Dalai Lama to take part in 'Kalachakra' ceremony

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will participate in the 'Kalachakra' (Wheel of Time) ceremony in Bodh Gaya this January and pray for world peace, a Tibetan body announced on Monday.

"The Kalachakra ceremony would be held in Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, from January 3-14," the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said in a statement.

Organisers of the ceremony said the Kalachakra is held for world peace and for the smooth flourishing of Tibetan Buddhism.

During the first three days of the Kalachakra, the Dalai Lama, along with the monks of Namgyal Monastery and senior Lamas, will conduct rituals to consecrate the venue, it said.

From January 6 to 8, he will give preliminary teachings on Shantideva's "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" (Chodjug) and Kamalashila's "The Middling Stages of Meditation" (Gomrim Barpa).

On January 9, the Kalachakra ritual dance will be performed by the monks of Namgyal Monastery.

From January 10 to 13, he will confer the Kalachakra initiation, followed by a long-life empowerment and a ceremony of offering prayers for the long life of the Dalai Lama on January 14.

Since 1954, the Dalai Lama has given 33 Kalachakra initiations, including four times at Bodh Gaya (in 1974, 1985, 2003 and 2012).

The last Kalachakra was also held in Bodh Gaya in 2012 and drew over 200,000 devotees from across the world, including about 8,000-10,000 from Tibet, the statement said.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based in this northern Indian hill town. India is home to some 100,000 Tibetan exiles.

--IANS

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