According  to  the  popular  Mongolian  legend,  in  the  nineteenth century,  at  the  time  of  the  Eighth  Bogdo  Gegeen,  Jebtsundamba Rinpoche, who was the head of Mongolian Buddhism, a Mongolian monk whose name remains unknown, predicted that Buddhism in Mongolia  will  be  assaulted  by  inimical  forces.  He  further prophesized that some time after the destruction of Buddhism in the country, Arhat  Bakula  will  come  to  Mongolia  to  revitalize  the Mongolian  Buddhist  tradition.  He  further  foretold  that  after Buddhism among Mongols receives “a crushing blow at the hands of the red barbarians in the early twentieth century” the Mongolian Buddhist cultural heritage will be restored to its previous glory. The well-known Mongolian scholar and monk, Zava Damdin (rTsa bar rTa mrgrin dka ‘bcu, 1867-1937) makes reference to such a prophecy in  his  Golden  Book  (Altan  Devter),  but  points  out  the  Mañjushri Ullatantra as the original source of the prophecy.

Following  the  aforementioned  prediction,  in  the  Banner (khoshuu) of Agi nobleman (üizen gün) of Sain Noyen Khan aimag, a thangka was made for the sake of worshiping Arhat Bakula. The thangka  depicts  sixteen Arhats  of  the  Buddha,  with  Bakula Arhat occupying a central position in the painting and holding a mongoose in his hands. He is surrounded by fifteen other Arhats and the Buddha Shakyamuni,  who  is  attended  by  Shariputra  and  Maudgalyayana, depicted above the head of Bakula Arhat. On the upper left and right corners of the paintings are depicted two Bodhisattva figures, Tara and Mañjusrī. On the bottom of the painting are the four Maharajas, the guardians of the four cardinal directions, and on the lower, right side, above the fourth Maharaja there is a representation of the seated Hashang.  During  the  years  of  the  communist  revolution,  in  every monastery, during daily ritual services, lamas recited the prayer gNas brtan phag mchod (Salutation and Worship of the Elders), in which Bakula Arhat is mentioned as learned and holy.

On  May  19,  1917,  on  the  day  commemorating  the  Buddha’s parinirana son was born at Mangtro palace to Yeshe Wangmo, the princess of Zangla and a niece of Lobsang Yeshe Tenpa Gyaltsen (bLob bzang ye shes brtan pa rgyal mtshan, 1890-1917), the prince of Zangskar, considered to be the Eighteenth incarnation of Bakula Arhat.  It  is  said  that  prior  to  his  death,  the  Eighteenth  Bakula Lobsang Yeshe Tenpa Gyaltsen foretold his next birth, indicating one of  the  four  daughters  of  his  sister  as  his  future  mother.  His  next incarnation, born as a son of Yeshe Wangmo, was recognized as the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula Lobsang Thubten Chognor (bLob bzang thub bstan bchog nor) and confirmed as such at his age of six by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. After receiving a preliminary education in  Ladakh,  at  the  age  of  ten  he  set  out  to  Drepung  Monastery  in Lhasa,  where  he  stayed  for  fourteen  years  and  earned  the  highest monastic degree with honors, the Geshe Lharampa degree. Returning to Ladakh at the time of India’s transition from the centuries-long colonial  rule  to  independence,  and  witnessing  the  poor  social conditions of the people in his home state, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula  (from  now  on  called  Kushok  Bakula)  applied  himself  to securing the religious, social, and political welfare of the people of Ladakh.  He  thus  continued  the  work  of  his  predecessor,  the Eighteenth Bakula Lobsang Yeshe Tenpa Gyaltsen, who worked for the welfare of the people of Ladakh and ensured a tax exemption for all Buddhist monasteries in the region. In the 1950s, when the existence  of  Buddhist  monasteries  in  Ladakh  was  threatened,  the Nineteenth  Kushok  Bakula  established  two  organizations,  the All Ladakh  Gonpa Association  and  the  Ladakh  Buddhist Association committed  to  the  preservation  of  the  Buddhist  monastic  life  in Ladakh. His concern for the economical wellbeing of the people of Ladakh and for their religion and culture led him to a political career, which lasted fifty years, never separated from his Buddhist practice and  religious  works.  Becoming  the  first  Minister  from  Ladakh  in the Jammu and Kashmir, first to represent Ladakh as member of Lok Sabha in the Indian parliament and the first Ladakhi member of the Minorities  Commission  of  India,  he  championed  the  rights  of  the people of Ladakh, who were experiencing the hardships of poverty, illiteracy,  and  abuse  from  corrupt  landlords  and  governmental officials. His efforts yielded several significant results for his home state:  

