Post on 14-May-2023
Bakula Arhat’s Journeys to the North: The Life and Work of the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula in Russia and Mongolia
Vesna A. Wallace
Among the earliest, eighty great disciples of the Buddha ⁄›kyamuni and among the sixteen
celebrated Arhats, all venerated in Buddhist traditions for their high spiritual achievements
and ethical conduct, Bakula1 Arhat became legendary as a contemplative hermit who
endured the hardships of an ascetic life and sustained himself on plants, roots, and fruits of
the forest. According to the Indian, Tibetan and Mongolian sources, he never experienced
illness, enjoyed an unusually long life, and healed sick monks with medicinal plants. Due to
the accounts of his many extraordinary achievements such as the five extrasensory
perceptions (abhijñ›), knowledge of medicinal plants, and the like, he became worshipped as
a giver of long life and as a provider of freedom from hunger, thirst, and material and
spiritual poverty.
According to the popular Mongolian legend, in the nineteenth century, at the time
of the Eighth Bogdo Gegeen, Jebtsundamba Rinpoche, who was the head of Mongolian
1Sometimes his name is also spelled as Bakkula, Vakkula, and B›kula. In P›li sources, particularly in the
Majjhima A˛˛hakath›, IV, the meaning of his name is derived from the word dvi-kula (“two families”), a derivation based on the narrative according to which, he was swallowed by a large fish when his nurse tried to bath him in the river Yamun› when he was five days old. A fisherman from Benares, who caught the fish and found the boy alive in it, adopted the child. Since the birth parents claimed the child to be theirs, the king decided that the child should belong to both families. According to the later Tibetan and Mongolian sources, he was named Bakula after the bakula tree because he wore the clothing made of the leaves and bark of a bakula tree during his life of a forest hermit.
2
Buddhism, a Mongolian monk whose name remains unknown, predicted that Buddhism in
Mongolia will be assaulted by inimical forces. He further prophesized that some time after
the destruction of Buddhism in the country, Arhat Bakula will come to Mongolia to
revitalize the Mongolian Buddhist tradition. He further foretold that after Buddhism among
Mongols receives “a crushing blow at the hands of the red barbarians in the early twentieth
century” the Mongolian Buddhist cultural heritage will be restored to its previous glory.2 The
well-known Mongolian scholar and monk, Zava Damdin (rTsa bar rTa mrgrin dka ‘bcu,
1867-1937) makes reference to such a prophecy in his Golden Book (Altan Devter), but
points out the MañjuŸrımÒlatantra as the original source of the prophecy. There he appeals
to Mongolians, saying: “In order to liberate [ourselves] from suffering, [we] must worship
Bakula.”3 For that purpose, he composed a prayer in praise of Arhat Bakula, titled Opening
the Door of the Space Treasure of a Compilation of Homage and Worship of the Elders Led by
Ārya Bakula (‘Phags pa Ba ku las thog drangs pa’i gnas brtag phyag mchod gyi tsogs nam mkha’
mdzod kyi sgo ba byed), which was read in Mongolian monasteries. According to Zava
Damdin, the lamas of Demchig datsan of Sanggin Dalain Nomin aimag and the lamas of
2Lama G. Purevbat. 2008. “A Great Teacher of Mongolian People.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 84. See also Shakspo, Sonam Wanghuch. 2008. Bakula Rinpoche: A Visionary Lama and Statement. New Delhi: Private Publication by Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo, p. 58.
3Lkhamsürengiin, Khürelbaatar. 1999. Bakula Rinbüchi Tüvdenchognor (Bakula Rinpoche Thubten Choknor). Ulaanbaatar: Mongol Uls Shinjlekh Ukhaani Akademi Khel Zokhiolin Khüreelen, p. 85.
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Gandandarjailin of Ulaan eregiin nomin aimag recited that liturgical text of the offering rite
to Bakula Arhat, in which he is mentioned as foremost among all the Arhats.4
Following the aforementioned prediction, in the Banner (khoshuu) of Agi nobleman
(üizen gün) of Sain Noyen Khan aimag, a thangka was made for the sake of worshiping Arhat
Bakula. The thangka depicts sixteen Arhats of the Buddha, with Bakula Arhat occupying a
central position in the painting and holding a mongoose in his hands. He is surrounded by
fifteen other Arhats and the Buddha ⁄›kyamuni, who is attended by ⁄›riputra and
Maudgaly›yana, depicted above the head of Bakula Arhat. On the upper left and right
corners of the paintings are depicted two Bodhisattva figures, T›r› and MañjuŸrı. On the
bottom of the painting are the four Mah›r›jas, the guardians of the four cardinal directions,
and on the lower, right side, above the fourth Mah›r›ja there is a representation of the seated
Hashang.5 During the years of the communist revolution, in every monastery, during daily
ritual services, lamas recited the prayer gNas brtan phag mchod (Salutation and Worship of the
Elders), in which Bakula Arhat is mentioned as learned and holy.6
As we will see, a learned monk born in the lineage of Bakula Arhat’s incarnations,
respected for his strict adherence to the monastic discipline and for his learning, meditative
4Zava Damdin, I, 47a, 1-3 mentioned by Lkhamsürengiin, Khürelbaatar. 1999. Bakula Rinbüchi
Tüvdenchognor (Bakula Rinpoche Thubten Chognor). Ulaanbaatar: Mongol Uls Shinjlekh Ukhaani Akademi Khel Zokhiolin Khüreelen, p. 77.
