Chapter One
Unique life of the first “Western” Buddha’s monks at modern period.
Karl Tõnisson, also known as Karlis Tennisons, Karlis Tennison, Brother Vahindra, Barefooted Tõnisson, The Baltic Mahatma - Dharmaduta was born 20 August 1873 or 1883 in Odratsi farm, Umbusi village near Põltsamaa in Estonia. Estonian Buddhism has been directly linked Buryatia and its Buddhists traditions. Tõnisson taught of the Dharma in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He was in connection both with Dorzijev and Baron Roman Ungern von Sternberg, so there were already two figures whose origins are in Estonia. In Estonia, Karl Tõnisson gave lectures, published books and held lamamistic services in Kloostri Street, Tartu. In Riga, he had a small temple-like building in one rented
department, where he once a week held a Buddhist service. Most of the audience were local theosophists. Agvan Dorzijev, Ja Lama, Ungern von Sternberg and Karl Tõnisson were sharing the same ideas, and they tried to put them into life. Tõnisson came to Estonia to hide from Bolsheviks, and later moved to Asia, where he spent the rest of his life. Agvan Dorzijev, Ja lama and Roman Ungern von Sternberg were executed by commissars and were trampled in the works of soviet historians.
In 1892 Tõnisson started his studies in the department of philosophy in Saint Petersburg University, and he lived in the house of E. E. Uhtomski as the head of the house and Tõnisson's father had been good friends for years.
In 1893 Tõnisson travelled for the first time to Buryatia to study Buddhism.
In 1897, there were 75 Buddhists registered in Saint Petersburg.
In 1898 Dorzijev visited for the first time Saint Petersburg. He travelled in the company of Mongols, Buryats and Tibetans.
In 1900 Tõnisson visited Kamchatka, Buryatia, Mongolia and Beijing in China.
In 1903 from April until August Tõnisson stayed in Kamchatka and on 1 September he travelled to Vladivostok by steamship. Then Karl Tõnisson moved
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to Manchuria, where he met a Slavic officer whose life he saved. Lustig mentions that this officer was prince Vorontsov, who later participated actively in the activities of Saint Petersburg datsan. Karl had a longer communication with Russian explorer and geographer Kozlov at that time. Tõnisson knew many important and powerful person of that time personally, including some members of the government and the representatives of Buddhism.
In 1905 Tõnisson was spending his time around the Gobi Desert, and he was also often in Urgaa. Karl spent the New Year's Eve in Erdene Zuu monastery, where he met Dorzijev and Ja lama. They discussed how to reform the Buddhist Sangha, whether it was possible to build a Buddhist temple in Saint Petersburg. They also discussed reforms in Buddhist education and schools that should be introduced in the monasteries as well.
ErdeneZuumonastery,GobiDesert,Mongolia.
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ErdeneZuumonastery,GobiDesert,Mongolia.
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ErdeneZuumonastery,GobiDesert,Mongolia.
In 1906, there were over 3000 monks in Erdene Zuu and most of them lived in yurtas. In Urga Karl Tõnisson stayed with his Holiness Djebtsung Damba Hutukhta, who was the head of Mongolian Buddhist. Tõnisson had many guardians in high places in Mongolia, as well as in Buryatia and Kalmykia. The name of Dorzijev opened for him every Buddhistic door, and this helped Karl a lot in his journeys from Astrahan Agaa convent in Buryatia and Lhasa. Thus, was Tõnisson the first among the first Estonian Westerners who went to Lhasa, which was a very rare event in that time – many Europeans had tried that, but only devoted Buddhists were permitted into the city. The details of his travel to Lhasa are not
ErdeneZuumonastery,GobiDesert,Mongolia.
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much known. Confirmation from Tibetan archives is needed.
From Urgaa Karl travelled through Altai and Sayaans visiting every temple and holy place that were on his way, In February Tõnisson rushed from Tuva to Orenburg where he arrived in March. Karl Tõnisson held a course of lections on Buddhism to the local people From Orenburg Karl travelled to the town of Samaara near the Volga River where he tried to raise interest towards Buddha teachings among local people. Disappointed, Tõnisson continued his journey and travelled to Saraatov. From Saraatov Tõnisson travelled to Astrahan where the steppe were full of Kalmyks Buddhist monasteries and temples, and he was once again among Buddhists and the local head lama welcomed him warmly.
In 1909 Tõnisson published his first book in Russian “Teaching about how a human becomes immortal”, in Riga by G. Budberg's Printhouse.
In 1910, 184 Buddhist registered in Saint Petersburg, 163 men, and 21 women.
In 1910 Roman Ungern von Sternberg stayed in Chita. In February, he was sent to serve in Asia.
In 1911 Ungern von Sternberg came from Transbaikal to visit his relatives in Tallinn, and he stayed three months in Estonia.
On 26th April 1912 (according to the new calendar) Voldemar Friedrich Lustig was born, the
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second Estonian Buddhist.
In 1912 Tõnisson stayed in Tartu and published his Buddhist verses in a book, where he also presented for the first time his version of PanBaltoonia inspired by Pan-Mongolia. He envisioned a joint Estonian-Latvian-Lithuanian Buddhist state. Where he inquires into Buddha’s teaching and Shamanic- Finno-Ugric religion “Maa Usk”. Which translates approximately: “The one who trusts the Earth or the land.”
In 1914 Karlis Tõnisson was called to the army, and he served in the Fourth Caucasian regiment, participating in the battles in East Prussia. On 2 May 1914 Tsar Nikolas II affirmed the staff of Saint Petersburg temple, which at first it consisted of 9 monks, of which five had to be Gelongs. From that moment on, Tõnisson was officially connected with Saint-Petersburg Buddhist temple. He was seen as a valuable resource at the temple and was appointed the head of Saint Petersburg's Buddhist temple by Dorjiev in 1920.
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KarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindraca1912-1914.
