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Tag: Dalai Lama

Omalaya to organize a Kalachakra 2017 journey by Stéphanie

27 November 2015

Omalaya is organizing a unique journey for the Kalachakra 2017 festival. It is the 34th time that the Dalai Lama is giving the initiation. Omalaya, experts in the field of spiritual travel, bring to you a wonderful opportunity to participate in the ceremony. The Guide – Hermit Tsephel Gelong Tsephel is monk,Yogi and Hermit.He will share his knowledge of meditation and the experiences of Buddha’s own realization with the pilgrims. Tsepel would talk not just about the Kalachakra 2017 Bodhgaya​ Teaching and empowerment but also give tips on how to lead a happier life, how to engage the world we live in more compassionate ways and how to explore our inner self to find more peace. The experience – Unique If  you wish attend the teachings and empowerment rituals of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we invite you to join us inwhat will be a journey of a life-time. This tour would be ideal for you if you are a spiritual wannabe, a keen Buddhist, an avid tourist or just an observer of the biggest gathering of the Tibetan Vajrayana sect of Buddhism. The site – Bodh Gaya It is said that the Buddha attained enlightenment on the sacred ground of Vajrassna beneath the sacred Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. It is here that the Buddha became one with  Mother earth’s universal and infinite energy. Since then, Bodh Gaya has been the centre of Buddhist universe and most important site of  Buddhist pilgrimage. Kalachakra 2017 will take place for the fifth time in Bodh Gaya to celebrate life, peace and the 80th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Here is a list of things you must know if you are travelling to Bodh Gaya to attend Kalachakra 2017. For detailed information about our Kalachakra 2017 journey, please click here. For more information about the other journeys we organize, please click here.

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His Holiness Dalai Lama’s 80th Birthday by Stéphanie

Happy birthday Dalaï-Lama

20 June 2015

His Holiness  Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday.  This year, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s  80th birthday falls on June 21st – the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, according to the Tibetan calendar. To mark the occasion, a special long-life prayer (Gyaton Tenshug) will be offered to His Holiness here in Dharamshala, India, by Tibetans living in exile, representing their brothers and sisters back home in Tibet. According to Tibetan tradition, birthdays are only observed for children reaching one year in age and adults reaching 80. Both are marked by a simple family and village celebration, whilst the 80-year-adult is presented with a white chupa (traditional Tibetan dress). His Holiness himself is 80 years old this year and his birthday will be celebrated in Tibet despite the Chinese government’s ban on expressions of joy at his leadership. In Dharamsala, the Gyaton Tenshug will be offered at the Tsuklag Khang (Dalai Lama temple), attended by local Tibetans and Indians from all walks of life, as well as visiting foreigners and special guests from around the world. The event marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of a simple monk who has striven to make the world a better place. His Holiness has dedicated his life to the promotion of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, self-discipline and religious harmony, and has also worked tirelessly to preserve the Tibetan Buddhist culture of peace and non-violence. Omalaya wishes the Dalai Lama a long life and thanks him for his contribution of peace, love and compassion to the world. A live, four-hour satellite TV broadcast of the Gyaton Tenshug offering and proceeding ceremonies will begin on June 21st at 7.30am Indian Standard Time.

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama to celebrate his 80th birthday in Southern California by Stéphanie

HH the Dalai Lama

22 May 2015

His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns eighty on July 6, 2015. His eightieth birthday is considered to be a major milestone by Tibetans. Therefore, celebrations may be held throughout the year in many different places. Earlier, in March this year, the Dalai Lama celebrated his birthday a few months in advance along with his friend Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu. To view the birthday celebrations, please click here. On July 6, the Dalai Lama is expected to conduct a global compassion summit in Southern California. The three-day summit will kick-start on July 5 and focus on the importance of compassion in today’s world. The Honda Centre in Anaheim will be the stage for the first day while the event will be held at the University of California, Irvine. The University had hosted the Dalai Lama earlier in 2004 and 2011. A wide range of events and religious rituals have been scheduled. Discussions with Buddhist leaders and fellow Nobel Laureates to explore the importance of universal peace in modern day world. Over ten thousand people from all walks of life are expected to participate in the celebrations.

