Worship to the owner of water. Research work on the topic "traditional rites of worship of zurkhen-khada and manhasar"

For religious and ritual practice, there are Buddhist ritual practices and texts that cover human life in its entirety. There are rituals of honoring the spirits of localities, spirits living in the water element, rituals of protection from diseases, a ritual associated with the birth of a child, a ritual of giving a name, a wedding ritual, a ritual of protecting life from premature death, protection from troubles in personal life, a ritual of invoking life force , the ritual of hanging ritual flags khiy-morin (air horse), funeral rites, etc. In each specific case, a Buddhist believer turns to the lama for advice and help.

About Tahilga

Oboo is a cult sanctuary located in one or another remarkable natural place, such as a mountain peak, mountain pass, water hazard, cliff, etc. It is believed that oboo is the residence of the owner of the area ( ezen, bur.). With the penetration of Buddhism into the regions of Tibet, Mongolia and further north, local cult deities and spirits were introduced into the Buddhist pantheon as local worldly deities. Buddhism has retained from pre-Buddhist beliefs the rite of veneration, but not the worship of these deities.

Each family, clan, tribe among traditional Buddhists has its own cult ancestral obo, the veneration of the owner of which is carried out on one of the auspicious days of the first summer month. Local residents, with the help of astrologer lamas, choose a day for the “Oboo takhilga” ritual. On this day, on oboo, they bring with them treats of dairy and sweet dishes, wine, etc. Lamas from a nearby datsan are invited to perform the ceremony. Believers, with the help of lamas, turn to their owners ( sabdak, Tib.) with a request for rainfall, elimination of fires and other disasters, as well as for the well-being and prosperity of the native land. If the owner is favorable, then favorable signs appear: light drizzle, rainbows, good dreams, etc. It is believed that the owner himself can take the place of the obo, turning into a bird or an animal. During the prayer service, the main texts from the Buddhist canon about the sending of prosperity and happiness are read. In general, the prayer service is held in accordance with the structural taxonomy of the khurals read in the datsans themselves, but with the addition of a special appeal to the owners of the area, with an offering and a request for their favor.

After the oboo ritual, folk games are traditionally held: horse racing, wrestling, archery. In some places, stupas are erected on oboos so that people have the opportunity to accumulate virtues by circumambulating and prostrating in front of them. In some Buddhist areas, altars are installed on mountain passes, valleys and other places, and stones are stacked in a special way. Driving past the above-mentioned places, they usually make offerings of food (deezhe, bur.), coins, matches, pieces of cloth (sumelge), etc., while reciting the mantra “Om-A-Hum”. It is not recommended to make offerings of alcohol, otherwise there is a risk of accumulating non-virtue.

Lusad Tahiha - a ritual of honoring the “masters of water”

The rite of honoring the spirits of water is one of the rites intended to achieve some temporary goals, be it sending rain for abundant harvests, eliminating problems, asking for happiness and peace for the inhabitants of a particular area. They are performed on the so-called “days of lus” ( lusyn buudal, bur.). These days are the most favorable time to honor them. Buddhist treatises speak of a great variety of unusual beings classified as “8 classes of worldly gods and demons,” one of which is the class of water spirits ( naked, Skt.). It is believed that water spirits do not tolerate pollution in their habitat, i.e. rivers, lakes, springs, etc. People’s unreasonable actions in relation to nature affect the state of spirits, which is why they suffer damage and, when angry, can harm people. In particular, it is believed that a person receives harm from nagas in the form of various diseases when he pollutes water bodies, rivers, and air.

To carry out the ritual, the lamas prepare various substances called “three whites” - milk, butter, yogurt, “three sweets” - sugar, honey, molasses, as well as various jewelry - gold, silver, copper, turquoise, coral, pearls, crystal . During the ritual, the lamas, through meditative practice, mentally transform all these offerings into jewelry and medicine for the water spirits, after which, accompanied by the sounds of ritual instruments, they respectfully throw the offerings into the water.

Ritual of hanging the ritual flags of Hii-Morin

According to Buddhist astrology, hii-morin symbolizes human psychic energy. When this energy is in a bad state, a person experiences a loss of spirit and is haunted by failures. To correct this situation, there is a ritual of hanging the hii-morin flag. Each person has his own hiy-morin, corresponding to the year of his birth. It is distinguished by the color of the flag. On the flag in the middle there is a horse, and in its four corners there is a tiger, a lion, a dragon and the king of birds, Garuda. These animals symbolize the possession of great strength and energy. Sacred mantras are written on this flag and there is a special place where you need to write the person’s name. Typically, the ceremony of hanging hii-morin is carried out by believers after the onset of the Buddhist New Year. On this day (as well as on subsequent days of the first month of the New Year) you can come to the datsan, choose a flag according to your year of birth and ask the lama to consecrate it. Next, you should go to the indicated place for hanging the hi-morin and place it on a tree, reciting the following mantra:

“KUNDU SARVA DUDU HO

BAZAAR AYUKHY SUUKHA”

The hiy-morin ritual requires the fulfillment of three basic conditions:

choosing the color of the flag and the day of hanging in accordance with the following rules, note: the horse must “run” in a certain direction of the world. The Lama will give appropriate instructions;

illumination (“revival of the horse”) of the flag with rituals a) “luntasan” (purification) and b) “rabnay” (illumination);

hanging the hiy-morin in some sacred place, although nowadays some city dwellers hang it on the balcony.

