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ABOUT A LETTER OF THE SOVIET BUDDHISTS TO THE THIRTEENTH DALAI LAMA denied the right of voting. Only “working people” could be given arms to defend their socialist homeland.‘ In any case, this letter never reached Tibet and the Dalai Lama. The letter was written in both Tibetan and Mongolian and was printed in Leningrad in golden letters on grey paper. (The Buddhist temple founded by Agvan Dorzhiev in Petrograd in 1915 was the home of the Tibetan Mission and the centre of Buddhism in the USSR.) At the end of each version free spaces are left for the signatures of the authorized lamas. The titles of these lamas are given in more detail in the Tibetan version. This letter has never been studied or even mentioned in scholarly works. A copy of this letter is kept in the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg in the Section of Nationalities’ Literatures. Translation “{This is] a letter submitted to the ear of the Lord who holds both the religious and temporal power of the Tibetan nation, the greatest of the Victorious Ones, the omniscient great exalted Vajradhara Dalai Lama by the Third Meeting of the Buddhists of the Buryat Mongolian people. Over the last 300 years during which time the Buddha’s religion has flourished amongst us, the Buryat Mongols, have experienced innumerable sufferings [at the hands of] the Czar’s government, his functionaries and Russian priests. If [we decided] to describe them in full, it would require many volumes. However, this is what we [can] tell in short. In accordance with the Decree signed in 1853 by the Russian Czar, the number of lamas [abiding] in the thirty-four datsans of the Buryats was limited to 320. If this number was exceeded, the surplus lamas were sent back home. They had to wear lay clothes and were hiding themselves in secret places.° Building or repairing a datsan was a difficult thing which demanded much effort. Even if permission was received, during the building works different kinds of officials always interfered. Pretending to be inspecting they used their right to get food and thus caused suffering to all. Besides these officials, Russian Christian priests also caused much harm to our Religion. For example, these priests caused much trouble among the Buryats by beating them and dragging them into their religion and [forcing them] to wear crosses. Not only this: they burnt sacred tumulus® and small shrines’ and did other things demonstrating great oppression, as they marched forward with heavy feet. Due to the fact that after the fall of the Czar’s rule all power came into the hands of the Soviet government, our Religion [received] broad freedom. In October 1922 Sinicyn, F. L.: Krasnaya burja, p. 40. About this law see Cyrjempilov, N. V.: Buddizm i impjerija: Burjatskaja buddijskaja obscina v Rossii (XVIII- nac. XX). Institut mongolovjedjenija, buddologii i tibjetologii SO RAN, Ulan-Ude 2013, pp. 152-168, 288-300. ® Mong. oboy-a, Tib. /ha tho. Mong. bumgan, Tib. bum khang. 121