1.  the  preservation  of  the  unique  identity  and  Buddhism  of Ladakh, 

2. the recognition of Ladakh as a part of India in 1948 and thereby  the  state’s  liberation  from  the  long-lasting  neglect  of  the rulers of Jammu and Kashmir who controlled the state and hindered its  economic  development,  and  

3. the  creation  of  unprecedented educational opportunities for the young people of Ladakh.

Convinced that peace is possible if people genuinely follow the fundamental ethical principles of Buddhism, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula  became  committed  to  nurturing  peace  and  facilitating harmony among different peoples. As the Vice President of the Asian Buddhist  Conference  for  Peace  (ABCP),  which  he  co-established with  S.  Gombojav,  the  abbot  of  Gandantegchenling  Monastery  in Ulaanbaatar  in  1969,  and  later  as  the  President  of  the ABCP,  he helped  shape  its  policies  and  programs.  During  the  Fifth  General Conference  of  the ABCP,  held  in  Mongolia’s  capital,  Ulaanbaatar in 1979, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula expressed his perspective on solving social and political frictions in Asia by stating: “We can overcome  all  tension  if  we  learn  to  live  in  peace,  remove  all misunderstandings, and get rid of fissiparous tendencies.”

Kushok  Bakula  persevered  in  the  career  of  a  social  activist,  a politician, and a diplomat not merely because of the difficult social and political conditions that warranted the amelioration in his native Ladakh, but also because of the oppressive circumstances of various Mongol ethnic groups in the former Soviet Union and in Mongolian People’s  Republic.  Learning  about  the  prohibition  of  religious expression and of the demise of Buddhism in the countries ruled by communist governments, he felt compelled to positively affect socio- political changes in these regions. According to his own words, his “karmic  connection”  with  Buddhists  in  Russia  and  Mongolia emerged in 1917, in the same year when the Bolshevik Revolution was victorious in Russia; from that time onwards, his desire to visit these countries never waned. While many Tibetan Lamas living in India sought to travel to the United State and Europe, where religious freedom allowed the spread of Buddhist teachings, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula chose to journey to the northern and northwestern parts of Asia. Speaking of his inner calling, he said: “A spread of Buddhism  to  the  West  was  a  very  important  achievement  of  the twentieth century, which may have a far reaching effect. I myself had a few such opportunities (to set out to the West), but I did not go because in reality I never felt a strong interest in that. However, when the opportunity to leave for Russia was presented, I took it.

This may sound strange, but I always passionately endeavored to get there.” Thus, he became the first Buddhist monk to visit the Soviet Union and its regions of Buryatia and Kalmykia, as well as socialist Mongolia,  and  communist  China,  where  he  advocated  peace  and nuclear  disarmament.  In  1968,  on  the  invitation  of  the  Soviet Ministry for Religious Affairs, the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula paid his first visit to the Soviet Union as the head of a religious delegation from India to discuss the creation of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace. This historic visit also included his travels to Ulan Ude, the capital of Buryatia and to Leningrad (now St. Peterburg). Bato Tsybenovich Tsybenov, who served as the advisor for religious affairs at  that  time  and  accompanied  him  to  Ulan  Ude,  recounted  the excitement of the Buddhists of Buryatia stirred by Kushok Bakula’s visit,  large  crowds  of  excited  people  hindered  his  departure  by standing in front of the car that was taking him to the airport. Since that first official journey, Kushok Bakula regularly visited various Mongolian  ethnic  groups  living  in  Buryatia,  Kalmykia,  and Mongolia. During one of his diplomatic visits to the Soviet Union, he appealed to Soviet leaders to return to Russian Buddhists their temple in St. Petersburg, which was built by the renowned Buryat Lama Agwan Dorjev (1853-1938) but later vandalized by the Red Army and made into a zoology institute. He saw the new political movements of Perestroika and Glasnost (1985-1991), which strove to bring economic reforms and democratization of the communist party in the Soviet Union, as an opportunity for Russian Buddhists to become socially engaged with the goal of ending the cold war. In his speech given at the banquet celebrating one thousand years of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1999, Kushok Bakula pointed out that Perestroika and Glasnost are not a cause for staying quiet, but for making a new effort in mobilizing the Buddhist community in a struggle for peace and vigorous resolution.