5The painting is now in the private possession of Dorjiin Damba’s family in Ulaanbaatar. 6Lkhamsürengiin, Khürelbaatar. 1999. Bakula Rinbüchi Tüvdenchognor (Bakula Rinpoche Thubten Choknor).
Ulaanbaatar: Mongol Uls Shinjlekh Ukhaani Akademi Khel Zokhiolin Khüreelen, p. 77.
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practices, and vegetarian diet, which he adopted in 1925 after hearing that certain villagers
slaughtered sheep for his meal, modeled his life work on the celebrated virtues of Bakula
Arhat. He eventually made his way to the territories of the Mongols, where in good part he
fulfilled their prophecy. But before venturing to those lands, he had to follow the footsteps of
his predecessor, the eighteenth incarnation of Bakula Arhat in improving the lives of the
local people in his native Ladakh.
On May 19, 1917, on the day commemorating the Buddha’s parinirv›˚a, a son was
born at Mangtro palace to Yeshe Wangmo, the princess of Zangla and a niece of Lobsang
Yeshe Tenpa Gyaltsen (bLob bzang ye shes brtan pa rgyal mtshan, 1890-1917), the prince of
Zangskar, considered to be the Eighteenth incarnation of Bakula Arhat. It is said that prior
to his death, the Eighteenth Bakula Lobsang Yeshe Tenpa Gyaltsen foretold his next birth,
indicating one of the four daughters of his sister as his future mother. His next incarnation,
born as a son of Yeshe Wangmo, was recognized as the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula Lobsang
Thubten Chognor (bLob bzang thub bstan bchog nor) and confirmed as such at his age of
six by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. After receiving a preliminary education in Ladakh, at the
age of ten he set out to Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, where he stayed for fourteen years and
earned the highest monastic degree with honors, the Geshe Lharampa degree. Returning to
Ladakh at the time of India’s transition from the centuries-long colonial rule to
independence, and witnessing the poor social conditions of the people in his home state, the
5
Ninteenth Kushok Bakula (from now on called Kushok Bakula) applied himself to securing
the religious, social, and political welfare of the people of Ladakh. He thus continued the
work of his predecessor, the Eighteenth Bakula Lobsang Yeshe Tenpa Gyaltsen, who worked
for the welfare of the people of Ladakh and ensured a tax exemption for all Buddhist
monasteries in the region. In the 1950s, when the existence of Buddhist monasteries in
Ladakh was threatened, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula established two organizations, the All
Ladakh Gonpa Association and the Ladakh Buddhist Association committed to the
preservation of the Buddhist monastic life in Ladakh. His concern for the economical
wellbeing of the people of Ladakh and for their religion and culture led him to a political
career, which lasted fifty years, never separated from his Buddhist practice and religious
works. Becoming the first Ladakhi member of the Indian parliament and the first Ladakhi
member of the Government Commission for Minorities, he championed the rights of the
people of Ladakh, who were experiencing the hardships of poverty, illiteracy, and abuse from
corrupt landlords and governmental officials. His efforts yielded several significant results for
his home state: 1) the preservation of the unique identity and Buddhism of Ladakh, 2) the
recognition of Ladakh as a part of India in 1948 and thereby the state’s liberation from the
long-lasting neglect of the rulers of Jammu and Kashmir who controlled the state and
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hindered its economic development, and 3) the creation of unprecedented educational
opportunities for the young people of Ladakh.7
Convinced that peace is possible if people genuinely follow the fundamental ethical
principles of Buddhism, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula became committed to nurturing
peace and facilitating harmony among different peoples. As the Vice President of the Asian
Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP), which he co-established with S. Gombojav, the
abbot of Gandantegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar in 1969, and later as the President of
the ABCP, he helped shape its policies and programs. During the Fifth General Conference
of the ABCP, held in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar in 1979, the Nineteenth Kushok
Bakula expressed his perspective on solving social and political frictions in Asia by stating:
“We can overcome all tension if we learn to live in peace, remove all misunderstandings, and
get rid of fissiparous tendencies.”8
Kushok Bakula persevered in the career of a social activist, a politician, and a
diplomat not merely because of the difficult social and political conditions that warranted
the amelioration in his native Ladakh, but also because of the oppressive circumstances of
various Mongol ethnic groups in the former Soviet Union and in Mongolian People’s
Republic. Learning about the prohibition of religious expression and of the demise of
7See Shakspo, Sonam Wangchuk. 2008. Bakula Rinpoche: A Visionary Lama and Statesman. New Delhi: Private
publishing by Sonam Wanghuck Shagspo, pp. 17-27. According to Shakspo, Indian government provided one hundred scholarships for higher education of students from Ladakh.