This ritual is one of the most widespread Buddhist rituals among traditional Buddhists in Russia.

Rite “Mengyn Zasal” - eliminating the adverse effects of the 9-year cycle

According to Buddhist astrology, the “mengyn zasal” ritual is traditionally performed every 9 years, that is, on the 9th, 18th, 27th, 36th year of a person’s life. During these years, a person may face various misfortunes. There is the following legend associated with the origin of this ritual. In India, once upon a time there lived a king named Nagbo, who had five sons and one daughter. When the king turned 27 years old, troubles befell his palace and family, who had previously been in happiness and splendor. One day the king had a dream in which he heard a voice saying to him:

“Troubles are falling on you because you have fallen under the nine annual evil eyes and the nine cow evil eyes. To the east of you lives the Lord Guijie. Give him gifts and ask him to burn all your misfortunes.”

Waking up, the king invited Guitszeya to perform a ritual, after which Guitszeya told the king that all his misfortunes were due to the evil eye, and bequeathed to repeat the ritual of cleansing from misfortunes every nine years.

In Buddhist astrology, the “menge golloho” system (literally “putting the birthmark in the center”) is of great importance. The word “menge” here means both an ordinary birthmark and the happy fate symbolically contained in it.

If the “menge” matches, you need to ask the lama to read the book “Nogoon Dara Ekhe” exactly as many times as he turns one year old, as well as the book “Sagaan Shukherte”. Also, to carry out the ritual, you need to collect nine small stones, the lama will read prayers and special mantras and blow on these stones, after which he will throw them in a certain direction or place.

The purpose of performing this ritual is to protect a person from unfortunate circumstances in the next nine years. Usually you should contact the lama and perform this ritual in the first month of the New Year according to the lunar calendar.

Ritual “Zhelei Zasal” - eliminating the adverse effects of the 12-year cycle

In general, the ritual is similar in meaning to the “mengyn zasal” ritual. Every 12 years, people repeat their year of birth. This also creates the possibility of difficulties and illnesses, so the following is recommended:

upon reaching 12 years of age, one should order the reading of the sutra “Naiman Gageen” in datsans, perform rituals of taming a harmful spirit (amin zolig gargakha, Bur.) and “Usan balin tabiha”;

upon reaching 36 years of age - order the sutras “Yum” and “Niti”, “Dogsun”, perform the ritual “Lusad tahiha”;

upon reaching 48 years of age - “Yum”, “Altan Gerel”;

60 years – “Khii Morinoi San”, “Dashi Zegbe”, “Naiman Gageen”, “Sagaan Dari Ekhe”;

72 years old – “Tsedab”;

84 years old – “Dogsun”, “Banzaragsha”, “Tsedo”.

Depending on the year of birth, the lamas recommend that believers on the first day of the New Year leave the room in one direction or another, and also, after reading a certain mantra, perform a symbolic action aimed at eliminating the possible unfavorable influences of the coming year.

Ritual associated with the birth of a child

While expecting the birth of a child, parents can perform the ritual “Nilsakhyn dallaga” - invoking grace for the birth of a child. In this case, they invite a lama to the house to read the “Secret Drops” sutra. Then, when a child is born, the lama is invited again, who sets up a sign of the prohibition “horyuul”, attaching a pine or spruce branch to the right side of the door frame, which indicates a newborn in the house. Entry to the house by outsiders is prohibited for a month. This ban is intended to protect the newborn from infection with various diseases.

The lama who establishes the sign of the prohibition becomes the “naizhi” of the newborn, that is, his patron and confessor for life. In the old days, there were frequent cases when a lama was asked to become a “naiji” for an unborn child. Naiji Lama, three days after the birth, comes to the newborn’s house and reads the ritual text “Banzaragsha”, washes the child with arshan, conducts a ritual for choosing a name and presents an amulet with the image of a patron - protector. This is a very important moment in the life of a little person. It is believed that the correct given name influences his entire future life. During the year, the Naiji Lama periodically visits his ward and reads the corresponding ritual text. Parents, for their part, respect their child’s patron and diligently follow all his recommendations and advice. Then, when the child turns one year old, the ceremony of cutting his first hair is performed. On this occasion, a holiday comes to which relatives and friends are invited.

Wedding ceremony

When starting a family, parents of both parties turn to the astrologer lama. They find out whether the newlyweds are suitable for each other, find out the auspicious day for bringing the daughter-in-law to the house, the day for the wedding. All astrological forecasts are of great importance for the future young family. Currently, Buddhist religious traditions are being revived again, according to which newlyweds come to the datsan on their wedding day to conduct the wedding ceremony. The newlyweds, together with relatives and friends, make a respectful walk around the stupas and temples, rotate prayer wheels, pray to the deities, entering the temples, and place lamps in front of the altar for the well-being of the new family. Performing all these rituals is considered necessary for the married couple to live in peace and harmony in the future. During the ritual, the lama reads well wishes for the well-being of the new family, presents them with the necessary images of deities and ritual objects, and also presents a special letter with the seal of the datsan and the names of those marrying.

Ritual of summoning life force

In some cases, when a person experiences a loss of strength, gets sick, stops arguing, or loses interest in life, the astrologer lama may recommend that the believer perform a ritual of invoking life force. For this occasion there is a special prayer, which is read by the lama in the presence of the believer. It is called “lagug”, which translated means “invoking la - life force”.

During the prayer, the lama turns to the deity of longevity, Buddha Amitayus (Ayusha Burkhan, Bur.) and reads a special prayer with offerings, makes a request for a long life, and then calls on the human life force. There are several options for performing this ritual, according to one of them you should prepare: yellow and white hadak, a small piece of white cloth, kefir (if not, then you can use sour cream or yogurt), ghee and butter, milk, zamba - barley flour, some apples (required), boil fruits without mixing, separately a little cereal (rice, pearl barley, etc.), boil the right leg of a ram, the favorite food of the one for whom the ritual is being performed, a pack of tea, freshly brewed tea, honey, if possible , fine sand of gold, coral, pearls, turquoise, copper.

Funeral rite

One of the most important Buddhist rituals is the ritual for the departed. The purpose of the ritual is to direct the consciousness of a deceased person to one of the good worlds in order to achieve a better rebirth or liberation from the cycle of further births. Death in Buddhism is considered a key moment, making it possible to clear a person’s consciousness of negative karma and realize his positive potentials.

One of the main goals of a practicing Buddhist is to prepare for death, which he perceives as the most important transitional stage for achieving a good fate or the state of Awakening. Therefore, it is very important for a Buddhist practitioner to approach death in a conscious state, which allows him to control the dying process. The most advanced Buddhist masters pass away in a state of meditation, gradually contemplating the cessation of the vital functions of the body and directing their purifying consciousness to higher spheres.

For a believer, the main thing at the time of death is the need to remember the Buddhist creed - Refuge, as well as the Buddhist practices known to him. The traditions of funeral rites among residents of different regions of Buryatia are very different. Relatives of a person who has passed away ask the lama “Altan Sav tataha”, that is, to look at the astrological book “Altan Sav”. It is used to calculate:

day and hour of removal of the body;

in which direction to carry out the body;

who can touch the body;

who should not touch the body and be present at the burial;

Before digging a grave, a ritual is performed to ask for land in the place where the burial will take place (gazar abakha, Bur.). Relatives and friends are recommended to recite prayers and mantras known to them, light lamps and incense, devoting these virtues to achieving the good rebirth of the deceased person. If required, the lama reads the text “Great Liberation through Listening” (Sonosood ehete tonilgoogsho, Bur.)

Only men participate in the burial. Upon returning from the cemetery, they are obligatorily fumigated with incense, their hands are washed with arshan, and only after that they enter the house. The lama who participated in the funeral conducts a ritual of good wishes and invoking happiness. After this, relatives and friends sit down at the table and remember the departed.

It is believed that after death a person’s consciousness can remain in the intermediate state of “bardo” for up to 49 days until the next incarnation is achieved. Every seven days, his subtle body again undergoes “secondary death,” therefore, on these days, joint prayers are read by relatives and friends, and in the house of the deceased, lamps are lit in front of the Burkhans for 49 days, the light of which illuminates the path to a good birth for the deceased.

On the seventh week after death, the final rite “taraal” is performed with the participation of lamas. Relatives and friends come to the datsan with offerings, which are presented to the lamas with a request to recite good wishes for the sake of the person who has passed away.

Ritual “Dallaga” - invoking happiness and prosperity

During the “dallag” ritual, believers sit in a certain direction, which depends on the lunar month. Before the lamas begin to read the text, believers must unbutton the top button, put on a headdress and take into their hands the symbols of giving and receiving “dallag” in the form of sweets, sweets, pastries, etc. beautifully arranged on a pyramid-shaped platter. The ritual of invoking well-being and happiness is necessarily accompanied by circular movements. When the lama exclaims “A-hurai,” the believers follow him in a circular rotation of the dishes with offerings. After the lama finishes reading the text, he says the following words, and after him the believers exclaim:

" - Has happiness and prosperity descended?!- Yes, it has come down!

- Were the conceived thoughts fulfilled according to the Teaching?!- Yes, we have fulfilled it!

- A-khurai!- May it be good!"

After this, the dedication to virtue is read.

In Kalmyk culture, the natural world, filled with creatures visible and invisible, is considered sacred and revered. The sacred Buddhist texts speak of a great variety of unusual creatures living on our earth. Among them are aquatic

Spirits (naga). An ordinary person cannot see them. They consider themselves the true masters of the area. There are many things in modern human activity that cause great damage to the environment. Things that are common to us - huge landfills, plowing of the land, environmental pollution, consumerism and wild attitudes towards nature - cause enormous harm to the spirits of the earth and water. They are angry.

Nagas consider themselves the true masters of rivers and reservoirs, forests, and steppes. They do not like it when people pollute their habitats - rivers, lakes, reservoirs, forests and fields. They don’t like it when trees are thoughtlessly cut down or broken, garbage is left near rivers, at picnics, and fields are turned into landfills. When their environment is polluted, they begin to get sick, and these diseases are transmitted to people. Most often these are sudden rashes on the hands, ulcers, and skin diseases that are difficult to treat. It is impossible for an ordinary person to determine the diseases that nagas cause. Only Buddhist monks with clairvoyance can see this. The naga are sick and angry. As a consequence of this, natural disasters, droughts, epidemics, crop failures and loss of livestock occur. Many natural disasters, human diseases, especially skin diseases, kidney diseases, gall bladder diseases, depression, apathy, anxiety, unreasonable fears and worries, are often caused by the anger of the nagas. This also includes household troubles, unexpected accidents and breakdowns in the house.

Of the six worlds on this continent, nagas belong to the animal world, they are subject to emotions and, when angry, can cause considerable harm to others. There are people who, due to their ignorance, perceive them as deities and worship them, which is extremely wrong. Buddhists know that they can turn to them for any help, but at the same time do not forget that these spirits are not objects for the expression of faith and worship. A special ritual of ablution, cleansing the area, and offerings can eliminate the harm that the spirits of water and earth cause if they are deprived of their usual habitats. The lunar calendar specifically marks days when offerings to nagas are favorable. Most often, such rituals are performed in the holy month of Ur Sar.

According to ancient, established traditions, a special ritual is held annually in one area or another - offerings to the nagas. Monks perform special rituals, inviting guests (nagas), asking them to accept offerings, change their anger to mercy, and respond to the peacefulness of people.

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For offerings, they usually bring: sour cream, milk, butter, sugar, honey, molasses, fruits, xiangging idian (incense), flour.

It is undesirable to eat garlic, onions and meat on the day of the ritual. Offering rituals improve quality of life, promote healing, and provide protection from harmful influences and disease. They help people get rid of lethargy, improve health, strength and a joyful perception of life. It is very important for those present to have good motivation, a good attitude towards everyone and a prayer for the well-being of not only their loved ones, but for the well-being of all living beings on earth. This is true spiritual practice. It is no coincidence that high masters of Buddhist practice say: “If you carry out the practices of the spiritual path with correct understanding and diligence, they bear fruit. Fruits strengthen faith. When faith is strong and backed by confidence, it promotes practice. Faith and practice together lead to wisdom and happiness." And in order to protect yourself from the harmful influence of angry nagas, you must treat nature wisely and carefully.

Photo by Alexander Garmaev

In the summer, residents of all ethnic Buryatia go out for mass rituals of worshiping the spirits of the area. Buddhists call them “oboo tahiha”, shamanists call them “tailgan”. But many, taking part in these rituals, do not understand why we are performing this or that action. But in terms of content, this is the second summer holiday of the Buryat people

What is the purpose of this ritual? What significance does it have in our lives? How to properly prepare for it, how to dress? What needs to be done on OOO, and what absolutely cannot be done? Our new series of articles will help you find out all this.

Let's start with the basics - how to prepare and how these rituals differ between Buddhists and shamanists.

Ooo from a llama's point of view

The word "oboo" is translated as "mountain", "hill". This is the habitat of the most powerful and influential spirit of the surrounding places. From time immemorial they have been revered by local residents, knowing that there are certain places where people are closest to nature, to mountains, to valleys, to rivers and lakes. Such lands have their owners - sabdaks (sabdaguud).

Sabdaki are the same living beings (spirits) with their minuses and pluses; those who have not acquired human birth can also be reborn as them. Therefore, sabdaks are divided into simple and sublime (those who have reached the level of arya). Shamanists often call these spirits “ezhins or ezens.”

Near each village there is its own oboo, usually it is located on a hill and is marked by a specially erected stupa. On the day appointed, according to the lunar calendar, local residents gather near the oboo and call the lama to perform the ceremony. Also, all those who were born in a given area, but live in another village or city, come to the oboo. The main purpose of the ritual is to present treats to the owners of the area, to ask that the summer turn out well, that there is no drought, that it rains. The lama reads a set of prayers, usually starting with a prayer to cleanse the area of ​​the negative energy accumulated over the year. People hang the “hiy morins” they brought with them on special poles, on which they write the names of their relatives.

