Kachkanar Buddhist monastery. Shad Tchup Ling - the place where the Sun is born

Buddhist temple on Mount Kachkanar

We went on this trip in August 2011. I accidentally saw a winter photo of the Buddhist Stupa of Awakening on the Internet and said: “I want to go there.” We, of course, are not Buddhists and we went not even out of idle curiosity, but for the purpose of learning: what kind of monastery is in the mountains and how can one live there... And the mountain, they say, is beautiful, but you can’t climb it.

When entering the city, we understand that it is located on a mountain, because from the road we could see beautiful distances. As we later learned, it is called Mount Dolgaya. Directly from the city you can see Mount Kachkanar in all its beauty and grandeur, but only one of its peaks.

Mount Kachkanar - highest peak Middle Urals, its height is 887.6 m. Once upon a time it was sacred place for the Mansi pagan population. With the advent of Buddhism in the Mongol-Oirat steppes, bloodless sacrifices and gifts of living animals began to be made to the rulers of the mountains. A family that migrated to a new place had to make an offering to the spirit of the area on the highest hill or mountain. Not only the Mansi praised Mount Kachkanar, but the Kalmyks also revered it to provide them with support in risky activities. Between the city and Mount Kachkanar flows the Vyya River, turned by a dam into the Nizhnevyskoe reservoir.

“Kachkanar Sea” is also popularly called the Nizhnevyskoye Reservoir. In the interfluve of the Is and Vyya rivers, a dam was built on the Vyya River and the Kachkanarsky pond was dug. Drinking water for the city is taken from one half of the reservoir, a beach and a boat station are equipped on the other half, and fish are caught in the pond. Several thousand juvenile carp, silver carp and grass carp were released into the reservoir. By south coast The pond in its upper part is the border of the Sverdlovsk and Perm regions. We were lucky with a place to spend the night on the shore of the reservoir and we watched a beautiful sunset all evening.

And at night the moon shone in full force. We even woke up to see a lunar path “running” right towards our tent from the moon across the entire lake. But, unfortunately, I didn’t want to get up and take a picture of her; sleep took its toll.

Waking up at 8 o'clock in the morning, having breakfast and a swim, we set off further on the road - up the mountain to look for the monastery. We arrived at the Western Quarry barrier, parked the car (there are a lot of them there), loaded ourselves with backpacks and set off. At first the road is very dusty because MAZs and other equipment are driving from the quarry to the quarry. Follow it for only 500 meters. Then there will be a road a little to the left on ski slope, but there is no need to go there. But the next turn to the left leads to the monastery and Mount Camel. Then you need to go all the time to the left, do not turn right, except to look at the quarry itself from the observation deck. After about 2 km there will be a turn to the right, where you can see the Western Quarry of the Vysokogorsky Mining and Processing Plant.

The quarry, of course, is impressive, it’s interesting to watch how everything is bustling far below, but the dust made it difficult to see everything that could be seen far in the distance.

A detailed study of the Kachkanar ore-bearing massif began in the 30-40s. In 1931, it was established that it consists of two deposits - Gusevogorsky and Kachkanarsky. On June 10, 1950, a resolution was adopted on the construction of the country's largest mining and processing plant (GOK) at the foot of Mount Kachkanar with a processing capacity of 33 million tons of raw iron ore per year.

On May 27, 1957, the first detachment of daredevils came to Mount Dolgaya. The mining and processing plant's products go to the Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Plant, Chelyabinsk and Chusovskoy Metallurgical Plants. We watched how others were working and returned to the causeway to continue climbing. Then walk about 4 km to a fork where the trees are marked with white ribbons, where the building materials are, where the monastery equipment is, etc.

Straight ahead - the road to " mountain lake", about three hundred meters and on the right there will be a small pond, which used to be a quarry. But we didn't go there. And to the right is the path leading to the monastery. The climb to the monastery is about 1 km. If you take some building materials with you and bring them to the monastery, you will be given tea as a sign of gratitude. Such assistance is entrance ticket to the territory of the monastery. Along the path made of stone, boards, and gratings we go out to the “Stupa of Awakening.”

The ascent to the visible building of the monastery is a small kurumnik - a road made of stones.

In front of this kurumnik there is a fairly large clearing where you can take a break.

Visibility in the distance is still poor due to quarrying.

We rise to the Stupa of Awakening.

At the entrance there are the rules of the monastery, a gong, guards, local wildlife and quite a lot of interesting things. You won’t notice everything right away; for example, we looked at everything again on the way back...

