Lama Ole Nydahl, founder of the Karma Kagyu Buddhist School in Russia, has died.

Lama Ole Nydahl, founder of the Diamond Way Buddhist school of the Karma Kagyu tradition, died at the age of 86. This was announced on May 18 by Oleg Vavilov, head of the council of the association of traditional Buddhist communities in Moscow.

"Lama Ole Nydahl, the founder of the Diamond Way Buddhist school of the Karma Kagyu tradition, whose communities exist in different countries of the world, including Russia, has died. He was 85 years old. In recent years, he has been living in Switzerland," Vavilov told RIA Novosti.

Lama Ole Nydahl first visited the USSR in the late 1980s and came to Russia many times. Under his leadership, one of the largest Buddhist communities in the country was created — the Russian Association of Buddhists of the Diamond Way Karma Kagyu, which today unites more than 80 centers. The Association was founded in 1993.