Ole was in a wondrous mood, greeting the crowds gathered to see him with his legendary beaming smile and playful grin.
Bouncing around, laughing and holding hands with everyone, his infectious joy spreading through the amassed crowd like wildfire making it hard to move. We finally made it through and upon meeting the two greeted each other with wide grins and they embraced like old friends. The Khambo Lama is the traditional head of all Russian Buddhists, the abbot of Datsan Monastery, and a huge figure here in the Russian Buddhist community, as such it is a great honor for Ole to be invited for a personal visit. They have met before, but I was told that this was certainly the most animated, as they both seemed to have a great time together, laughing a lot, and speaking at length for over an hour.
You may have heard of Ivolginsky Datsan, the famous Monastery here in Ulan-Ude that houses one of the world’s greatest wonders. The 12th Khambo Lama passed away in 1927 sitting upright in the meditation position, his body was later exhumed in 2002 and found to be in near perfect condition. No sign of decay, muscles and skin still soft and flexible, even continuing to grow new hair. Only seven times a year the Gompa is opened to the public and the body is allowed to be seen, but because of the connection Ole has with the Khambo Lama it was graciously opened for us and we were allowed to come inside. While I am forbidden to share the photos taken of the body itself, I will tell you that it was quite stupefying, as the body has its 90th anniversary post mortem this year and still looks positively alive.
As if the day wasn’t already full, now we’re sitting in a sports arena here in Ulan-Ude with a gathering of over 400 for Ole’s public lecture tonight that starts off his three day Mahamudra course. And, tonight he was honored with an award for his endless activity of spreading the Dharma here in Russia for the past three decades. What an honor it is to be here. To see things such as this in person. Such a life this is. Running around trying to keep up with Ole, surrounded by great friends, having wild adventures through a beautiful country rich in wonder. Russian Tour is AMAZING!
