Under Angels' Wings: Kalachakra
Kalachakra, the use of subtle energies within the body to reach enlightenment
Dalai Lama's birthday—Washington, D.C., Verizon Center; Wednesday, July 6, morning
His Holiness is 76 today, and he’s featured at a party at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. On stage with him are Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King III, the son of slain Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The media, about 30 of us, are in a back room on the same floor. We’re close, but we can’t get there. Not until the U.S. State Department grants permission. Not until the dog comes along and sniffs our camera gear and other electronic devices just in case one of them is really a bomb.
The dog is barely out of the puppy stage, but she has ball drive, the motivating factor for a good working K9. The handler throws his hand toward bag after bag as though throwing a ball. The dog noses each bag then moves on to the next. The process takes but a few minutes.
Then we wait some more, taking photos of each other, sharing stories, exchanging business cards. When I tell one woman from the International Campaign for Tibet that I’m going to be in Dharamsala in August, she tells me to contact her and she will connect me to her network there.
This is the first of several fulfillments of advice from Rosalie Giffoniello, my friend in New Jersey who has studied Buddhism. I had asked her, “What should I look for? What should I expect?” She had replied, “Remain open to whatever happens. When you go with expectations, you limit yourself from experiencing infinite possibilities.”
The media, about 30 of us, are in a back room on the same floor. We’re close, but we can’t get there. Not until the U.S. State Department grants permission. Not until the dog comes along and sniffs our camera gear and other electronic devices just in case one of them is really a bomb.
The dog is barely out of the puppy stage, but she has ball drive, the motivating factor for a good working K9. The handler throws his hand toward bag after bag as though throwing a ball. The dog noses each bag then moves on to the next. The process takes but a few minutes.
Then we wait some more, taking photos of each other, sharing stories, exchanging business cards. When I tell one woman from the International Campaign for Tibet that I’m going to be in Dharamsala in August, she tells me to contact her and she will connect me to her network there.
This is the first of several fulfillments of advice from Rosalie Giffoniello, my friend in New Jersey who has studied Buddhism. I had asked her, “What should I look for? What should I expect?” She had replied, “Remain open to whatever happens. When you go with expectations, you limit yourself from experiencing infinite possibilities.”
Stories within this chapter:
Dalai Lama's birthday (posted July 12, 2011)
Earth Ritual Dance (posted July 12, 2011) Peace rally at the Capitol (posted July 12, 2011) Security (posted July 19, 2011) It's up to the dog (posted July 19, 2011) Bonus photo op (posted July 19, 2011) White House invitation (posted July 19, 2011) Our appearances and our core (posted July 19, 2011) About Tibet (posted July 21, 2011) Introduction to Kalachakra (posted July 21, 2011) 2011 Kalachakra Program (posted July 21, 2011) The Dalai Lama (posted July 21, 2011) Coming Together Where We Agree (posted July 21, 2011)When the media gains access to the main hall where the men of peace are speaking, we are escorted in three groups of 10 to 12 each. We are taken to the front of the five-foot-high stage where we can shoot photographs. Martin King is speaking when my group goes in. Arun Gandhi and His Holiness as well as his interpreter, Geshe Thupten Jinpa, are sitting and listening.
After exactly five minutes, we are escorted out. My attempts to take a photo of the crowd in the arena are thwarted by the command to keep moving.
This is it for the day. Other than this quasi photo op, cameras are not allowed in the Verizon Center for the Kalachakra, not even in the media viewing area high on the sixth level where only a long telephoto would be effective.
Rene, another photographer, has a car parked nearby. He and I race there and stow our cameras then race back to the media entrance. Once again, we are told to empty our pockets, open our bags, and prepare to be scanned. Camera-less, we are escorted to the approved media area moments before His Holiness comes to the podium. He speaks a message of love, compassion, and happiness first in Tibetan then in English.
When he’s finished, Rene and I return to his vehicle, grab our cameras, and race to the opposite side of the Verizon Center where people are gathering for a birthday parade eight blocks along 7th Street to the National Mall.
The line stretches for four blocks. Many people carry signs with birthday wishes for His Holiness and desires for a free Tibet. Police officers block traffic and keep us within the two southbound lanes.
At the Mall, people with banners form a circle. One group is from the China Democratic Party USA. Another represents the China Citizens Initiatives. It’s interesting to see the difference between the wishes of these people and the decisions of their government. But is that not also a widespread if not universal nationalistic condition? How many government officials really listen to the people … even if they profess to do so?
Spectators encircle dancers and a drummer as they perform several Tibetan folk dances. The U.S. Capitol is in the background.
The dancers move to a shaded area to avoid the hot noontime sun. More join them and the circle of spectators expands also. Hundreds of people spread out over several acres to picnic on food they’ve brought, food they purchase, and complementary water and snacks provided by event organizers.
With security such as it is, His Holiness doesn’t participate in this celebration of his birth but is represented by a large framed image in which he smiles broadly.
After exactly five minutes, we are escorted out. My attempts to take a photo of the crowd in the arena are thwarted by the command to keep moving.
This is it for the day. Other than this quasi photo op, cameras are not allowed in the Verizon Center for the Kalachakra, not even in the media viewing area high on the sixth level where only a long telephoto would be effective.
Rene, another photographer, has a car parked nearby. He and I race there and stow our cameras then race back to the media entrance. Once again, we are told to empty our pockets, open our bags, and prepare to be scanned. Camera-less, we are escorted to the approved media area moments before His Holiness comes to the podium. He speaks a message of love, compassion, and happiness first in Tibetan then in English.
When he’s finished, Rene and I return to his vehicle, grab our cameras, and race to the opposite side of the Verizon Center where people are gathering for a birthday parade eight blocks along 7th Street to the National Mall.
The line stretches for four blocks. Many people carry signs with birthday wishes for His Holiness and desires for a free Tibet. Police officers block traffic and keep us within the two southbound lanes.
At the Mall, people with banners form a circle. One group is from the China Democratic Party USA. Another represents the China Citizens Initiatives. It’s interesting to see the difference between the wishes of these people and the decisions of their government. But is that not also a widespread if not universal nationalistic condition? How many government officials really listen to the people … even if they profess to do so?
Spectators encircle dancers and a drummer as they perform several Tibetan folk dances. The U.S. Capitol is in the background.
The dancers move to a shaded area to avoid the hot noontime sun. More join them and the circle of spectators expands also. Hundreds of people spread out over several acres to picnic on food they’ve brought, food they purchase, and complementary water and snacks provided by event organizers.
