By Tendar Tsering
DHARAMSHALA, December 7: Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of the Indian state Bihar will be attending the upcoming Kalachakra initiations by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya next month.
Speaking to Phayul, Thupten Jampa, Joint Secretary of the 32nd Kalachakra Organising Committee said that the Bihar chief minister accepted a formal invitation to attend the teachings which will be held from December 31, 2011 to January 10, 2012.
“He gave the confirmation when the Minister WRD and Tourism for Arunachal Pradesh and Chief Patron of the 32nd Kalachakra, Pema Khandu, along with members of the organising committee called on him Monday at his residence in Patna,” said Jampa.
“The Chief Minister confirmed of his presence a day before the start of a large felicitation ceremony that is being organised by an ecumenical organisation of Buddhist traditions from all over the world in honour of the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya,” Jampa added.
Pema Khandu, the eldest son of the late Arunachal CM Dorjee Khandu, also inspected the arrangements for the Kalachakra teachings at Bodh Gaya before meeting the Bihar CM.
Following the meeting, the Chief Minister urged the organising committee to keep direct contact with his Principal Secretary for appraisal on any matter pertaining to the Kalachakra.
The upcoming Kalachakra 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 in Bodh Gaya is expected to draw two hundred thousand devotees from all over the world.
On the sidelines of the Kalachakra initiations, a “World Peace Prayer” is also scheduled to be held on January 1 at the Buddha Park in Patna, the capital of Bihar.
His Holiness Dalai Lama and CM Nitish Kumar are scheduled to take part in the congregation which is expected to draw eminent personalities including religious leaders from all faiths, noble laureates, scholars, and intellectuals.
