From Beslan to Buddhism: Who is building a monastery in the Ural mountains. Buddhist monastery in the Ural mountains Shad Tchup Ling Monastery
And so again my restless head and quick feet again carried me through the villages of the Fatherland. My eighteen-year-old daughter and friend Denis volunteered to go with me. Our path this time was already a little further than usual - although it was rich Perm region to the sights, but they also come to an end someday. No, of course, you can watch a lot more, but this is where priorities and desires come into play. And they gravitate more and more towards large spaces and mountains. In a word - to scale.
This time was chosen aside Sverdlovsk region : almost on the border with Perm region There is city of Kachkanar. Glorious is he Kachkanar Mining and Processing Plant (Evraz holding), which mines titanomagnetite ore in its vicinity.
View of the monastery from above northern peak mountains
What can you see in Kachkanar
and on the way to it?
The bulk of the attractions are concentrated in the area of the same name mountains: the mountain itself with its rocks at the top, a mountain lake at the site of stone quarrying, Buddhist monastery And stele to Gagarin. At the foot of the mountain, on the way to the top, located Western quarry of the Kachkanarsky GOK. Also if you go to the side Perm region, then 40 kilometers from Kachkanara you can visit mountain.
But more about everything below. Since there was a lot of photographic material, no matter how hard I wanted, I couldn’t cram in what I couldn’t fit in and show all these objects in one report without loss. Therefore, there will be three parts - one about the monastery, and the second - about other attractions Kachkanara, well, the third one is about Mount Kolpaki.
How to get there?
Get to Kachkanara not difficult - Kachkanar is located 280 km from Perm and 260 from Ekaterinburg. Didn't check the road from Ekata, but from Perm The road is quite, although quite winding.
Coordinates for GPS navigator
58.77678, 59.38694
Shad Tchup Ling Monastery on the map
How to get to the top?
We chose a longer route - from Western Quarry. The reason for this is simple - only by walking along this path can you see for yourself Western Quarry.
To get to the starting point of this route you need to drive through the city, turn in the direction Western Quarry, cross the dam and soon you will see the company checkpoint Evraz. Feel free to leave your car there, turn into the undergrowth on the left and go around the checkpoint. Afterwards, you can calmly go back onto the road and continue your journey without worrying about anyone. The road is flat and carefully smoothed by graders. After about 2.5 kilometers you will reach a fork - on the right there will be an observation deck with views of the quarry, and the road to the monastery turns to the left. You need to walk along this road for about another 4 km without turning anywhere until you reach a fork with a tree decorated with ribbons. To the right there will be a road to the monastery, and straight - to mountain lake And Camel rock.
For those who don’t want to trample white feet, I can offer a life hack on how to shorten the walking distance by 6-7 kilometers. Find out the phone number of the pass office at the KGOK reception, contact it and get the necessary passes for the tourist purpose of your visit. I didn’t check it myself (since the day before was a day off), but according to reports the method works. With a four-wheel drive vehicle with normal ground clearance, you can reach a fork with a “ribbon” tree - in some places, closer to the top, there is still snow on the road.
Shad Tchup Ling Buddhist Community
Story Shad Tchup Ling(in Tibetan pronunciation "Shaddoobling", Tib. bshad sgrub gling; "Place of study and implementation") is directly related to the personality of his lama - Sanye Tenzin Dokshit (Mikhail Sannikova) who, on the instructions of his teacher Pem Dzhanga (Darma Dodi Zhalsaraeva) in mid-May 1995 arrived at Mount Kachkanar and laid the first stone of the monastery there.
Over the 22 years of its existence on the harsh rocks of the mountain, the monastery (a small disclaimer regarding this below) under the leadership Lamas Dokshit gradually rebuilt. Its current state is far from admirable - it is striking that despite the heroic efforts of its followers, the lack of resources affects literally everything and construction is moving very slowly. However, over the past year the monks have erected a number of important objects, including a large buddha statue. As far as I understand, in order for a community to have the right to be called a monastery, it must build 8 stupas - half have already been created, and the monks intend to finish the rest in 2017.
