Kalachakra 2016

Kalacakra is a very complex teaching and practice in Tibetan Buddhism. Although the Kalachakra teaching is very advanced, it is offered to large public audiences as a part of tradition.

Kalacakra refers to a patron Tantric deity of Vajrayana Buddhism and also to the philosophies and meditation practices embedded in the Kalacakra Tantra and its many commentaries. Kalachakra teaches the practice of working with the most subtle energies within an individual's body seeking enlightenment.

34th Kalachakra Initiations at Bodhgaya, 14 - 25 January 2016
The 34th Kalachakra initiations will be held at Bodh Gaya, India. His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give the 34th Kalachakara initiations at Bodh Gaya in India from 14 -25 January 2016.

The Dalai Lama has given 33 Kalachakra initiations since 1954, and Bodh Gaya has hosted the same four times in 1974, 1985, 2003 and 2012. During the Kalachakra initians in 2012, more than 200,000 devotees attended from across the world, which included about 8,000-10,000 devotees from Tibet.

From January 14 to 16, 2016, the Dalai Lama, along with the monks of Namgyal Monastery and senior lamas, will conduct rituals which prepare and consecrate the venue. This will include chanting of sacred prayers, creation of the sand mandala and other related rituals.

On the mornings of the next three days i.e. January 17, 18 and 19, 2016, His Holiness the Dalali Lama will give preliminary teachings on Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) and conduct prayers in the afternoons.

On January 20, 2016, the monks of Namgyal Monastery will perform the Kalachakra Ritual Dance.

The Dalai Lama will confer the Kalachakra Initiation during the afternoons from January 21 to 24, 2016. Kalachakra Initiation is a huge experience where dance, monastic prayer and sacred relics intertwine in the build-up to one of the most sacred Buddhist ceremonies. The Kalachakra initiation is a rite of passage for all monks, nuns, and pilgrims. His Holiness The Dalai Lama will offer instructions to draw all people on to the path of wisdom.

The initiation will be in three parts:

Part One: Rebirth
Part Two: Entry - Being at One with the Mandala
Part Three: Seven Kalachakra Initiations Analogous to Childhood Events

On the concluding day (January 25), a long life empowerment (tsewang) and a ceremony offering prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be performed in the morning. Thereafter, The Dalai Lama will be presented with offerings, prayers, and dances.

Schedule of Kalachakra 2016
The detailed programme schedule of the 34th Kalachakra Initiation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from January 14 to 25, 2016 at Bodh Gaya, India: