Khoshut khurul “Sera Tosam Ling” and his legacy

Abstract

The article is devoted to the heritage of the khurul “Sera Tosam Ling” (Tib. Se ra thos bsam gling; lit. ‘Abode of listening and reflection’), which until 1931 was located on the territory of the Khoshutov aimag of the IkiTsokhurovsky ulus of Kalmykia. The study is based on published and archival sources, as well as on personal materials from expeditionary research in 20032022. The main relics of the “Sera Tosam Ling” khurul for several centuries were two shrines “Khoshuda khoir shar burkhn” – statuettes depicting Buddha Akshobhya and Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. In 2021, the shrines, along with other cult items, were returned to the khurul by the keepers. Part of the material heritage (figurines depicting burkhans, kurde prayer wheels, lampadas, manuscripts, etc.) of the “Sera Tosam Ling” khurul is still kept in private collections. The collection of manuscripts includes seven manuscripts in the Oirat language and four manuscripts in the Tibetan language. These manuscripts were a small part of the significant collection of the khurul library “Sera Tosam Ling”, after the closing of the khurul, they were carefully kept in the families of the relatives of the clergy. Manuscripts from the collections belong to various genres of Buddhist literature. All these writings were cultivated among believers, who invited a clergyman to the house to read and explain sacred texts to believers. The Oirat part of the works was translated in the 17^th century by the outstanding Oirat educator Zaya Pandita Namkhai Jamtso. Manuscripts preserved in the families of clergymen’s relatives are a valuable source for the study of ancient written literature, the history of Buddhism and the culture of the Kalmyks.