And then a monk meets us and invites us to drink tea. Then they tell you how to get to Camel Mountain and the monument to Yuri Gagarin! Yes, there is such a thing!!!

It is about 200 m to walk through the territory of the monastery to the Camel rock. It is beautiful, majestic and huge. This is it from afar, from the main peak, where we will go next.

But what is also unforgettable is what can be seen from the camel’s humps! This is exactly the peak of the mountain that was visible from the city. That is, if you reach it, you can see both the pond and the city.

This is the same quarry that we looked at on the way to the monastery.

And this is all that is around!

To go from Camel to the main peak of Kachkanar, you need to find a path that is trodden on the right at its base. It takes 15-20 minutes to walk along it to the main peak of the Middle Urals. From Mount Camel it can be seen exactly in the middle with a metal spire at the very top.

And what views it offers! At the foot of this side of the mountain is the village of Kosya.

The monastery itself is visible.

From the main peak there is a well-trodden path to the top of the mountain closest to the city. As we were told, the walk takes about 1 hour. It's a pity, but we didn't have enough time to get there, so we went back to the monastery for a tour of its territory. While walking, we tried to photograph everything that came our way.

And now about the territory... The Shad Tchup Ling monastery is being built in the rocks on the northeastern slope of Mount Kachkanar at an altitude of 843 meters above sea level. Construction is carried out according to the ancient Tibetan and Mongolian canons of monastic architecture, which allows preserving the ecosystem of the area and harmoniously fitting the complex of buildings into the picturesque landscape of Mount Kachkanar. The main function of the monastery is to organize and ensure the Buddhist practical process: conducting rituals, services, traditional festive events, individual and collective practices

One of the main goals of the construction of the monastery complex is the preservation of Buddhist teachings and, in particular, the unique system of self-knowledge and self-improvement, which is Tantric Buddhism. One of the key buildings of the monastery is the stupa. Stupa (chorten, suburgan) is one of the important attributes of Buddhism. It is a monument to the enlightened mind of the Buddha, and is also a vertical model of the universe. It is installed in certain places, harmonizing and structuring the space around it. This is a pasture.

Here is the entrance to the courtyard.

Apparently the local power plant...

Inside the buildings...

Mountain herbs.

There is even a bathhouse in the monastery, right on the mountain. Rope crossing for lifting weights.

Library.

1st floor – library, 2nd floor – living rooms.

Next to the library on the 1st floor there is a fireplace (lined with stone). The tea house is painted green, and above it is a children's room.

Plan of the monastery in the future.

ATTENTION!!! From the trip, we do not advertise to the monks, we do not encourage people to leave home to live in this monastery, and we also do not spread this religion. There were no calls from the monks to us to stay and accept their teachings, but the stunning beauty around us, the silence and tranquility are very conducive to well... staying at least a little... making us want to get away from the bustle of the city... Therefore, I will give the biography of the monk in a very brief summary with only educational information purpose.

Biography of Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshita

Tendzin Dokshit (in the world Mikhail Vasilievich Sannikov) was born on November 30, 1961 in Votkinsk, Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, into a family of hereditary military men. In 1979 he was admitted to the Perm Agricultural Institute. Completed the courses civil aviation. In May 1980 he was drafted into the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces.

In February 1981 he was sent under a contract to Afghanistan. One of the constant main tasks of his group in Afghanistan was the destruction of caravans with weapons going to the Mujahideen from Pakistan. In 1987 he retired with the rank of captain. For several months he worked in the morgue of the Leninsky district of Perm as an orderly and as an assistant to a pathologist.

He studied at the Nizhny Tagil Art School. From my former mentor in Japanese sword fighting (Kendo), I learned about the existence of the Buddhist tradition in Buryatia. In 1989, he entered the Ivolginsky datsan to study, where he was assigned to a group specializing in Buddhist Tantra, which was selected by Lama Pema Jang (Darma-Dodi Zhalsaraev), and took monastic vows under the name Tenzin Dokshit.

In 1991-1993 lived in the city of Gusinoozersk, then in Tanchin-datsan Dashi Gandan Darzhaling (village of Gusinoye Ozero), where he practiced performing rituals. In the summer of 1993, he traveled to Mongolia, where he received initiation into Yamantaka tantra from Lama Sanzhe-la in a retreat near the city of Orkhontuul (Selenga aimag). In December 1994 he received lama initiation. In the winter of 1995, his Root Teacher, Pema Jang, gave him an order to build a Buddhist datsan in Russia, indicating the location of the construction - the top of Mount Kachkanar (Sverdlovsk region).