8Luvsantseren, G. 2008. “My Memoirs about H.H. Bakula Rinpoche.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 76.
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Buddhism in the countries ruled by communist governments, he felt compelled to positively
affect socio-political changes in these regions. According to his own words, his “karmic
connection” with Buddhists in Russia and Mongolia emerged in 1917, in the same year
when the Bolshevik Revolution was victorious in Russia; from that time onwards, his desire
to visit these countries never waned. While many Tibetan Lamas living in India sought to
travel to the United State and Europe, where religious freedom allowed the spread of
Buddhist teachings, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula chose to journey to the northern and
northwestern parts of Asia. Speaking of his inner calling, he said: “A spread of Buddhism to
the West was a very important achievement of the twentieth century, which may have a far
reaching effect. I myself had a few such opportunities (to set out to the West), but I did not
go because in reality I never felt a strong interest in that. However, when the opportunity to
leave for Russia was presented, I took it. This may sound strange, but I always passionately
endeavored to get there.9” Thus, he became the first Buddhist monk to visit the Soviet
Union and its regions of Buryatia and Kalmykia, as well as socialist Mongolia, and
communist China, where he advocated peace and nuclear disarmament. In 1968, on the
invitation of the Soviet Ministry for Religious Affairs, the Ninetheenth Kushok Bakula paid
his first visit to the Soviet Union as the head of a religious delegation from India to discuss
the creation of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace. This historic visit also included his
9Kozhevnikova, M. 2003. Povesty ob Uchitele: Bakula Rinpoche v Rossii. (A History of the Teacher: Bakula
Rinpoche in Russia). Moscow: Nartang, pp. 14, 17-18.
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travels to Ulan Ude, the capital of Buryatia and to Leningrad (now St. Peterburg). Bato
Tsybenovich Tsybenov, who served as the advisor for religious affairs at that time and
accompanied him to Ulan Ude, recounted the excitement of the Buddhists of Buryatia
stirred by Kushok Bakula’s visit: large crowds of excited people hindered his departure by
standing in front of the car that was taking him to the airport.10 Since that first official
journey, Kushok Bakula regularly visited various Mongolian ethnic groups living in Buryatia,
Kalmykia, and Mongolia. During one of his diplomatic visits to the Soviet Union, he
appealed to Soviet leaders to return to Russian Buddhists their temple in St. Petersburg,
which was built by the renowned Buryat Lama Agwan Dorjev (1853-1938) but later
vandalized by the Red Army and made into a zoology institute. He saw the new political
movements of Perestroika and Glasnost (1985-1991), which strove to bring economic
reforms and democratization of the communist party in the Soviet Union, as an opportunity
for Russian Buddhists to become socially engaged with the goal of ending the cold war. In
his speech given at the banquet celebrating one thousand years of the Russian Orthodox
Church in 1999, Kushok Bakula pointed out that Perestroika and Glasnost are not a cause
10Kozhevnikova, M. 2003. Povesty ob Uchitele: Bakula Rinpoche v Rossii. (A History of the Teacher: Bakula
Rinpoche in Russia). Moscow: Nartang, p. 18.
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for staying quiet, but for making a new effort in mobilizing the Buddhist community in a
struggle for peace and vigorous resolution.11
In 1989, Kushok Bakula also became the first Buddhist teacher to visit Kalmykia.