With security such as it is, His Holiness doesn’t participate in this celebration of his birth but is represented by a large framed image in which he smiles broadly.
Earth Rictual Dance—Washington, D.C., Verizon Center; Thursday, July 7, 2011, 1:00 to 2:30 pm
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and two dozen monks are chanting, their deep voices resonating throughout the Verizon Center arena. Periodically, they bang drums and clang bells to mark a change in melody. At one point, they light incense tapers.
Perhaps two thousand people populate the arena. When the monks pause, a baby can be heard, another child squeals; otherwise, the crowd is silent, respectful, praying, absorbing the energy of the prayer. Some people prostate themselves repeatedly in the aisles or in front of the stage where the monks and His Holiness are stationed.
This chanting began at 7:00 and will continue until 11:30. They will pray again this afternoon for two hours and the morning and afternoon of most of the 11 days of Kalachakra.
Shortly before 11:00, they stop but remain on stage. The Dalai Lama descends the canopied platform where he has been seated. He and the monks ring that platform, performing a ritual that prepares that site for the creation of the Kalachakra sand mandala.
When this solemnity is finished, the Dalai Lama approaches the edge of the stage. He jokes with the audience. Morning prayers are finished.
At noon, eight monks with even deeper, more resonant voices reenter and sit on floor atop cushions near one corner of the stage. Twelve, wearing garments with brocades in intricate patterns of regal gold, brilliant crimson, and deep black, take standing positions at the edge of a red-and-gold carpet in the center of the stage. A thirteenth regally garmented leader stands in their center. His Holiness the Dalai Lama sits facing them with his back to the audience. Together, the chanters and dancers perform the Earth Ritual Dance to purify the ground and invite spirits.
The dance is slow and methodical, synchronized and precise, physically and mentally demanding in its length of two hours.
I'm in the media area, high on the sixth level of the Verizon Center, unable to take photographs because of security precautions imposed by the U.S. State Department. I pray that this Kalachakra for World Peace will lead to a time when humans evolve to a point where security comes from within each heart and not through imposition of electronic scanners, guards with guns, and bomb-sniffing dogs.
The ritual ends at 2:00. Chanters return a few minutes later. The Dalai Lama retakes his seat facing the raised platform. After another short period of chanting, His Holiness and others go to the platform and place symbolic plants there. The audience stands. The chanting resumes. By 3:00, monks remove the plants, and His Holiness circles the platform again, sprinkling incense.
Aides attend to him, paying much attention to his comfort and ability to perform his role. In concept and practice, this regality and hierarchy of ceremony is but one more example of humanity’s oneness. Regardless of ism, location, and era is not great emphasis given to incantation and proper positioning of priests, clergy, and lamas within ritual?
His Holiness leads the laying of a string across the platform, and several monks lean in, pointing and using a small stick to make sure it is properly placed. When it’s positioned, one monk marks points along its length. Then, when it’s removed, he paints a straight white line to connect them.
The string is then restrung in a perfectly perpendicular orientation, marking the second diameter axis. Then comes a third line and a fourth line, forming the mandala’s cardinal orientation.
With like precision, a small square is set in the center, surrounding the intersection of all four diameter lines. Some monks use a small cloth to carefully remove paint smudges from unwanted places. The Dalai Lama eyes their progress and gestures to indicate minor corrections. Perfection is paramount.The audience stands throughout. Silence prevails.
At 3:20, His Holiness departs, the audience sits, and the monks return to their cushions on the stage floor and resume chanting. Other monks continue to outline mandala segments, their work captured by a video camera mounted in the platform’s canopy, directly overhead. The image is projected on the overhead arena monitor, numerous closed-circuit monitors, and on-stage projection screens.
The final chanting of the day proceeds for 30 more minutes.
Perhaps two thousand people populate the arena. When the monks pause, a baby can be heard, another child squeals; otherwise, the crowd is silent, respectful, praying, absorbing the energy of the prayer. Some people prostate themselves repeatedly in the aisles or in front of the stage where the monks and His Holiness are stationed.
This chanting began at 7:00 and will continue until 11:30. They will pray again this afternoon for two hours and the morning and afternoon of most of the 11 days of Kalachakra.
Shortly before 11:00, they stop but remain on stage. The Dalai Lama descends the canopied platform where he has been seated. He and the monks ring that platform, performing a ritual that prepares that site for the creation of the Kalachakra sand mandala.
When this solemnity is finished, the Dalai Lama approaches the edge of the stage. He jokes with the audience. Morning prayers are finished.
At noon, eight monks with even deeper, more resonant voices reenter and sit on floor atop cushions near one corner of the stage. Twelve, wearing garments with brocades in intricate patterns of regal gold, brilliant crimson, and deep black, take standing positions at the edge of a red-and-gold carpet in the center of the stage. A thirteenth regally garmented leader stands in their center. His Holiness the Dalai Lama sits facing them with his back to the audience. Together, the chanters and dancers perform the Earth Ritual Dance to purify the ground and invite spirits.
The dance is slow and methodical, synchronized and precise, physically and mentally demanding in its length of two hours.
I'm in the media area, high on the sixth level of the Verizon Center, unable to take photographs because of security precautions imposed by the U.S. State Department. I pray that this Kalachakra for World Peace will lead to a time when humans evolve to a point where security comes from within each heart and not through imposition of electronic scanners, guards with guns, and bomb-sniffing dogs.
The ritual ends at 2:00. Chanters return a few minutes later. The Dalai Lama retakes his seat facing the raised platform. After another short period of chanting, His Holiness and others go to the platform and place symbolic plants there. The audience stands. The chanting resumes. By 3:00, monks remove the plants, and His Holiness circles the platform again, sprinkling incense.
Aides attend to him, paying much attention to his comfort and ability to perform his role. In concept and practice, this regality and hierarchy of ceremony is but one more example of humanity’s oneness. Regardless of ism, location, and era is not great emphasis given to incantation and proper positioning of priests, clergy, and lamas within ritual?
His Holiness leads the laying of a string across the platform, and several monks lean in, pointing and using a small stick to make sure it is properly placed. When it’s positioned, one monk marks points along its length. Then, when it’s removed, he paints a straight white line to connect them.
The string is then restrung in a perfectly perpendicular orientation, marking the second diameter axis. Then comes a third line and a fourth line, forming the mandala’s cardinal orientation.
With like precision, a small square is set in the center, surrounding the intersection of all four diameter lines. Some monks use a small cloth to carefully remove paint smudges from unwanted places. The Dalai Lama eyes their progress and gestures to indicate minor corrections. Perfection is paramount.The audience stands throughout. Silence prevails.