The temple was named "Shadtchupling" (in Tibetan pronunciation "Sheddubling", Tib. bshad sgrub gling; "Place of study and implementation"). On May 16, 1995, work began on the construction of a monastery at the indicated location. The Shadchupling Temple is being built by Tenzin Dokshit and a small community of people who took initial monastic vows from him. Materially, the construction is provided by the community of his lay disciples living in the Middle Urals.

In 2001, in Kachkanar, students of Tenzin Dokshita registered a local religious organization as part of the “Russian Association of the Diamond Way of the Karma Kagyu School”. The issue of direct registration of the monastery as a reclusive center of the “Association” was also considered. The orientation of the “Association” is predominantly secular, non-monastic Buddhism.

How to get there by car:

along the Ekaterinburg - Kachkanar highway. In Kachkanar, along the main road, at the second traffic light (the stop complex “Ploshchad” will be on the right at the traffic light), turn left onto the street. Krylova. This is the road towards Valerianovsk. Drive to the large sign “Western Quarry”, turn left along it and drive to the barrier before entering the quarry territory. Leave the car at the barrier and walk along the paved road straight along the railway tracks along which ore is transported from the quarry on turntables.

Eight kilometers from the city of Kachkanar, in the middle Sverdlovsk region, at an altitude of 885 meters, stands the Shad Tchup Ling Monastery. A Buddhist monastery in the Urals is already unusual in itself. But no less “attraction” than the monastery itself is its 54-year-old founder Mikhail Sannikov.

It took a long time for a man to discover Zen. A hereditary military man (his father and grandfather were intelligence officers), he graduated from the KGB school and went to Afghanistan in 1981. He rose to the rank of commander of a sabotage and reconnaissance group. His colleagues still remember his accuracy. The main task of their detachment was to destroy caravans with weapons that were going to the Mujahideen from Pakistan. Sannikov's sniper rifle never made a single mistake. And then there was a breakdown. Mikhail aimed his sight at the horse, loaded with weapons. Nothing new. He did this for many years. All you had to do was pull the trigger and shoot the horse in the head. But then Sannikov saw through his sight how the animal was crying. Tears flowed from the horse's eyes. And he couldn't shoot. For failing to carry out orders, Mikhail was demoted. And he was only happy about it. From one old Afghani, a military man who had been at fault learned about Buddhism, about self-restraint, about achieving nirvana, and also about the fact that they themselves are the cause of people’s suffering. And, having returned to his homeland, he did not go home at all, but to Buryatia - to the largest domestic Buddhist center. After 7 years of practice, Sannikov received the name Lama Sanye Tenzin Dokshit. And then the mentors sent the former military man to build a new monastery.

Sannikov's followers claim that the place (the top of Mount Kachkanar) was seen by teachers during meditation. But there is a much more rational version: in the west of Russia there was already one Buddhist temple - in St. Petersburg, in the east there were temples of Buddhist Buryatia, but in the middle, in the Urals, it was empty. This is how the idea of ​​building a monastery arose on one of the most high points Ural mountains

When Lama Dokshit first climbed to the top in 1995, there was nothing here. Only stones,” the novices say with a breath. “The first thing he did was build a hut here.” One! Periodically he went down to the city to earn money for food. Rumors about the lama quickly spread throughout the surrounding area. And soon he had assistants...

Now Shad Tchup Ling is no longer just a hut, but an entire residential complex. There is a bathhouse, a dining room, and even a library.

KP journalists went to the monastery at the end of December. We then collected information for the New Year's guide to the most interesting places Sverdlovsk region. Of course, there was also a place in it for a Buddhist monastery.

We then brought with us a pineapple and a bag of sweets.

It would be better if they brought plastic fittings,” the lama tsked while accepting the gifts. - We are now building an airship. It would be useful for our hull.

- And where will you fly on it?– we asked.

Yes, wherever we want! - Mikhail answered, sipping tea from a mug.

- Have you finished building the monastery yet?

We practically never started. Work for another 279 years. But next summer we will at least put up a statue of Buddha.

Now, apparently, these plans will not come true. Talk that the monastery stands illegally and needs to be demolished has been circulating in the Sverdlovsk region for several years now. But no one actually took it seriously. Even Sannikov himself. When we asked in December if he was afraid that his monastery would be demolished by excavators, Dokshit only smiled skeptically:

There is a crisis in the country now. Nobody cares about us.