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Long-life empowerment ceremony in Kalachakra initiation by Julianne

Long life empowerment ceremony

18 May 2015

Kalachakra initiation is a very important ceremony in Buddhist tradition. It is an intense process of prayers, rituals and rites through which pupils are empowered to attain Buddhahood. The initiation is given by his Holiness the Dalai Lama and the entire ceremony lasts for 12 days. Usually the final day of the Kalachakra initiation is dedicated to a long-life empowerment ceremony. Prayers are given so that his Holiness and all the participants may all have a very long, happy and fulfilling life. According to Buddhist traditions, it is believed that if a spiritual leader dies it is because inhabitants of another realm want him to come and share his wisdom and knowledge with them. In order to postpone this moment and lengthen his stay on this world, special prayers and offerings are made on the final day. The three deities associated with long life are Amitayus, White Tara and Ushnishavijaya. Among these deities,  Tara is associated with purity and the special quality of removing obstacles in people’s lives and thereby enhancing the quality and longevity of their life. It is on this deity that the Kalachakra empowerment rituals are usually performed. Once the empowerment ceremony is completed, long-life offerings are made to the Dalai Lama. The offering involves chanting of a lineage prayer and a show of respect by the Monks and the Oracles. It is quite common to see a few devotees get possessed during this event and such devotees to get an opportunity to pay their respects to his Holiness. Members of various communities too take this opportunity to give offerings to his Holiness. The ceremony witnesses participants from all around the world. The last Kalachakra initiation was held in Ladakh in northern India and was attended by over 150000 people. The next Kalachakra initiation is scheduled to be held from 14 to 25 January, 2016 in Bodh Gaya , India. You too can participate in the Kalachakra initiation and the long-life empowerment ceremony. For more information, please click here. To watch our video about Kalachakra 2016, please click here.

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Omalaya wishes his Holiness the Dalai Lama a ‘Happy 80th Birthday’ by Stéphanie

05 May 2015

His Holiness the Dalai Lama celebrated his 80th Birthday at the Tibetan Children’s Village school on April 23, 2015, a few months in advance. Joining him in the celebrations was his beloved friend Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa.  The air was filled with joy and color as hundreds of students joined together in conveying him their best wishes. The Dalai Lama and Reverend Tutu took their seats amidst the throng of cute Tibetan children, beautifully clad in green and white. The Dalai Lama initiated the proceedings by delivering a message about the need for love and compassion among humans. He chose to speak in Tibetan because his friend Reverend Tutu believed that his command over English wasn’t good. After receiving a rapturous applause from the crowd for his messages, the Dalai Lama passed the mike on to Reverend Tutu. Reverend Tutu’s speech was punctuated by his characteristic wit, humor and trademark high-pitched chuckle ‘Wohoo’. He recounted his days of enduring oppression in South Africa. He proclaimed that, just like how things changed for the good in South Africa, Tibetans too would be free one day. Their speeches were followed by a brief Q&A session during which enthusiastic students posed a lot of questions ranging from anger management, joy etc to environment protection. After patiently responding to all the students, the Dalai Lama rose to cut the cake. Reverend Tutu led the crowd in singing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. The ceremony finally drew to close with a rendition of the famous song ‘We are the world’ by the school band. The Omalaya team is indeed immensely proud to have witnessed these merry moments. We have compiled a video that vividly captures the joyous scenes of the day. For more videos from Omalaya, kindly visit our Youtube page. Video credits: Jeremie Gabrien (website: www.jeremiegabrien.com)

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A Buddhist perspective on compassion by Stéphanie

Buddhism and Compassion

04 May 2015

According to Buddhist philosophy, compassion is similar to a state of empathy where an individual perceives other people’s suffering as his own and wishes other human beings to be free from suffering. Wisdom is the basis of compassion – wisdom to understand the causes of others’ sufferings and wisdom to acknowledge the potential for liberation from suffering. Buddhism even goes on to say that compassion and wisdom are the foundations for the emotional well-being of any society. Compassion, practiced in its purest form, is not just about understanding and empathizing with the pain and anguish of others. It is also about empowering others so as to face their problems with courage and unyielding determination. An individual is said to be truly compassionate when he/she is selfless to the point of not expecting a reward or even a statement of gratitude from the beneficiary. Compassion reduces the inclination towards committing cruel acts. A society is peaceful as a whole when its members are understanding of each other rather than being self-serving. This noble quality is essential to every human being. Even the world-renowned Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama believes that it is important to be compassionate even if one chooses to reject subjects such as religion, ideology and knowledge. In order to develop compassion for others, one has to first develop compassion for oneself. While this might sound selfish and even seem at odds with the principle of caring for others, Buddhism believes in the principle of tonglen according to which one can empathize with others’ sufferings only if one is able to connect with one’s own suffering.  In addition to being self-empathetic, one has to curb malicious thoughts such as desire to control and manipulate other people’s lives, ego-centricism and selfish life goals in order to become a compassionate person. While attaining a state of compassion is no easy task for any normal human being, one can take heart from the fact that even the great Gautama Buddha had to undergo a six-year long penance before becoming an enlightened being.

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