In 1989, Kushok Bakula also became the first Buddhist teacher to visit Kalmykia. Commenting on his experiences during that visit, he expressed his empathy and concern for Kalmyk Mongols in these words:

“I made several trips to Kalmykia, to the region of Volga, to the people, who suffered not only from the communist storm, as everyone everywhere did, but who also endured the great pain and humiliation under the rule of Stalin’s regime. Not only their culture was destroyed, but also all people  were  forced  to  leave  the  homeland  and  were forcibly  resettled  far  from  the  Volga  region.  Thousands died… In Kalmykia I was struck. I saw a complete erosion of their culture without any sign of the preservation of the remainder of the culture. A strange feeling arose in me, to find myself in the midst of the people of the Mongolian origin and to see that they behave more like Russians. But their passionate desire and determination to restore their culture made me happy.”

In 1969, a year after his first visit to Russia, Kushok Bakula made his first visit to Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar. Upon his arrival in Mongolia,  he  emphasized  the  urgency  for  organizing  activities related to world peace, with this message:

In all countries of the world, Let all living beings be free from disease and drought.

Eliminate disaster and war so that Peace could prevail, and with peace on the Earth, Let all people enjoy a happy life.

During  that  visit  he  discovered  that  the  faith  of  Mongolian Buddhists had not entirely vanished, despite the seven decades of religious  repression  and  communist  ideology  imposed  by  the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party. Since religious teachings in public were still prohibited at the time of Kushok Bakula’s first visit to Mongolia, he quietly offered them to a small group of the faithful in his hotel room. This was the first of his regular visits and teachings in Mongolia through which he enabled Mongolian Buddhists  to  strengthen  their  weakened  ties  to  Buddhism.

D.  Choijamts,  the  abbot  of  Gandanthegcheling  Monastery  in Mongolia,  who  at  the  time  of  Kushok  Bakula’s  first  visit  to Mongolia  was  a  student  at  the  monastery,  remarked  on  Kushok Bakula’s benefaction to Mongolian Buddhists during that period: “In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  time  was  severe  and  security  was rigorous during the socialist regime in Mongolia, we would secretly find  opportunities  for  the  faithful  to  receive  teaching  and empowerments from our precious teacher, Bakula Rinpoche. These occasions  enabled  the  Mongolian  disciples  to  form  a  solid  and indestructible  relationship  with  our  Guru.  Then  the  peaceful transition to democracy in 1990, in the Year of the Horse, gave us the opportunity to enjoy freedom and practice faith and spirituality freely.”

