 1901, Beijing was captured by the rebels, burned and destroyed.
The world community reacted harshly to the uprising, the rebels were destroyed by the combined forces of England, Germany, Russia, Japan and France in September 1901. Our Buryat Cossacks, who found themselves in Beijing at this difficult time, also took part in these events.
According to one version, during a fire, they carried the precious statue out of the monastery, and thereby saved it from death, then in the winter of 1901 they brought it to their native Buryatia as a trophy. According to another version, the sandalwood statue was bought by lamas. Egituysky datsan during the uprising and ended up in Yeravna thanks to the incredible efforts of the Sorzho-Lama of the Egitui datsan Gombo Dorzho Erdyneev and many other people who risked their lives, taking it out of China with great precautions. One way or another, the precious statue of the Sandalwood Buddha went even further north, and appeared at the beginning of the 20th century in Transbaikalia, in the Egetui datsan of Russia. At the same time, a metal copy of the statue was prudently made, which was put on display in a special dugan temple, as an object of worship and reverence, and the original itself was securely hidden. famous statue Soon Japanese experts arrived in Buryatia, who were informed that the statue was in the Egetuysky datsan. At the sight of a metal copy, they were greatly disappointed, they were forced to leave with nothing. Until 1935, the statue was safely hidden in Buryatia, until the tragic times for Buddhism of anti-religious policy came in Russia, when datsans were destroyed, many valuable relics were destroyed, and lamas were repressed. But the statue survived even in this difficult time. She was among the relics that were transferred to the funds of the new Anti-Religious Museum, located in the Odigitrievsky Church in Verkhneudinsk (now it is the National Museum of the Republic of Buryatia (Ulan-Ude), where it was kept under glass in a closet on the second floor. At the same time a huge number of wonderful cult relics and works perished in the fire and without proper storage conditions. On September 25, 1991, the statue was returned to the Buddhists, passing it to the same Egituysky datsan, where they once openly revered a metal copy. For the first time in Russia, only now the Sandalwood Buddha appeared before people. This is regarded as a good omen for the development of the Dharma not only in Buryatia, but also in our country as a whole. The statue contains a strong blessing of the Buddha, creating favorable conditions for the prosperity of the Buddha's Teaching - Dharma, awakening interest in it. 
Buddhist shrine in Russia
For some time, the statue was kept in the dugan temple of the Egituysky datsan in Buryatia, in a small wooden one-story building, unsuitable for storing cultural and historical values. It was impossible to create appropriate conditions for the storage of the world Buddhist shrine.
Therefore, the Buddhist traditional Sangha of Russia decided to build a special room for storing the statue, maintaining a constant microclimate. For 15 years, funds were raised for the construction of a temple-palace for the Sandalwood Buddha. Thanks to donations from the parishioners of the Egitui datsan and individual sponsors, the new Zandan Zhuu temple was opened on July 25, 2008. People from different regions of our country came to the ceremony of its consecration. The older generation of the Buryats, driven by the desire to support and continue the traditions of their ancestors, sewed new festive national costumes especially for this celebration. From noon to eight o'clock in the evening there was a lively line of people who came to the datsan to see the Buddha.
The long journey of the miraculous statue of Zandan Zhuu from India through China, Tibet, Mongolia, to Russia, from country to country, in the northern direction over the centuries has become evidence of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Buddha. Buddhist shrines in Russia: the statue of Zandan Zhuu,
One of the well-known sacred places of Buryatia is the Egituysky datsan, located in the town of Khara-Shibir, in the Yeravnensky district, about 280 km east of Ulan-Ude. It is noteworthy that it contains the Sandalwood Buddha, a lifetime statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, 2 m 18 cm high, made 2500 years ago by order of Raja Udayana from sandalwood (in fact, by analysis it was established that the tree is a linden covered with sandalwood paste) . There is a legend recorded by the Tocharian monk Dharmanandi in 385 AD. (in the Chinese translation of the Ekottara-agama-sutra from Anuttara-nikaya according to A.A. Terentyev), that the Enlightened One was at that time in the heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods, preaching the Dharma to his mother Maya, who was reborn there after death. Raja Prasenajit desired to see the Enlightened One and commanded to sculpt his statue. Maudgalyana, a disciple of the Buddha who had attained miraculous powers, took the masters to heaven, where they met the Enlightened One. The craftsmen were brought back to earth and carved a life-size statue of goshirsha sandalwood about two meters high.