He served his time in the army as a Buddhist cleric taking care of soldiers who were Buddhists, like Kalmyks, Buryats and Tuvas. It seems that from the beginning of the building of the temple, Dorzijev took care that Vahindra would be officially connected to the temple. Aleksander Andrejev who studied the history of the Saint-Petersburg temple describes in his study how Tõnisson arrived from Buryatia to revolutionary Petrograd in 1920 and found the temple to be despoiled by Bolshevik and how he met academician Sthserbatski who was guarding the buildings and treasure of the temple. Karl himself was very fanatic about Saint-Petersburg temple. All his life, he carried with himself many of papers and documents that proved his long tenure as a lama and temporary head of Saint-Petersburg temple.
In 1915 Tõnisson participated in the besieging and conquering of Przemysli castle as a Buddhist cleric. He was awarded with Georg Cross. In March 1915 Karl Tõnisson left the army.
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PhotoofKarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindraearlyyears.
toofKarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindraearlyyears.
Pho
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In On 10 August 1915 Kalachakra temple in SaintPetersburg was officially and finally opened. A grand ceremony took place. In 1915, after opening celebrations, Karl Tõnisson hurried to Buryatia and from there to Mongolia, and he returned only after two years.
In summer 1917 Agvan Dorzijev left Petrograd and travelled to Buryatia, leaving Brother Vahindra to guard the temple. Dorzijev went to Tamtshinsk's datsan where all important lamas had gathered from all over Buryatia to discuss the future of Buddhism in Russia and Asia. As the Czar of Russia was overthrown, Buryats and Mongols were worried about their future and quite many of them hoped to establish an independent state. Dorzijev had a project that proposed an idea and program for uniting Mongolia as well as to declare Kalachakra's datsan in Saint-Petersburg the property of Buryat, Mongol and Kalmyk Buddhists. Uniting Mongolia had been a subject of a meeting that took place years earlier in Erden Dzuu monastery, where also Dzaa Lama and Karl Tõnisson had participated.
In summer 1917 Agvan Dorzijev left SaintPetersburg and a couple of weeks later left barren Ungern. These were difficult times for SaintPetersburg's datsan as lamas who lived there received many letters that threatened to bomb the
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temple. In spring, lamas started to plan to leave the capital.
In 1922, the Estonian embassy refused to give Tõnisson a permission to return to Estonia, the embassy was informed of his activities in the SaintPetersburg’s Buddhist temple, and they were worried he was bringing Buddha’s teaching to the dominantly
Saint-Petersburg’s Buddhist temple dastan or wat where Karl Tõnisson’snamecanbeseencanbeseenonthecarving.
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Christian Lutheric newly established Estonian state. He was not treated well at Estonia’s repatriation committee in Saint Petersburg, and they in literally threw him out.
After this, he decided to appeal to the Latvian repatriation committee. Karl Tõnisson became the Latvian citizen Karlis Tennissons – Brother Vahindra (and in doing so, added 10 years to his actual age), and as such later left a mark in the history of Asia. Tennisons himself describes his becoming a Latvian citizen quite openly and with a certain irony in some of his books.
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Saint-Petersburg’s Buddhist temple dastan or wat.
In 1923, Tõnisson left the Saint-Petersburg’s temple to hide from the Bolsheviks after receiving a letter from Dorjiev, who asked him to leave the town, as staying in Saint Petersburg would have been dangerous.
Saint-Petersburg’sBuddhisttempledastanorwat.
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Buddhistmonkanddiplomat,envoyandFinanceMinisterof Tibet,AgvanDorjiev.
KarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindra.
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In September or October 1923, he eventually returned to Latvia and stayed for a month in quarantine at Rezekne, before finally moving to Riga, probably thanks to Estonians living there at the time.
After that as far as we know in 1923 Tõnisson arrived in Tartu with Latvian citizenship, where he gave lectures, published books and held lamaistic services in Kloostri Street. He also popularised exercise yoga and water procedures. He did yoga in private garden with no or little cloths on which is usual in the land of origin of yoga the India, but Tartu ladies were upset by it. It was a private garden, so nothing could be done. Additionally, to yoga physical exercise and running, he empathised plant-based diet and many sessions of sauna.
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1930s Karl Tõnisson—Bother Vahindra teaching different free formexercise poses. One cansee aswastikainthe middle of thepicture,whichisanancientHindureligioussymbol.
In 1924, he moved from Tartu back to Riga, where organised the first Latvian Buddhist congregation. He had a small temple-like structure in a rented building, where once a week he held a Buddhist service.
In 1925, he published his only book in Latvian, “Ko grib Budas priesteris Tennisons dot Latvju tautai?” (What Buddhist priest Tennisons wishes to
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give to the people of Latvia) and established the first Buddhist Temple (which he called the Imanta Temple after an ancient Livonian historical figure) in the apartment he rented at 8 Baložu Street in Riga’s Agenskalns suburb. Besides this, he also had made a moveable Buddhist shrine, which was erected at his various places of temporary residence.
While in Estonia local known caricaturist Gori (Vello Agori before 1935 known as Griogori or Georg Tõnisson), draw many demonizing caricatures of him. Saying he should be taken to high platform meaning hanged. Comparing him to famous Estonian state’s man Jaan Tõnisson was frequent. But humour towards him still remind relatively friendly. He was called and known as bear foot Tõnisson in Estonia, which he opposed, as he often in his talks emphasized.
In 1926, when he was over 50 years old, Tõnisson participated in a marathon organised by the Estonian sports society “Kalev” and finished in third place. It took him 3 hours, 31 minutes and 26 seconds, which was an excellent time for a person of his age. He carried a large Latvian flag the whole marathon. Olympian athletes Karl Laasi and Elmar Reiman won the first and second place. He can be considered among the first Estonian endurance runners.
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In 1924, the first Estonian Buddhist bishopric was also founded by Karlis, but Estonian authorities refused to register it.