To support the community, it is good manners when visiting it to bring with you building materials or food. To find out the most relevant things, it is better to call the community phone number in advance and check with the guest attendant for information. Nobody obliges you to do anything, but just keep in mind that you are just a curious guest within these walls. We took with us a hammer drill and sweets for tea.
In addition to tourists, the community is also hospitable to pilgrims, detailed information available .
In my opinion, the monastery looks most beautiful in winter, when the wind and frost cover everything in a thick layer of frost. However, to see all this splendor you will have to work hard - the many kilometers uphill on skis are thorny.
Why travel so far and climb so high?
Guests of the community are greeted by a kurumnik on the approaches to the summit 
The most famous Buddhist prayer is Om mani padme hum. 
To get to the monastery you need to go through the main gate.
The gate doors have colorful paintings. Winds, humidity and cold are quite merciless even for modern acrylic paints.
Symbiosis of stone and spirit. In such harsh conditions, every natural shelter is used. 
Mortar 
The guest attendant conducts a tour for tourists 
Mortar 
In the loopholes of the rocks you can see the expanse of the Ural Parma 
Inner courtyard of the monastery 
After the excursion, we were invited to drink tea, and the child also helped in making signs with mantras 
The day was a success - towards evening the clouds cleared and we enjoyed the picturesque rays of the sun 
At the foot of the cliff, monks take water 
Main Buddha statue Video
A short video from the series “what I see with my feet” - don’t pay attention to my scratched face - I was in such a hurry to get ready the day before that I drove headlong into the box while loading the shmurdyak.
What to see nearby?
Stay on the line - there are two more promised notes ahead: about yourself and Mount Kolpaki.
Buddhist temple on Mount Kachkanar
We went on this trip in August 2011. I accidentally saw a winter photo of the Buddhist Stupa of Awakening on the Internet and said: “I want to go there.” We, of course, are not Buddhists and we went not even out of idle curiosity, but for the purpose of learning: what kind of monastery is in the mountains and how can one live there... And the mountain, they say, is beautiful, but you can’t climb it.
When entering the city, we understand that it is located on a mountain, because from the road we could see beautiful distances. As we later learned, it is called Mount Dolgaya. Directly from the city you can see Mount Kachkanar in all its beauty and grandeur, but only one of its peaks.
Mount Kachkanar is the highest peak of the Middle Urals, its height is 887.6 m. Once upon a time it was sacred place for the Mansi pagan population. With the advent of Buddhism in the Mongol-Oirat steppes, bloodless sacrifices and gifts of living animals began to be made to the rulers of the mountains. A family that migrated to a new place had to make an offering to the spirit of the area on the highest hill or mountain. Not only the Mansi praised Mount Kachkanar, but the Kalmyks also revered it to provide them with support in risky activities. Between the city and Mount Kachkanar flows the Vyya River, turned by a dam into the Nizhnevyskoe reservoir.
“Kachkanar Sea” is also popularly called the Nizhnevyskoye Reservoir. In the interfluve of the Is and Vyya rivers, a dam was built on the Vyya River and the Kachkanarsky pond was dug. It is taken from one half of the reservoir drinking water for the city, on the other half there is a beach, a boat station, and fishing in the pond. Several thousand juvenile carp, silver carp and grass carp were released into the reservoir. By south coast The pond in its upper part is the border of the Sverdlovsk and Perm regions. We were lucky with a place to spend the night on the shore of the reservoir and we watched a beautiful sunset all evening.
And at night the moon shone in full force. We even woke up to see a lunar path “running” right towards our tent from the moon across the entire lake. But, unfortunately, I didn’t want to get up and take a picture of her; sleep took its toll.
Waking up at 8 o'clock in the morning, having breakfast and a swim, we set off further on the road - to the mountain to look for the monastery. We arrived at the Western Quarry barrier, parked the car (there are a lot of them there), loaded ourselves with backpacks and set off. At first the road is very dusty because MAZs and other equipment are driving from the quarry to the quarry. Follow it for only 500 meters. Then there will be a road a little to the left on ski slope, but there is no need to go there. But the next turn to the left leads to the monastery and Mount Camel. Then you need to go all the time to the left, do not turn right, except to look at the quarry itself from observation deck. After about 2 km there will be a turn to the right, where you can see the Western Quarry of the Vysokogorsky Mining and Processing Plant.
