Erentsen and Baina are a couple. They came to the Dalai Lama’s teachings in Riga from St Petersburg. Erentsen grew up in the Far East, but went to university in St Petersburg. In 2014 Erentsen and his Kalmyk friends went to Tibet to visit sacred Buddhist sites. Soon he became interested in Buddhism, and decided to go on a pilgrimage to India in 2017 where he met his future wife Baina who was also on a pilgrimage. Erentsen says that, ‘the Dalai Lama is a deity in human flesh’. Baina came to the Dalai Lama’s teachings in Riga in 2014 and 2016. She also went to India, a country she was dreaming of visiting since her student years. A medical doctor, Baina says that in her profession it is important to try to help others and have compassion. The Dalai Lama’s teachings help her in her work.