In 1927 Tõnisson personally met Latvian president Gustavs Zemgals. In 1928 Vahindra published his book. “Future great power, Pan-Baltoonia”. In 1930 Karlis published his book: “Me and my disciples believe” (Eduard Bergmann Sprinthouse in Tartu). 1909–1930 Tõnisson published at least 16 books, including new editions: 13 in Estonian (six of them were original works), two in Russian and one in Latvian. In the late 1920 Tennisons rented a flat in Tartu at 7 Väike- Kloostri Street. In Tartu, he found
KarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindrain1926whenhewasover50 yearsold,heparticipatedinamarathonorganisedbythe Estoniansportssociety“Kalev”andfinishedinthirdplacewhile holdingaLatvianflagthewholeway.
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some young male followers, but these were only temporary disciples he later recalled by surnames as Veber, Vene and Napritson for example Composition, “Me and my disciples believe” (Eduard Bergmann, print house in Tartu). 1930 is strange in terms of content and eccentric in terms of form, describes about a most likely an imaginative journey that begins in the port of Riga, leads to Africa, then to Australia, India, China, Siberia, Turkey, Palestine, South America and back to Europe. This book also does not yet discuss Buddhism, but mentions places that play an important role in later versions of the biography. In the jungles of the Congo, Tennyson saw a suitable place where the Latvian people could establish a country of happiness and abundance. It is said that in Johannesburg he met his next travelling companion through the Buddhist monasteries of different countries – "the seventeen-year-old son of Lord Douglas”. It should be noted that it was at this time that the scandal of the homosexual relationship between Oscar Wilde and Lord Douglas's son Alfred “Bozie” shook Europe, he has two brothers, the youngest of whom could fit the description - Sholto Douglas, but no information about such trips can be found in his biography. However, there is information about a certain Gordon Douglas, who was ordained as a Theravada Buddhist
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monk in Siam in 1899 and is considered among the first Westerner to become a Buddhist monk. (Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra ordained in Buratya in 1893. In Vajrajana or Tibetan context. Lived in Mahajana or Hinayana monasteries and most of his life at Swedangon which is considered by the many as a centre of Theravada or early Buddhism. He can be considered non-sectarian with a universal outlook.) Although it is plausible, this was derived from one of Karl Tõnnisons – Brother Vahindra books or a later article published in Thai or Burmese newspapers.
Between 1910 and 1916, Tennyson publishes five books, the main theme of which gradually becomes Buddhism. In one of them, he refers to himself as “one of the monks who spread Buddhism in the Baltic countries”. The legend of how Tennyson became a Buddhist monk is gradually being formulated – after long years of rejection, travelling with Douglas' son from one monastery to another, shepherding sacred elephants in Ceylon and persuading, even bribing, monastery officials for a long time.
He increasingly begins to sign with his spiritual name as Vend Vahindra (in Estonian – brother Vahindra), Vahindra Mantramitra, sometimes used a Russian consonant shift - Vagindra, but it is not clear at what moment and under what circumstances he
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acquired the title of Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia. Which Tennison says he received from the Dalai Lama of Tibet. At that time, we can only be talking about the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tubten Gyatso, who was born in 1879, but was recognized as the Dalai Lama only at the age of 16 – in 1895.
For the clarity, it should be added that the term “Buddhist archbishop” has practically never been used anywhere else, in Tibetan Buddhism it has not been accepted at all to create hierarchical Buddhist community management structures, while the term “sangaraja” (a sangha in Buddhist terminology is a Buddhist community both wide and narrower meaning – meaning an inhabitant of one monastery), which Tennison sometimes adds to his title both as a synonym and as a complement, is used in Thailand. Even allowing for the idea that Tennyson met the Dalai Lama between 1904 and 1912, when he had emigrated from Tibet to Mongolia and Sikkim under the threat of British invasion, one might think that the idea of such a title was hatched in Tennison's own head.
One of three books by Karl Tennison published in Latvian in the 1920s. The period between 1916 and 1918 is quite controversial – Tõnisson – Tennyson –Brother Vahindra publishes several books in Estonia during this time, but in later biographies he claims that he travelled, fought, was arrested, tried for
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espionage, and collected donations for the construction of the Buddhist temple in Saint Petersburg.
Evidence has survived that he actually met with the Tibetan envoy to Russia, Agvan Dorjiev, a man who cherished hopes of uniting Tibet, Mongolia, and Russia into a powerful superpower. Tennyson says that he offered to build a Buddhist temple in Riga, on the banks of Lake Kīšezer, but it was not successful and the temple (the first in Europe at the time) was built in Petersburg, where Buryat monks began to inhabit it.
The materials of the Czech archives show that in 1920, when no authentic Buddhist could be found in the city, devastated by the revolution and the Civil War, Tõnisson - Tennyson – Vahindra was the only resident of this temple, guarded the 50,000-volume library and was considered a full-fledged representative of Tibet in Soviet Russia, as confirmed by Dorjiev signed document in Russian with stamp and photo. The documents preserved in the archives contain correspondence with Latvian Jēkabs Jansons, the head of the Eastern Department of the Russian Foreign Affairs Commissariat at that time.
Tennison himself later claims that after the October Revolution he lived in India, in a cave, where
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he only learned from passing British tourists in 1923 that Latvia had become an independent country, so he returned with new hopes and established a Buddhist temple in Riga, Baložu Street 8. Latvian, by 1928 he had published at least three books, entered the yellow press of the time and became a cartoon character. His travels, adventures, exploits, deportation to Siberia and his return served as a source of jokes and ridicule, although he also gained some followers in the intellectual circles of the time, including the photographer J. Riekst.
In the book “What does Buddha priest Tõnisson – Tennison – Brother Vahindra want to give to the Latvian people?”, which caused the biggest stir in Latvia, he writes:
“One must first pass through the Gobi Desert, then ascend the Kun-Luna Mountains more than 15,000 feet (4.57 kilometres) above sea level in a belt of perpetual snow, ice, and permafrost. Then you have to go down the terrible, intoxicating steep paths to the deep “Golden Valley”, where many hot springs erupt, which make the climate of this wonderful valley so warm that various tropical plants, palm trees, etc. grow. t. t., who give a rich harvest. The valley is enclosed all around by giant mountains with fields of eternal ice and snow, as a completely independent world, closed off from the rest, is born here. The inhabitants of this valley are
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made up of philosophers from all cultures of the world, who fled from the noise of the world, arrived here on a wonderful path and found peace.