The quarry, of course, is impressive, it’s interesting to watch how everything is fussing far below, but the dust made it difficult to see everything that could be seen far in the distance.
A detailed study of the Kachkanar ore-bearing massif began in the 30-40s. In 1931, it was established that it consists of two deposits - Gusevogorsky and Kachkanarsky. On June 10, 1950, a resolution was adopted on the construction of the country's largest mining and processing plant (GOK) at the foot of Mount Kachkanar with a processing capacity of 33 million tons of raw iron ore per year.
On May 27, 1957, the first detachment of daredevils came to Mount Dolgaya. The mining and processing plant's products go to the Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Plant, Chelyabinsk and Chusovskoy Metallurgical Plants. We watched how others were working and returned to the causeway to continue climbing. Then walk about 4 km to a fork where the trees are marked with white ribbons, where the building materials are, where the monastery equipment is, etc.
Straight ahead is the road to the “mountain lake”, about three hundred meters and on the right there will be a small pond, which used to be a quarry. But we didn't go there. And to the right is the path leading to the monastery. The climb to the monastery is about 1 km. If you take some building materials with you and bring them to the monastery, you will be given tea as a sign of gratitude. Such assistance is also an entrance ticket to the territory of the monastery. Along the path made of stone, boards, and gratings we go out to the “Stupa of Awakening.”
The ascent to the visible building of the monastery is a small kurumnik - a road made of stones.
In front of this kurumnik there is a fairly large clearing where you can take a break.
Visibility in the distance is still poor due to quarrying.
We rise to the Stupa of Awakening.
At the entrance there are the rules of the monastery, a gong, guards, local wildlife and quite a lot of interesting things. You won’t notice everything right away; for example, we looked at everything again on the way back...
And then a monk meets us and invites us to drink tea. Then they tell you how to get to Camel Mountain and the monument to Yuri Gagarin! Yes, there is such a thing!!!
It is about 200 m to walk through the territory of the monastery to the Camel rock. It is beautiful, majestic and huge. This is it from afar, from the main peak, where we will go next.
But what is also unforgettable is what can be seen from the camel’s humps! This is exactly the peak of the mountain that was visible from the city. That is, if you reach it, you can see both the pond and the city.
This is the same quarry that we looked at on the way to the monastery.
And this is all that is around!
To go from Camel to the main peak of Kachkanar, you need to find a path that is trodden on the right at its base. It takes 15-20 minutes to walk along it to the main peak of the Middle Urals. From Mount Camel it can be seen exactly in the middle with a metal spire at the very top.
And what views it offers! At the foot of this side of the mountain is the village of Kosya.
The monastery itself is visible.
From the main peak there is a well-trodden path to the top of the mountain closest to the city. As we were told, the walk takes about 1 hour. It's a pity, but we didn't have enough time to get there, so we went back to the monastery for a tour of its territory. While walking, we tried to photograph everything that came our way.
And now about the territory... The Shad Tchup Ling monastery is being built in the rocks on the northeastern slope of Mount Kachkanar at an altitude of 843 meters above sea level. Construction is carried out according to the ancient Tibetan and Mongolian canons of monastic architecture, which allows preserving the ecosystem of the area and harmoniously fitting the complex of buildings into the picturesque landscape of Mount Kachkanar. The main function of the monastery is to organize and provide the Buddhist practical process: conducting rituals, services, traditional festive events, individual and collective practices
One of the main goals of the construction of the monastery complex is the preservation of Buddhist teachings and, in particular, the unique system of self-knowledge and self-improvement, which is Tantric Buddhism. One of the key buildings of the monastery is the stupa. Stupa (chorten, suburgan) is one of the important attributes of Buddhism. It is a monument to the enlightened mind of the Buddha, and is also a vertical model of the universe. It is installed in certain places, harmonizing and structuring the space around it. This is a pasture.
Here is the entrance to the courtyard.
Apparently, the local power plant...