Commenting on his experiences during that visit, he expressed his empathy and concern for
Kalmyk Mongols in these words:
“I made several trips to Kalmykia, to the region of Volga, to the people, who
suffered not only from the communist storm, as everyone everywhere did,
but who also endured the great pain and humiliation under the rule of
Stalin’s regime. Not only their culture was destroyed, but also all people were
forced to leave the homeland and were forcibly resettled far from the Volga
region. Thousands died . . . In Kalmykia I was struck. I saw a complete
erosion of their culture without any sign of the preservation of the remainder
of the culture. A strange feeling arose in me, to find myself in the midst of
the people of the Mongolian origin and to see that they behave more like
Russians. But their passionate desire and determination to restore their
culture made me happy.”12
In 1969, a year after his first visit to Russia, Kushok Bakula made his first visit to
Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar. Upon his arrival in Mongolia, he emphasized the urgency
for organizing activities related to world peace, with this message:
11Kozhevnikova, M. 2008. Povesty ob Uchitele: Bakula Rinpoche v Rossii. (A History of the Teacher: Bakula
Rinpoche in Russia). Moscow: Nartang, p. 49. 12Kozhevnikova, M. 2008. Povesty ob Uchitele: Bakula Rinpoche v Rossii. (A History of the Teacher: Bakula
Rinpoche in Russia). Moscow: Nartang, p. 57.
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In all countries of the world,
Let all living beings be free from disease and drought.
Eliminate disaster and war so that
Peace could prevail, and with peace on the Earth,
Let all people enjoy a happy life.13
During that visit he discovered that the faith of Mongolian Buddhists had not
entirely vanished, despite the seven decades of religious repression and communist ideology
imposed by the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party. Since religious teachings in public
were still prohibited at the time of Kushok Bakula’s first visit to Mongolia, he quietly offered
them to a small group of the faithful in his hotel room. This was the first of his regular visits
and teachings in Mongolia through which he enabled Mongolian Buddhists to strengthen
their weakened ties to Buddhism. D. Choijamts, the abbot of Gandanthegcheling Monastery
in Mongolia, who at the time of Kushok Bakula’s first visit to Mongolia was a student at the
monastery, remarked on Kushok Bakula’s benefaction to Mongolian Buddhists during that
period: “In spite of the fact that the time was severe and security was rigorous during the
socialist regime in Mongolia, we would secretly find opportunities for the faithful to receive
teaching and empowerments from our precious teacher, Bakula Rinpoche. These occasions
enabled the Mongolian disciples to form a solid and indestructible relationship with our
13Luvsantseren, G. 2008. “My Memoirs about H.H. Bakula Rinpoche.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 77.
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Guru. Then the peaceful transition to democracy in 1990, in the Year of the Horse, gave us
the opportunity to enjoy freedom and practice faith and spirituality freely.”14
In 1989, just a year before the peaceful democratic revolution in Mongolia, Kushok
Bakula was appointed as the Indian Ambassador to Mongolia. Thus, he became the first
Buddhist monk to hold an ambassadorial position and take part in the development of the
bilateral relations between India and what will soon to become a democratic Mongolia for
the next ten years. In this new role, he arrived in Mongolia on December 31, 1989, and on
January 2, 1990, he presented his diplomatic credentials to J. Batmunkh, who at that time
held the post of the Chairman of the Great People’s Khural (Mongolian Parliament). On
that occasion, Kushok Bakula expressed his view of the Buddha ⁄›kyamuni as the first
Indian Ambassador to Mongolia15 and bewildered the Mongolian governmental officials by
attending the meeting in his monastic robes and presenting them a ceremonial, white, silken
scarf (khata) as an expression of his wishes for their long and prosperous lives. Several
months after that, he witnessed the overthrow of one-party rule and the establishment of a
new political system that was supportive of the human rights, freedom of religious
expression, and democratic, multiparty elections. The democratic changes in the country
14Ven. Choijamts, D. 2008. “Bakula Rinpoche’s Contribution to the Revival of Buddhism in Mongolia.” In In
Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 45.
15Enkhbayar, D. 2008. “A Visionary Monk and a Statesman.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 35; and Shakspo, Sonam Wangchuk. 2008. Bakula Rinpoche: A Visionary Lama and Statesman. New Delhi: Private publishing by Sonam Wanghuck Shagspo, p. 62.
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allowed Kushok Bakula to openly assist Mongolian Buddhists in their attempts to revitalize
their Buddhist knowledge and practice and to rebuild their temples and monasteries, most of
which were razed to the ground under Stalin’s influence.
