Dharamshala: - After his teachings in Dharamshala, the Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will travel to the USA to conduct teachings and rituals from July 6-16 in capital city Washington DC. During the event, "Kalachakra for World Peace", His Holiness will lead ritual prayers, dances, teachings, and chanting in the Kalachakra tradition, an ancient Buddhist Tantric system. On July 9, as well, His Holiness will give a public talk on World Peace.
The event is being organized by the Capital Area Tibetan Association, a Washington nonprofit, and will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington. "Kalachakra for World Peace" begins at 7am on July 6.
Kalachakra, an ancient Indian Buddhist tradition, goes back to the time of the historical Buddha. The complex Tantric tradition revolves around ideas of time and cycles, and involves controlling the breath and the energies within the body.
His Holiness and other senior monks from the Nangyal Monastery, his personal monastery, will conduct ritual prayers and create a sand mandala during the first three days of the event. The next three days consist of teachings by His Holiness, followed by ritual dancing on July 12, Kalachakra initiation ceremonies on July 13-15, and finally, a life empowerment (Tsewang in Tibetan) and a prayer ceremony for the conclusion on July 16.
According to the organizers' website, www.kalachakra2011.com, the gathering is valuable for both Tibetans and others. "For Tibetans, such a gathering offers not only an occasion to renew and reinforce our Buddhist spiritual heritage but also has historically provided an opportunity to reaffirm our shared linguistic and cultural identity. For non-Tibetans, it offers spiritual renewal through deepened understanding of Buddhist philosophy, thoughts and practices, the opportunity to open a meaningful connection with the vast and profound Kalachakra practice, as well as the chance to become more acquainted with Tibetan culture."
As part of Kalachakra for World Peace, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give "A Talk for World Peace" at the US Capitol Building on July 9. The talk is part of a "World Peace Event" and also includes a Tibetan cultural performance, a cello performance, and a question-and-answer session. The event is free and open to the public.
After speaking in Washington, His Holiness will continue his travels in the USA, continuing on to Chicago, IL. In Chicago, he will speak on the importance of interfaith dialogue in two talks: "Bridging the Faith Divide", a public talk, and "Building Bridges," a discussion with religious leaders.