"" The statue came to the territory of Russia in Eravna thanks to the incredible efforts of the Sorzho Lama of the Egitui datsan Gombo Dorzho Erdyneev and many other people who risked their lives. The sandalwood statue was bought by the lamas of the datsan during the Boxer Rebellion in China. According to another version, in the winter of 1901, after the defeat of the uprising in Beijing, the Buryat Cossacks carried the precious statue out of the burning monastery during a fire, and thereby saved it from death in the fire. As a trophy, the statue was taken with great precautions on a sleigh to Buryatia. At the same time, a metal copy of the statue was made, and the original is hidden. Until 1935, the statue was in one of the sumes of the Egituysky datsan and was an object of worship and reverence. During the period of anti-religious repressions, the statue was transported to Ulan-Ude and kept in the funds National Museum history of Buryatia.""" from the history of the appearance of the statue on the Buryat land.
Chinese sources contain information about her movement from India at that time. In the 4th century, the monk Kumarayan from Kashmir, in order to save the statue from local wars, took it to Central Asia, where in Kucha (an oasis city of the Great Silk Road) he was forced to marry the ruler's sister Jivaka and become a spiritual mentor in the state. His son Kumarajiva became a famous Buddhist sage. His fame became so great that in 384 Chinese troops laid siege to Kucha in order to capture Kumarajiva and bring him to China. Together with him, the statue of the Sandalwood Buddha was transported, after which the rise of Buddhist thought in China followed. At the beginning of the 8th century The wives of the Tibetan king Srontsangambo from Nepal and China brought Buddhist relics, among them the statue of the Sandalwood Buddha, to Tibet. The Nepalese princess Bhrikuti was revered as the Green Tara, and the Chinese princess Wen-chen as the White Tara. And under the next ruler, King Tisrondetsan, Buddhism became the state religion of Tibet. According to other Chinese sources, the statue first came to Mongolia during the reign of Genghis Khan in the 13th century. and then was transported to China, where it is not known how many years it was kept in the province of Li, in the Sandan-Su Monastery, which was built especially for it - “The Monastery of the Sandalwood Buddha”. The history of her stay in Russia is amazing. In China in 1890-1901. the Boxer Rebellion broke out (Ihetuan uprising, secret society I-he-quan "Fist in the name of justice of consent"). In June 1901, Beijing was captured by the rebels, burned and destroyed. The statue of the Sandalwood Buddha was kept in the Sandan-sy Monastery - “The Monastery of the Sandalwood Buddha”, where all the Buddhist pilgrims of Mongolia, Buryatia and Tibet worshiped it when visiting Beijing. Orientalist and one of the oldest Russian Buddhists V.M. Montlevich writes about this: “But fragments of information about the abduction itself have been preserved, and this information is more or less reliable, because the well-known Russian orientalist Boris Ivanovich Pankratov told them to me in 1969, for many years (32 years, from 1916 to 1948.) spent in China. In the winter of 1901, after the defeat of the Boxer uprising, the Buryat Cossacks, taking advantage of the turmoil and devastation in the city and the fire in the monastery itself, took the statue out. The operation was led by the head of the Russian post office Gomboev. The statue was placed on a sled, covered with straw and matting, and disguised with provisions and postal props. In total there were two sledges, the statue was carried on the second, as if cargo, sleigh. One can imagine the reverent awe and desperate delight of those who carried out this bold and dangerous undertaking, because they accomplished a religious feat for the sake of spreading the Teaching, of course, fulfilling the order of teachers and lamas unknown to us and revered. The performers knew that there is a belief: where the Sandalwood Buddha is, there is the center of the Buddhist religion. What believer does not admire his soul to consider his country and his datsan as such a center. Without much adventure, the statue arrived in Transbaikalia and was hidden in the Egituysky monastery (datsan). Then a metal copy of the statue was made and placed in the Egituysky datsan; the original was carefully hidden in secret place. This precaution was entirely appropriate. The uprising in China was brutally suppressed by the forces of England, Germany, Russia, Japan and France in September 1901. And soon Japanese experts arrived in Buryatia in search of the famous statue. The Japanese had information that the statue was in the Egitui datsan. Those who arrived were shown a metal copy, and they were forced to leave in complete disappointment.
Of course, the question arises about the ownership of the statue. In response to the indignant demand of the Chinese for the return of the statue, the Buryat lamas replied: -Of course, we will give the statue back, .... when all our people bow to it.