In 1989, just a year before the peaceful democratic revolution in  Mongolia,  Kushok  Bakula  was  appointed  as  the  Indian Ambassador to Mongolia. Thus, he became the first Buddhist monk to hold an ambassadorial position and take part in the development of the bilateral relations between India and what will soon to become a democratic Mongolia for the next ten years. In this new role, he arrived in Mongolia on December 31, 1989, and on January 2, 1990, he presented his diplomatic credentials to J. Batmunkh, who at that time  held  the  post  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Great  People’s  Khural (Mongolian Parliament). On that occasion, Kushok Bakula expressed his view of the Buddha Shakyamuni as the first Indian Ambassador to Mongolia and bewildered the Mongolian governmental officials by attending the meeting in his monastic robes and presenting them a  ceremonial,  white,  silken  scarf  (khata)  as  an  expression  of  his wishes for their long and prosperous lives. Several months after that, he witnessed the overthrow of one-party rule and the establishment of a new political system that was supportive of the human rights, freedom  of  religious  expression,  and  democratic,  multiparty elections. The democratic changes in the country allowed Kushok Bakula  to  openly  assist  Mongolian  Buddhists  in  their  attempts  to revitalize their Buddhist knowledge and practice and to rebuild their temples and monasteries, most of which were razed to the ground under Stalin’s influence.

Kushok  Bakula  began  to  travel  across  the  extensive,  rugged terrains  and  dusty  roads  of  Mongolia.  During  his  frequent expeditions to Mongolia’s rural areas, he visited the rebuilt temples, imparted teachings to Buddhists in rural areas, performed rituals of blessings and empowerments, and called for the return to Buddhist ethical values, which were neglected during the communist period.

As  Kushok  Bakula’s  popularity  grew,  Mongolian  people  from various  corners  of  the  country  were  converging  on  the  Indian Embassy, waiting in queues every morning to receive his blessings, and  soon  he  became  affectionately  called  among  Mongolians  as Elchin  Bagsh  (Ambassador  Teacher).  On  May  29,  1991,  Kushok Bakula initiated the first public celebration of the Buddha’s birthday in  democratic  Mongolia,  which  was  held  at  the  National  Cultural and  Recreational  Center  and  attended  by  thousands  of  people.

Another significance of that event was that for the first time after the  seven  decades  of  religious  oppression,  Mongolian  political leaders,  headed  by  the  President  of  Mongolia,  Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, participated at a public, religious ceremony.

Observing  the  conditions  of  Buddhist  monasticism,  Kushok Bakula  noticed  the  pressing  need  for  the  proper  training  of Mongolian monks, among whom many did not adhere to monastic regulations for a variety of reasons, one being the lack of monastic institutions  that  could  house  monks  and  provide  them  with  daily necessities and adequate education. He often publicly pointed out the importance of upholding one’s monastic vows, which he saw as indispensible for the flourishing of Buddhism in Mongolia. Not long after filling the post of Indian Ambassador, Kushok Bakula procured Indian visas and funding for Mongolian monks who desired to study in Tibetan monasteries in India such as Gomang, Sera, the Buddhist School of Dialectics in Dharamsala, the Central Institute of Tibetan Higher  Studies,  and  so  on,  at  the  time  when  it  was  virtually impossible for Mongolians to acquire such a visa. More significantly, in  1999,  Kushok  Bakula  built  the  Pethub  Stangey  Choskor  Ling Monastery  in  Ulaanbaatar,  which  is  commonly  referred  to  by Mongolians as Bakula Rinpoche’s Monastery. The monastery was built in the Tibetan architectural style, and it is named after Kushok Bakula’s main monastery in Ladakh. This monastery in Ulaanbaatar became a prominent venue for the training of young monks, public teachings,  and  ritual  empowerments  bestowed  by  Kushok  Bakula himself. Until recently, in addition to Gandantegchenling Monastery, now  recognized  as  the  official  center  of  Mongolian  Buddhists, Bakula Rinpoche’s monastery was the only teaching monastery that provides room and board for the young monks. Prior to granting the novice ordination to young candidates, some of whom came from as far as Buryatia, Kushok Bakula carefully examined the candidates and their families to determine their motivation and suitability for a monastic life. At the time when well trained Buddhist teachers were in great need in Mongolia, Kushok Bakula brought highly qualified lamas from Ladakh and Sikkim to educate students in his monastery.

To this day, young monks of his monastery continue to be educated in  Buddhist  doctrine,  in  the  classical  Tibetan  and  Mongolian languages, English, mathematics, and geography. Upon graduation, the  best  students  are  sent  to  India  for  higher  monastic  education.

With  the  financial  assistance  from  the  Tibet  Foundation  U.K.,  in 2002,  a  clinic  of  traditional  Buddhist  medicine  was  built  on  the monastery’s  grounds,  where  Mongolian  and  Tibetan  traditional doctors offer medical care to both monastic and lay communities.

G.  Luvsantseren,  the  head  of  the  Mongolian  Buddhist  Studies Institute, who worked closely with Kushok Bakula in the ABCP, in his commemorative speech highlighted the fact that Kushok Bakula appreciated  the  unique,  Mongolian  Buddhist  culture  and  that  his “unique  venture  was  not  aimed  at  Indianising  or Tibetanising  the monks” in Mongolia. As a fervent advocate of human rights, Kushok Bakula made sure that the spiritual needs of Mongolian women and their contribution to Buddhism would not be neglected. To that end, he opened the Lay Women Buddhist Organization and gave monastic ordination to women, the first ever in modern Mongolia.

Kushok Bakula’s various activities dedicated to the restoration of  the  Mongolian  Buddhism  and  culture  included  his  undertaking to  convince  the  Indian  government  to  allow  for  the  relics  of  the Buddha, kept at the National Museum in New Delhi, to be brought to Mongolia for viewing. As a result of that effort, in August of 1993, the Indian Deputy Minister of Culture brought the Buddha’s relics to Ulaanbaatar. The relics were on display at the Central Cultural Palace for a month and worshipped by tens of thousands of people.

Reflecting  on  that  event,  Mr.  N.  Enkhbayar,  who  held  various political posts throughout his career, such as those of the President of  the  Mongolian  People’s  Revolutionary  Party,  the  Minister  of Culture  to  the  President  of  Mongolia  (2005-2009),  said:  “For  the Mongolian  people  who  had  suffered  many  years  of  cultural persecution and were denied practice of their faith, the coming of the holy Buddha relics was like coming of the Lord Buddha to our land.” Since in the early years of Mongolian democracy, literature on  Buddhist  teachings  was  virtually  non-existent  in  the  modern Mongolian language, so Kushok Bakula encouraged N. Enkhbayar to translate The Teaching of the Buddha from English to Mongolian.

The  book  was  published  in  1995  in  Japan  and  distributed  to Mongolian Buddhists free of charge. On yet another inspiration of Kushok Bakula, the International Buddhist Institute in Mongolia was established with the aim to enable international students to conduct research  on  Mongolian  Buddhism.  He  also  invited  other  eminent Buddhist  teachers  to  come  to  Mongolia,  including  the  H.H.  the Fourteenth Dalai, who came to Mongolia for the first time in 1992, where gave public teachings and the Kalchakra initiation. Aware of the early contacts of the Mongols with the Sakya order of the Tibetan Buddhism, which dates to the thirteenth century when Qubilai Khaan brought to his court the Sakya master Phagpa Lama (‘Phags pa) from Tibet, Kushok Bakula made it possible for Mongolians to reestablish their historical connection with the Sakya order. By inviting one of the  heads  of  the  Tibetan  Sakya  order,  Sakya Trinzin  Rinpoche  to Mongolia, who arrived there in the summer of 1995, Kushok Bakula, who belonged to the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism, demonstrated to Mongolian Buddhists his nonsectarian approach to Buddhism and his genuine desire for the development of Buddhism in Mongolia.

As  the  Indian Ambassador,  Kushok  Bakula  sought  ways  to facilitate India’s fruitful cultural relations with Mongolia that would enrich  the  lives  of  Mongolian  people  and  create  new  educational opportunities  for  young  people.  In  so  doing,  he  set  up  the  Indian Cultural  Center,  equipped  with  audio-visual  material,  books, artworks,  and  the  like  to  enable  Mongolians  to  study  Indian languages and classical Indian dances. He also helped to establish the Mongolian-Indian Friendship Farm in the city of Darkhan and the Training and Industrial Center in Ulaanbaatar, which was named after Rajiv Gandhi. Likewise, under his initiative, more than fifty Mongolian  students  were  sent  for  training  in  Indian  colleges  and universities under various exchange programs. Ts. Gombosüren, who was a Mongolian Foreign Minister from 1988 to 1996, said this of Kushok  Bakula’s  ambassadorial  service:  “There  are  many  major developments  that  took  place  in  promoting  bilateral  relations between our two countries (India and Mongolia), and one can clearly see the impact of tremendous contribution made by Kushok Bakula Rinpoche.”

Acknowledging Kushok Bakula’s contribution to the Mongolian political,  social,  and  religious  life  at  the  time  when  democratic governance in Mongolia was in its infancy, the first democratically elected President of Mongolia, P. Ochirbat, who governed Mongolia from 1990-1997, wrote of Kushok Bakula’s constructive inputs in the highest of terms. He pointed out that by the end of 1990, there were  about  fifty  reopened  temples  and  monasteries  with  1,000 monks;  but  due  to  restrictive  regulations  in  the  country,  it  was difficult to coordinate the functioning of temples and monasteries, which were in disarray and had many obstacles regarding religious activities. There was no universally recognized leader of Mongolian Buddhists  either.  The  new  government  dissolved  the  Council  of Religious  Affairs  that  was  set  up  earlier  and  replaced  it  by  a supernumerary Religious Council led by a presidential adviser. It was seen as necessary to formulate and declare the state policy regarding religion and to enact a law that could guarantee religious freedom and  preservation  of  ancient,  cultural  heritage  of  Mongolia.

Mr. Ochirbat also stated: “Bakula Rinpoche advised the people to accept change and maintain peace, harmony, and good will in accord with the cherished values of civilized behavior. Bakula Rinpoche’s approach  to  human  psychology  brought  about  desired  change, yielding peaceful and meaningful results.” N. Enkhbayar in a similar manner  indicated  Kushok  Bakula’s  important  role  in  the  peaceful solution  to  political  changes  in  Mongolia,  which  found  itself  at  a crossroad when a new political experiment was being made, which involved a complete departure from the past and a change for the better. He said:

“It  was  due  to  our  Buddhist  heritage  and  Rinpoche’s presence in the country that the transition to democracy in  Mongolia,  unlike  in  other  socialist  countries,  was  so peaceful.  Rinpoche  was  an  integral  part  of  this  great transformation  and  he  played  an  active  role  in  these changes through his advice, assistance, and participation… Young people, including those who actively participated in  democratic  changes  in  Mongolia,  sought  Rinpoche’s guidance and help. Many politicians and businessmen also sought  audience  with  Rinpoche  to  seek  his  advice… Bakula Rinpoche’s advice was simple, yet convincing… If not Bakula Rinpoche, who else could have guided the people  through  these  changes?  …In  all  his  interactions with Mongolian people, Rinpoche enthused unity among them  and  asked  the  people  to  work  for  preserving Mongolia’s  distinct  national  identity  and  independence.

And at the same time, he exhorted them to work for the development of the country… For his yeomen service to the  nation,  the  President  of  Mongolia  (P.  Ochirbat) conferred upon him ‘Polar Star,’ a state award, in 2001.”

It seems not everyone appreciated Kushok Bakula’s council at that  time  of  political  turbulence,  as  certain  political  circles  that resisted change in the country accused Kushok Bakula of interfering in the domestic affairs of Mongolia, and some even suggested that he be sent back to India.

