Sat, 01 Aug 2009
The Treasures of Danzan Ravjaa
Danzan Ravjaa is an interesting figure in Nineteenth Century Mongolian Buddhism. Recognized as an incarnate Nyingma lama, he was an artist, scholar, and educator. You could call him Mongolia's Goethe. At the time Mongolia was under the control of the Manchu dynasty. Chinese officials wanted to execute Danzan Ravjaa when he was recognized as a tulku, but the Dalai Lama persuaded them not to. However, as his fame grew, he became a thorn in the side of the government and was poisoned by the Chinese when he was 54. His artworks, religious items, and other posessions were gathered and stored in his monastery. When the Communists came to power in Mongolia after the Russian revolution, a caretaker at the monastery took sixty four chests from the monastery and buried them, to protect them until the day when it would be safe to reveal them again. Today some of the chests were dug up, as you can see here. And here is a link to the biography of Danzan Ravjaa and the story of the men who guarded his treasures.