Kushok Bakula began to travel across the extensive, rugged terrains and dusty roads
of Mongolia. During his frequent expeditions to Mongolia’s rural areas, he visited the rebuilt
temples, imparted teachings to Buddhists in rural areas, performed rituals of blessings and
empowerments, and called for the return to Buddhist ethical values, which were neglected
during the communist period. As Kushok Bakula’s popularity grew, Mongolian people from
various corners of the country were converging on the Indian Embassy, waiting in queues
every morning to receive his blessings, and soon he became affectionately called among
Mongolians as Elchin Bagsh (Ambassador Teacher). On May 29, 1991, Kushok Bakula
initiated the first public celebration of the Buddha’s birthday in democratic Mongolia, which
was held at the National Cultural and Recreational Center and attended by thousands of
people. Another significance of that event was that for the first time after the seven decades
of religious oppression, Mongolian political leaders, headed by the President of Mongolia,
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, participated at a public, religious ceremony.
Observing the conditions of Buddhist monasticism, Kushok Bakula noticed the
pressing need for the proper training of Mongolian monks, among whom many did not
adhere to monastic regulations for a variety of reasons, one being the lack of monastic
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institutions that could house monks and provide them with daily necessities and adequate
education. He often publicly pointed out the importance of upholding one’s monastic vows,
which he saw as indispensible for the flourishing of Buddhism in Mongolia. Not long after
filling the post of Indian Ambassador, Kushok Bakula procured Indian visas and funding for
Mongolian monks who desired to study in Tibetan monasteries in India such as Gomang,
Sera, the Buddhist School of Dialectics in Dharamsala, the Central Institute of Tibetan
Higher Studies, and so on, at the time when it was virtually impossible for Mongolians to
acquire such a visa.16 More significantly, in 1999, Kushok Bakula built the Pethub Stangey
Choskor Ling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, which is commonly referred to by Mongolians as
Bakula Rinpoche’s Monastery. The monastery was built in the Tibetan architectural style,
and it is named after Kushok Bakula’s main monastery in Ladakh. This monastery in
Ulaanbaatar became a prominent venue for the training of young monks, public teachings,
and ritual empowerments bestowed by Kushok Bakula himself.17 Until recently, in addition
to Gandantegchenling Monastery, now recognized as the official center of Mongolian
Buddhists, Bakula Rinpoche’s monastery was the only teaching monastery that provides
room and board for the young monks. Prior to granting the novice ordination to young
16One of the monks sent to India by Kushok Bakula in 1990 was Lama G. Purevbat, who after completing his
studies in Dharamsala became the most prominent Buddhist artist in Mongolia and the founder and director of the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art.
17Luvsantseren, G. 2008. “My Memoirs about H.H. Bakula Rinpoche.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 79. In the present time, Erdene Zuu monastery in Kharakhorum also has a dormitory for young students, which was built few years ago with the financial assistance from the United States.
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candidates, some of whom came from as far as Buryatia, Kushok Bakula carefully examined
the candidates and their families to determine their motivation and suitability for a monastic
life. At the time when well trained Buddhist teachers were in great need in Mongolia,
Kushok Bakula brought highly qualified lamas from Ladakh and Sikkhim to educate
students in his monastery. To this day, young monks of his monastery continue to be
educated in Buddhist doctrine, in the classical Tibetan and Mongolian languages, English,
mathematics, and geography. Upon graduation, the best students are sent to India for higher
monastic education. With the financial assistance from the Tibet Foundation U.K., in 2002,
a clinic of traditional Buddhist medicine was built on the monastery’s grounds, where
Mongolian and Tibetan traditional doctors offer medical care to both monastic and lay
communities. G. Luvsantseren, the head of the Mongolian Buddhist Studies Institute, who
worked closely with Kushok Bakula in the ABCP, in his commemorative speech highlighted
the fact that Kushok Bakula appreciated the unique, Mongolian Buddhist culture and that
his “unique venture was not aimed at Indianising or Tibetanising the monks” in Mongolia.18
As a fervent advocate of human rights, Kushok Bakula made sure that the spiritual needs of
Mongolian women and their contribution to Buddhism would not be neglected. To that
end, he opened the Lay Women Buddhist Organization and gave monastic ordination to
women, the first ever in modern Mongolia.
18Luvsantseren, G. 2008. “My Memoirs about H.H. Bakula Rinpoche.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 79.
15
Kushok Bakula’s various activities dedicated to the restoration of the Mongolian
Buddhism and culture included his undertaking to convince the Indian government to allow
for the relics of the Buddha, kept at the National Museum in New Delhi, to be brought to
Mongolia for viewing. As a result of that effort, in August of 1993, the Indian Deputy
Minister of Culture brought the Buddha’s relics to Ulaanbaatar. The relics were on display at
the Central Cultural Palace for a month and worshipped by tens of thousands of people.