But the business turned out to be too profitable to forget about it, even during a crisis.

« Before March 1, 2016, the demolition of the Buddhist monastery “Shad Tchup Ling” must take place in the city of Kachkanar, - stated in the resolution of the bailiffs of the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region . – Mikhail S., who lives in this monastery, is obliged to release land plot from buildings that are intended for religious ceremonies. The reason for the eviction of Buddhists is the illegal occupation of territory that is federally owned; in addition, this land is located in the development of the Kachkanar iron ore deposit itself. The city court made this decision in favor of the Forestry Department in the summer of the year before last. Due to the fact that Mikhail S. repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of executive documents, he was brought to administrative responsibility under Part 1 of Art. 17.15 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and Part 2 of Art. 17.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (for repeated failure to comply with the requirements of enforcement documents of a non-property nature). Also, in relation to Mikhail S., a decision was made on a temporary restriction on travel outside the Russian Federation».

At the same time, the bailiffs clarify that no one is going to kick the monks out into the street.

An operational meeting was held at the Administration of the Kachkanar City District on the issues of Mikhail S.’s fulfillment of the requirements for moving the monastery to Mount Mokhnatka. Mikhail S. was present at the meeting, where he was again presented with a demand to execute the court decision before March 1, 2016, as stated by the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia for the Sverdlovsk region.

The monastery, in turn, declares that it will not be able to move by the beginning of spring.

We believe that the decision to demolish it is illegal,” says novice Anna Kolosova. – Indeed, we had an agreement with the city authorities that the monastery would be moved to Mount Mokhnatka. To do this, the Evraz metallurgical plant had to develop a place on the mountain and an approach route to it. But these conditions were not met. We're ready to move. But only when all obligations are fulfilled. In the meantime, naturally, we will protect our monastery from demolition.

Photo gallery from the Buddhist monastery "Shad Tchup Ling"

(Tib. “Place of practice and implementation”) founded on May 15, 1995. This amazing place, in which you understand your atomic involvement in the creation of the Universe. Shad Tchup Ling is the place where the Sun is born!

Today I will tell you about my May Day trip to Mount Kachkanar, to visit the inhabitants of Shad Tchup Ling, and I will touch a little on the topic of creation and the amazing tranquility of people who have changed their everyday life.

My trip to Mount Kachkanar to the Shad Tchup Ling monastery took place in early spring - May 6, 2016. I started my ascent from the barrier of the Western Quarry, because the passage through Kosya is difficult to pass in the spring. A lot of melting snow.

For those who decide to visit the community, my advice to you is to call them and ask them what to bring. This is not a mandatory action, of course, but as part of hospitality, they always welcome useful gifts from guests. This time I brought them cereals, bread and vegetable oil. The community telephone number is the same: +7 965 529 2708.

The climb to Kachkanar through the Western Quarry is like a long walk; the total distance from the barrier to the monastery is about 8.5 km. The entire climb is on a dirt road, so wear shoes with thick soles, otherwise your feet will hurt very much by the middle of the journey.

Getting to the entrance of the Western Quarry is very simple - you drive into Kachkanar, drive to Krylova Street and follow it straight all the time until you hit the barrier. Here you leave the car and go around the checkpoint through the forest to the left of the checkpoint, because Security will only let you through the barrier if you have a pass. Then the path goes along a dirt road, all turns are to the left. After about 1.5 km there will be a large turn to the left. On it, if you go straight, you can reach observation deck, which offers an interesting view of the Western Quarry. If you chose the route correctly and kept turning left, you will come to a tree with ribbons and a sign indicating the route: Camel Mountain - straight, monastery to the right.

The road from the sign to the community itself passes through a very picturesque forest. I was much luckier - my route passed through a spring forest, which revealed its natural artistic potential in all its colors.

The foot of the Buddhist community appears in a fabulous silhouette in the rays of the spring sun, like a fabulous impregnable castle that you must conquer. Just not with a weapon, but by stopping the internal dialogue.

The ascent along the kurumnik to the monastery is, in my opinion, the most colorful element of the entire route. Stepping carefully from stone to stone, you rise closer and closer. Closer to yourself and your questions.

The entire territory of the monastery is under active construction, the community is always open to help and is waiting for volunteers. The demolition of Shad Tchup Ling has temporarily stopped: the Kachkanar Mining and Processing Plant has frozen the development of the deposit until 2028, and the monastery, in turn, will receive landmark status. So I think this one unique monument of a different faith will forever be preserved on the Ural land!