Just a quick followup to the above.
In Igor's
article, the newspaper
Dagens Nyheter mentions this:
Mar. 11, 1933
“In the previous 8 weeks he had crossed Germany on foot,
studying Nazism. He wanted to find out how a political refugee could get from Germany to Denmark.”
So, Illion claims he'd been studying Nazism in January and February of 1933 and, shown above, he was working in the Nazi controlled DD in 1940. Illion -> Herr E. -> Goebbels -> Hitler. Three degrees is pretty close. But, an idea came to me that he 'infiltrated' the Nazis just like he 'infiltrated' the underground city in
Darkness. I thought it was also interesting that Illion's possible job was translation. He might be privy to classified info, maybe not high level info but he may have read things before others knew about them. Just like a spy would...which makes me think of Illion's claim of being Rudyard Kipling's
Kim, who was trained in espionage. Idk, I just get this feeling that part of Illion's life is lived in a fantasy, like he's playing a character in someone else's story.
There was something else I thought of. I was going through the lists and read this SN news report.
1963
Oct. 11 - "Sex cult in Asia"
Oct. 14 - [Review] "Sexual cult in Asia" "Theodor Burang-Illion, a well-known publicist and author of books on Asian medicine, gave a critical, well-documented lecture on this interesting topic on Friday in Salzburg. He drew not only on original Asian texts and his own observations, but also on serious research findings by the Englishman Sir John Woodroffe, known under the pseudonym Arthur Avalon, who dedicated thirty years of his life to objectively researching this foreign world on the spot and bringing it closer to Western understanding."
John Woodroffe is best known for his famous book
The Serpent Power, published in 1919, as well as many others. He was also a
theosophist. He died in France, 1936. Just saying, Illion had no wife or kids and, as far as I know, was a loner all (?) his life. From the review, I can't gauge what Illion's position is, but his lecture, I'm guessing, is based totally on theory. I mean, who wants to get close to a guy that has appalling body odour?
I didn't see it at the time, but Illion's later claim that he was a member of the Club of Rome (which I doubt) is also a link to Theosophy since it was founded by members who were theosophists. Along with the four other connections to Theosophy I
listed, this brings the total to six of varying strengths. While I don't think he was a committed member of Theosophy, I think he was definitely influenced.
Now, from Max Kaindl-Hönig’s tribute of Illion, we see how he acts around Christmas.
This desire to be alone: as punctual as Mr. Illion was - it was said that one could set one's watch by his absolute reliability - the moment of going was, as it seemed, predetermined, just as the coming was. (This was one reason why he did not want his day trips in trackless Tibet to be hindered by a sluggish pack animal). Mr. Illion, however, had a special time for being alone, which he made his own rule. It was always at Christmas that he, more than ever, was lost to the world. Even in later years, while he stayed as a modest tenant in small private rooms here or there, he took up residence in an inn before the 24th. All those years he had already set up his writing and study room in half a dozen villages between the Tauern and Salzkammergut, living in inns as a harmlessly strange nomad. So at Christmas he was still living without an accessible address. No one could keep him company; he took no sign from anyone; no mail came to him. The hermit's inner silence was indivisible. It may be that on these days of seclusion - unconsciously, unintentionally - the peace of mind allowed him to breathe as he found it good: in the rhythm of the relaxation of soul and body. ''I only breathe about three times a minute, even in the evening,'' he had noted long decades earlier in that Tibet book.
Illion enters the world publicly with a book in 1931. It is noted that one of Illion’s characters says
“Catholicism, Brahmnism, and Lamaist Buddhism are essentially the same thing.”
Illion shows no love for Buddhism in his books, and the above quote shows the same attitude towards other religions. After thinking about it, I don't remember him mentioning anything about a God or a “higher power” or anything like that and I started to wonder if he could be an agnostic or an atheist?
It's known that Illion was a staunch vegetarian, a non-smoker, and a “planet activist” of sorts as shown in this
interview exchange. Add the ideas of being an agnostic or atheist and his, at least, semi-interest in the occult and he starts sounding like a 'New Age' guru.
Now. Tuva.