At 3:20, His Holiness departs, the audience sits, and the monks return to their cushions on the stage floor and resume chanting. Other monks continue to outline mandala segments, their work captured by a video camera mounted in the platform’s canopy, directly overhead. The image is projected on the overhead arena monitor, numerous closed-circuit monitors, and on-stage projection screens.
The final chanting of the day proceeds for 30 more minutes.
Peace rally at the Capitol—Washington, D.C., West Lawn; Saturday, July 9, 2011, morning
“I know. Some of you are sitting there, thinking, ‘What!?’” The speaker is Whoopi Goldberg. The location is the West Lawn at the U.S. Capitol. Her role is to emcee and pose predetermined questions to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“’Are you sure? You know what I do, right?’ That’s what I said when I got the invitation,” she adds in reference to her career as racy actress and comedienne. “But I’m not going to do that today because … it’s so nice to come to celebrate the idea of peace!”
The crowd, which literally fills this massive outdoor area, cheers and applauds, their spirits already buoyed by Tibetan monk chanters and Tibetan dancers who had just left the stage as well as anticipation of hearing the Dalai Lama speak.
His Holiness’ message is simple: Have compassion for yourself and others. Real peace leads to inner beauty. Humans need friendship based on trust and compassion. To be realistic, gain knowledge. To see objectively, investigate different perspectives. The basic human nature is gentleness. Troublemakers help us practice tolerance. Smile. Smile twice if someone doesn’t smile back.
He encourages teachers to teach with compassion, which he says, "...is not taught with words but with action. A smile motivates students to learn."
Whoopi poses the question, “Will you ever be allowed to return to Tibet?”
“Oh, yes,” His Holiness proclaims instantly. “Things are always changing.” He says that if Mao-Tse Tung were to suddenly return today he would see that Communism now blends with a strong Capitalist element.
He tells of a conversation in 1996 with England’s Queen Mother. His Holiness asked her if the world was better, worse, or the same as when she was born in 1900. “Without hesitation, she said, ‘Better.’” Her reasons: more awareness of human rights, ecology, and the consequences of war.
“In the early [part of the 20th] century,” His Holiness says, “countries [would] wage war on neighbors and the average citizen [would] join without question. That kind of attitude has completely changed—.” His final words are covered by audience applause.
The Dalai Lama cites the evolution in the U.S. from slavery of Africans to the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., and election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first black President as a major civil rights accomplishment.
“The power of truth and compassion is more powerful than the power of guns,” he concludes.
“’Are you sure? You know what I do, right?’ That’s what I said when I got the invitation,” she adds in reference to her career as racy actress and comedienne. “But I’m not going to do that today because … it’s so nice to come to celebrate the idea of peace!”
The crowd, which literally fills this massive outdoor area, cheers and applauds, their spirits already buoyed by Tibetan monk chanters and Tibetan dancers who had just left the stage as well as anticipation of hearing the Dalai Lama speak.
His Holiness’ message is simple: Have compassion for yourself and others. Real peace leads to inner beauty. Humans need friendship based on trust and compassion. To be realistic, gain knowledge. To see objectively, investigate different perspectives. The basic human nature is gentleness. Troublemakers help us practice tolerance. Smile. Smile twice if someone doesn’t smile back.
He encourages teachers to teach with compassion, which he says, "...is not taught with words but with action. A smile motivates students to learn."
Whoopi poses the question, “Will you ever be allowed to return to Tibet?”
“Oh, yes,” His Holiness proclaims instantly. “Things are always changing.” He says that if Mao-Tse Tung were to suddenly return today he would see that Communism now blends with a strong Capitalist element.
He tells of a conversation in 1996 with England’s Queen Mother. His Holiness asked her if the world was better, worse, or the same as when she was born in 1900. “Without hesitation, she said, ‘Better.’” Her reasons: more awareness of human rights, ecology, and the consequences of war.
“In the early [part of the 20th] century,” His Holiness says, “countries [would] wage war on neighbors and the average citizen [would] join without question. That kind of attitude has completely changed—.” His final words are covered by audience applause.
The Dalai Lama cites the evolution in the U.S. from slavery of Africans to the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., and election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first black President as a major civil rights accomplishment.
“The power of truth and compassion is more powerful than the power of guns,” he concludes.
Security—Washington, D.C., Verizon Center; July 6-16, 2011
Some of the media representatives are grumbling. They have a point. I’m thinking, “What would the Dalai Lama do?” Laugh? Accept? Seek an alternative way?
I’m talking about the security at the Kalachakra, which has not been accommodating to the media. “I’ve never been treated so shabbily,” says one correspondent. “It’s like they don’t want coverage,” adds another.
My thoughts are all over the board: Tending to agree with them, accepting what I cannot change, seeking my own alternative ways, and wondering who the security team is really accommodating?
Through observation and scuttlebutt, we know the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, is in charge.
The event organizers, the Capital Area Tibetan Association, are elsewhere, taking care of other details of this massive, nearly sold out event.
The Verizon security employees, as we enter the media entrance, examine our bags, have us empty our pockets, and make sure everyone passes through the body scanner. They also operate the lone elevator. This is definitely not a self-serve, go-anywhere-you-want environment.
Rogers and Cowen, a global entertainment public relations and marketing firm, has attracted the attention of major media outlets and solo freelancers. TIME, Newsweek, Reuters, and Air America are here. So is a photojournalist who has been on extensive assignments for National Geographic as well as correspondents from organizations directly associated with Tibet and Buddhism.
Our daily contact is with a team of Buddhist volunteers from California who have been thrust into a role with far more responsibility than they had anticipated, a role that prevents them from experiencing full participation in the Kalachakra ceremonies.
Part of this team’s responsibility is to escort each media person between the media entrance on the ground floor and the media booth on the uppermost sixth level—and back. No hall passes given. No access to the main floor or tiered arena sections where the general public sits. No access to the souvenir stands or book tables in the concourse—not unless we buy a ticket like everyone else and, definitely, not while wearing our media badges.
Our only unescorted privilege is to use the bathroom on the sixth floor. Use of the bathroom on the entrance floor requires an escort. Yes, you read that right. Did I say security was tight?
Melanie, the volunteer in charge of this team, has been drawn into high-level security meetings. For the most part, she has stationed herself at the entrance, immediately beyond the body scanner. She’s missed most of the ceremony.
Volunteers Beverley, Jesse, and Michelle are frequently our escorts, riding the elevators with us and staying on the sixth level where they keep an eye on us. From there, they are able to renew their Kalachakra vows—when not interrupted by calls on their walkie-talkies.
These people are doing what the Dalai Lama would do—accepting, sacrificing with grace and honor, observing as much of the program as they can, and gathering blessing through service.
The bind is photo ops. The deal is that all cameras have to be sniffed by a bomb-detecting dog. The drill is that we in the media are told to show up at a certain time, the dog comes in sometime later, our equipment is sniffed (“swept” in security spin) and cleared, we line up and wait for another 30 minutes or so, we are escorted to the edge of the stage, we are given five minutes (and no more) to shoot, and we are escorted out. We make a 60- to 90-minute investment for a few snaps of a shutter button, and we are not allowed to stand or take photographs directly in front of His Holiness.
Then, we are commanded to leave the building and return only without our cameras. For those with lodging in the area, this is a relatively minor hassle. I’m staying an hour away; so, each day, I make a decision: to shoot or not to shoot.
Fortunately, the National Portrait Gallery is directly across 8th Street from the Verizon Center and has free lockers where I’ve stowed my camera on two days. But the gallery opens at 11:00, which is of no value when I arrive early to hear the monks chant morning prayers.
Most days, I choose not to carry a camera but to sit in the media booth, observe, meditate, and write.
Melanie says that John, one of the State Department officers, has been helpful, trying to accommodate the media as much as policy allows. I’m skeptical, but she has had much more conversation with him than I, and he as well as other officers and the K9 handler are pleasant when I speak with them.
I ask them, “Is security this tight because of the Dalai Lama?”
“We do this for all diplomats,” one of the agents says. “We do this for some diplomats,” another says. Hmm. Is this discrepancy a matter if individual viewpoint or inconsistent upper-level policy?
I ask John, “Why can’t we take our cameras to the sixth level and keep them with us there after they’ve been swept?”
“That was all worked out with the PR people before the event,” says John. In security speak, he adds, “We can contain the cameras if we keep them together. Once we let them go, we’d have people roaming all over the building with big cameras and some might not be secure.”
He has a point. I’ve seen some photographers step in front of others and generally not cooperate just to get an optimal shot. Melanie and others have said some journalists have abused what privileges we have, tightening security for all.
Yet, I can’t help but wonder if State Department policy has not been imposed by the Chinese government, which has warned President Barack Obama that a meeting with the Dalai Lama would constitute U.S. interference in China’s international affairs.
Other correspondents concur, noting that Obama has not invited His Holiness to the White House. And Robert Thurman, President of Columbia University's American Institute of Buddhist Studies, in his evening talk two nights earlier, said that if China opposes Obama inviting the Dalai Lama to tea then he should invite him to dinner.
I’m talking about the security at the Kalachakra, which has not been accommodating to the media. “I’ve never been treated so shabbily,” says one correspondent. “It’s like they don’t want coverage,” adds another.
My thoughts are all over the board: Tending to agree with them, accepting what I cannot change, seeking my own alternative ways, and wondering who the security team is really accommodating?
Through observation and scuttlebutt, we know the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, is in charge.
The event organizers, the Capital Area Tibetan Association, are elsewhere, taking care of other details of this massive, nearly sold out event.
The Verizon security employees, as we enter the media entrance, examine our bags, have us empty our pockets, and make sure everyone passes through the body scanner. They also operate the lone elevator. This is definitely not a self-serve, go-anywhere-you-want environment.
Rogers and Cowen, a global entertainment public relations and marketing firm, has attracted the attention of major media outlets and solo freelancers. TIME, Newsweek, Reuters, and Air America are here. So is a photojournalist who has been on extensive assignments for National Geographic as well as correspondents from organizations directly associated with Tibet and Buddhism.
Our daily contact is with a team of Buddhist volunteers from California who have been thrust into a role with far more responsibility than they had anticipated, a role that prevents them from experiencing full participation in the Kalachakra ceremonies.
Part of this team’s responsibility is to escort each media person between the media entrance on the ground floor and the media booth on the uppermost sixth level—and back. No hall passes given. No access to the main floor or tiered arena sections where the general public sits. No access to the souvenir stands or book tables in the concourse—not unless we buy a ticket like everyone else and, definitely, not while wearing our media badges.
Our only unescorted privilege is to use the bathroom on the sixth floor. Use of the bathroom on the entrance floor requires an escort. Yes, you read that right. Did I say security was tight?
Melanie, the volunteer in charge of this team, has been drawn into high-level security meetings. For the most part, she has stationed herself at the entrance, immediately beyond the body scanner. She’s missed most of the ceremony.
Volunteers Beverley, Jesse, and Michelle are frequently our escorts, riding the elevators with us and staying on the sixth level where they keep an eye on us. From there, they are able to renew their Kalachakra vows—when not interrupted by calls on their walkie-talkies.
These people are doing what the Dalai Lama would do—accepting, sacrificing with grace and honor, observing as much of the program as they can, and gathering blessing through service.
The bind is photo ops. The deal is that all cameras have to be sniffed by a bomb-detecting dog. The drill is that we in the media are told to show up at a certain time, the dog comes in sometime later, our equipment is sniffed (“swept” in security spin) and cleared, we line up and wait for another 30 minutes or so, we are escorted to the edge of the stage, we are given five minutes (and no more) to shoot, and we are escorted out. We make a 60- to 90-minute investment for a few snaps of a shutter button, and we are not allowed to stand or take photographs directly in front of His Holiness.
Then, we are commanded to leave the building and return only without our cameras. For those with lodging in the area, this is a relatively minor hassle. I’m staying an hour away; so, each day, I make a decision: to shoot or not to shoot.
Fortunately, the National Portrait Gallery is directly across 8th Street from the Verizon Center and has free lockers where I’ve stowed my camera on two days. But the gallery opens at 11:00, which is of no value when I arrive early to hear the monks chant morning prayers.
Most days, I choose not to carry a camera but to sit in the media booth, observe, meditate, and write.
Melanie says that John, one of the State Department officers, has been helpful, trying to accommodate the media as much as policy allows. I’m skeptical, but she has had much more conversation with him than I, and he as well as other officers and the K9 handler are pleasant when I speak with them.
I ask them, “Is security this tight because of the Dalai Lama?”
“We do this for all diplomats,” one of the agents says. “We do this for some diplomats,” another says. Hmm. Is this discrepancy a matter if individual viewpoint or inconsistent upper-level policy?
I ask John, “Why can’t we take our cameras to the sixth level and keep them with us there after they’ve been swept?”