Inside the buildings...
Mountain herbs.
There is even a bathhouse in the monastery, right on the mountain. Rope crossing for lifting weights.
Library.
1st floor – library, 2nd floor – living rooms.
Next to the library on the 1st floor there is a fireplace (lined with stone). The tea house is painted green, and above it is a children's room.
Plan of the monastery in the future.
ATTENTION!!! From the trip, we do not advertise to the monks, do not encourage people to leave home to live in this monastery, and also do not spread this religion. There were no calls from the monks for us to stay and accept their teachings, but the stunning beauty around us, the silence and tranquility are very conducive to well... staying at least a little... making us want to get away from the bustle of the city... Therefore, I will give the biography of the monk in a very brief summary with only educational information purpose.
Biography of Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshita
Tendzin Dokshit (in the world Mikhail Vasilyevich Sannikov) was born on November 30, 1961 in Votkinsk, Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, into a family of hereditary military men. In 1979 he was admitted to the Perm Agricultural Institute. Completed the courses civil aviation. In May 1980 he was drafted into the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces.
In February 1981 he was sent under a contract to Afghanistan. One of the constant main tasks of his group in Afghanistan was the destruction of caravans with weapons going to the Mujahideen from Pakistan. In 1987 he retired with the rank of captain. For several months he worked in the morgue of the Leninsky district of Perm as an orderly and as an assistant to a pathologist.
Studied in Nizhny Tagil art school. From my former mentor in Japanese sword fighting (Kendo), I learned about the existence of a Buddhist tradition in Buryatia. In 1989 he entered to study at Ivolginsky datsan, where he was assigned to a group specializing in Buddhist Tantra, which was selected by Lama Pema Jang (Darma-Dodi Zhalsaraev), and took monastic vows under the name Tenzin Dokshit.
In 1991-1993 lived in the city of Gusinoozersk, then in Tanchin-datsan Dashi Gandan Darzhaling (village of Gusinoye Ozero), where he practiced performing rituals. In the summer of 1993, he traveled to Mongolia, where he received initiation into Yamantaka tantra from Lama Sanzhe-la in a retreat near the city of Orkhontuul (Selenga aimag). In December 1994 he received lama initiation. In the winter of 1995, his Root Teacher, Pema Jang, gave him an order to build a Buddhist datsan in Russia, indicating the location of the construction - the top of Mount Kachkanar (Sverdlovsk region).
The temple was named "Shadtchupling" (in Tibetan pronunciation "Sheddubling", Tib. bshad sgrub gling; "Place of study and implementation"). On May 16, 1995, work began on the construction of a monastery at the indicated location. The Shadchupling Temple is being built by Tenzin Dokshit and a small community of people who took initial monastic vows from him. Materially, the construction is provided by the community of his lay disciples living in the Middle Urals.
In 2001, in Kachkanar, students of Tenzin Dokshita registered a local religious organization as part of the “Russian Association of the Diamond Way of the Karma Kagyu School”. The issue of direct registration of the monastery as a reclusive center of the “Association” was also considered. The orientation of the “Association” is predominantly secular, non-monastic Buddhism.
How to get there by car:
along the Ekaterinburg - Kachkanar highway. In Kachkanar, along the main road, at the second traffic light (the stop complex “Ploshchad” will be on the right at the traffic light), turn left onto the street. Krylova. This is the road towards Valerianovsk. Drive to the large sign “Western Quarry”, turn left along it and drive to the barrier before entering the quarry territory. Leave the car at the barrier and walk along the paved road straight along the railway tracks along which ore is transported from the quarry on turntables.
I first learned about this place only a year and a half ago. And I immediately got the idea to go up to this Buddhist monastery, located in Russia, in the Urals, at the junction of Europe and Asia.
And so, last weekend, my dream came true - I climbed to the top of Mount Kachkanar.
The place for the construction of a Buddhist monastery was not chosen by chance. This is not an easy place. It has a special energy.
Even the ancient Mansi revered Mount Kachkanar as a special cult place. Ritual ceremonies with sacrifices to pagan gods were held here.