When it comes to Buddhism and shamanism in Tuva it's really hard to find much because, certainly for Buddhism, it was almost completely wiped out in the 1930's, but it did exist and was thriving. Sorry, these machine translations can be a bit wonky.
Religious Beliefs and Practices.
The traditional religions in Tuva are Siberian shamanism, traces of which can still be found in the countryside, and
Tibetan Lamaism, which entered Tuva in the second half of the eighteenth century and still persists among older people.
In 1931 there were more than 4,000 lamas and two dozen lamaseries. After purges instigated by graduates of the KUTV
[Communist University of the Toilers of the East] during the 1930s, the lamas were dispersed and repressed, some of them were shot, and nearly all the lamaseries were destroyed. Recently, however, a Buddhist community was officially registered in Tuva. Efforts are underway to
rebuild the great lamasery at Chadan.
The period of existence of the
Tuvan People's Republic (1921-1944) became the most dramatic in the history of Tuvan Buddhism. Beginning in the 30's. The 20th century
political changes in the country led to the destruction of almost all Buddhist monasteries and repression of clergymen.
The Tuvan People’s Revolutionary Party (TNWP) believed that Buddhist monasteries could become tribunes for the proclamation of reactionary ideas, and lamas with authority and influence on the population could pose a threat to the party in competition for spiritual and ideological dominance [Mungush 2001, p. 106], [Mellerov, Natsk, Samdan 2023, p. 88].
Of the 22 Buddhist monasteries that functioned in 1926 in the 30s [...] there is only one active, of the 3600 lamas - only 15 clergymen [Millerov, Natsk, Samadan 2023, p. 141].
At first, the huree closed, then destroyed, the lamas referred to other skins, and then were subjected to repression. Samagalatai was demolished in 1930, in 1934. Erzinsk Huree, and its ruins were leveled by a tractor. In 1930, the last kamba-lama of Todzhinsky Huree Tongut was exiled to another skin, and Huree - destroyed, the cult accessories - burned. The same fate befell other Buddhist monasteries located in different Khoshuns of the TNR
[TPR?- Tuvan National Republic?] [Mongush, 2001, p.113].
By the beginning of 1940. in the territory of Tuva there was not a single Huree. The exceptions were the Verkhnechdan and Nizhnechadan Hure, in which, despite the destroyed buildings, the lamas continued to hold religious rites in 6 yurts and 2 built houses. However, in the 60-70s. XX century. due to the beginning of the new persecutions of lama were forced to engage in cultic practice illegally [Mongush, 2001, p. 121].
For many years, religion was banned.
The "huree" mentioned was one of the largest monasteries in Tuva called Ustu-Hure (various spellings exist). Here are
two photos of the temple from 1910 and 1929.
Here is
another similar version of the religious history of Tuva from the early 1900's.
The original religion of the Tuvans was Shamanism. The second major religion of them, Buddhism, was a later (thirteenth century) arrival; it never supplanted Shamanism, but alongside Shamanism was declared one of the two state religions in the eighteenth century. After the overthrow of the Manchurian dynasty in China in 1911 Tuva became a protectorate of the Russian Empire. The Russian authorities did not interfere in the religious life of the region or challenge the authority of the religious leaders, and during the time of the Russian protectorate new Buddhist monastic centers were established.
In 1921 the Tuvan People`s Republic was proclaimed, in a union with Soviet Russia. Its constitution guaranteed the right of citizens to profess any religion of their choice. Soviet influence was gradually expanded in the republic; but in the early years it took a mild form, partly because of the powerful influence of China in the region.
From 1921 to 1928 the Tuvan government actually took Buddhism under its protection. The Soviet authorities were alarmed, and they had to interfere into this process. Many young Tuvans were taken to Moscow for special education and on their return they took over control of the people`s religious life.
In 1929 an anti-religious policy was put in place. However, religious adherence was strong. There were at least 28 monasteries, and out of a total population of 60.000, 4800 were lamas. The 1931 census revealed that there were 725 shamans in Tuva. Anti-religious excesses on the part of the government threatened to lead to the alienation of the population and by 1933 the authorities were adopting a more moderate approach: religious beliefs were, for example, proclaimed to be no longer an obstacle to party membership. Systematic anti-religious persecution, with the aim of eradicating all religion in the republic, nevertheless began in earnest in 1936. The property of religious institutions was nationalized and clergy were deprived of all political and property rights. By 1937 there were only 5 monasteries and 67 lamas left in Tuva.