Along with oboo tahiha, the “Lusud tahiha” ritual is performed,” explains the rector of the Buddhist University, Dimbryl-bagsha. – This is an offering to the owners of water, the ritual is performed near rivers, lakes and streams. Again, each village has its own specific place where this ritual of offering to the nagas (owners of water) is performed.

For the spirits to understand, it is better to say a prayer to the owners of the area and water in their language, i.e. Sanskrit, Buryat, Mongolian languages.

Don't ask the spirits for too much

As the lamas note, one should not ask too much from the owners of the area.

People often make wishes, ask for cures for illnesses or some great desires,” said Dymbryl Lama. - Unfortunately, the owners of the area are not able to satisfy the requests, among them there are many samsaric beings, that is, those who are in the wheel of samsara, therefore, when making offerings to them, you should not ask them for everything.

The owners of the area tend to solve more everyday problems: so that there is no misfortune on the way, so that everything is fine at home, so that there are no severe natural disasters such as floods, droughts.

Tailgan from the point of view of shamans

The word "tailgan" (tahil) comes from the ancient common Mongolian form "tahikhu", which turned into "taikha", which means "honoring" the gods. Typically, tailgans were located on the tops of mountains, from where a wide view of the uluses located at the foot opened. After all, the owner of the area usually lives where he can view his possessions. Sometimes tailgans were held at the foot of a mountain, on the banks of a river or lake; each tailgan had its own permanent, picturesque location.

Open heaven's gates

One of the largest tailgans is the “Opening of the Heavenly Gates” ritual. It is usually held in the last days of May. As the shamans say, it must be held at a certain time, which can be recognized by natural signs: flowering has begun, the cuckoo has crowed, the trees have blossomed, the grass has turned green - all these signs of summer indicate that it is time to open the heavenly gates. To do this, shamans gather at the appointed time (about 50 people this year) and perform rituals. The main goal is to ask the deities - 13 Khats, or, as they are commonly called, Northern Noyons - for well-being, prosperity, peace and tranquility. For the ritual, a 2-3 year old black ram is specifically sought, and must be castrated. It is slaughtered, the meat is boiled in a common cauldron, and the most valuable part, the head (“toole”), is used as offerings to the deities.

Planting a birch grove

In addition, shamans plant a “birch grove”. These are young birch trees of a certain number dug at the site of offerings - 3, 12 or 14. They are decorated with white and blue (symbolizing “silver”), red and yellow (“gold”) ties, and a hadak (usually blue) is tied at a distance of an elbow from the top. . In addition, the first birch is called “ur” - it is decorated with three nests made of wool, each of which contains three “golden” eggs. Images of animals are cut out of fabric - squirrel, guran, hare. The symbols of the sun and moon, also suspended on a birch tree, are connected by images of nine girls, also carved from fabric. In addition, birch trees are decorated with silk. Lamps are made from dough. All this is done so that the summoned deities and spirits come and enjoy the treats presented to them.

Fifty shamans begin to perform rituals. In their prayers they talk about themselves, explain why the ritual is being performed, and for whom it is being done. First of all, they enter a trance and establish a connection with their shaman ancestors, so that they become a kind of curators of the ritual. They ask to convey to the deities that people send them offerings and pray for well-being. Then 13 Khats, patrons of all living things from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean, descend in turn. The last to descend is the supreme hut Bukha Noyon. The shamans, through their ancestors, ask him for permission whether they can present treats to the deities. Then the birch grove is burned. After burning the grove, the chief shaman throws the bowl. If it fell bottom down, then everything was done correctly. The shamans begin to read prayers for good luck. Then all the deities and ancestors are greeted with treats. All those present splash milk, tea and vodka, scatter the offerings in the direction where the shaman points. Then the shamans sit down and ask for well-being from all six directions: west, east, south and north, heaven and earth. For three days after the ceremony, everyone who was present should not give anything to anyone, so as not to miss out on the good luck received.

Map of holy places of Buryatia

Click on the picture to enlarge

How to prepare according to all the rules?

Despite all the differences in the rituals themselves, preparation for them is largely similar.

It is necessary to determine exactly where and when it is carried out. Buddhist oboos are held according to auspicious dates in the lunar calendar. Find out the exact number at your local datsan.

What foods to bring to Buddhists:

Strong black brewed tea without milk Rice Dairy products: milk, sour cream or butter. Sweets: cookies and candies

Attention! Lamas do not recommend carrying vodka or any other alcohol on board.

Buddhists eventually refuse offerings of vodka because they do not want to poison the spirits with alcohol, says Dimbryl-bagsha.

Don't forget to prepare the hij morina in advance.

Khiy morins, which people hung on Sagaalgan, lose their power over time. Good luck prayers inscribed on khiya morins are erased under the influence of natural conditions, so they need to be renewed during the oboo ritual, says Dimbryl-bagsha.

