DHARAMSHALA, December 28: In a slight change of schedule, the upcoming Kalachakra initiations in Bodh Gaya will now begin from January 1, 2012 – a day later than the earlier schedule.
According to the official website of the private office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Kalachakra initiations will be held from January 1 – 10, 2012, with minute changes
During the first three days of the teachings, from January 1 to 3, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with the monks of Namgyal Monastery and senior lamas, will be conducting rituals to prepare and consecrate the venue. These Kalachakra ritual preparations include chanting of prayers, creation of the sand mandala and other rituals.
In a notable change from the earlier schedule, the Dalai Lama, according to the website, will give a teaching (unspecified) to the public in the afternoon of January 1.
From January 4 to 6, spanned out for three days, the Dalai Lama will be giving preliminary teachings on Nagarjuna’s ‘Hymn to the World Transcendent’ (Jiigten Ley Deypar Toepa), Kamalashila’s ‘The Second Volume of the Stages of Meditation’ (Gomrim Barpa), Geshe Langri Thangpa’s ‘Eight Verses on Mind Training’ (Lojong Tsik Gyema), Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s ‘Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas’ (Laklen Sodunma) and Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen’s ‘Jewel Lamp: A Praise of Bodhicitta’ (Jangchup Sem Kyi Toepa Rinchen Drolma).
The timing for the teachings is from 13.00 hrs to 15.30 hrs (IST) each day with scheduled prayers in the morning.
On January 7, the Kalachakra Ritual Dance will be performed by the monks of Namgyal Monastery, effecting a change from the earlier schedule of January 6.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be conferring the Kalachakra initiation from January 8 -10 with January 9 corresponding to the 15th day of the 11th month in the Tibetan lunar calendar.
In the morning of January 10, after the conclusion of the Kalachakra initiation, a long-life empowerment for the public (Tsewang) and a ceremony offering prayers for the long-life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Tenshug) will be held.
In the afternoon, a public felicitation ceremony for the Dalai Lama has been scheduled.
Amongst various dignitaries attending the teachings, Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar is expected to arrive in Gaya a day before the public felicitation ceremony.
Live webcast of the Kalachakra initiations can be viewed in Tibetan, English, Russian and Chinese languages at dalailama.com.
The upcoming Kalachakra initiation will be the 32nd occasion since His Holiness the Dalai Lama conferred the teachings for the first time in May 1954 at Norbulingka, Lhasa, Tibet. After a nine-year gap, the Kalachakra initiation in Bodh Gaya is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the world including a large number of Tibetans from Tibet.