“That was all worked out with the PR people before the event,” says John. In security speak, he adds, “We can contain the cameras if we keep them together. Once we let them go, we’d have people roaming all over the building with big cameras and some might not be secure.”
He has a point. I’ve seen some photographers step in front of others and generally not cooperate just to get an optimal shot. Melanie and others have said some journalists have abused what privileges we have, tightening security for all.
Yet, I can’t help but wonder if State Department policy has not been imposed by the Chinese government, which has warned President Barack Obama that a meeting with the Dalai Lama would constitute U.S. interference in China’s international affairs.
Other correspondents concur, noting that Obama has not invited His Holiness to the White House. And Robert Thurman, President of Columbia University's American Institute of Buddhist Studies, in his evening talk two nights earlier, said that if China opposes Obama inviting the Dalai Lama to tea then he should invite him to dinner.
It's up to the dog—Washington, D.C., Verizon Center; July 6-16, 2011
On the last day of Kalachakra, Saturday, July 16, I want to shoot pictures. The photo op is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. The security sweep is set for 7:00. The media is told to be there at 6:45. The Metro line doesn’t start operation until 7:00 on weekends. My ride from Virginia is 30 minutes. My earliest possible arrival time is 7:30.
I tell Melanie of my situation. She understands, but the situation is out of her control.
“Can I get in if I arrive at 7:30 or 7:40?” I ask.
“If the dog is still here, maybe. If not, no. It’s up to the dog.”
At 6:45, I’m standing in line at the Metro station. The doors open early at 6:50. I enter, run up the escalators. A train is waiting. I board. The train departs three minutes later. The race with the dog is on.
I get off at the Metro Center station to switch trains to the Red Line, but the Red Line is closed for maintenance. I run up the escalators. Street signs indicate the Verizon Center is six blocks away.
I run into the media entrance at 7:45. Mel greets me. “The dog is downstairs,” she says with a smile. The Verizon staff examines my gear and scans my body. Inside, I set my camera and knapsack in the middle of the media room floor along with that of other photographers, videographers, and sound engineers.
I tell Mel I’m going to the bathroom. I don’t ask for an escort. I simply tell her where I’m going. She’s okay with that; she knows me.
Three minutes later, I return to the media room. The dog is there. I and others are told to stand next to a wall. The K9 and her handler do their work. In a minute or two, it’s over. Our equipment is swept. We’re cleared. I’m in. I beat the dog.
I tell Melanie of my situation. She understands, but the situation is out of her control.
“Can I get in if I arrive at 7:30 or 7:40?” I ask.
“If the dog is still here, maybe. If not, no. It’s up to the dog.”
At 6:45, I’m standing in line at the Metro station. The doors open early at 6:50. I enter, run up the escalators. A train is waiting. I board. The train departs three minutes later. The race with the dog is on.
I get off at the Metro Center station to switch trains to the Red Line, but the Red Line is closed for maintenance. I run up the escalators. Street signs indicate the Verizon Center is six blocks away.
I run into the media entrance at 7:45. Mel greets me. “The dog is downstairs,” she says with a smile. The Verizon staff examines my gear and scans my body. Inside, I set my camera and knapsack in the middle of the media room floor along with that of other photographers, videographers, and sound engineers.
I tell Mel I’m going to the bathroom. I don’t ask for an escort. I simply tell her where I’m going. She’s okay with that; she knows me.
Three minutes later, I return to the media room. The dog is there. I and others are told to stand next to a wall. The K9 and her handler do their work. In a minute or two, it’s over. Our equipment is swept. We’re cleared. I’m in. I beat the dog.
Bonus photo op—Washington, D.C., Verizon Center; Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Dalai Lama is on the throne on the center of the stage. Jinpa Thupten, his translator, wearing a light grey suit, has a seat near the edge of the stage. Monks, in their robes, surround His Holiness. The ritual is a ceremony for his long life.
Two nights earlier, Robert Thurman said the chants would surround His Holiness with six colored layers to give him life, energy, and health. “The Dalai Lama has offered to live to age 103,” Thurman said then. “That should be long enough to outlive the Chinese government and help the Tibetan people.”
We are allotted our five minutes to take photos. Then the State Department agents direct us away, and Melanie’s team escorts us toward the back of arena’s main floor. There, standing behind the cordoned area for sound engineers, we gain bonus time.
This provides a panoramic view. Only a few seats are vacant today. The attendance is probably 10,000 to 12,000 people. Many of them, including media volunteer Jesse, are praying, staring in rapt attention toward either the stage or a large overhead monitor hovering over the center of the arena.
Thanks to a tip from another correspondent, I go the Verizon Center’s public entrance. Escorted by a security guard, I walk to a guest service center and check my camera there.
Being without a camera, permits me access to the sixth level. With a few other media people, we hear the Dalai Lama conclude the Long-Life Ceremony with these words: “In order to get maximum happy life for individual, it depends on the entire humanity, the entire world. Therefore, it will take serious global effort. … Because of many factors, you also have greater opportunity, greater potential to make better world. So that’s all. Thank you.”
Two nights earlier, Robert Thurman said the chants would surround His Holiness with six colored layers to give him life, energy, and health. “The Dalai Lama has offered to live to age 103,” Thurman said then. “That should be long enough to outlive the Chinese government and help the Tibetan people.”
We are allotted our five minutes to take photos. Then the State Department agents direct us away, and Melanie’s team escorts us toward the back of arena’s main floor. There, standing behind the cordoned area for sound engineers, we gain bonus time.
This provides a panoramic view. Only a few seats are vacant today. The attendance is probably 10,000 to 12,000 people. Many of them, including media volunteer Jesse, are praying, staring in rapt attention toward either the stage or a large overhead monitor hovering over the center of the arena.
Thanks to a tip from another correspondent, I go the Verizon Center’s public entrance. Escorted by a security guard, I walk to a guest service center and check my camera there.
Being without a camera, permits me access to the sixth level. With a few other media people, we hear the Dalai Lama conclude the Long-Life Ceremony with these words: “In order to get maximum happy life for individual, it depends on the entire humanity, the entire world. Therefore, it will take serious global effort. … Because of many factors, you also have greater opportunity, greater potential to make better world. So that’s all. Thank you.”
White House invitation—Washington, D.C.; Saturday, July 16, 2011, noon
His Holiness is going to the White House after all. The audience resounds with applause when this announcement is made just before noon. That night and the next day, the major media sources report a different response from the government of China.
“Such an act has grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, hurt the feelings of Chinese people and damaged the Sino-American relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a written statement, according to Reuters.