There is a belief that in one of the caves, which was located exactly on the side from which we came, that is, from the village of Kosya, a great ritual took place during Ermak’s campaign in Siberia. The ruler of the Siberian Khanate, Chingizid Kuchum, not wanting to obey, but feeling the strength of the enemy, ordered a great ritual to get the shamans to answer his questions. The shamans agreed in one opinion - resistance to Ermak’s army is useless, one should submit. However, Khan Kuchum still did not care about the shaman’s warning. Ermak's squad defeated the khan's army. Kuchum himself then fled. But this cave-temple has not yet been found; the entrance to the cave was blocked. There is also a belief-warning - there is no need to search for a sanctuary. If it is found and the rubble is dug up, a catastrophe on a large scale will occur, destructive for thousands of people.
So, we are already close to the top. The height of Kachkanar is 887.6 meters, it is one of highest peaks Middle Urals. At the top of the mountain, nature has created amazing stone outcrops. It is here that the famous mountain-stone “Camel” is located - this huge stone giant seems to be lying down to rest. According to one version, the name of Mount Kachkanar is of Turkic origin. And the word consists of two: “kachka” - bald, “nar” - camel.
The rules of behavior on the territory of the monastery are simple and clear.
The creation of the monastery takes us back to the events of 20 years ago. Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshit (Mikhail Sannikov) in 1995 Completes his studies at the Buddhist Institute at the Ivolginsky Datsan in Buryatia. After that, he arrives at Mount Kachkanar, where he lays the foundation on May 15, 1995. the first stone of the monastery. Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshit had never been to these mountains. The path was shown to him by his Teacher Pema Jang (Darma Dodi Jalsarawe, 1904-1997). He told him not only the coordinates of the place for the construction of the future monastery - Mount Kachkanar, but also the name. Shad Tchup Ling translated from Tibetan means “Place of practice and realization.”
Today, the monastery has gathered Buddhist practitioners from different cities of Russia under its roof. The main task set at Shad Tchup Ling is the development of the scientific, yogic and monastic traditions of Buddhism in the Russian cultural space. The organization of training and practice is carried out through specially designed training programs, rituals, services, traditional events, individual and collective Buddhist practices.
The monks greeted us hospitably in the community. They fed us porridge and gave us hot tea.
Duty in the kitchen and other duties in the monastery according to the schedule. On the day we were there, Arseny was cooking.
Life in the community goes smoothly, according to a schedule.
The monks eat according to the following menu, minor changes are possible.
Someone from our group called this lifestyle and variety of diet quite ascetic. Alexey, who communicated with us perhaps the most, corrected that he did not see anything ascetic here. Nun Satima, who had lived here for almost 12 years, also grinned and continued her knitting, smiling. No, perhaps this way of life does not limit, but rather brings a person closer to freedom, helps to move forward on the path to self-improvement. In general, everyone makes their own choice in this life.
Alexey, who worked as a teacher in the world in English, Buddhism is practiced here. He has been living in the monastery for more than five months and plans to leave the monastery no earlier than July-August. He gave us a fascinating tour.
Alexey told us about the history of the monastery, introduced us to all the buildings, showed the main shrines of the monastery - the Buddhist Stupa of Awakening, the statue of Milarepa, etc.
The only animals currently living in the monastery are dogs. One of the dogs, left behind by a Frenchman who visited the monastery, recently gave birth to cute puppies.
Firewood collection (in winter), construction works(summer) - the main work activities in the monastery.
Solar panels are a special pride of the monastery residents. When used economically, there is enough energy to charge batteries and even access the Internet.
From the top of Kachkanar you can see the Konzhakovsky stone, Mount Oslyanka, and other peaks of the Urals.
We didn’t get to the monastery on a bath day, according to the schedule. But they looked into the bathhouse.
After the excursion, we returned again to the warm house where the dining room is located.
I was stuck at the bookshelf, surprised by the variety of books. In the monastery library there are books not only about Buddhism, yoga, but also fiction, as well as books on the theory of relativity, an explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, textbooks in English...
I was curious and looked at the logbook. It was then done manually. Apparently, the very first years of construction of the monastery.