Zandan Zhuu is not the only lifetime image of the Buddha; in the literature there are references to his picturesque portraits and other sculptures. Moreover, the Siamese and Burmese versions speak of a seated Buddha image, while the Mahayana texts speak of a standing sculpture.
The road to the Egituysky datsan. On the way we met a pair of herons, which is considered a good sign. It is explained that the deities of the area welcome our desire to visit the Sandalwood Buddha.
Birds were practically not afraid of passing cars.
But as soon as we stopped to photograph them, the herons decided to fly a little further away.
Datsan buildings appeared
Stupas oriented to the cardinal points.
Main Dugan, which houses the statue of the Sandalwood Buddha
Traditional Wheel of Teaching and two fallow deer on the sides
Here he is! The famous Sandalwood Buddha, the world relic of Buddhists! It is said that when Buddha Shakyamuni first saw this statue, the statue took six steps towards him. Then Buddha Shakyamuni prophesied that the statue would be far away in the northern country and would contribute to the prosperity of the Teaching in that direction.
It is said that the statue of the Sandalwood Buddha hangs in the air and you can drag a hadak under it.
The Buddha prophesied its movement to the north: to China, Tibet, Mongolia. Wherever the Sandalwood Buddha went, the center of Buddhism also moved. In the III century. the statue from India was transported to China. This was followed by the rise of Buddhist thought in China. In the 8th century The Nepalese wife of the Tibetan king brought the Sandalwood Buddha to Tibet. And under the next ruler, King Tisrondetsan, Buddhism became the state religion of Tibet. In the 13th century, before the spread of Buddhism in Mongolia, we again find mention of the appearance of the Sandalwood Buddha there. The prediction comes true, and the appearance of Zandan Zhuu in Transbaikalia in the winter of 1901 is a good omen for the development of the Buddha's Teaching in Russia.
Until 1935, she was in one of the sumes of the Egituysky datsan and was an object of worship and reverence. During the troubled period of repression, Zandan Zhuu was transported to Ulan-Ude and kept in the funds of the Museum of the History of Buryatia.
On September 25, 1991, Zandan Zhuu was transported by helicopter to the Zgitui Datsan. In July 2008, the opening of the Palace for Zandan Zhuu took place.
According to Buddhist tradition, it is considered a living Buddha - his images bring grace. The statue has a special iconography: the Buddha stands, with long arms to the knees, among the flowers and the landscape, a "human" Buddha, similar to Maitreya Buddha.
Zandan Zhuu has slightly squinted eyelids, his gaze is directed slightly upwards, the right hand of the Sandalwood Buddha is raised in a greeting-protective gesture, the left hand is turned palm forward, but fingers down. They say that not everyone can be at the Zandan Zhuu: some cannot withstand this powerful energy flow, they leave the datsan. And others, on the contrary, after a while discover that several hours have passed since they sat down in front of the Sandalwood Buddha. The sculpture has a special "magnetic" power, there are many legends about this shrine. Old-timers say that the shrine eliminates negative deeds, grants a long life, gives a setting for good luck, happiness, health, if the worshiper hopes for him and believes him from the bottom of his heart.
altar decoration
nice and bright inside
Tent on the ceiling
The entrance to the dugan is guarded by snow lions
flowers planted everywhere
Dragons wrapping around pillars
Stupas
Prayer drums with mantras Om Mani Padme Hum inside. If you turn the drum clockwise, then the mantras Om Mani Padme Hum ascend into space and delight all living beings.
Duganchiki on the territory of the datsan
We were given a short tour of the datsan
History of the Sandalwood Buddha.
All guests from India and Tibet who come to the land of Buryatia strive to be at the Sandalwood Buddha. It is truly a global shrine. Dr. Nida Chtenattsang reads the puja to the Sandalwood Buddha.
It is said that one who sees the statue in person will not be reborn in the next life in hell.
The statue is recognized as a monument of federal significance and, along with the Atlas of Tibetan Medicine and the Imperishable Body of Khambo Lama D.-D. Itigelov, by the decision of the large all-lamic meeting (sugunda) of the Buddhist traditional Sangha of Russia dated April 22, 2003, was approved as a Buddhist shrine.