Let us remind you that on one khiy morin it is preferable to write one name - your relative, friend, colleague or your own. They come in five colors, which color you need depends on the symbol of your year of birth, you can find out about this in the datsan from the lamas.

Don't be tied to a specific area

Contrary to stereotypes, shamans do not tie oboo rituals strictly to locality.

The ancestors will come to you in any case, this applies to ancestral tailgans, it is not necessary to go to the place where you were born, where your ancestors lived. In any case, the spirits of your ancestors will hear you and respond to your call. If we are talking about making an offering to the spirits of the area, then you need to go to a certain place, for example, the tailgan at the Five Fingers or in honor of Bukha Bator in Omulevka,” said Radna Dashitsyrenova, deputy chairman of the supreme shaman “Tengeri”. – The dates and places of tailgans are appointed by the supreme shaman immediately after Sagaalgan.

When going to tailgan, be sure to take with you a blue khadak, symbolizing heaven.

What products to bring to shamanists:

Strong black tea with milk brewed in the morning. Place cookies, sweets and butter on a plate. Buy a small bottle of vodka and milk.

Bring with you a list of friends, relatives or colleagues - all those for whom you want to pray, and the payment to the shaman (the amount is arbitrary), which is attached to the list.

Whose wallpaper should I go to?

The question often arises: which vehicle should a person ride on? Father or mother?

Of course, it is preferable to go to the father’s homeland for the ceremony. However, in our country there are common cases when a child grows up in an incomplete family. In this case, he needs to go to the ceremony in the homeland of the parent with whom he lives, the lamas answer.

Whose trip should the wife go to: her native place or the place where her husband was born?

Here the issue is resolved simply: after marriage, a woman joins her husband’s family and, according to tradition, must follow him everywhere, including going to oboo ceremonies. However, there is no particular strictness here; if there is a desire, she can visit her native village to conduct the ceremony, the lamas note.

