[3] His parents died at an early age (his father in 1891 and his mother in 1895) after which he was raised by his uncle.
[4] Around 1910 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he likely met Agvan Dorzhiev and other Kalmyk and Buryat lamas.
[7] He spent part of this time guarding the Datsan Gunzechoinei building site.
[11] 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.
[14] In various writings, elements of his biography vary, including his date and place of birth.