Bidia Dandaron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bidia Dandarovich Dandaron
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| Born | December 28, 1914 Kizhinga, Buryatia, Russian Empire |
| Died | October 26, 1974 (aged 59) Vydrino, Buryatia, RSFSR |
| Occupation | Dharmaraja, tibetologist |
| Language | Russian |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Alma mater | Aircraft Device Construction Institute, Leningrad |
| Subject | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Literary movement | Buddhist tantra of Gelug tradition, Buddhist review of Western history |
Bidia Dandaron (born December 28, 1914, in Soorkhoi, Buryatia – died October 26, 1974, in Vydrino, Buryatia) was an important Buddhist writer and teacher in the Soviet Union. He was also a scholar who studied Tibet and its culture. He helped create the Tibetan-Russian Dictionary in 1959 and translated many texts from Tibetan into Russian.
Dandaron is best known as a Buddhist teacher. His students in Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continued his work in both religious studies and academic research. He was also one of the first Buddhist writers to connect Buddhist ideas with European philosophy, history, and science. Famous students of his included Alexander Piatigorsky and Linnart Mäll.
Contents
Bidia Dandaron's Life
Early Life and Education
Bidia Dandaron was born into a family with strong Buddhist traditions. His father was a Buddhist teacher. From a young age, Bidia studied both regular school subjects and Buddhist teachings. He was recognized as a tulku, which means he was believed to be the reborn form of a respected Buddhist master named Gyayag Rinpoche. This master was from the Gelug tradition of Buddhism and had visited Buryatia before Bidia was born.
However, local Buddhist leaders in Buryatia decided to educate Bidia themselves. They felt they needed their own religious leader. So, the Tibetan search party that had recognized him as a tulku returned to Tibet. In 1921, a Buryat religious and political leader named Lubsan-Sandan Tsydenov named Dandaron as his heir to the title of Dharmaraja, a high religious position.
From 1934 to 1937, Dandaron studied at the Aircraft Device Construction Institute in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). He also attended classes at Leningrad State University, where he learned the Tibetan language from a scholar named Andrey Vostrikov.
Challenges and Imprisonment
During the Soviet era, practicing religion was often not allowed. Because of this, Dandaron faced many difficulties. He was arrested three times and spent a large part of his life in prison camps. His first arrest was in 1937, and he was released in 1943. He was arrested again in 1948 but was finally cleared of all charges in 1956.
Even while in prison, Dandaron continued to write and teach about Buddhism. Some of his most dedicated followers first met him in these camps. In prison, he also met many Russian thinkers and other scholars, as well as Buryat Buddhist lamas. They shared ideas and knowledge, especially about European philosophy and history. This helped Dandaron include these topics in his own writings. A philosophy professor from Lithuania named Vasily Seseman became his friend and taught him a lot about European philosophy. This led Dandaron to greatly appreciate the ideas of the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Later Work and Teaching
After 1956, Dandaron's friends from the Oriental Studies Institute in Leningrad tried to get him a job there, but they were not allowed to. In 1957, Dandaron started working for the Buryat Institute of Social Sciences in Ulan-Ude. He wrote many articles and other works about Tibetan studies. He also translated religious and historical books from Tibetan into Russian. He published over 30 works. His religious writings were often shared secretly, known as samizdat, because they couldn't be officially published.
From the 1960s to the early 1970s, his group of followers grew to dozens of people. They came from cities like St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tartu, and Vilnius. His main group was in St. Petersburg. In 1972, he was arrested again. This time, he was put on trial for leading a Buddhist group. Some of his students were also arrested, but most were released. Dandaron was sentenced to five years in a labor camp.
Even in the camp, he kept writing, teaching, and practicing Buddhism. In 1974, in the camp in Vydrino, he entered a very deep meditative state called samadhi several times. During this state, he could stop his heartbeat and breathing for days. In October 1974, he entered samadhi and did not return.