The history of chess goes back at least one and a half thousand years. Invented in India in the 5th-6th centuries, chess spread almost throughout the world, becoming an integral part of human culture. There is an ancient legend that attributes the creation of chess to a certain Brahmin. For his invention, he asked the rajah for an insignificant, at first glance, reward: as many wheat grains as would be on the chessboard if one grain was placed on the first square, two grains on the second, four grains on the third, etc. It turned out , that there is no such amount of grain on the entire planet (it is equal to 264 − 1 ≈ 1.845 × 1019 grains, which is enough to fill a storage facility with a volume of 180 km³). It’s hard to say whether it was true or not, but one way or another, India is the birthplace of chess. No later than the beginning of the 6th century, the first known game related to chess, chaturanga, appeared in northwestern India. It already had a completely recognizable “chess” appearance, but it was fundamentally different from modern chess in two features: there were four players, not two (they played pairs against pairs), and moves were made in accordance with the results of throwing dice. Each player had four pieces (chariot (rook), knight, bishop, king) and four pawns. The knight and king moved the same way as in chess, the chariot and bishop were much weaker than the current chess rook and bishop. There was no queen at all. To win the game, it was necessary to destroy the entire enemy army. The transformation of chess into an international sport Since the 16th century, chess clubs began to appear, where amateurs and semi-professionals gathered, often playing for a monetary stake. Over the next two centuries, the spread of chess led to the emergence of national tournaments in most European countries. Chess publications are published, at first sporadic and irregular, but over time they become increasingly popular. The first chess magazine "Palamed" began to be published in 1836 by the French chess player Louis Charles Labourdonnais. In 1837, a chess magazine appeared in Great Britain, and in 1846 in Germany. In the 19th century, international matches (since 1821) and tournaments (since 1851) began to be held. At the first such tournament, held in London in 1851, Adolf Andersen won. It was he who became the unofficial “chess king,” that is, the one who was considered the strongest chess player in the world. Subsequently, this title was challenged by Paul Morphy (USA), who won the match in 1858 with a score of +7-2=2, but after Morphy left the chess scene in 1859, Andersen again became the first, and only in 1866 Wilhelm Steinitz won the match against Andersen with a score of +8- 6 and became the new “uncrowned king.” The first world chess champion to officially bear this title was the same Wilhelm Steinitz, defeating Johann Zuckertort in the first match in history, in the agreement of which the expression “world championship match” appeared. Thus, a system of title succession was established: the new world champion was the one who won the match against the previous one, while the current champion reserved the right to agree to the match or reject the opponent, and also determined the conditions and location of the match. The only mechanism capable of forcing a champion to play a challenger was public opinion: if an admittedly strong chess player for a long time could not obtain the right to a match with the champion, this was seen as a sign of the champion’s cowardice and he, saving face, was forced to accept the challenge. Typically, the match agreement provided for the champion's right to a rematch if he lost; a victory in such a match returned the championship title to the previous owner. In the second half of the 19th century, time control began to be used in chess tournaments. At first, an ordinary hourglass was used for this (the time per move was limited), which was quite inconvenient, but soon the English amateur chess player Thomas Bright Wilson (T.B. Wilson) invented a special chess clock that made it possible to conveniently implement a time limit for the entire game or for a certain number of moves . Time control quickly became part of chess practice and soon began to be used everywhere. By the end of the 19th century, official tournaments and matches without time control were practically no longer held. Simultaneously with the advent of time control, the concept of “time pressure” appeared. Thanks to the introduction of time control, special forms of chess tournaments with a greatly shortened time limit arose: “fast chess” with a limit of about 30 minutes per game for each player and “blitz” - 5-10 minutes. However, they became widespread much later. Chess in the 20th century At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the development of chess in Europe and America was very active, chess organizations became larger, and more and more international tournaments were held. In 1924, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was created, initially organizing the World Chess Olympiads. Until 1948, the system of succession of the world champion title that had developed in the 19th century was preserved: the challenger challenged the champion to a match, the winner of which became the new champion. Until 1921, the champion remained Emanuel Lasker (the second, after Steinitz, official world champion, who won this title in 1894), from 1921 to 1927 - Jose Raul Capablanca, from 1927 to 1946 - Alexander Alekhine (in 1935 Alekhine lost the world championship match to Max Euwe, but In 1937, in a rematch, he regained the title and held it until his death in 1946). After the death of Alekhine in 1946, who remained undefeated, FIDE took over the organization of the world championship. The first official world chess championship was held in 1948, the winner was the Soviet grandmaster Mikhail Botvinnik. FIDE introduced a system of tournaments to win the champion title: the winners of the qualifying stages advanced to the zonal tournaments, the winners of the zonal competitions advanced to the interzonal tournament, and the holders of the best results in the latter took part in the candidate tournament, where a series of knockout games determined the winner, who was to play the match against the reigning champion. The formula for the title match changed several times. Now the winners of zonal tournaments participate in a single tournament with the best (rated) players in the world; the winner becomes world champion. The Soviet chess school played a huge role in the history of chess, especially in the second half of the 20th century. The wide popularity of chess, active, targeted teaching of it and the identification of capable players from childhood (a chess section, a children's chess school was in every city of the USSR, there were chess clubs at educational institutions, enterprises and organizations, tournaments were constantly held, a large amount of specialized literature was published) contributed to high level of play of Soviet chess players. Attention to chess was shown at the highest level. The result was that from the late 1940s until the collapse of the USSR, Soviet chess players virtually reigned supreme in world chess. Of the 21 chess Olympiads held from 1950 to 1990, the USSR team won 18 and became a silver medalist in another; of the 14 chess Olympiads for women during the same period, 11 were won and 2 silvers were taken. Of the 18 draws for the title of world champion among men over 40 years, only once the winner was a non-Soviet chess player (this was the American Robert Fischer), and twice more the contender for the title was not from the USSR (and the contender also represented the Soviet chess school, it was Viktor Korchnoi, fled from the USSR to the West). In 1993, Garry Kasparov, who was the world champion at that time, and Nigel Short, who became the winner of the qualifying round, refused to play another world championship match under the auspices of FIDE, accusing the federation leadership of unprofessionalism and corruption. Kasparov and Short formed a new organization, the PSA, and played the match under its auspices. There was a split in the chess movement. FIDE deprived Kasparov of the title, the title of world champion according to FIDE was played between Anatoly Karpov and Jan Timman, who at that time had the highest chess rating after Kasparov and Short. At the same time, Kasparov continued to consider himself a “real” world champion, since he defended the title in a match with a legitimate contender - Short, and part of the chess community was in solidarity with him. In 1996, the PCA ceased to exist as a result of the loss of a sponsor, after which the PCA champions began to be called “world classical chess champions.” In essence, Kasparov revived the old system of title transfer, when the champion himself accepted the challenge of the challenger and played a match with him. The next “classical” champion was Vladimir Kramnik, who won a match against Kasparov in 2000 and defended the title in a match with Peter Leko in 2004. Until 1998, FIDE continued to play out the champion title in the traditional manner (Anatoly Karpov remained the FIDE champion during this period), but from 1999 to In 2004, the format of the championship changed dramatically: instead of a match between a challenger and a champion, the title began to be played out in a knockout tournament, in which the current champion had to participate on a general basis. As a result, the title constantly changed hands and five champions changed in six years. In general, in the 1990s, FIDE made a number of attempts to make chess competitions more dynamic and interesting, and therefore attractive to potential sponsors. First of all, this was expressed in the transition in a number of competitions from the Swiss or round-robin system to the knockout system (in each round there is a match of three knockout games). Since the knockout system requires an unambiguous outcome of the round, additional games of rapid chess and even blitz games have appeared in the tournament regulations: if the main series of games with regular time control ends in a draw, an additional game is played with a shortened time control. Complicated time control schemes began to be used, protecting against severe time pressure, in particular, the “Fischer clock” - time control with addition after each move. The last decade of the 20th century in chess was marked by another important event - computer chess reached a high enough level to surpass human chess players. In 1996, Garry Kasparov lost a game to a computer for the first time, and in 1997, he also lost a match to the computer Deep Blue by one point. The avalanche-like growth in computer productivity and memory capacity, combined with improved algorithms, led to the emergence of publicly available programs by the beginning of the 21st century that could play at the grandmaster level in real time. The ability to connect to them pre-accumulated databases of debuts and tables of small-figure endings further increases the strength of the machine’s play and completely eliminates the danger of making a mistake in a known position. Now the computer can effectively advise a human chess player even at the highest level of competitions. The consequence of this was changes in the format of high-level competitions: tournaments began to use special measures to protect against computer hints, in addition, the practice of postponing games was completely abandoned. The time allotted to the game was reduced: if in the middle of the 20th century the norm was 2.5 hours for 40 moves, then by the end of the century it decreased to 2 hours (in other cases - even 100 minutes) for 40 moves. Current state and prospects After the unification match Kramnik - Topalov in 2006, FIDE's monopoly on holding the world championship and awarding the title of world chess champion was restored. The first “unified” world champion was Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), who won this match. Until 2013, the world champion was Viswanathan Anand, who won the 2007 world championship. In 2008, a rematch took place between Anand and Kramnik, Anand retained his title. In 2010, another match was held, in which Anand and Veselin Topalov took part; Anand again defended the title of champion. In 2012, a match was held in which Anand and Gelfand took part; Anand defended his championship title in a tiebreaker. In 2013, Anand lost the world champion title to Magnus Carlsen, who won the match ahead of schedule with a score of 6½: 3½. The formula for the championship title is being adjusted by FIDE. In the last championship, the title was played out in a tournament with the participation of the champion, four winners of the candidate tournament and three personally selected players with the highest rating. However, FIDE has also retained the tradition of holding personal matches between a champion and a challenger: according to existing rules, a grandmaster with a rating of 2700 or higher has the right to challenge the champion to a match (the champion cannot refuse), subject to the provision of funding and compliance with deadlines: the match must be completed no later than six months before the start of the next world championship. The progress of computer chess mentioned above has become one of the reasons for the growing popularity of non-classical chess variants. Since 2000, Fischer chess tournaments have been held, in which the initial arrangement of pieces is chosen randomly before the game from 960 options. In such conditions, the huge array of opening variations accumulated by chess theory becomes useless, which, as many believe, has a positive effect on the creative component of the game, and when playing against a machine, it noticeably limits the advantage of the computer in the opening stage of the game.