Now you can read themselves Logbook of the Buddhist community Shad Tchup Ling, where, according to tradition, the weather and the main activities and events in the life of the community are briefly recorded each day.
Satima's favorite pastime is knitting. It seems to me that all these cute hats and socks are knitted by her hands. But maybe I'm wrong.
Alexey demonstrates the caps.
Visitors to the monastery can buy some warm knitted items as souvenirs. Or choose a mandala made by the hands of monks. They are offered here in all sorts of colors and configurations. The main thing when choosing is to understand that the color, symbols, and mandala design reveal direct and indirect connections with your own Universe. Listen. And the Universe will not deceive you.
Let's talk. We're warming ourselves. Drinking tea.
Alexey talks about the plan for building the monastery. According to the forecast, it is designed for 300 years. Now only 20 years have passed. The scale of construction is amazing. The idea that some rocks will have to be destroyed is not entirely clear. Is it really not possible to integrate all the buildings into the rocks, as is done now? Maybe I didn't understand something...
And here is Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshit (in the world Mikhail Vasilyevich Sannikov). He was born on November 30, 1961 in the city of Votkinsk, Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, into a family of hereditary military men. Fought in Afghanistan. In 1987, he retired due to disability with the rank of captain; for several months he worked in the morgue of the Leninsky district of Perm as an orderly and as an assistant to a pathologist. Studied as an external student at the Nizhny Tagil Art School, worked briefly as a cook at Kama river fleet. In 1989 Mikhail Sannikov entered the Ivolginsky datsan, where he took monastic vows under the name Tenzin Dokshit. In December 1994 he received lama initiation. And since 1995 he founded a Buddhist monastery on Kachkanar.
We haven't talked much with Tenzin Dokshit. He spoke with a kind smile, briefly and clearly, simply and wisely at the same time. This is probably how Teachers communicate.
It's time for us to go down the mountain.
This trip took place almost a week ago, and the impressions will not be digested soon. Some of our group came with a fair amount of skepticism in advance. He left with it. Someone expected to see a ray of light, something good, real, without gloss and glamor, at the same time. He saw him. I count myself among them. I liked the atmosphere in the monastery, the ease of communication between people, the schedule of their classes, the desire to practice Buddhism, which is why they came here. I myself am far from practicing Buddhism and meditation (I don’t count the couple of books I’ve read), but two years ago the practice of phowa gave me a lot when I was lucky enough to attend the meditations of Lama Ole Nydahl. This is a separate conversation. The purpose of writing this post was not to go into the details of Buddhism. I wanted to describe the Buddhist monastery of Shad-Tchup-Ling in Kachkanar, as I saw it and my impressions, at least on a subconscious level. This attempt may not have been entirely successful. Just to understand for yourself, you have to go there. And not for a couple of hours. You need to live, work, and practice Buddhism in a monastery.
Finally, as we were leaving, we spun the prayer wheels...
It seems to me that I will return to this monastery. And I would like not to be an idle tourist. I don't know when yet, but I'll be back.
Om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum, om mani padme hum...
P.S. Trip to Buddhist monastery Shad-Tchup-Ling took place together with a group of guys from Perm, the organizers of the trip were
Eight kilometers from the city of Kachkanar, in the middle of the Sverdlovsk region, at an altitude of 885 meters, stands the Shad Tchup Ling monastery. A Buddhist monastery in the Urals is already unusual in itself. But no less an “attraction” than the monastery itself is this is its 54-year-old founder Mikhail Sannikov.
It took a long time for a man to discover Zen. A hereditary military man (his father and grandfather were intelligence officers), he graduated from the KGB school and went to Afghanistan in 1981. He rose to the rank of commander of a sabotage and reconnaissance group. His colleagues still remember his accuracy. The main task of their detachment was to destroy caravans with weapons that were going to the Mujahideen from Pakistan. Sannikov's sniper rifle never made a single mistake. And then there was a breakdown. Mikhail aimed his sight at the horse, loaded with weapons. Nothing new. He did this for many years. All you had to do was pull the trigger and shoot the horse in the head. But then Sannikov saw through his sight how the animal was crying. Tears flowed from the horse's eyes. And he couldn't shoot. For failing to carry out orders, Mikhail was demoted. And he was only happy about it. From one old Afghani, a military man who had done something wrong learned about Buddhism, about self-restraint, about achieving nirvana, and also about the fact that they themselves are the cause of people’s suffering. And, having returned to his homeland, he did not go home at all, but to Buryatia - to the largest domestic Buddhist center. After 7 years of practice, Sannikov received the name Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshit. And then the mentors sent the former military man to build a new monastery.