Only the Jews are not allowed here because this is the centre of the world's mysteries, where a Jew has no place; no trading here, no money. From the old books of the monastery, it can be seen how a few thousand years ago, some Jews were also allowed here, but later expelled because they violated the laws and discipline of this holy place. They began to kill cattle and birds and eat meat because Moses and Jehovah had allowed them to do so, they began to trade, after which other crimes also appeared, so that the monastery council was forced to expel them, and from that moment the entrance to the Jews was closed forever. The inhabitants here are all vegetarians, and their main food is various fruits and honey.
Eating meat is completely forbidden. The inhabitants do not use any products of the cultural world, and even make their own clothes. There is no normal family life here, which is why there are no women either. Only men live in this sacred valley. These great philosophers, or monks, who live in the valley and in the monastery, live very long, 200 years and more, very joyful and energetic. All of them, as in ancient times as now, swear that they did
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not use any material means, such as letters, etc. t. t.e., will not give news about their relatives and friends, and completely cut off all ties with the outside world. However, some monks, for special reasons, as pastors and teachers of the people, are allowed to return to the world, but they must take an oath that they will not divulge more than a few known things about this monastery. Every person who harms these monks who return from this holy monastery to the world, puts obstacles in their way or laughs at them, loses all his happiness, wealth and health. But every unfortunate, poor and sick person who respects and honours them regains happiness and health. All enemies of Tennyson's various species should know this.”
There are different opinions of Tõnisson - TennisonsBrother Vahindra, especially regarding his mental health and real mental and spiritual abilities. However, in private conversations some Estonian Buddhists have expressed the view that by telling contradicting stories about his own life Vahindra behaved as a “typical Paradoxical logician”, i.e., deliberately challenging people to provoke them out of a habitual conditioned way of thinking and behaving. He was a passionate person regarding everything he
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undertook. Vahindra’s disciple and follower Friedrich Voldemar Lustig - Ashin Ananda differed much from his guru in terms of being well academically educated and a lover of music and poetry, for which he became a fairly well-known figure in Burmese cultural life.
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KarlTõnisson-BotherVahindrawithabook.
1930
tourinValga,Estonia.(ValgaisaborderdownbetweenEstonia andLatvia.) 31
the
Buddha’s monk Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra
on
In June 1930, he visited Narva and Narva-Jõesuu, where he did more than three hours long talks on Buddha’s teaching and met Friedrich Voldemar Lustig, who was to become his only really devoted disciple and companion until the end of his life. There is a lot of evidence that Tennisons had many temporary students before, but 18-year-old Friedrich V. Lustig was the only one to devote himself to Buddhist monkhood and followed his guru until the latter’s end of days. In October, they tried to contact Siamese Prince Aditya Jumbhor and Princess
PictureofKarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindra1928.
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Kobkoen, who were visiting Estonia, to seek support for their plans to make a journey to Siam (Thailand). This attempt was actively reported in the Estonian press of the time. The younger: Lustig, alias Ashin Ananda -Friedrich Voldemar Lustig grew up in the multicultural environment of Narva. His father— Friedrich Adam Lustig—was a goldsmith and his mother—Emilie (though her maiden name was actually Emilija Ledina)—a Latvian from Jelgava. The language mostly used at Lustig'shome was German. He was born on the 13th of April (according to new style the 26th of April) 1912 in Narva. His parents were married after his birth. Later he himself described his parents as “freethinkers” in reply to accusations that he had betrayed his “own religion”, i.e. the Lutheran faith. Lustig’s interest in Buddhism had arisen even before he met Tõnisson - Tennisons. When at high school, he wrote to His Holiness XIII Dalai Lama and allegedly got a reply from Agvan Dorzhiev.
In the summer of 1930 Lustig graduated from Narva City Gymnasium, where the main language of instruction was Russian, whilst also studying piano at the local music school. Later, when already living in Burma, he transcribed some pieces of Burmese music into international notation. In 1952, the Burmese government
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published these pieces in the collection “Classical Burmese Music”. He became the only really devoted disciple and follower of Tennisons, later “officially” his secretary and deputy (and at the same time the Buddhist high priest of Estonia. After Vahindra’s death, Lustig inherited his title of Buddhist Archbishop. Lustig was an educated, well-read, highly intelligent person; he was particularly skilled linguistically, speaking 13–17 languages according to different sources.
He had studied French, German, English, Latin and other languages already at school. In Thailand and Burma, he served as an interpreter for his guru. He loved music and poetry and tried to play piano whenever possible, even though it was regarded as an inappropriate activity for a Buddhist monk. In many ways he was the opposite of Vahindra, i.e., physically less (at least compared to his guru), wellread, educated and an introvert. Half of his life was dedicated to the humble service of his guru. Only after Vahindra’s death did Lustig begin to follow his own passions: write his own poetry and translate classical and contemporary poems from Burmese into English.
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KarlTõnisson-BotherVahindraandFridrichVoldemarLustig–AshinAnanda.Photoisfromaround1930-31. 35
Ashin Ananda, then Friedrich Voldemar Lustig, was born in Estonia in 1912. While young, he became regarded as a child prodigy because of his talent as a pianist—he could play difficult pieces by well-known composers such as Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff. He earned money to pay for his education by playing the piano, improvising at the best cinema in his hometown, Narva. These were the days of silent movies, and he had to decide quickly which tune was suitable for each scene on the silver screen. Fridrich Voldemar Lustig - Ashin Ananda: “In later years I realized that period of my life was very useful for me, for it enriched my imagination and encouraged me to compose good poetry,” Ashin Ananda wrote in his “Brief Sketch of My Life.” He discovered Buddhism through a book, and then wrote a letter to His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama in Tibet, who advised him to get in touch with a teacher in Latvia, the Reverend Karlis Tennisons. The two of them were invited to Thailand as representatives of the Baltic Buddhist community by visiting prince Aditya Dibya-Abbha, who was on an official state visit to Estonia in 1930, before the country’s occupation by the Russians.