In October 1944 Tuva was finally annexed to the Soviet Union as an autonomous oblast of the Russian Federation. In 1961 it became the Tuvan Autonomous Republic. At the time of collectivization, which took place much later in Tuva than elsewhere in the USSR, from 1949 to 1954, lamas were still offering resistance, and were even attempting to regenerate Buddhist life. Some surviving lamas met to conduct services of prayer. These unofficial gatherings became known as "praying yurts”. They were led by the most authoritative and educated lama Kenden Khomushku. In early 1950s he moved to the Ivolginsk Datsan in Buryatia and from there continued to lead the Tuvan Buddhists.
Lamas and shamans alike suffered harsh treatment as enemies of the people. Nevertheless, both religions refused to die out completely, and perhaps even reinforced each other`s survival. About 100 lamas were still surviving in 1960. In that year the Tuvan authorities organized a gathering of lamas at which they were forced to adopt a resolution to put a stop to all religious activity. Kenden Khomushku was forbidden to enter Tuva. Nevertheless some lamas continued their religious activity underground and Kenden Khomushku sometimes visited the country illegally.
The traditional religions thus survived communism in Tuva better than most religions elsewhere in the Soviet Union and religious traditions remained a living element in Tuvan national consciousness.
In Tuva today one of the central conflicts in the development of religiosity in the post-soviet Russian Federation is revealed perhaps more sharply than anywhere else. This is the conflict between "restoration” and "innovation”, between those who want to restore what they see as the traditional religious structures of the country and those who welcome the range of alternatives now on offer. Since Tuva came so late into the Soviet Union and anti-religious measures were muted at first, the population`s memory of how things used to be is livelier than in most other parts of the Russian Federation (Walters, 2001: 25).
In point form, I made a rough list of historical dates in Tuva from several sources, with one very interesting entry.
- Historically a part of Outer Mongolia of the Mongol Empire, Tuva is known as Tannu Uriankhai.
- 1839: Russian settlements begin to appear in Tannu Uriankhai with the opening of two gold mines in the Sayan mountains. By 1883, 485 Russian miners have settled.
- 1856: Russian colonization began with a sect of Old Believers called the “Seekers of White Waters” [14] sought a place surrounded by mountains and forests to isolate them from the Nikon rites of the Russian Orthodox Church and the world. While I can’t find anything about these “Seekers”, “White Waters” is a term directly related to Belovodye: “In the view of the Old Believers, Belovodye is a paradise on earth, which can only be one who is pure in the soul. White water was called the Land of Justice and Prosperity, but about where it is, people are still arguing.”... “The Old Believer legend of the Russian paradise - Belovodye - first appeared in the XVIII century, with its roots it rises to the mystical topos of the Slavs - paradise-irria and the invisible Kitezh-gradu. In the folklore, Belovodye is characterized as a wonderful country of freedom, without the poor and the rich, without serfdom and criminals, a bulwark of the Orthodox faith, in which only the righteous live. The country of the White Waters was open only to virtuous people, and it was in different versions in the Far North, “in Pomorie, from the river of the great Ob to the mouth of the Belovodny River”, in Siberia, in the Urals, as well as in the Altai, where the Old Believers-Bugs settled in the 18th century.” [Link]
- By the 1870’s & 80’s, local political power began to grow in Tannu Uriankhai amongst the Russian presence which the Qing Dynasty did nothing about.
- 1885: Russian colonization formally began when a merchant was granted permission to farm around present-day Turan. By the first decade of the 20th century, about 2,000 merchants and colonists had formed other settlements.
- 1902: Han merchants and colonisers from China were allowed to enter Tannu Uriankhai to counter the Russian presence. The Han soon dominated trade.
- 1905-1907: Ustu-Hure, one of the largest and most famous Buddhist monasteries in Tuva was built. A specially selected Tibetan lama, Kuntan Rimpoche, was brought in to build it.
- Oct. 10, 1911: Xinhai Revolution broke out and many Chinese provinces declared their independence. Mongolia procures independence from Qing Dynasty Dec. 1, 1911.
- Mongolian Revolution of 1911.
- Tannu Uriankhai briefly becomes Uryankhay Republic, an independent state protected by the Russian Empire.
- Apr. 17, 1914: Uryankhay Republic becomes Uryankhay Krai, a protectorate under Tsar Nicholas II.
- 1917: Russian Revolution.
- July 5, 1918 - July 15, 1919: Most of Tuva was occupied by “White Russia” troops with the Southwestern part occupied by Chinese troops and the Southern part by Mongol Troops from the autumn 1918.
- July 1919 - Feb. 1920: the communist Red Army controlled Tuva.
- Feb. 19, 1920 - June 1921: China controlled Tuva.
- 1921: Bolsheviks expel Chinese troops.
- Aug. 14, 1921: Bolsheviks form the Tuvan People’s Republic (“Tannu-Tuva”)
- 1930: Ustu-Hure was closed.
- 1937: The main temple of Ustu-Hure was destroyed but the outer wall was left.
- 1944: Annexed into Mongolia.
Tuva was a mess but here are two more
mentions of Old Believers migrating to Tuva in search of Belovodye.
There are several works about the legendary country. At this time it was placed much further to the east, in the southern Altai, in the valley of the Bukhtarma River.
Then the Old Believers began to go even further - to Tuva and China.
In 1898, three Ural Cossacks - [Onysim Varsonofyevich Baryshnikov], [
Grigory Terentyevich Khokhlov] and [Nifont Danilovich Maksimychev] went in search of Belovodye to the Kingdom of Cambay (Camboju) and the Oponian Islands (Japan). Having experienced many impressions and deprivations, they achieved the goal of the journey, but they never found pious brothers.
From the Urals, the communities first moved to Altai and Tuva, and after the start of collectivization, they left the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. In 1969, the Great Cultural Revolution again drove them down from their seats: they had to go to Brazil. But not all took root in the unusual tropics: some went to Uruguay, and others went to Alaska.
Back to Illion, there are two quotes that got me thinking. In Hans Ezinger’s short tribute after Illion’s death, he says this: “
He spent twenty years intensively studying the Tibetan language and the Tibetan way of thinking.” Also, in her quote above, Katie mentions "...
but spent most of his life in Tibet...".
I'm wondering now if Illion was actually
born in Tuva (1898-ish) to people from the "Seekers of the White Water" sect or another (?) OB sect that moved there. Right from birth, he might have been exposed to Buddhism and Tuvan shamanism.
Here is an
photo, circa 1900, of a Tuvan shaman. Maybe Illion saw something like this.
There's no date for
this one but the caption says it's of Tuva Turks during worship. Northern Mongolia, Province of Uryankhai (Tuva). (The Russian Museum of Ethnography)
Compare these with rare photos from
1942-1943 Tibet.
This is a photo of the 13th c.
Buddhist niche on Mount Sume-Beli in Tuva.
In 1717, the niche was visited by the participants of the Krasnoyarsk military topographic expedition, led by ... Andrei Eremeev and Ivan Nasvoshnikov. They found in a niche bulbs with arrows, barley grains, stripes of blue and black paper, painted with mysterious gold and silver signs. It was later revealed that these were Tibetan prayers.
A little bit on the Republic of Tuva itself.
- It lies in the geographical centre of Asia (depending on how boundaries are weighed; eg: islands)
- 168,604 km2 (65,098 sq mi) land area
- population of 336,651 (2021)
- there are over 8,000 rivers in Tuva the largest being the Yensei
- surrounded by the Altay, West Sayan, East Syan and Tannu-Ola mountain ranges, thus is a geological depression (Tuva Depression)
- "Siberian Valley of the Kings", an area with thousands of Scythian burial mounds, is located in Tuva, radio-carbon dated back to 200-900 BCE, providing some of the earliest evidence of Scythian burial practices. Arzhaan-1&2
Hence my frustration level.