Reflecting on that event, Mr. N. Enkhbayar, who held various political posts throughout his
career, such as those of the President of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party, the
Minister of Culture to the President of Mongolia (2005-2009), said: “For the Mongolian
people who had suffered many years of cultural persecution and were denied practice of their
faith, the coming of the holy Buddha relics was like coming of the Lord Buddha to our
land.”19 Since in the early years of Mongolian democracy, literature on Buddhist teachings
was virtually non-existent in the modern Mongolian language, so Kushok Bakula encouraged
N. Enkhbayar to translate The Teaching of the Buddha20 from English to Mongolian. The
book was published in 1995 in Japan and distributed to Mongolian Buddhists free of charge.
On yet another inspiration of Kushok Bakula, the International Buddhist Institute in
Mongolia was established with the aim to enable international students to conduct research
19Enkhbayar, D. 2008. “A Visionary Monk and a Statesman.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 35. 20The translation is based on the English version of Teachings of the Buddha published by Bukkyo Dendo
Kyokai in Japan and dedicated to the promotion of Buddhism in the world.
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on Mongolian Buddhism. He also invited other eminent Buddhist teachers to come to
Mongolia, including the H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai, who came to Mongolia for the first
time in 1992, where gave public teachings and the K›lacakra initiation. Aware of the early
contacts of the Mongols with the Sakya order of the Tibetan Buddhism, which dates to the
thirteenth century when Qubilai Khaan brought to his court the Sakya master Phagpa Lama
(‘Phags pa) from Tibet, Kushok Bakula made it possible for Mongolians to reestablish their
historical connection with the Sakya order. By inviting one of the heads of the Tibetan Sakya
order, Sakya Trinzin Rinpoche to Mongolia, who arrived there in the summer of 1995,
Kushok Bakula, who belonged to the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism, demonstrated to
Mongolian Buddhists his nonsectarian approach to Buddhism and his genuine desire for the
development of Buddhism in Mongolia.
As the Indian Ambassador, Kushok Bakula sought ways to facilitate India’s fruitful
cultural relations with Mongolia that would enrich the lives of Mongolian people and create
new educational opportunities for young people. In so doing, he set up the Indian Cultural
Center, equipped with audio-visual material, books, artworks, and the like to enable
Mongolians to study Indian languages and classical Indian dances. He also helped to
establish the Mongolian-Indian Friendship Farm in the city of Darkhan and the Training
and Industrial Center in Ulaanbaatar, which was named after Rajiv Gandhi. Likewise, under
his initiative, more than fifty Mongolian students were sent for training in Indian colleges
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and universities under various exchange programs. Ts. Gombosüren, who was a Mongolian
Foreign Minister from 1988 to 1996, said this of Kushok Bakula’s ambassadorial service:
“There are many major developments that took place in promoting bilateral relations
between our two countries (India and Mongolia), and one can clearly see the impact of
tremendous contribution made by Kushok Bakula Rinpoche.”21
Acknowledging Kushok Bakula’s contribution to the Mongolian political, social, and
religious life at the time when democratic governance in Mongolia was in its infancy, the
first democratically elected President of Mongolia, P. Ochirbat, who governed Mongolia
from 1990-1997, wrote of Kushok Bakula’s constructive inputs in the highest of terms. He
pointed out that by the end of 1990, there were about fifty reopened temples and
monasteries with 1,000 monks; but due to restrictive regulations in the country, it was
difficult to coordinate the functioning of temples and monasteries, which were in disarray
and had many obstacles regarding religious activities. There was no universally recognized
leader of Mongolian Buddhists either. The new government dissolved the Council of
Religious Affairs that was set up earlier and replaced it by a supernumerary Religious Council
led by a presidential adviser. It was seen as necessary to formulate and declare the state policy
regarding religion and to enact a law that could guarantee religious freedom and preservation
of ancient, cultural heritage of Mongolia. Mr. Ochirbat also stated: “Bakula Rinpoche
21Gombosüren, Ts. 2008. “A Pioneer from Jagar (India).” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of
HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 64.
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advised the people to accept change and maintain peace, harmony, and good will in accord
with the cherished values of civilized behavior. Bakula Rinpoche’s approach to human
psychology brought about desired change, yielding peaceful and meaningful results.”22 N.