Two years later, on 27 November 1930 Lustig ordained as a monk by Tennisons at the Riga Imanta Buddhist Temple arranged by the latter in his Riga apartment. Lustig’s first Buddhist name was Ananda
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Maitreya, which he kept at least until the death of his guru, e.g., it was still in use in 1959. Later he became known as Ashin Ananda (sometimes written as A Shin Ananda).
The very next day after his ordination in 1930 they both Tennissons and Lustig started their journey through Europe to Asia, hoping to go to Tibet. After leaving Estonia Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra and Lustig - Ashin Ananda first settled in Paris, France where they managed to establish good relations with locals interested in Eastern religion. Lustig began to study Eastern languages Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese at Paris College and the Ecole National des Langues Orientales. During the summer of 1931 they visited the south of France and Italy, spending 3–4 months at the Villa Nosnibor owned by a French intellectual interested in Eastern teachings, Lucien Ehret. This period of their life is described by the French writer of Russian-Armenian origin Alexandre Grigoriantz, the grandson of Lucien Ehret, in a book chapter dedicated to another interesting European interested in Buddha’s teaching, Trebisch Lincol. In November 1931 they left Marseilles from south of France on board a French steamer Desirade, sailed through the Suez Canal to Djibouti, then on to Sri Lanka, Singapore and finally Bangkok, arriving there on the very last day of 1931. They stayed in Bangkok for the next 18 years.
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MonksinThailandorSiam,1931/32-1949.
In November 1933, His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama passed away and from that time on the doors of many Buddhist temples were closed for decades in soviet Russia and Mongolia.
In 1935 still alive Buddhists all over former Soviet Russia, Mongolia, Kalmykia, Tuva and Buryatia were prosecuted and prisoned by the first to fall under attack was Saint-Petersburg's datsan. “My guru and I were treated extremely well,” wrote Ananda in his life sketch. “We stayed in several royal monasteries, including Wat Phra Chetuphon near the Grand Palace,” while in Thailand or Siam. He spent the years 1935-36 in China, visiting famous Buddhist monasteries, and on their way back spent some time in the Philippines and Vietnam.
Fridrich Voldemar Lustig – Ashin Ananda and Karl Tõnisson –BotherVahindrainChina1935-36.
Finally returning to Thailand for the Second World War. The one-and-a-half-year journey to China was Fridrich Lustig’s – Ashin Ananda’s happiest period of his life, as he has mentioned late on in his life.
From time to time, they lived at different Buddhist monasteries in Bangkok, Thailand, or Siam (e.g., Wat Po and Wat Yannava), but mostly resided in private apartments (e.g., their last place of residence was at 31 Trocadero Line).
What Fridrich Lustig - Ashin Ananda did not mention in his “Brief Sketch of My Life” a biography —but confided about 40 years later to a foreign journalist— was why he had left Thailand for Burma. In 1987, Ananda recalled: “A man named McDonald had started a newspaper called the Bangkok Post, to
FridrichLustig—AshinAnanda&KarlTõnisson—Brother VahindravisitingmonasteriesinChina1935-1936.
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which my guru and I would contribute an occasional article.” Among them, articles criticising counties name change from Siam to Thailand and the government’s Japanese favouring politics. During this period, in WWII (1939–1945) they managed to get into a confrontation with the Thai authorities. Tennisons and Lustig tried to be politically active and waded into societal discussions. In 1939, they criticized the name change from Siam to Thai, which they took as backing away from Buddhist cultural inheritance.
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FriedrichVoldemarLustigwithabamboohat.Phototaken Thailand,1940s.
On the 6th of November 1941 they bought a Soviet (Red) flag and hoisted it on top of their roof. Partly it might have been an attempt to get former Soviet Union embassy’s attention to issue any travel documents for the monks.
After the war, they published an article claiming the Thai government knew about Japanese plans to attack Pearl Harbor. Thus, they gained a reputation of being “red monks” (i.e., communists) In 1941 Tõnisson and Lustig criticized openly in local newspaper's politics of Thai government that was favouring Japan.
Thailand’s Prime Minister was outraged by the accusation, so the two freelance writers-monks found themselves being
On the 4th of September 1949 they were arrested, escorted to the north of the country and physically escorted to the Thai-Burmese border near Chiang Rai in the north by thirty Thai soldiers and expelled from Thailand into neighbouring Burma during the night between the 7th and 8th of September over the border river. They spent the autum of 1949 in Kentung (Shan state).
(For historical context, 1949 is the same year the legendary forest wondering ascetic monk Ajahn Man or Man Phurithatto passed away. He is legendary for living in accordancewith authentic pre-sectarian Buddha’s teachings.)
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The abbot of the monastery there spoke good Thai, which Lustig had learned to speak fluently while living in Siam.
On the 30th of December 1949 they finally arrived in Yangon (Rangoon), the capital of Burma at that time. Ananda told the foreign journalist: “That was on September 7, 1949. We crossed over into Shan territory, where we stayed for four months because Rangoon was surrounded by insurgents at the time.” They are given asylum by the Burmese premier, U Nu. Then they move into Shwedagon Pagoda’s Western entrance called Monjin Chaundaik. It is a terraced house complex built in a well-kept park. Shwedagon Pagoda is the world's largest, oldest, heaviest, tallest, most expensive and best-known Buddhist shrine, at night the 76-carat diamond on its spire is illuminated by floodlights, and during the day the eyes dazzle from the sun-reflecting gold coating. It houses a hair of Gautama Buddha, one of eight that he plucked out in his infinite kindness and gave to the local Buddhists. It is also believed that the pagoda was built even before the death of the Buddha, and although scholars question this version, the Burmese faith is so strong that no one out loud tries to deny it.