National Public Radio reports that the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said, “The Tibetan issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and China was firmly opposed to the meeting … [and] had lodged diplomatic complaints in Beijing and Washington over the issue.”
The BBC summarizes similar comments from China’s government and adds text from an official White House statement: “The President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world. … Mr. Obama also reiterated that the U.S. considers Tibet to be part of China, and said he encouraged ‘direct dialogue to resolve long-standing differences.’”
The media sources report that the meeting lasted about 45 minutes, was held behind closed doors in the Map Room rather than the Oval Office, “which is traditionally reserved for visiting heads of state,” according to BBC, and came on the last day before the Dalai Lama was scheduled to leave Washington after being here for 11 days.
“Such an act has grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, hurt the feelings of Chinese people and damaged the Sino-American relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a written statement, according to Reuters.
National Public Radio reports that the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said, “The Tibetan issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and China was firmly opposed to the meeting … [and] had lodged diplomatic complaints in Beijing and Washington over the issue.”
The BBC summarizes similar comments from China’s government and adds text from an official White House statement: “The President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world. … Mr. Obama also reiterated that the U.S. considers Tibet to be part of China, and said he encouraged ‘direct dialogue to resolve long-standing differences.’”
The media sources report that the meeting lasted about 45 minutes, was held behind closed doors in the Map Room rather than the Oval Office, “which is traditionally reserved for visiting heads of state,” according to BBC, and came on the last day before the Dalai Lama was scheduled to leave Washington after being here for 11 days.
Our appearances and our core—Washington, D.C.; Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Kalachakra sand mandala is a work of art ... a temporary work of art about seven feet in diameter, crafted by the monks on a ceremonial platform in first days of the Kalachakra initiation.
Tibetans identify this as the Full Body, Speech and Mind Mandala. I consider it to be a symbol of our global human oneness through our connection with God and the environment.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama oversaw the initial placement of the mandala on Wednesday, July 6, the first day of Kalachakra. He began by holding one end of a string that served as a guide for the first diameter line. With the string pulled taut by another monk on the other side, more monks placed marks along its line. When the string was removed, another monk filled in its length with white paint easily visible on the platform's red surface.
The string was then stretched perfectly perpendicular to the first line and marked in the same manner. The process was repeated with a third line and a fourth indicating the cardinal and ordinal diameters.
Then, over night and into the next morning, monks painted circles, squares, and intricacies that would delineate the mandala's final form.
On the second day, they began to place the sand in colors of white, red, black, green, yellow, and other colors. They use chak-purs, a metal, cone-shaped tool with a needle nose that permits only a few grains of sand to pass at a time. The top side of the cone, at the narrow end, has a serrated strip attached. With a metal stick, the monks rub the serrated strip, creating a vibration that causes the sand to flow in a precise stream to a precise location.
The entire process takes three days and, presumably, some evening hours. When finished, it serves as the cornerstone for Kalachakra initiation ceremonies.
The Dalai says at one point, “Imagine you are inside the mandala.”
Tibetans identify this as the Full Body, Speech and Mind Mandala. I consider it to be a symbol of our global human oneness through our connection with God and the environment.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama oversaw the initial placement of the mandala on Wednesday, July 6, the first day of Kalachakra. He began by holding one end of a string that served as a guide for the first diameter line. With the string pulled taut by another monk on the other side, more monks placed marks along its line. When the string was removed, another monk filled in its length with white paint easily visible on the platform's red surface.
The string was then stretched perfectly perpendicular to the first line and marked in the same manner. The process was repeated with a third line and a fourth indicating the cardinal and ordinal diameters.
Then, over night and into the next morning, monks painted circles, squares, and intricacies that would delineate the mandala's final form.
On the second day, they began to place the sand in colors of white, red, black, green, yellow, and other colors. They use chak-purs, a metal, cone-shaped tool with a needle nose that permits only a few grains of sand to pass at a time. The top side of the cone, at the narrow end, has a serrated strip attached. With a metal stick, the monks rub the serrated strip, creating a vibration that causes the sand to flow in a precise stream to a precise location.
The entire process takes three days and, presumably, some evening hours. When finished, it serves as the cornerstone for Kalachakra initiation ceremonies.
The Dalai says at one point, “Imagine you are inside the mandala.”
A Kalachakra web site says: “In the practice of Kalachakra, one strives at visualizing the complete mandala, including its hundreds of deities in perfect detail of the size of a small drop during the Generation Stage of the practice, to achieve a very high level of concentration. Next, during the Completion Stage practices one gradually develops one's body and mind into that of an enlightened Buddha by controlling all energies of body and mind. This should give an idea of the level of concentration required for transforming oneself into a Buddha.”
On the final day of Kalachakra, the mandala is dismantled ... not grain by grain but by brushing all the colors together into one pile.
And here's the amazing thing: the colors, with all their brightness, disappear. The collective sand heap is grey—plain, old, nondescript grey.
The symbolism is profound. The colors, when visible, represent our human external differences: the color of our skin, hair, and eyes, our body size, the languages we speak, the lands from which we claim our nationalities, and the heritage from which we claim our ethnicities.
But the grayness: The grayness represents our inner beauty, our inner sameness, our inner commonalty, our core.
The dismantling is followed by dissolution of the sand in water. In this case, the Dalai Lama and a group of monks transport the urn of sand to the shores of the Anacostia River on the southern edge of Washington, D.C. There, under heavy security by the State Department and private officers, they perform a prayer ceremony. Then they walk the urn to the water's edge.
Two monks extend a bucket into the water and draw it back with two lengths of tied-together white cloth. They raise the bucket in front of the Dalai Lama who stands on a short platform, surrounded by security personnel and more monks. His Holiness and two monks—one holding the urn and one pouring the water into the urn—meld these two primary Earth elements. Then they pour the mixture back into the river.
They repeat the process, cleansing the urn, washing every grain of sand back into the watery environment. The dissolution is complete.
The symbolism is real. We may have apparent differences, but at our inner core, we are one.
On the final day of Kalachakra, the mandala is dismantled ... not grain by grain but by brushing all the colors together into one pile.
And here's the amazing thing: the colors, with all their brightness, disappear. The collective sand heap is grey—plain, old, nondescript grey.
The symbolism is profound. The colors, when visible, represent our human external differences: the color of our skin, hair, and eyes, our body size, the languages we speak, the lands from which we claim our nationalities, and the heritage from which we claim our ethnicities.
But the grayness: The grayness represents our inner beauty, our inner sameness, our inner commonalty, our core.