Screenshot from the site yelo-rinpoche.ru, press service of the datsan "Rinpoche bagsha"
Thousands of believers made an offering to the Great Teacher [photo, video]
On Saturday, September 10, Venerable Yeshe Lodoi Rinpoche performed the ritual of consecrating the image of Buddha Shakyamuni, 33 meters high, carved on the rock of Bayan Khongor. Last year, on a hill near the village of Bayangol, a custom-made Buddha statue was erected and three stupas of reconciliation were consecrated. The following year, the inhabitants of Bayangol asked for help in the construction of 8 stupas around Lake Mogoy. It is planned to lay 4,000 figurines of various Buddhist deities in the suburgans.
Buddha Shakyamuni on Mount Bayan-Khongor near the village of Bayangol is a unique creation. It will be awarded the title of the largest Buddha image in Russia and will be included in the list of the largest Buddha images in the world.
The idea to build a giant Buddha was expressed by the residents of Bayangol at a rural gathering. With this initiative, they turned to the datsan on Bald Mountain in Ulan-Ude Yeshe Loda Rinpoche. The rector supported the people's proposal. Moreover, as it turned out, it was his old dream.
Big Buddha is a great boon for all of Russia
“About 15-16 years ago, we first visited the “heart” of Baikal” - Olkhon Island, went on a boat along the Irkutsk coast,” recalls Rinpoche’s closest student, Geshe Lharamba Tenzin Lama, “ majestic rocks, growing out of the water surface and rushing into the sky, impressed Bagsha with their beauty and power. And then he had an idea - to make a large statue of the World Precious Teacher Buddha Shakyamuni in the rock. IN Asian countries this is an ancient tradition, and there was nothing like it in Russia.”
Help site: The world's largest and oldest Buddha carved into the rock is located in the Chinese province of Sichuan. Its height is 71 meters, its age is about 1200 years. It took almost 90 years to build. The most big statue in the world - also Buddhas. And it is also located in China, in the province of Henan. The 128-meter monument depicts the Vairochana Buddha, one of the five sacred Buddhas, personifying wisdom. The idea to create a grandiose shrine came to the Chinese after the Taliban savagely destroyed two huge Buddha statues in Afghanistan in 2001. Their age dates back to the 6th century AD.
“Then we began to look for a suitable object. On Baikal, it was difficult to do this purely technically. They also searched in other areas. Either too low, or too high, or too embossed rocks came across. And last year, when we also installed a Buddha statue near Bayangol, but a small one, meter high, made on special order in India from onyx, I drew attention to the neighboring rock. It was ideally suited for the embodiment of the Teacher's idea - even, beautiful and quite high, about fifty meters. And most importantly - ideally located!
Usually Buddhist shrines are erected "facing" to the south, whether they are temples, stupas or statues. We, on the other hand, consciously wanted to deviate a little from this tradition and make sure that the gaze of the Buddha was directed towards Moscow and other large Russian cities. In such a difficult time, it was simply necessary to do this for the benefit of the whole country and all living beings! At all times, the erection of statues of Buddhas, stupas, datsans was considered a very beneficial deed. In places where they appear, everything comes into harmony. All sorts of cataclysms stop in nature, mutual understanding comes to people's relations, they get sick less and die from accidents, all living things find peace and tranquility,” says Tenzin Lama.
“But the Teacher then said that the time had not yet come. And now, a year later, the residents of the Khorinsky district themselves came up with this proposal. The Bayan-Khongor rock has long been considered a sacred place among the Khori Buryats. Here, the inhabitants of the village of Bayan-Gol 2 times a year - in the summer and on the second day of Sagaalgan - hold an oboo, and during the year they often come to bow to the shrines. The so-called munkhans are installed here - small houses in which there are thangkas and figurines of Buddhist deities. Last year, a Buddha statue and 3 stupas appeared. Rinpoche thought for a long time and finally agreed. In addition, this is the birthplace of his root Teacher.
Reference site: Venerable Yeshe Lodoi Rinpoche was born in Tibet in 1943. At the age of three, he was recognized as the fourth incarnation of Yelo Rinpoche. In Tibet, such people are called tuluku - it is believed that they consciously continue the chain of their rebirths, devoting their lives to helping all living beings.
From the age of seven, Yelo Rinpoche devoted himself to monasticism and the study of Buddhist philosophy. In 1959, due to the occupation of Tibet by China, he left his homeland and moved to India through the Kingdom of Bhutan, where he continued his studies.
