Karl August Tõnisson (Latvian: Kārlis Tennisons; 20 August ( Jc 8 August) 1883 – 5 May 1962) also known as Brother Vahindra (

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

: ''Vend Vahindra'') and Barefoot Tõnisson (Estonian: ''Paljasjalgne Tõnisson''), was an Estonian writer and religious figure. The first Estonian convert to Buddhism, he was generally seen as eccentric but had a significant impact on Estonian views of Buddhism.Talts 2008 68 In 1930 he left Europe for Thailand, later settling in Burma, dying in

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

, aged 78.

Early life

Tõnisson was born in Umbusi in 1883 into a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

peasant family. His parents died at an early age (his father in 1891 and his mother in 1895) after which he was raised by his uncle.Talts 2015 385

Life and writings

In the 1900s Tõnisson travelled to Riga, where he likely met local Theosophists. Around 1910 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he likely met

Agvan Dorzhiev Agvan Lobsan Dorzhiev (1853 – 29 January 1938) was a Russian-born monk of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes referred by his scholarly title as Tsenyi Khempo. He was popularly known as the Sokpo Tsеnshab Ngawang Lobsang (literall ...

and other Kalmyk and Buryat lamas. He converted to Buddhism around this time, and likely helped build the

Datsan Gunzechoinei The Datsan Gunzechoinei (, , ) is a large Buryat Buddhist datsan in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Before building the datsan in Yakutsk in 2014, it was the only northernmost Tibetan Buddhist temple in Russia. History In 1909, Agvan Dorzhiev got ...

. At the start of the First World War he was drafted into the Russian army, but released soon afterwards. In 1915 he moved to

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. In 1917 he returned to Russia, where he stayed until 1923. He spent part of this time guarding the

building site. In 1923 he returned to

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

after unsuccessfully attempting to return Estonia. In 1930 he met Friedrich V. Lustig, who became his disciple and followed him on his travels for the rest of his life. In 1931 the two left Europe for Thailand.Talts 2015 391 During and after World War II Tõnisson and Lustig became involved in Thai politics, raising a Soviet flag on their roof and criticizing Thailand's wartime collaboration with Japan. As a result they were expelled From Thailand into

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

in 1949. They eventually integrated into the Burmese Buddhist community. At one point they lived at

Chan Htoon , image = File:U Chan Htoon.JPG , alt = , caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = Maung Maung 2008: 568 , birth_place = , death_date = , death_place = , nationality = Burma, Burmese , other_names = , known_f ...

's family shrine.Talts 2015 392 They participated in the third and fourth

World Fellowship of Buddhists The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) is an international Buddhist organization. Initiated by Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera, it was founded in 1950 in Colombo, Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), by representatives from 27 nations. Although Therav ...

conferences. The

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

sent condolences to Lustig when Tõnisson died in 1962. In various writings, elements of his biography vary, including his date and place of birth.Talts 2015 386-87

References

Sources

* Belka, Lubos (1999
Buddhism in Estonia, Religion, State and Society
27:2, 245-248, DOI: 10.1080/096374999106656
Buddhism in Estonia
* Talts, Mait (2008)
“The First Buddhist Priest on the Baltic Coast”: Karlis Tennison and the Introduction of Buddhism in Estonia.
''Folklore''. Vol. 38. Pages 67–112. doi:10.7592/FEJF2008.38.talts * Talts, M. (2015). "Karlis A. M. Tennisons and Friedrich V. Lustig – the first ‘practicing’ Buddhist in Estonia." In ''When Gods spoke. Researches and Reflections on Religious Phenomena and Artefacts. Studia in honorem Tarmo Kulmar'' (pp. 379–405). University of Tartu Press
(PDF) Karlis A. M. Tennisons and Friedrich V. Lustig – the first ‘practicing’ Buddhist in Estonia

Tõnisson, Karl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonisson, Karl 1883 births 1962 deaths Estonian writers Converts to Buddhism from Christianity People from Põltsamaa Parish Estonian Buddhists