Sannikov's followers claim that the place (the top of Mount Kachkanar) was seen by teachers during meditation. But there is a much more rational version: in the west of Russia there was already one Buddhist temple- in St. Petersburg, in the east there are temples of Buddhist Buryatia, but in the middle, in the Urals, it is empty. This is how the idea of building a monastery arose on one of the most high points Ural mountains
When Lama Dokshit first climbed to the top in 1995, there was nothing here. Only stones,” the novices say with a breath. “The first thing he did was build a hut here.” One! Periodically he went down to the city to earn money for food. Rumors about the lama quickly spread throughout the surrounding area. And soon he had assistants...
Now Shad Tchup Ling is no longer just a hut, but an entire residential complex. There is a bathhouse, a dining room, and even a library.
KP journalists went to the monastery at the end of December. We then collected information for the New Year's guide to the most interesting places Sverdlovsk region. Of course, there was also a place in it for a Buddhist monastery.
We then brought with us a pineapple and a bag of sweets.
It would be better if they brought plastic fittings,” the lama tsked while accepting the gifts. - We are now building an airship. It would be useful for our hull.
- And where will you fly on it?– we asked.
Yes, wherever we want! - Mikhail answered, sipping tea from a mug.
- Have you finished building the monastery yet?
We practically never started. Work for another 279 years. But next summer we will at least put up a statue of Buddha.
Now, apparently, these plans will not come true. Conversations that the monastery stands illegally and needs to be demolished have been circulating in the Sverdlovsk region for several years. But no one actually took it seriously. Even Sannikov himself. When we asked in December if he was afraid that his monastery would be demolished by excavators, Dokshit only smiled skeptically:
There is a crisis in the country now. Nobody cares about us.
But the business turned out to be too profitable to forget about it, even during a crisis.
« Before March 1, 2016, the demolition of the Buddhist monastery “Shad Tchup Ling” must take place in the city of Kachkanar, - stated in the resolution of the bailiffs of the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region . – Mikhail S., who lives in this monastery, is obliged to release land plot from buildings that are intended for religious ceremonies. The reason for the eviction of Buddhists is the illegal occupation of territory that is federally owned; in addition, this land is located in the development of the Kachkanar iron ore deposit itself. The city court made this decision in favor of the Forestry Department in the summer of the year before last. Due to the fact that Mikhail S. repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of executive documents, he was brought to administrative responsibility under Part 1 of Art. 17.15 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and Part 2 of Art. 17.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (for repeated failure to comply with the requirements of enforcement documents of a non-property nature). Also, in relation to Mikhail S., a decision was made on a temporary restriction on travel outside the Russian Federation».
At the same time, the bailiffs clarify that no one is going to kick the monks out into the street.
An operational meeting was held at the Administration of the Kachkanar City District on the issues of Mikhail S.’s fulfillment of the requirements for moving the monastery to Mount Mokhnatka. Mikhail S. was present at the meeting, where he was again presented with a demand for execution of the court decision before March 1, 2016, as stated by the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia for the Sverdlovsk region.
The monastery, in turn, declares that it will not be able to move by the beginning of spring.
We believe that the decision to demolish it is illegal,” says novice Anna Kolosova. – Indeed, we had an agreement with the city authorities that the monastery would be moved to Mount Mokhnatka. To do this, the Evraz metallurgical plant had to develop a place on the mountain and an approach route to it. But these conditions were not met. We're ready to move. But only when all obligations are fulfilled. In the meantime, naturally, we will protect our monastery from demolition.
Photo gallery from the Buddhist monastery "Shad Tchup Ling"