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MartinSteinke(GermanBuddhistdelegate),KushokBakula Rinpoche,FriedrichVoldemarLustigandKarlTõnisson representedLatviaasdelegatesatthe1954congressofthe WorldBuddhistFederationinRangoo1954attheopeningof theSixthBuddhistCouncil.
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ShwedagonPagoda,anoldphotograph.
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In 1956 Karl Tõnisson - Bother Vahindra and Fridrich Voldemar Lustig - Ashin Ananda participated in the IV International Buddhist Conference in Kathmandu in Nepal, and they came into contact
with lamas from Buryatia who were for the first-time outside Buryatia. In Burma, Lustig became the librarian of Rangoon monastery. He became famous for translating Burmese poetry into English. The teacher and his disciple spent their last days in Rangoon among Buddhist and monks who belonged to Hinayana tradition, although they both belonged to Mahayana tradition.
Photoof1956FridrichVoldemarLustig-AshinAnandaandKarl Tõnisson–BotherVahindragivingatalkontheIVInternational BuddhistConferenceinKathmanduinNepal. 46
Friedrich Lustig – Ashin Ananda, Gambojev and Šarapov, Bhutan'shighestBuddhistauthorityandKarlTõnisson–Brother Vahindrainyear1956theIVInternationalBuddhistConference inKathmandu,Nepal.
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Karl Tõnnison – Brother Vahindra and Friedrich Lustig – Ashin Ananda,Burma.
In 1956 Karl Tõnisson - Bother Vahindra and Fridrich Voldemar Lustig - Ashin Ananda participated in the IV International BuddhistConferenceinKathmanduinNepal.BoudhanathStupa canbeseenonthebackground.
In 1967 Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra and Fridrich Voldemar Lustig – Ashin Ananda took part in the 15th World Vegetarian Congress held in Delhi, Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vhahindra - Kārlis Tennyson spoke as the Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia and said:
“When in 1923 I was appointed as the Buddhist head of the three Baltic States and was given the official title of the Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia, I was glad to know that even though Buddhists are only a tiny minority in Latvia, the Buddhist spirit is
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strong in this country. Cruelty to animals is severely punished. The killing of storks, herons, beavers, squirrels, lynxes, and roe deer is strictly prohibited throughout the territory of Latvia.
Destroying bird nests was also a criminal offence and when determining the severity of the punishment, the number of birds killed was taken into account - the more birds that had lost their lives, the more severe it was. Many species of fish, eels and crayfish were protected in Latvian rivers. In winter, when the fields of Latvia are covered with snow and the rivers are frozen, it is difficult for the birds to find food for themselves. That is why the municipalities of the largest Latvian cities provided birds (finches, sparrows, pigeons and others) with special seeds, some of which even had to be imported from abroad because the birds' food must be varied. Such kindness was shown to the birds during the winter months.
Moose, deer and hares that live in the forest also received food from the municipalities in winter, for which the residents, of course, had to pay. The use of cats, even just to scare away birds, was strictly prohibited. Moreover, there were shelters for old dogs and cats. Huge centuries-old trees in both parks and forests were marked with national protection signs, and no one could even imagine cutting them down.
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The presence of the Buddhist spirit in the people of Latvia is a good sign for the efforts of Buddhist missionaries in the West in general. However, after hearing what I told you, you must agree that many countries, more important than Latvia, are far behind in legislative issues that affect the protection of helpless animals. The people of Latvia, who are Aryans and were Buddhists in ancient times, have been living on the shores of the Baltic Sea for more than 5,000 years. The Latvian language, which is rich in inflections, is related to Sanskrit. In ancient chronicles, Latvia is known as the land of Amber.”
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Fridrich Voldemar Lustig - Ashin Ananda and Karl Tõnisson –BotherVahindraBurmeseyearsfrom1949onwards.Photofrom ShwedagonPagoda.Onecanseeadogontherightsideofthe picture.Theykeptmanydogsandcats. 51
At the end of his life, Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra re-formulates the details of his biography, which Lustig writes down verbatim, including travel descriptions in which Tennyson already goes with the future Tsar of Russia Nikolai Romanov, participates in the “Boxer Rebellion” in China, and receives ordination as a monk in Burkuchinsk datsan in Transbaikalia, of Lithuanian origin priest Mahacharya Ratnavajra Kunigaish Gedimin (there is no information about such a person anywhere else). This manuscript, completed in 1965, is currently stored in the Australian Estonian Archive, one source mentions its size – more than 1000 pages, Lustig's preface to the book of poems “Fluttering leaves” mentions 600 pages, but the images shown on the archive's website have one and a half hundred pages thick book.
After leaving the Baltics, Tennison did not publish his texts as separate books, although during the last period of his life, in the 1950s and early 1960s while living in Burma (Myanmar), he is known to have been writing his so-called Buddhist Catechism, which, however, remained unfinished. A few paragraphs published in the Burmese press, copies of which are stored in archives in Estonia, allow us to conclude that in that period Tennison returned to authentic Buddhism.
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On 9 May 1962 Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra passed away, and he was nuncupated as Bodhisattva in Hinayana Buddhist tradition – an occasion that rarely occurred in a Theravada Buddhist country. A month after the military coup organized by General Ne Win.
His passing attracts attention – the body has not started to decay for three days, which is thought to be a sign of reaching the state of "arhat” during life. No crystal relics were found in his body. Tennyson is cremated with great respect and buried first at the base of the Shwedagon Pagoda later he’s remains, along with Fridrich Voldemar Lustig – Ashin Ananda,
Karl Tõnisson’s – Brother Vahindra’s cremation ceremony in Burma,1962.
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were moved to Chinese monastery two hundred meters from the Shwedagon Pagoda duo to some construction.
After the coup, a very dark period of dictatorship begins in the country, Burma closes off from the outside world and expels all foreigners, but Fridrich Lustig – Ashin Ananda, who is offered to move to the United States, nevertheless remains and actively cooperates as a monk with the government – writes anti-communist pamphlets. Also, he’s birth land, Estonia, was occupied by communist. (General Ne Win considered himself a socialist, but denied communists) He’s poetry was English that was published in The Guardian Magazine, a propaganda publication of the Burmese government. During this period, political movements are going on, all demanding their own way. Sometimes from 15 to 20 different interest groups. This is on going until the present day.
