| The following article is from the Summer, 1998 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here. |
In August of 1999, His Holiness will confer the Kalachakra Initiation for the fourth time in the USA. This empowerment is one of the most highly revered of all Buddhist rituals because it is dedicated to the creation of world peace and harmony. The entire initiation takes eight days to perform and festivities following the empowerment are planned.
Although empowerments for other tantras are intended for only a small number of disciples at a time, there is a historical tradition of conferring the Kalachakra Initiation to large crowds of people. Buddha first gave it to the king of Shambhala.
For further information, read Taking the Kalachakra Initiation by Alexander Berzin with an introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (see Kalachakra section of this newsletter). Also contact the Tibetan Cultural Center, PO Box 2581, Bloomington, IN 47402 to get on their mail list for further announcements and to help them begin planning for the 1999 event. ä_æ