On the basis of his endeavors and accomplishments among the Mongols,  to  this  day  Kushok  Bakula  has  been  revered  as  a prophesized, bodhisattvic emanation of Arhat Bakula, who fulfilled the  hopes  and  prayers  of  Mongolian  Buddhists.  In  the  year  2008, on the occasion of the ninety-first anniversary of Kushok Bakula’s birthday,  several  distinguished  figures  in  Mongolian  political, cultural, and academic spheres wrote of him in their essays either indirectly or directly as a bodhisattva who brought the nineteenth- century prophecy to reality. Lama G. Purevbat, the most prominent Buddhist  artist  in  Mongolia  and  the  founder  and  director  of  the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art, referred to Kushok Bakula as “our great teacher Bodhisattva, who made many meritorious deeds to restore and revive Buddhism in Mongolia for the fourth time in the history of our country.” Similarly, G. Luvsantseren, the Director of Mongolian Studies Institute, wrote about Kushok Bakula’s historic role  in  Mongolia  in  this  way:  “Kushok  Bakula  Rinpoche  was  a Bodhisattva who dedicated his life for the welfare of all living beings on this earth… [regarded] as a Great Teacher who had come from India to perform this historic task.” The previously mentioned, first democratically elected President of Mongolia, P. Ochirbat, wrote this: “[He]  came  to  Mongolia  as  a  divine  messenger  at  the  time  of peaceful  transformation  to  democracy  and  inspired  our  people.” Ochirbat further stated: “I always looked to him with prayer in my heart to gain inner strength and confidence when our country was passing through a crucial phase of history in the period of democratic reforms… Bakula Rinpoche recognized distinctive characteristics of Mongolian  democracy  and  the  historic  necessity  to  develop  its national culture and traditions, to restore religion to its pristine glory with  emphasis  on  reviving  Buddhism  as  an  inseparable  part  of Mongolian cultural heritage.”

During  his  diplomatic  service  in  Mongolia,  Kushok  Bakula travelled  to  Beijing  every  two  months  on  his  diplomatic  mission. During those visits, at the request of Chinese Buddhists, he discretely offered teachings at the time when giving religious teachings there without governmental permission was prohibited. At the conclusion of  his  diplomatic  service,  Kushok  Bakula  returned  to  India  in  the year 2000, but he regularly visited Mongolia, imparting teachings and empowerments, despite his frail health. On November 24, 2004, Kushok Bakula died at the age of eighty-seven. His body was kept in  Delhi  for  several  days  for  viewing  by  many  high  political  and religious dignitaries of India and other countries. On November 7, a  special  Indian Air  Force  plane  carried  Kushok  Bakula’s  body, covered  with  a  national  flag  to  Leh,  the  capital  of  Ladakh,  and  it landed in the airport renamed as “Bakula Rinpoche Airport.” Monks in  Leh  performed  prayers  and  rituals  for  fourteen  days,  and  on November 16, 2003, Kushok Bakula’s body was cremated with state honors and the police and military men fired shots in the air as an expression of respect. Thousands of monks and laypeople attended the cremation to collect his ashes for blessing. Within a year of the cremation,  a  gold-gilded,  silver  stupa  measuring  3.5  m  was constructed  for  keeping  his  relics  and  placed  in  his  monastery  in Ladakh. According to the report of Sonam Wangchuk Shakspo, who worked  in  various  capacities  with  Kushok  Bakula  and  as  Indian Cultural Attaché in Mongolia during Kushok Bakula’s ambassadorial post,  shortly  after  the  cremation  of  Kushok  Bakula’s  body,  a mongoose appeared in the courtyard of Pethub monastery in Ladakh, ran into the private room of Kushok Bakula, and sat on his cushion.

While staying there for forty-nine days, the mongoose behaved like a  pet  and  ate  only  vegetarian  food  from  the  hands  of  the  amused monks. At the completion of the forty-ninth day, it disappeared.

A year after Kushok Bakula’s passing, on November 24, 2005, a boy by name Thupstan Ngawang was born in Ladakh, who was to be recognized as Arhat Bakula’s twentieth incarnation and confirmed as such on February 26, 2008 by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. As this news  reached  Mongolia,  requests  for  the  young  Bakula’s  visit  to Mongolia  were  made,  indicating  that  a  connection  between Arhat Bakula  and  the  Mongols  that  was  established  by  the  Nineteenth Kushok Bakula will continue. What form that connection will take remains to be seen.

The life and work of the Nineteenth Kushok Bakula exemplify both—

1. the responsibility that a person who is accepted into the lineage of incarnations of the renowned Buddhist practitioners takes on  in  order  to  follow  the  example  of  his  predecessors,  and 

2. the unique features of his way in the world that arise in response to social realities of his time.