Enkhbayar in a similar manner indicated Kushok Bakula’s important role in the peaceful
solution to political changes in Mongolia, which found itself at a crossroad when a new
political experiment was being made, which involved a complete departure from the past and
a change for the better. He said:
“It was due to our Buddhist heritage and Rinpoche’s presence in the country
that the transition to democracy in Mongolia, unlike in other socialist
countries, was so peaceful. Rinpoche was an integral part of this great
transformation and he played an active role in these changes through his
advice, assistance, and participation . . . Young people, including those who
actively participated in democratic changes in Mongolia, sought Rinpoche’s
guidance and help. Many politicians and businessmen also sought audience
with Rinpoche to seek his advice . . . Bakula Rinpoche’s advice was simple,
yet convincing . . . If not Bakula Rinpoche, who else could have guided the
people through these changes? . . . In all his interactions with Mongolian
people, Rinpoche enthused unity among them and asked the people to work
for preserving Mongolia’s distinct national identity and independence. And
at the same time, he exhorted them to work for the development of the
22Orhcirbat, P. 2008. “Bakula Rinpoche who left behind a bright influence in Mongolia.” In In
Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, pp. 57-58.
19
country . . . For his yeomen service to the nation, the President of Mongolia
(P. Ochirbat) conferred upon him ‘Polar Star,’ a state award, in 2001.”23
It seems not everyone appreciated Kushok Bakula’s council at that time of political
turbulence, as certain political circles that resisted change in the country accused Kushok
Bakula of interfering in the domestic affairs of Mongolia, and some even suggested that he be
sent back to India.24
On the basis of his endeavors and accomplishments among the Mongols, to this day
Kushok Bakula has been revered as a prophesized, bodhisattvic emanation of Arhat Bakula,
who fulfilled the hopes and prayers of Mongolian Buddhists. In the year 2008, on the
occasion of the ninety-first anniversary of Kushok Bakula’s birthday, several distinguished
figures in Mongolian political, cultural, and academic spheres wrote of him in their essays
either indirectly or directly as a bodhisattva who brought the nineteenth-century prophecy to
reality. Lama G. Purevbat, the most prominent Buddhist artist in Mongolia and the founder
and director of the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art, referred to Kushok Bakula as “our
great teacher Bodhisattva, who made many meritorious deeds to restore and revive
Buddhism in Mongolia for the fourth time in the history of our country.”25 Similarly, G.
23Enkhbayar, D. 2008. “A Visionary Monk and a Statesman.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, pp. 33-34, and 37-38. 24Gombosüren, T. 2008. “A Pioneer from Jagar (India).” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of
HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 66. 25Lama G. Purevbat. 2008. “A Great Teacher of Mongolian People.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, 86.
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Luvsantseren, the Director of Mongolian Studies Institute, wrote about Kushok Bakula’s
historic role in Mongolia in this way: “Kushok Bakula Rinpoche was a Bodhisattva who
dedicated his life for the welfare of all living beings on this earth . . . [regarded] as a Great
Teacher who had come from India to perform this historic task.”26 The previously
mentioned, first democratically elected President of Mongolia, P. Ochirbat, wrote this: “[He]
came to Mongolia as a divine messenger at the time of peaceful transformation to democracy
and inspired our people.”27 Ochirbat further stated: “I always looked to him with prayer in
my heart to gain inner strength and confidence when our country was passing through a
crucial phase of history in the period of democratic reforms . . . Bakula Rinpoche recognized
distinctive characteristics of Mongolian democracy and the historic necessity to develop its
national culture and traditions, to restore religion to its pristine glory with emphasis on
reviving Buddhism as an inseparable part of Mongolian cultural heritage.”28
During his diplomatic service in Mongolia, Kushok Bakula travelled to Beijing every
two months on his diplomatic mission. During those visits, at the request of Chinese
Buddhists, he discretely offered teachings at the time when giving religious teachings there
26Luvsantseren, G. 2008. “My Memoirs about H.H. Bakula Rinpoche.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth
Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, pp. 75, 77. 27Ochirbat, Punslamaagiin. 2008. “Bakula Rinpoche Who Left Behind a Bright Influence in Mongolia.” In In
Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, p. 55.
28Ochirbat, Punslamaagiin. 2008. “Bakula Rinpoche Who Left Behind a Bright Influence in Mongolia.” In In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche. Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center, pp. 55-56.
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without governmental permission was prohibited. At the conclusion of his diplomatic
service, Kushok Bakula returned to India in the year 2000, but he regularly visited Mongolia,
imparting teachings and empowerments, despite his frail health. On November 24, 2004,
Kushok Bakula died at the age of eighty-seven. His body was kept in Delhi for several days
for viewing by many high political and religious dignitaries of India and other countries. On
November 7, a special Indian Air Force plane carried Kushok Bakula’s body, covered with a
national flag to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, and it landed in the airport renamed as “Bakula
Rinpoche Airport.” Monks in Leh performed prayers and rituals for fourteen days, and on
November 16, 2003, Kushok Bakula’s body was cremated with state honors and the police
and military men fired shots in the air as an expression of respect. Thousands of monks and
laypeople attended the cremation to collect his ashes for blessing. Within a year of the
cremation, a gold-gilded, silver stÒpa, measuring 3.5 m was constructed for keeping his relics
and placed in his monastery in Ladakh. According to the report of Sonam Wangchuk
Shakspo, who worked in various capacities with Kushok Bakula and as Indian Cultural
Attaché in Mongolia during Kushok Bakula’s ambassadorial post, shortly after the cremation
of Kushok Bakula’s body, a mongoose29 appeared in the courtyard of Pethub monastery in
Ladakh, ran into the private room of Kushok Bakula, and sat on his cushion. While staying
29A reason for which the appearance of a mongoose was considered miraculous by monks of the Pethub
monastery is that this animal species is not found in Ladakh.