Until their death, they were officially recognized as representatives of Buddhism in the Baltics.
Life after Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra passing
After Vahindra’s death, Lustig spent three years (1962–1965) writing his guru’s biography. Since 1965 and encouraged by the American Margaret Kardell,
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Lustig had begun to write poetry in English. He had already published poetry (e.g. Novyi Narvskii Listok [New Narva Letter], written in Russian) as early as 1927. During 1966–1967 he began to translate Burmese poetry into English. Altogether, four books of his translations93 were published, in addition to three collections of his own poems. In 1968, he was awarded the title of Lilac Laureate for Poetry at a competition in California after sending them examples of his work. Lustig’s poem dedicated to Nixon’s visit to Burma a couple of years previously managed to attract the attention of the US President Richard Nixon himself. At the same time, he finally began to “assimilate” into the local cultural environment (shaved his beard off and wore an orange Theravada robe instead of the dark purple of a Mahayana monk’s robes). He also began to use his Buddhist name Ashin Ananda more often and adopted disciples from amongst the local population. Burmese U Aung Khin became his favourite disciple and a person very close to him. Another infl uential disciple was the current Mohnyin Sankyaung Abbot U Dha Ma (Ashin Dhamatiri). According to Nikolai Listopadov his very last disciple was Aung Khin’s nephew Maung Shauk Tin. Lustig’s relations with the Burmese authorities were not simple. He tried to refrain from direct political activity, but was still concerned enough with the political situation in Indo-
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China during the 1970s to write letters to the American journal Newsweek. He was an ardent and sincere anti-communist, and some of the junta’s members seemed to like this. Due to his good relations with the authorities, he was allowed passage to some otherwise off-limits areas (such as e.g. the Naga Hills). He used to teach English on regular basis at Thayet Taw monastery in downtown Yangon. However, during the “religious purification” campaigns of the early 1980s, he was afraid to take money for teaching for fear of repression. In 1986 a delegation of Soviet writers visited Burma. Among them was the historian and writer Lennart Meri, who would later become the President of Estonia. On the 27th of March 1986 Meri met Lustig at his monastery near the Shwedagon Pagoda. This visit has been described in detail by Nikolay Listopadov, the organizer of the event. Lustig also witnessed the famous events of 8-8-88 (a popular uprising against the Burmese military junta) in August and September 1988. These events are vividly and sympathetically described in his diaries brought to Estonia in 2005. Lustig (Ashin Ananda) died on the 4th of April 1989. For some time his ashes were kept at the Mohnyin Kyaungdaik monastery at Shwedagon, before they were fi nally placed in the same Pagoda on the territory of the Chinese monastery Kwan Yin Shan as Tennisons’s. When I visited Yangon in 2008 I met a
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relatively young monk (Ashin Thitzana) at the Mohnyin Sankyaung monastery who had lived there since 1985 and remembered Ashin Ananda pretty well. Unfortunately, he spoke no English, but showed me some items relating to Tennisons and Lustig. Abbot U Dha Ma was travelling around the country at the time.
As a poet, monk and political exile, Friedrich Lustig—known in Burma as Ashin Ananda—acquired a unique understanding of his adoptive homeland Myanmar. “If you go to the Shwedagon and ask anybody about Friedrich Lustig, they will know him”—such is the popularity of this extraordinary foreign monk who spent forty years in Burma, and was allowed to live at the Shwedagon Pagoda by Ne Win. Still thousands of kilometres away from the Shwedagon pagoda, when one asked a Catholic priest about Friedrich Lustig, he told: “Yeah, Lustig… I often met him in Rangoon! His Burmese name is Ashin Ananda.” Ashin Ananda, a devout Buddhist, was among the earliest in publicizing Burmese poetry and traditional music among English-speaking audiences. He died eleven years ago in 1989, and his ashes were kept at Mohnyin Kyaungdaik monastery at the Shwedagon until they were transferred to a Mahayana Buddhist monastery white pagoda shaped cemetery about 200 m from Shwedagon. However, he was not originally, as you might think, an
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enthusiastic Westerner in exploration of Enlightenment or perfection far away from home. Instead, he was a man to whom Burma—as ironic as it might sound—had granted political asylum. He entered Burma from Thailand on September 8, 1949, and was granted asylum by U Nu. Before that, he had stayed in Thailand for over a decade, during which his native country, Estonia, was annexed by the Soviet Union and his passport became invalid. A strong anti-communist, he preferred to be a man without a country than carry a Russian passport.
When Ne Win’s military dictatorship became to power, and foreigners were forced to leave, Ashin Ananda got permission to stay because of this peculiar situation. Ne Win appreciated his anticommunist stance and asked him to write articles denouncing communists in The Working People’s Daily and The Guardian—which Ananda happily did for ten years. This even earned him a military pass allowing travel anywhere in the country, including such off-limits areas as the Naga Hills.
“I am not sorry for what I did. I wrote everything with a clear conscience,” Ashin Ananda said later to a foreign journalist. Considering the fate of his Nordic country, Estonia, which was engulfed by the communists in 1940, resulting in 25 percent of the one million Estonians being unlawfully persecuted—either killed, sent to Russia’s Gulag
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prison-death-forced-labour camps or forced to escape abroad—Lustig probably wrote those anticommunist pieces with satisfaction, if not with delight.
It seems that he did indeed find a sanctuary in Burma, not only because he was allowed to stay, but also because he became sincerely attached to the land and its beauty. Although he followed the teachings of Lord Buddha devoutly, his passion was Burmese poetry, and he himself expressed his love for Burma best in poetry. He received the title of US Lilac Laureate poet in 1968. “I came to like his poems because he was always expressing great love for Burma and Burmese culture… His poems are written in the classical style, his rhythmic and metric scheme is faultless. His writings were always meant for the betterment of people, to make them more compassionate, gentle and thoughtful,” wrote Khin Soe, a former civil servant, in his foreword to Fifty Selected Poems, a collection of Ananda’s poems published over years in The Working People’s Daily, The Guardian Daily and in the Guardian Magazine.