The Root Teacher of Yeshe Lodoy Rinpoche is Lama Dulva-hambo Thubten Choki, Buryat by nationality. The illustrious master of tantra taught Elo Rinpoche a course of vinaya, the monastic discipline. Also, under the guidance of a lama from Buryatia, Venerable Agvan-Nima, in 1979 Yelo Rinpoche defended the title of Geshe-Lharamba, the highest Buddhist academic degree. In 1993, at the request of the Buryat clergy and on behalf of His Holiness, he arrived in Buryatia, at the Ivolginsky datsan, to teach at the Tashi Choinohrling Buddhist Institute. Since then, Yeshe Lodoi Rinpoche has remained to live and work in Buryatia, for the benefit of all living beings and the prosperity of the Dharma.
In 1999, at an audience with the Dalai Lama, Yelo Rinpoche conveyed the requests of believers from Buryatia to open a Buddhist center and received the blessing of His Holiness to begin construction. After 5 years, in 2004, the opening of the datsan "Rinpoche Bagsha" on Bald Mountain in Ulan-Ude took place.
The plan was carried out fairly quickly. All necessary approvals have been passed. There were sponsors, craftsmen, artists. locals actively helped with the construction. The image of Buddha Shakyamuni was made as majestic as possible, but with minimal impact on nature. They did not carve a full-fledged statue or bas-relief. They just removed the top layer of the rock, drew the contours of the World Teacher sitting in the lotus position and painted it with paint.
The height of the image is exactly 33 meters. In Buddhism, this number also has its own sacred meaning. It is believed that there is high world on Earth, the so-called - Trayastrimsha - "The World of 33 Gods" or "The Assembly of 33 Gods", which is located on the top of Mount Sumeru. Trayastrimsha is often mentioned in Buddhist texts when the Buddha ascends to the Thirty-three gods, or the gods of this world themselves descend to earth to meet the Buddha.
“The creation of the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni is not accidental. Buddha Shakyamuni is the highest nirmanakaya, was born in our world, performed twelve feats, including turning the Wheel of the Teaching. All the time while the Buddha's Teaching is in the world, it is an incomparable limitless cure for the diseases of our obscurations and suffering. Let the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni become a symbol of uniting our pure intentions in the implementation of the teaching and a symbol that the Buddhist teaching is a dharma, which Buddha bestowed 2500 years ago, and now resides in our world, "says the teacher.
About 4,000 people attended the ramnei ritual. 80 buses were taken out of the Pilgrims' Soviets Square free of charge. After the consecration ritual, a festive concert and sports competitions took place.
Interview with Venerable Yeshe Loda Rinpoche:
- At the end of the ritual, a symbolic million flowers were brought to the image of Buddha? Is this some kind of tradition?
When a Buddha statue is created, the Buddha image is a great virtue. And when an image of such giant size it is also a great, incomparable virtue! Accordingly, the more, richer and more beautiful the offerings, the more we accumulate good merit. And flowers in Buddhism are a traditional type of offering, along with white food, sweets and fruits.
- Why is the height of the Buddha image exactly 33 meters?
In the Buddhist tradition, there is such a good attitude towards the number "33", there is even an abode of the gods of 33 deities. Initially, it was not planned to make the image so large, but when the rock was measured, it turned out that it was about 55 meters high. Then they decided to make exactly 33 meters. Very harmonious fit. This is also a kind of sign.
Sacred places and shrines. Here you need to seize the moment in order to open your heart in silence and realize their greatness. To believe in the manifestation of the energy of higher forces that have chosen this particular location. And turn in prayer to the deities with a request for well-being and prosperity, for the acquisition of strength and wisdom.
Location: Egituysky datsan, Yeravninsky district, Republic of Buryatia
Time travel: all year round
Duration: 13-14 hours
Program
07:00. Meeting with a guide and departure from Ulan-Ude to the Eravninsky district of Buryatia, to the Egituysky datsan, where there is a unique and very ancient statue, a world-famous relic of the Buddhist world - Zandan Zhuu (Sandalwood Lord).
This sculpture of Buddha Shakyamuni, 2.18 m high, was made of sandalwood about 2500 years ago by order of the Raja of Oddiyana.
There is an opinion, shared by the majority, that it is the first and only statue made during the lifetime of Buddha Shakyamuni.
12:00. Lunch at a roadside cafe on the border of the Yeravninsky district (on your own).
Arrival to Egituysky Datsan. Rite "Goroo" around Datsan. Worship Zandan Zhuu.
According to Buddhist tradition, the statue is considered a living Buddha - his images bring grace.