The dismantling is followed by dissolution of the sand in water. In this case, the Dalai Lama and a group of monks transport the urn of sand to the shores of the Anacostia River on the southern edge of Washington, D.C. There, under heavy security by the State Department and private officers, they perform a prayer ceremony. Then they walk the urn to the water's edge.
Two monks extend a bucket into the water and draw it back with two lengths of tied-together white cloth. They raise the bucket in front of the Dalai Lama who stands on a short platform, surrounded by security personnel and more monks. His Holiness and two monks—one holding the urn and one pouring the water into the urn—meld these two primary Earth elements. Then they pour the mixture back into the river.
They repeat the process, cleansing the urn, washing every grain of sand back into the watery environment. The dissolution is complete.
The symbolism is real. We may have apparent differences, but at our inner core, we are one.
About Tibet—source: Capital Area Tibetan Association
Known as the roof of the world, Tibet has an average elevation of 13,000 feet and a population of six million people. It is larger than Western Europe. Five of Asia's great rivers flow from headwaters in Tibet and nearly half the world's population lives downstream.
Endangered species, hundreds of bird varieties, and deposits of over 100 minerals exist in Tibet. These are threatened by extensive resource extraction, poaching, and unsustainable development.
In 1949, the People's Liberation Army of Communist China invaded Tibet. A Tibetan uprising in 1959 was brutally crushed. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal leader, along with more than 80,000 Tibetans became exiles in India.
The Tibetan government in exile is comprised of democratically elected legislative, judicial, and executive bodies. The Tibetan culture, religion, and identity is threatened within Tibet but thrives in exile.
From the wisdom taught by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago in India, Tibetan Buddhism has a systemized path that teaches people how to achieve deep and abiding happiness, free from suffering.
The Dalai Lama has said, "Buddhism changed the whole Tibetan way of life, giving rise to a more compassionate community. ... The real factor in creating genuine peace is compassion. ... Where there is compassion, a sense of community, a sense of respect for others' rights is automatic."
Tibet once contained over 6,000 monasteries, all but a handful have been destroyed by the Chinese invasion. Tibetans are no longer free to practice their religion and show respect for the Dalai Lama without placing themselves and their families in danger.
Tibetans prize education, viewing ignorance as the root of all suffering. Each year, over 3,000 Tibetan children move into exile to receive education in Tibetan schools in India.
The monastic system In Tibet emphasized intellectual mastery and the importance of accumulating positive behavior, avoiding destructive behavior, and learning to master one's heart and mind to subdue craving and hatred. The chant om mani padme hum is the mantra of compassion.
Robert Thurman, President of Columbia University's American Institute of Buddhist Studies, has said, "Buddhists have been unilaterally disarmed for over 300 years. Their material development has been systematically neglected in favor of their spiritual development. ... Tibetan culture ... may contain precious keys with which we can rediscover planetary equilibrium, restoring spiritual sanity to those maddened by extreme materialism."
Endangered species, hundreds of bird varieties, and deposits of over 100 minerals exist in Tibet. These are threatened by extensive resource extraction, poaching, and unsustainable development.
In 1949, the People's Liberation Army of Communist China invaded Tibet. A Tibetan uprising in 1959 was brutally crushed. The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal leader, along with more than 80,000 Tibetans became exiles in India.
The Tibetan government in exile is comprised of democratically elected legislative, judicial, and executive bodies. The Tibetan culture, religion, and identity is threatened within Tibet but thrives in exile.
From the wisdom taught by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago in India, Tibetan Buddhism has a systemized path that teaches people how to achieve deep and abiding happiness, free from suffering.
The Dalai Lama has said, "Buddhism changed the whole Tibetan way of life, giving rise to a more compassionate community. ... The real factor in creating genuine peace is compassion. ... Where there is compassion, a sense of community, a sense of respect for others' rights is automatic."
Tibet once contained over 6,000 monasteries, all but a handful have been destroyed by the Chinese invasion. Tibetans are no longer free to practice their religion and show respect for the Dalai Lama without placing themselves and their families in danger.
Tibetans prize education, viewing ignorance as the root of all suffering. Each year, over 3,000 Tibetan children move into exile to receive education in Tibetan schools in India.
The monastic system In Tibet emphasized intellectual mastery and the importance of accumulating positive behavior, avoiding destructive behavior, and learning to master one's heart and mind to subdue craving and hatred. The chant om mani padme hum is the mantra of compassion.
Robert Thurman, President of Columbia University's American Institute of Buddhist Studies, has said, "Buddhists have been unilaterally disarmed for over 300 years. Their material development has been systematically neglected in favor of their spiritual development. ... Tibetan culture ... may contain precious keys with which we can rediscover planetary equilibrium, restoring spiritual sanity to those maddened by extreme materialism."
Introduction to Kalachakra—source: Capital Area Tibetan Association
Kalachakra is a composite of two Tibetan words kala (wheel or cycle) and chakra (time). It means "The Wheels of Time."
The Outer Wheel is the external world. The Inner Wheel is the body as well as the elements, and movements of the wind. The Other Wheel is a person's psycho-physical initiations and meditations that result in "the divine image of emptiness."
The Kalachakra was taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni—The Buddha—who actualized highest perfect enlightenment. Legend says the ritual was carried forward for generations through a succession of chieftains.
Practice of the Kalachakra tantra (principle or doctrine) is based on first receiving proper initiations motivated by bodhichitta, which is "the desire for true, perfect enlightenment for the sake of others."
Of the eleven Kalachakra initiations, seven are more basic and are called "entering like a child," three are "exalted," and one is "most exalted." Some disciples receive only the seven lower initiations, but those interested in transcendence are given all eleven.
The Outer Wheel is the external world. The Inner Wheel is the body as well as the elements, and movements of the wind. The Other Wheel is a person's psycho-physical initiations and meditations that result in "the divine image of emptiness."
The Kalachakra was taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni—The Buddha—who actualized highest perfect enlightenment. Legend says the ritual was carried forward for generations through a succession of chieftains.
Practice of the Kalachakra tantra (principle or doctrine) is based on first receiving proper initiations motivated by bodhichitta, which is "the desire for true, perfect enlightenment for the sake of others."
Of the eleven Kalachakra initiations, seven are more basic and are called "entering like a child," three are "exalted," and one is "most exalted." Some disciples receive only the seven lower initiations, but those interested in transcendence are given all eleven.