On August 14, 2015 at 8:00 am on the shore of Lake Baikal near the Baikal datsan in the village of Dulan of the Republic of Buryatia, the lamas of the Baikal datsan, the lamas of the Ivolginsky datsan and the lamas of the “Ulan-Ude” datsan of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia will hold a ritual-prayer service “Lusad” - veneration and offerings the owner of the water.

Lusad Tahiha - a ritual of honoring the “masters of water”

The rite of honoring the spirits of water is one of the rites intended to achieve any temporary goals, be it sending rain for abundant harvests, eliminating problems, asking for happiness and peace for the inhabitants of a particular area, reports the press service of the Sangha of Russia.

These rituals are performed on the so-called “Lus days” (Lusyn buudal - Bur.). These days it is most favorable to honor them.

Buddhist treatises speak of a great variety of unusual creatures classified as “8 classes of worldly gods and demons,” one of which is the class of water spirits (nagas - Skt.). It is believed that water spirits do not tolerate pollution in their habitat, i.e. rivers, lakes, springs, etc.

Many natural disasters, as well as human diseases, especially skin diseases, kidney diseases, gall bladder diseases, depression, apathy, mental problems, and everyday troubles, such as leaking pipes or broken sewers, are often caused by so-called provocations of water spirits - Nagas. These provocations are the response of disturbed creatures to the destructive activities of people - land drainage, environmental pollution, livestock slaughter, etc. Photo illusiy.net

People's unreasonable actions in relation to nature are reflected in the state of spirits, which is why they suffer damage and, when angry, can harm people. In particular, it is believed that a person receives harm from nagas in the form of various diseases when he pollutes water bodies, rivers, and air.

To carry out the ritual, lamas prepare various substances called “three whites” - milk, butter, yogurt, “three sweets” - sugar, honey, molasses, as well as various jewelry. During the ritual, the lamas, through meditative practice, mentally transform all these offerings into jewelry and medicine for the water spirits, after which, accompanied by the sounds of ritual instruments, they respectfully throw the offerings into the water.

Lamas of Buryatia perform the “Lusad tahikha” ritual.

If the lamas recommended that you attend the Lusa Tahiha ritual, then you need to bring milk taken from a red cow or a white goat (milk in a red pack, goat milk in a white pack). You should not eat garlic, onions, or meat at least the day before.

The Lusad ritual will take place on Lake Baikal annually, reports the press service of the Sangha of Russia.