But not all people can be at the Zandan Zhuu: some can not stand it, they leave the datsan. Others, on the contrary, find that several hours have passed since they sat down in front of the Sandalwood Buddha.
It is believed that the shrine eliminates negative deeds, grants a long life, gives a setting for good luck, happiness, health if the prayer hopes for it and believes in it from the bottom of his heart.
The statue has a special iconography: the Buddha stands, with long arms to the knees, among the flowers and the landscape, a "human" Buddha, similar to Maitreya Buddha.
More details: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandal_Buddha
16:00. Departure on the way back, arrival in Ulan-Ude around 21:00
Excursion cost, per person, rub.
1901 Night cover over the huge eastern city break fires. The streets are filled with smoke and the intoxicating smell of gunpowder. Shots, screams, groans are heard everywhere
From the burning monastery of Sandan-Sy, several military men carefully carry out a huge bundle and put it on a cart. There are drops of sweat and joy mingled with anxiety on their swarthy swarthy faces. These are the Cossacks of the 6th hundred of the 1st Verkhneudinsky regiment of the Trans-Baikal Cossack army in Beijing, engulfed by the boxer uprising, are implementing the prediction of the Buddha. A prediction that is 2,500 years old. Now about everything in order.
The inscription on the stone
Immersing the inquisitive traveler into the mysterious atmosphere of these places, the road, which has already turned into a forest road not far from the Egituysky datsan, leads to a mysterious stone that one of my hunter friends, Vladimir Nikolaevich Safeev, found in the taiga. Once, while chasing a red deer wounded during a hunt, he sat down to rest and was surprised to find that he was sitting next to unusual stone. On the one hand, facing the taiga thicket, it looks like an ordinary boulder. On the other side, which looks out from the wild rosemary onto the forest road, it seems to be cut off with a huge sharp knife and has a smooth matte surface in the form of two semicircles located one above the other. In the center of this site, it is not known how a strange sign was applied.
My friend, who was born and lived in these parts all his life, who traveled the local taiga far and wide, did not hear anything about this stone, just as other old-timers did not hear about it either.
As it turned out later, this is a sign from the Sanskrit alphabet, read as "om". It is with him that one of the most popular and significant mantras in Buddhism "Om mani padme hum" begins. My friend became interested in the local lamas, what could mean the presence of this stone here. The answer he received was: “Here is a strong place.” This means that these places have very powerful energy and nourished by some higher powers. And when I tried to somehow clarify with other clergy the origin of the inscription on the stone, I was told: the inscription is not made by hands. The rest is a mystery that has yet to be solved.
Six steps forward
The Egitui datsan itself, which has the Tibetan name Damchoy Ravzheling, is an ancient architectural complex on the banks of the Marakta River, founded in 1820. Once it consisted of twelve buildings. There were philosophical, medical and astrological dugans here.
Photo: anonim03.ru
More than three hundred huvarak students comprehended sciences in them. They say that when they whispered a prayer, it was heard at a distance of three kilometers. It is hard to imagine, but in this "bear corner" already at the beginning of the 19th century there was its own printing house.
And the datsan was not famous for this at all. Its main attraction was and still is the statue of Zandan Zhuu (Sandalwood Buddha). Well, here we come to the main secret. The history of Zandan Zhuu began 2500 years ago, when this only lifetime image of the Buddha was created today. It is difficult now to say how one of the first works of Buddhist art actually came into being, there is too much of everything unusual here, but this Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama was also an unusual person.
I don’t know what to believe: either that the masters sculpted him from the reflection in the river, because the light emanating from him blinded them, or that they had to go to heaven, where the Buddha was at that time ... But, as it were whatever it was, his image was born. It is said that when the Buddha went to the statue to compare the similarities, she took six steps towards him. It is said that this is what prompted the Buddha to make the following prophecy: the statue will move north, and where it will be, Buddhism should flourish.
You can believe it or not, but the prophecy has come true. And in the chain of those events, which will be discussed further, there are no accidents.
Nail on the foot
During these 2500 years, the statue slowly but surely moved north. First, in the 4th century, the monks, saving the statue from internecine wars, transported it to the city of Kucha in Central Asia. Then she went to China. After that, as a gift, she migrated to Tibet, and during the time of Genghis Khan - to Mongolia. And wherever the statue appeared, Buddhism began to flourish everywhere. The following story is connected with the stay of Zandan Zhuu in China. When the clergy of the monastery left the room where she stood for the night, her face was turned to where the people turned the statue, but every morning she invariably looked to the north.
