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Summary of the Kalachakra Initiation By Erica Hagen

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The Kalachakra initiation ceremony was performed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama from August 16th through August 26th, 1999 at the Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana. About five thousand Buddhist practitioners flocked from all over the world to this tiny, unlikely hub to experience the empowerment rituals and teachings. The event started off with three days of Earth Rituals by The Dalai Lama's Monks from Namgyal monastery. Within eleven days, the crowd had not only made its way through an entire initiation into the Kalachakra path toward enlightenment, but had heard commentary and teachings on the Kalachakra and on an ancient text by Indian master Shantideva - and all of this directly from Tibet's most revered Buddhist Monk; His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. The following is a detailed description of the day-to-day happenings of the Kalachakra, for both those of you who were there and those who were not. I have summarized days one through three, and paraphrased in detail days four through six, including the teachings and commentary given by The Dalai Lama on Shantideva's "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life." I have summarized the proceedings of the final days, which included the actual initiation rituals, and have added interesting quotes and commentary from The Dalai Lama. Enjoy!

Days One through Three: Earth Rituals For the first three days of the Kalachakra Initiation, potential initiates wandered in and out of earshot of the drone of ritual chanting as His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Monks from the Namgyal monastery prepared the site for the initiation. Many people sat silently meditating or studying copies of Alexander Berzin's "Taking the Kalachakra Initiation," certain that they were witnessing a great event, but perhaps unsure of exactly what was being enacted. The events of these days went untranslated, and were described in the program guide simply as "Earth Rituals." Here is a more detailed account of these proceedings:

On the first day, the Earth Ritual lasted seven and a half hours. It consisted of a reading of the entire Prajnaparamita, the procurance of ceremonial permission for the use of the grounds, and the purification of the land through the imaginative creation of the "Wheel of Protection" on the part of both a few representatives of the disciples and His Holiness.

The second day began with the performance of the Kalachakra sadhana or meditational liturgy. The Lamas then requested permission to create the sand mandala and focused on generating the state of Bodhicitta or the mind of enlightenment. After lunch, the Lamas reappeared dressed in elaborate ceremonial costume and holding vajras and bells. Making steady, slow movements in unison, they took on the full appearance of the wrathful protector deities with the intention of clearing the space of any interfering or negative forces. This dance, known as the Sa-gar or Dance of the Ground, concluded the preparations of the land.

The third day continued with the Lamas' preparations and the beginning of the sand mandala construction. The mandala space and the implements were consecrated and the lines drawn, and the first sands were sifted out. For the next few days, the Monks would work throughout the proceedings so that the tinny gratings of the metal funnels rubbing together constantly accompanied the voices of The Dalai Lama and His translator. Those lucky enough to be seated in the stage right area (along with rather expressionless security guards) had the privilege of being able to watch the growth of the mandala. After the day's ceremonies, when the shuffle of the crowd swelled near the mandala's small tent, the question arose as to whether all guests might have a chance to watch the mandala in progress. It was made clear by several guards that they would not, "by request of the Norbu family," or, the family of The Dalai Lama Himself. Was it due to issues of security or sacrality that most initiates were barred from viewing the mandala?

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