The Pandito Khambo Lama Institute was established in 1764 by a decree from Empress Catherine II, which helped formally establish an independent Buddhist Sangha Body in Russia.
The head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia is His Holiness XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev. He represents the Buddhist denomination on the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation and the Interreligious Council of Russia.

Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev was born on September 1, 1962, in the village of Shergoljin, Krasnochikoysky District, Chita Region. After graduating from Verkhneshergoljin Secondary School, he completed his studies at Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky Pedagogical College in 1980. He then worked as a teacher at Kunkur Secondary School in the Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Region.

On April 28, 1995, Damba Ayusheev was elected the XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama, Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Buddhists of the Russian Federation (CSAB). The CSAB was later renamed the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia (BTSR). Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev has made a significant contribution to the Buddhist revival in Russia. Under His Holiness's leadership, one of the largest Buddhist complexes was built in the Verkhnyaya Beryozovka area of Buryatia's capital, Ulan-Ude. The Ulan-Ude Datsan includes the Duinkhor Dugan, Divazhin Dugan, and Sogchen Dugan and serves as the second residence of the Pandito Khambo Lama.
Two Buddhist universities were opened (in 1991 at the Ivolginsky Datsan and in 1993 at the Aginsky Datsan), where about two hundred novice lamas are trained in Buddhist disciplines. More than 45 historical datsans, which are objects of a unique religious and cultural heritage and were ruthlessly destroyed during the anti-religious repressions in the USSR, have been restored. New datsans and dugans have been opened throughout the ethnic region. In the villages, ancestral places of worship -Buddhist suburgans -have been restored. The revival of spiritual heritage has immense sacred significance for the people of the republic. Today, Buryatia is, without exaggeration, a treasury of Buddhism in Russia.

For more than twenty years, Buddhist datsans and communities in Russia have been consolidated into a centralized religious organization the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia. The BTSR is the legal successor of the CSAB of Russia, has received official registration with the Ministry of Justice of Russia, and is recognized as one of the four traditional confessions of the Russian Federation.
The activities of the XXIV Pandito Khambo Lama are directed towards serving his people and are not limited to religious matters.
A unique project to revive animal farming and the quality of life in the region, called “Social Flock,” is successfully developing. It began its work after President V.V. Putin's visit to the Khambo Lama's residence in 2013. This was the first project of its kind in Russia. Since then, the number of sheep in the “Social Flock” in Buryatia has grown from 10,000 to 300,000, providing jobs and prosperity to the residents of Buryatia. Simultaneously, “social herds” of Buryat cows and yaks are being developed. In 2022, a manufacturing facility for processing sheep wool and producing felt began operating, aimed at organizing waste-free production for the owners of the “Social Flock.”

In November 2022, volunteers organized a workshop to sew winter uniforms for participants of the Special Military Operation (SMO). Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev supported the initiative and allocated felt and a workspace for the needs of the workshop.
Over the years, through the efforts of His Holiness and the lamas of the BTSR, national sports have been revived: wrestling, archery, and horse racing. Every year, the republic hosts a sports festival dedicated to the traditional athletic triathlon “Eryn Gurban Naadan” (Three Games of Men). A foundry and a sculpture workshop - the exquisite gallery of Asian arts, “Erkhim Darkhan” - have been opened at the Ivolginsky Datsan. The works of Buryat masters from the Ivolginsky Datsan are presented in the “My Russia” cultural and ethnographic center in Sochi, where the thematic pavilion on Buryatia is built in the form of a Buddhist datsan.

In its religious and secular activities, the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, under the leadership of Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev, attaches great importance to the restoration of traditional values, spiritual self-sufficiency, and love for their native land in the upbringing of the younger generation. Several times a year, prestigious competitions in the Buryat language and crafts are held. Children not only from various districts of the republic but also from other regions of the country come to participate. With the blessing of the Pandito Khambo Lama, the national radio station “Buryad FM” was launched, which broadcasts throughout Buryatia.

In 2002, the whole world learned about the phenomenon of the imperishable body of Khambo Lama Itigelov. Meticulous work was done to move Khambo Lama Itigelov to a specially constructed palace in the Ivolginsky Datsan, where thousands of pilgrims now come to worship. An annual international scientific conference, “The Phenomenon of Khambo Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov,” is held, with the main themes being Itigelov's philosophical messages and the inexhaustible state of his precious body.

Awards:

• Order of “Friendship” (February 11, 2013) - for achievements in work, many years of conscientious service, and active social work.
• Order of “the Polar Star” (June 4, 2011, Mongolia) - for a significant contribution to strengthening Russian-Mongolian relations. The award was presented by the Prosecutor General of Mongolia, Dambyn Darligjav.
• Medal “For Faith and Goodness” (June 17, 2011, Kemerovo Region, Russia). The award was presented by representatives of the Kemerovo Region administration at the Ivolginsky Datsan.
• Commendation of the President of the Russian Federation (August 23, 2010) - for active spiritual and educational work aimed at reviving national and cultural traditions, and preserving civil peace and harmony.
• Order of “Honor” (March 27, 2023) - for active social work aimed at strengthening friendship between peoples and interfaith understanding.

*The title Pandito (Bandida, Bandito, Pandit, Pandita) comes from the Sanskrit word “pandit/pandita” (Sanskrit: पण्डित), meaning “scholar” or “expert.” In ancient India, it was an honorific title for a scholarly Brahmin or a highly educated person in classical Indian religious literature in Sanskrit. Subsequently, with the development of Buddhist education, the same epithet was used to refer to Buddhist philosophers and scholars. The title Khambo (Khamba, Khambo, Kamba, Khenpo) is based on the Sanskrit word “acharya” (Sanskrit: आचार्य), meaning “religious mentor.” In Tibetan Buddhism, the title acharya is also awarded as an academic degree during the process of traditional philosophical education - Khenpo (Tibetan: མཁན་པོ། or སློབ་དཔོན།) in the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions, and corresponds to the title Geshe (Tibetan: དགེ་བཤེས།) in the Gelug tradition.

**The oldest and first in importance Buddhist center in Western Transbaikal Region, located on the territory of the modern Kyakhtinsky District of the Republic of Buryatia. The year of its official establishment is 1741, when Buddhism in Russia became a state religion. The datsan is located in the village of Murochi, on the right bank of the Chikoy River, 60 km from the city of Kyakhta. Therefore, it is also called the Chikoy or Murochi Datsan. This datsan is also known as Khilgantuy Datsan, corresponding to the name of the area where the first Buddhist service was held. A new location for the “Baldan Breibun” datsan was indicated in 1912 by the XII Pandito Khambo Lama Itigelov.