The 90 Year Old Monk

I like to think that things happen for a reason in life. Maybe there’s a plan? Possibly. Or it could be that life is all about coincidences. Whatever the answer, I felt like there was a reason I wound up back in Ulan-Ude.

The day started with a wonderful buffet breakfast, the fuel that drives me through lunch and beyond. Shortly thereafter I met my tour guide in the hotel lobby,

a nice lady with a distinctly Mongolian/Burytian look to her. We would drive 30 minutes to reach our destination, The Ivoglinsky Monastery, a monastery that is a rare exception. It was quite rare in that it opened in the 1940s at the height of Stalin’s reign of terror. Most monasteries at this time had either been closed and/or destroyed!

The scenery on the way was nothing out of the ordinary, primarily rolling hills interspersed with lots of flat, colorless gray barren land. However, I really can’t provide any real detailed explanation since my eyes were constantly focused on my guide who did not stop talking for 30 minutes! I’ve noticed this is pretty par for the course for Russian guides, speak endlessly until the tourist absolutely want to scream, “ENOUGH, can I just have one minute to think, to breathe, etc.”! But I was much too polite to even think of doing that and knew she was just trying to do her job, so I tried to listen as carefully as I could in Russian without totally shutting down.

Just at the point where my mind was about to go totally numb we arrived at the monastery. The buildings on the grounds were so incredible, colorful and beautiful. Being the fiercely independent traveler I am I badly wanted to break away from my guide and be left to explore on my own. However, had this happened, I never would’ve been able to take part in the major holiday/celebration and never seen a 90 year old monk.  

But this 90 year old monk was no ordinary old monk! In 1927 he told his disciples that he felt it was time for him to die. Thus he instructed them to prepare for his death. For days he sat in the lotus position chanting the prayer of death and eventually died midway through his meditation. Once he died, they buried him in a specific place, but over the decades his body was moved and exhumed several different times in order to keep him safe from the Communists. Amazingly enough each time they exhumed his body they saw there had been little to no change in his body composition. Eventually he was dug up for good in 2002 and examined. It was determined to the shock of many that his body appeared to resemble a person who had only been dead for several days. And even more amazing is that he never was mummified. But his followers believe he is NOT dead, but still very much alive and in a deep state of meditation.

This holiday, which I’m not sure exactly the name or the purpose of, attracted hundreds of pilgrims coming from all parts of Russia and as far away as Mongolia. One thing I do know that was important about the holiday was the role scarves played in it. Buryatians have traditional scarves they use in ceremonies, to offer as gifts to Buddha and for traditional holy decoration. In fact, last year I partook in a ceremony where I entered a temple with a scarf. It wasn’t easy to enter into since I was a westerner and not Buddhist. But after a series of questions about basic spirituality I guess he figured I was kosher and let me in to offer my scarves as gifts to the Buddha of the temple.

At the entry to one of the temples there was a lady selling these specific scarves. My guide told me to buy one to bring into the temple. So, we entered the temple, scarves in hand, and it was amazing!!! The atmosphere was electric, the insides were innnncrrrreddible with colorful paintings and stunning decorations! One of the highlights was walking through and watching a whole line of monks sitting in the lotus position on pillows reading and chanting from 2x3 notes in traditional Tibetan. It was out of this world stunning and you could just feel the energy vibrating through your body!!!

My hadag scarf

 After looking at the artwork and decorations at the front of the temple we joined a line with all the other people with scarves. Neither did I realize everyone was in line to be blessed by someone. But who was going to bless these people and their scarves? When I got to the front of the line I looked up on a pedestal and there was this kind of odd-looking figure that looked as if he was from a Hollywood movie sitting there with a long scarf hanging down. It was none other than, the 12th Pandito Hambo Lama of the Ivolginsky Datsan, Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov. The monk standing below him would take the scarf, have it touch your scarf and then rub THE scarf on your head for a second or two. The blessing is supposed to bring the receiver good luck and grant them their wish. Supposedly people have been healed from this ceremony. Call it the placebo effect but I felt great after being blessed like all things were possible and my wishes could come true! As I left the temple I tried my best to walk backwards as is tradition in Buddhism, so not to turn your back on Buddha. As I was walking backwards(ish) I must’ve somehow turned a few degrees forward toward the exit as a woman scolded me saying I mustn’t turn my back on Buddha. So I turned around backwards again and successfully was able to reach a safe spot where I would not offend worshipers.

Since I’d already received a blessing from the 90 year old deceased or “in a deep state of meditation” monk, I decided I’d try my luck at the “good luck stone” (not sure what the name of it is, so I’ll just call it this) also on the monastery grounds. The stone sits on a pedestal underneath a little wooden shelter and if you touch it you will receive good luck. If you think this sounds easy………think again. In order to be the recipient of this luck you must walk a medium distance from a certain point with your eyes closed and touch the stone. There is no set amount of times you can try, but after each time you must go to the back of the line and then try again once your turn is up. So, it can be a time consuming process. Last year I spent a good half hour or so trying to blindly navigate my way to the stone. Eventually I found it, but not without lots of failed attempts. This time was different!!! It took me only……….ONCE, one time to get to the stone! I guess as the old saying goes “practice makes perfect”, so all those failed attempts last year must have prepared me well for mastering the art of finding the stone with my eyes closed.

In the end I really felt the events of that day were a huge blessing and maybe one of the key reasons why I was not supposed to be on The BAM railway. It was like it was dharma (the plan of things in life)!

When we arrived at the hotel my tour my guide and driver got out to say goodbye. My driver, Dima, a devout Buddhist, shook my hand and thanked me for coming on the tour. He told me that had it not been for me they (him and the tour guide) also never would’ve been able to take part in the blessing ceremony/holiday. His last words to me were “you have good karma”! Let’s hope!!!!

My guide and my driver, Dima