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Writes Ashin Ananda:
I love this land, and clouds that drift, And flags that flutter in the wind, And men who gladly give a lift
To strangers and are not thin-skinned. (From The Land We Love)
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Fridrich Voldemar Lustig – Ashin Ananda during daily morning almsroundwithanalmsbowlinSwendagon pagoda, Yangon, Burma.
Though the many landmarks of Burma, such as the Shwedagon, Pagan and the Irrawaddy River, received special attention, most of Ananda’s poems were daring, personal reflections of his depression and joy, his likes, dislikes, and temptations. The titles of some of his poems speak for themselves: “That Inner Urge,” “Likes and Dislikes,” “Open Mind,” “The Ups and Downs.” In “I Snap My Fingers at Temptation” he writes: The inner mind may be perverted. Not all who listen truly hear. One’s strength must firmly be exerted, if one desires to stay austere. He saw no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed for possessing these worldly feelings—as long as one stood firmly on the Buddhist path, such experience would only make one stronger, was Ananda’s message. He felt the most important things are meditation, avoidance of attachments in daily life and following the teachings of Lord Buddha.
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FridrichVoldemarLustig–AshinAnandawiththePaliCannon, thecollectionofBuddha’steachingsinBurma.
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Fridrich Voldemar Lustig – Ashin Ananda in the 1980s Shwedagonpagoda,Yangon,Burma.
Ananda never gave up his love for music. He transcribed a lot of classical Burmese music such as Yodayar, Bawle, Patpyo (the Mahagitta Baungyoke) into international music notes, which were published by the government in 1952 under the title “Classical Burmese Music.”
His greatest service to the land that he loved were the translations into English of classical Burmese poets from the 15th century until his present, many of which even the Burmese find difficult to understand. His translations were quite highly esteemed in Rangoon and abroad. “It is a great delight for me to read your book, and I hope to see more translated works as a valuable means of creating better mutual understanding between the Burmese and other peoples in the world,” wrote Dr. Nguyen Luu Vien, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam in a letter to Ananda in 1967 from Saigon. Ashin Ananda, alias Friedrich Lustig, did not get to see his native country Estonia free again.
He died a-two-years before Estonia regained independence in 1991. Possibly, he was the only Estonian who held a genuine Estonian passport for all the fifty years of Russian occupation, and never gave it up for any other passport. Estonian people must be very proud of that.
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Fridrich Voldemar
Shwedagon
There is little doubt that Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra and Friedrich Voldemar Lustig – Ashin Ananda were the first “practising” Buddhists in Estonia and among the very first in the whole of Europe and the “western world” in the modern period. Despite many not believing in every detail of Karlis Tennisons’s public- and self-created legend and although in some peoples’ view they remained merely “Westerners in Buddha’s monk’s robes” they lived remarkable lives. I believe that their lives are worthy of further study. Without any doubt, they
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Lustig – Ashin Ananda in the 1980s
pagoda,Yangon,Burma.
were the very first people in Estonia to publicly spread Buddha’s teachings, become Buddha’s monks and to live a life described by the Buddha for monastics. Thanks to Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra, Estonians can look back on more than a century of being a “Buddhist nation”, i.e., one where Buddhist teachings have been/are lived and practised. Thank you for reading.
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ABOUT THE EDITOR
Mr. A.A.A. is an Estonian born traveller. He’s interested in a Buddha’s teaching.
Monk’s publications and books
Friedrich Voldemar Lustig - Ashin Ananda:
“Fifty Selected Poems” English Ashin Ananda [Burma]: [s.n.] [1986],133pp.
“WinkingCandlesandBlazingTrails”acollectionofFriedrichV. Lustig'sPoems.Rangoon:1972,64pp.
“Fluttering leaves” a collection of 60 poems of the Most Rev. FriedrichV.Lustig(AshinAnanda).Rangoon:1970,84pp.
“The Mahatma of the Baltic. The Remarkable Life of the most Rev.KarlisA.M.Tennisons,theBuddhistArchbishopofLatvia” (KarlTõnisson–BrotherVahindrabiography.500-1000pp “BriefSketchofMyLife.”
BeforeLustig’spassing,hewasintheprocessorwasplanning writingabookabouttheessenceofBuddha’steaching.
Karl Tõnisson – Brother Vahindra books publications:
“TheLastMinutesofOurWorld”1907Estonian4pp
“ThestoryofTennyson'slifein306verses”1907or1908
“Futuregreatpower,Pan-Baltoonia”.1928
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“The Doctrine of How Man Becomes Immortal” Russian 1909 book
in which Tennyson claims that young people can achieve immortality by returning to the state “before the fall”, while olderpeoplecanliveupto200foryears.
“Meandmydisciplesbelieve”(EduardBergmann,printhousein Tartu).1930
1909–1930 Tõnisson published at least 16 books, including new editions: 13 in Estonian (six of them were original works), two in Russian and one in Latvian.
Primarysources:
https://www.geni.com -KarlTõnisson/VendVahindra
https://www.researchgate.net - Talts, Mait. (2008). “The First Buddhist PriestontheBalticCoast”:KarlisTennisonandtheIntroductionofBuddhismin Estonia.Folklore:electronicjournaloffolklore:[printedversion]/Instituteofthe EstonianLanguage&EstonianFolkloreArchives.38.10.7592/FEJF2008.38.talts.
https://www.researchgate.net - Talts, Mait. (2015). Karlis A. M. Tennisons andFriedrichV.Lustig–thefirst‘practising’BuddhistinEstonia.
TheBeginningofBuddhisminEstonia:KarlTõnisson’sactions - Marju Broder.EstonicaEestiInstituut(2018).
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