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there for forty-nine days, the mongoose behaved like a pet and ate only vegetarian food from
the hands of the amused monks. At the completion of the forty-ninth day, it disappeared.30
When the news of his death reached Mongolia, crowds of people gathered at Pethub
monastery in Ulaanbaatar to pay homage to their Ambassador Teacher. N. Enkhbayar, who
at that time was the Prime Minister of Mongolia, sent his condolences to the government
and people of India, and the Mongolian government dispatched a Special Envoy to India to
offer a floral tribute to Kushok Bakula. Having obtained some of Kushok Bakula’s relics, his
Mongolian disciples placed them in a newly constructed, silver Bodhi StÒpa, made of 110 kg
of white silver, embedded with 1,878 precious stones, and measuring 2.5 meters in height,
and weighing 150 kg. Likewise, a gold plated, life-sized statue of Kushok Bakula was made
by Mongolian artists and ceremonially installed in the same monastery in Ulaanbaatar, with
prayers for his swift rebirth. A thangka with a portrait of Kushok Bakula, which was painted
by Lama Purevbat and placed in the monastery, was reprinted in a smaller size (60x50 cm)
and distributed among Mongolian Buddhists across the country.
A year after Kushok Bakula’s passing, on November 24, 2005, a boy by name Thup
stan Nga wang was born in Ladakh, who was to be recognized as Arhat Bakula’s twentieth
incarnation and confirmed as such on February 26, 2008 by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. As
this news reached Mongolia, requests for the young Bakula’s visit to Mongolia were made,
30This incident was reported to me by Sonam Wangchuk during my field research in Mongolia in the summer
of 2009.
23
indicating that a connection between Arhat Bakula and the Mongols that was established by
the Eighteenth Kushok Bakula will continue. What form that connection will take remains
to be seen.
The life and work of the Eighteenth Kushok Bakula exemplify both 1) the
responsibility that a person who is accepted into the lineage of incarnations of the renowned
Buddhist practitioners takes on in order to follow the example of his predecessors and 2) the
unique features of his way in the world that arise in response to social realities of his time.
Further Readings
When it comes to Buddhist religious figures of the modern era who lived and worked among
Mongolian ethnic groups in Russia and Mongolia, their biographies seem to be scanty,
incomplete, and primarily written in the languages other than English, namely, in
Mongolian, Russian, and Tibetan.
“Bakkula.” 1966. In Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Vol. 2. Edited by G. P. Malalesekera. Government of Ceylon.
Bakkula Sutta. 2001. In The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the
Majjhima Nikaya. Translated by Bhikkhu Ñanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi. Boston: Wisdom Publications. (Second edition)
Bakula Thup-bstan-mchog-nor. 2001. Rang rnam padma dkar po’i pha reng ba (Autobiography. Garland of White Lotus Flowers). Leh: Bakula Foundation.
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Byrne, Sue. 2005. “The Ambassador-Teacher: Relfections on Kushok Bakula Rinpoche’s Importance in the Revival of Buddhism in Mongolia.” Ladakh Studies 19 (March 2005): 38-48. n
Kozhevnikova, M. 2003. Povesty ob Uchitele: Bakula Rinpoche v Rossii. (A History of the
Teacher: Bakula Rinpoche in Russia). Moscow: Nartang. Lkhamsürengiin, Khürelbaatar,. 1999. Baküla Rinbüchi Tüvdenchognor (Bakula Rinpoche
Thupten Chognor). Ulaanbaatar: Mongol Uls Shinjlekh Ukhaany Akademi Khel Zokhiolyn Khüreelen.
Shakspo, Sonam Wangchuk. 2006. Bakula Rinpoche: A Visionary Lama and Statesman. New
Delhi: Private publishing by Sonam Wanghuck Shagspo. -----. ed. 2008. In Commemoration of the 91st Birth Anniversary of HH Bakula Rinpoche.
Ulaanbaatar: Pethub Buddhist Center.