She remembered the Buddha's prediction. This problem was solved very simply - a nail was driven into the foot of the statue. From Mongolia, she again moved to China, where she was before the start of the events from which this story began.
Miracles of Sandalwood Buddha
Someday history will name the names of the Trans-Baikal Cossacks who saved the Buddhist shrine from the fire, but so far they are unknown to us. However, the names of other people who risked their lives to save Zandan Zhuu are known. These are the head of the Russian postal service Gomboev and lama Erdeniin Sorzho of the Egitui datsan.
The statue was securely hidden on a cart, and across two borders - Chinese and Mongolian - was brought to Russia. When the priceless cargo left Mongolia, the guards asked why it was so securely wrapped. And they received an answer from those accompanying them: this is a relative who died of the plague. There were no more questions.
In 1934, during the persecution of datsans, Zandan Zhuu was transferred to the Odigitrievsky Cathedral of Ulan-Ude. There at that time were the funds of the anti-religious museum. In the early 80s of the last century, it was there that I had a chance to see it for the first time. On September 22, 1992, the statue was again returned to believers and now it is forever located in the Egituysky datsan. Thus ended the centuries-old wanderings of the Sandalwood Buddha. And only the hole from the nail in the foot of the statue reminds of its difficult fate. But the miracles didn't end there. One of the esteemed lamas told me that Zandan Zhuu stands without touching the surface of the pedestal: a thread passes freely between the base of the statue and the pedestal. Everything can be in our extraordinary region.
People come here from afar to bow to the Sandalwood Buddha, ask him for health, long life for themselves and their loved ones. And the statue helps. Helps everyone who believes.
A small touch from the modern history of Zandan Zhuu
In 2012, I happened to visit the places of deployment of the Buryat police in the North Caucasus. We drove through Chechnya, Dagestan. So, in Kaspiysk, at the location of the consolidated detachment in the so-called cockpit, I saw at the head of a row of beds a slightly crumpled image of Zandan Zhuu, cut out from some magazine. At the head of the bed, where icons are usually found, an ordinary piece of paper was attached. But there was a shrine on it, from which the guys asked to help them return home. And they came back safe and sound.
Addendum from the editor
This one described the history and his impressions of Zandan Zhuu by an unknown author. Let's add one more case. September 22, 1991, the day when Zandan Zhuu was returned to the datsan, turned out to be very cold. It was raining with snow. A landing site for a helicopter was prepared in front of the datsan. He was late, there was a fear that because of such weather he might not arrive. But the wet people waited patiently in the piercing cold wind. And then the long-awaited helicopter emerged from behind the clouds. After landing, people formed a long living corridor. Many could not hold back their tears of joy. Especially those who were a child in the terrible years of persecution of religion. Those before whose children's eyes the Egituysky datsan was destroyed so violently that the entire Egituyskaya valley was strewn with the pages of sacred books.
The pilots opened the cargo compartment, and the lamas carefully carried the sacred Burkhan Zandan Zhuu to the Eravna land and carried it through the open doors of the datsan. The dream of returning to the native datsan of the shrine at that time Khambo Lama Munko Tsybikov came true. He carried this dream through the years of arrests, stages and a long exile in Kolyma.
“We gladly accepted the order to deliver Zandan Zhuu. It was difficult to fly. Wet snow, poor visibility. When they flew over Khorinsk, the ground was covered with snow. We chose a low flying ceiling. My colleagues Sergey Boyko, Vasily Bayusheev are experienced pilots. Responsible mission completed. May the prayers made in your datsan be heard by everyone. God help everyone! - said then the commander of the Mi-8 crew A.V. Vatulin to the regional newspaper "Ulan-Tuya".
Almost 14 years later, on September 20, 2005, the second time the helicopter made an honorable circle and landed at the Egituysky datsan. Imagine the surprise of the villagers who met them when they recognized in the crew the same pilots who returned the shrine in extreme conditions in September 1991. This time they were asked to be taken to the shrine only by Mikhail Slipenchuk, who got acquainted with Buryatia. Seeing the enthusiastic curiosity of the children who had stuck around the helicopter, he asked the pilots to take the kids for a ride. With joyful cries, the children crammed into the salon and for the first time in their lives circled their native valley. And downstairs at this time, a new guest, impressed by Zandan Zhuu, decided to help in the construction of a palace for the shrine.
