Several weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to the Ivolginsky Datsan during a Buddhist holiday to see the body of Hambo Lama Itigilov. Itigilov is quickly becoming one of the most important religious attractions in Buryatia, and for good reason. The Hambo Lama died in 1927, after beginning a death meditation. Prior to his death, he had asked some of the other lamas to exume his body after several years. In 1955 and 1973, his body was unburied, and the lamas of the datsan shocked to find that the Hambo Lama was not subject to macroscopic decay. The lamas were unwilling to divulge the existence of the body to the Soviet authorities and the body was largely unknown until 2002, when his body was moved to the Ivolginsky Datsan. Now, his body is revealed once a month, on Buddhist holidays.
I went with several friends to the datsan. Upon our arrival, we took the rice that we had brought with and walked around the datsan, spinning the prayer wheels and sprinkling rice at each wheel. It was a pretty cold day and my hands went numb very quickly. When we arrived at the main temple, we removed our hats and scarves and entered. At first, I didn't even notice the body of the Hambo Lama. It wasn't until I began to move about the temple that I saw that the Lama was placed near the far wall in the center. He was sitting in what looked like a refridgerator with a clear door that was open. He was draped with cloths and ribbons and when you walked by, a lama would offer you a cloth for you to place your forehead on. It is said that if you make a wish, it will come true. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. The body certainly did not look like it had been dead for most of a century, but it was still fairly indistinguishable. The face was mostly just plain skin, it looked almost like peach playdough. However, it cannot be denied that the temple had a very profound sense of importance, majesty, and peace. I kept trying to ask myself if being a tourist there was sacrilege, and I honestly never felt like too much of an outsider. Religious tourism is such a tricky subject.
Other than my visit to the Ivolginsky Datsan, my life has been rather bland recently. I fell ill and was accused pretty much everyday of not dressing warm enough, and I was given more suggestions on how to get well than I could possibly remember. Something worked, tho, and after about two weeks I was back to my usual self. I have also been on TV about 3 times in the last month. Once with the group in Kyakhta, another time just for being a foreigner at the university, and the other time at the opening of a clinic for invalid-children with the NGO that I translate for.
Now, I know the big news recently out of Russia is the elections. Honestly, in Buryatia it still feels like all of that is happening in a different country. I even have a few friends who worked as election monitors for various parties, such as the Communist Party, and they told me that they saw nothing fraudulent at all. While it would certainly be interesting to be in Moscow or St. Petersburg, it's nice being somewhere safe, where I don't have to worry about involvement in political events because there really aren't any.
As for the weather, well, it's cold. The sun is out for about 7 hours a day, maybe 8, but it doesn't rise until about 10 now. The forecast says that -35 windchills are in the near future. We've finally gotten some real snow, and it's beautiful outside. Today and yesterday have been in the 20s, and it's been great to be able to walk without gloves. Siberia is Siberia, however, and it will not be getting any warmer for 4 to 5 months. But part of why I chose to come is for the adventure of new places, new weather, and new temperatures, and I'm certainly getting what I came for.
I went with several friends to the datsan. Upon our arrival, we took the rice that we had brought with and walked around the datsan, spinning the prayer wheels and sprinkling rice at each wheel. It was a pretty cold day and my hands went numb very quickly. When we arrived at the main temple, we removed our hats and scarves and entered. At first, I didn't even notice the body of the Hambo Lama. It wasn't until I began to move about the temple that I saw that the Lama was placed near the far wall in the center. He was sitting in what looked like a refridgerator with a clear door that was open. He was draped with cloths and ribbons and when you walked by, a lama would offer you a cloth for you to place your forehead on. It is said that if you make a wish, it will come true. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. The body certainly did not look like it had been dead for most of a century, but it was still fairly indistinguishable. The face was mostly just plain skin, it looked almost like peach playdough. However, it cannot be denied that the temple had a very profound sense of importance, majesty, and peace. I kept trying to ask myself if being a tourist there was sacrilege, and I honestly never felt like too much of an outsider. Religious tourism is such a tricky subject.
Other than my visit to the Ivolginsky Datsan, my life has been rather bland recently. I fell ill and was accused pretty much everyday of not dressing warm enough, and I was given more suggestions on how to get well than I could possibly remember. Something worked, tho, and after about two weeks I was back to my usual self. I have also been on TV about 3 times in the last month. Once with the group in Kyakhta, another time just for being a foreigner at the university, and the other time at the opening of a clinic for invalid-children with the NGO that I translate for.
Now, I know the big news recently out of Russia is the elections. Honestly, in Buryatia it still feels like all of that is happening in a different country. I even have a few friends who worked as election monitors for various parties, such as the Communist Party, and they told me that they saw nothing fraudulent at all. While it would certainly be interesting to be in Moscow or St. Petersburg, it's nice being somewhere safe, where I don't have to worry about involvement in political events because there really aren't any.
As for the weather, well, it's cold. The sun is out for about 7 hours a day, maybe 8, but it doesn't rise until about 10 now. The forecast says that -35 windchills are in the near future. We've finally gotten some real snow, and it's beautiful outside. Today and yesterday have been in the 20s, and it's been great to be able to walk without gloves. Siberia is Siberia, however, and it will not be getting any warmer for 4 to 5 months. But part of why I chose to come is for the adventure of new places, new weather, and new temperatures, and I'm certainly getting what I came for.
