Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama prays before he begins teaching at Tsuglakhang temple in McLeod Ganj, India, on 24 September 2014. Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal
By Lobsang Wangyal
MCLEOD GANJ, India, 26 September 2014
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will confer a Kalachakra empowerment in early 2016 in Bodh Gaya, according to the website of the Central Tibetan Administration.
Sikyong (Prime Minister) of the Central Tibetan Administration, Lobsang Sangay, announced the event on Wednesday at a prayer gathering at Tsuglakhang temple in McLeod Ganj.
The 34th Kalachakara initiations will be held from 14 to 25 January 2016 in Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
The Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration will be chief organiser and sponsor of the event, along with other co-sponsors.
The Dalai Lama conferred the 33rd Kalachakra in Ladakh in July. More than 150,000 people, including over 5,000 foreigners, attended the teachings.
Since 1954, the Dalai Lama has given 33 Kalachakra Initiations, including four in Bodh Gaya. The Kalachakra teachings in 2012 saw the largest gathering of devotees ever, with over 200,000 attending from around the world. About 10,000 people were believed to have came from Tibet.
The Kalachakra, or “Wheel of Time”, is a very advanced and esoteric practice in Vajrayana Buddhism which can only be given by a Buddhist master such as the Dalai Lama.
Traditionally the event is held for twelve days with a large public audience attending.
It is good news for all peace-loving people that HH the Dalai lama will confer another Kalachakara in the beginning of Jan 2016 at Bodh Gaya. It will witness one of the largest gathering of Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike to listen and meet His Holiness. I appreciate the idea of having another Kalachakara at Gaya as a good omen for all peace-loving people of the world. It keeps alive our culture and spirit in exile.