2011 Kalachakra Program—source: Capital Area Tibetan Association
The Kalachakra initiations in Washington, D.C., were the 31st by His Holiness the Dalai Lama since May 1954. The first two were in Tibet. The next four and a total of eighteen were in India. There was one each in Switzerland, Spain, Mongolia, Australia, Austria, and Canada and five in the United States with this being the first in the nation’s capital city.
Audiences for the previous Kalachakras ranged from 1,500 to 200,000 persons. Approximately 12,000 people came to the Verizon Center to hear His Holiness on the final day; it's impossible to estimate how many of the 5,000 to 7,000 in attendance for the initiation on previous days actually took the vows.
Each morning, His Holiness and 12 to 30 monks chanted prayers for a period of two to four hours. His Holiness also delivered all of the teachings and initiation tantras, sometimes speaking in English and sometimes in Tibetan.
It was apparent that many people know and speak both languages. For those who spoke only English, the teachings in Tibetan were translated and re-presented by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, a Tibetan monk, scholar, and author who has been the Dalai Lama's principal translator for more than 20 years. Other live translations were available via a closed-circuit broadcast and receiving devices in Chinese, Mongolian, Russian, Spanish, and French.
The program for the Kalachakra in D.C. included Earth Ritual Prayers, celebration of the Dalai Lama's 76th birthday, Earth Ritual Dance, Kalachakra Ritual Preparation Prayers, Teachings on Gyalsey Thogme Sangpo's 37 Practices, Ritual Offering Dance, Self-Generation Prayers, Preliminary Empowerment of Students, Kalachakra Empowerment, Long-Life Empowerment, Long-Life Ceremony for His Holiness, public viewing of the sand mandala, dismantling the sand mandala, dissolution of the sand mandala into the Anacostia River, and Concluding Prayers.
Late afternoon and evening activities included a series of lectures by notable Tibetans and Buddhists as well as folk culture entertainment.
Audiences for the previous Kalachakras ranged from 1,500 to 200,000 persons. Approximately 12,000 people came to the Verizon Center to hear His Holiness on the final day; it's impossible to estimate how many of the 5,000 to 7,000 in attendance for the initiation on previous days actually took the vows.
Each morning, His Holiness and 12 to 30 monks chanted prayers for a period of two to four hours. His Holiness also delivered all of the teachings and initiation tantras, sometimes speaking in English and sometimes in Tibetan.
It was apparent that many people know and speak both languages. For those who spoke only English, the teachings in Tibetan were translated and re-presented by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, a Tibetan monk, scholar, and author who has been the Dalai Lama's principal translator for more than 20 years. Other live translations were available via a closed-circuit broadcast and receiving devices in Chinese, Mongolian, Russian, Spanish, and French.
The program for the Kalachakra in D.C. included Earth Ritual Prayers, celebration of the Dalai Lama's 76th birthday, Earth Ritual Dance, Kalachakra Ritual Preparation Prayers, Teachings on Gyalsey Thogme Sangpo's 37 Practices, Ritual Offering Dance, Self-Generation Prayers, Preliminary Empowerment of Students, Kalachakra Empowerment, Long-Life Empowerment, Long-Life Ceremony for His Holiness, public viewing of the sand mandala, dismantling the sand mandala, dissolution of the sand mandala into the Anacostia River, and Concluding Prayers.
Late afternoon and evening activities included a series of lectures by notable Tibetans and Buddhists as well as folk culture entertainment.
The Dalai Lama—source: Capital Area Tibetan Association
The Dalai Lama was born as Tenzin Gyatso in Tibet in 1935 and was recognized as the reincarnate 14th Dalai Lama at the age of two. His childhood education was not that of a normal child but of philosophy, astrology, dialectics, and more.
At the age of 15, while immersed in studies of religion and metaphysics, political circumstances compelled him to become Tibet's temporal and spiritual affairs. He demonstrated great ability to accomplish difficult achievements in multiple arenas with flexibility, far-sightedness, and dedication. After being exiled from his homeland in 1959, his accomplishments and his notoriety in the larger world grew.
He has dedicated his life to re-establishment of the nation of Tibet, preserving Tibetan traditions among refugees, maintaining a democratic Tibetan government-in-exile, and promoting peace, compassion, and interfaith harmony throughout the world.
He is dedicated to the human values of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline.
His work for peace within and among people earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, the United States Congressional Gold Medal, scores of honorary doctorates, and other tributes.
Of the Kalachakra in D.C., the Dalai Lama said, "A large number of people will come together for a few days to concentrate. Because of this, I think some positive vibrations, perhaps at an invisible level, can happen. The participants, for some short moments, can experience some tranquility, peace, and satisfaction."
At the age of 15, while immersed in studies of religion and metaphysics, political circumstances compelled him to become Tibet's temporal and spiritual affairs. He demonstrated great ability to accomplish difficult achievements in multiple arenas with flexibility, far-sightedness, and dedication. After being exiled from his homeland in 1959, his accomplishments and his notoriety in the larger world grew.
He has dedicated his life to re-establishment of the nation of Tibet, preserving Tibetan traditions among refugees, maintaining a democratic Tibetan government-in-exile, and promoting peace, compassion, and interfaith harmony throughout the world.
He is dedicated to the human values of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline.
His work for peace within and among people earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, the United States Congressional Gold Medal, scores of honorary doctorates, and other tributes.
Of the Kalachakra in D.C., the Dalai Lama said, "A large number of people will come together for a few days to concentrate. Because of this, I think some positive vibrations, perhaps at an invisible level, can happen. The participants, for some short moments, can experience some tranquility, peace, and satisfaction."
Coming Together Where We Agree—Virginia; July 5–17, 2011
The conversation over our first meal was on religion. My host, John, is an evangelical Christian with a missionary zeal and dedication to Creation Care. I agree about humankind’s responsibility to care for Earth but take a universal approach to spirituality, believing in humanity's innate connection with God regardless of professed. Ours is a lively discussion with both of us listening, respecting, learning.
John's and my connection stems from John McConnell, creator of the Earth Flag and founder of the original Earth Day on the vernal equinox.
In April, this younger John now sitting across the table from me and provider of an excellent dinner had contacted me via email, asking to purchase a copy of Peace, Justice, Care of Earth, John McConnell's biography that I authored in 2007. He had instructed me send the book to his sister in Texas where he would be staying a week hence on his way to Colorado.
I sent the book and offered to introduce him to John and Anna McConnell if he wanted to visit them in Denver. He accepted my offer, and the meeting was arranged.
Then, through another email, I learned John lives in Virginia near Washington, D.C. In need of a place to stay for the Kalachakra and not wanting to pay high hotel or even hostel rates typical of that area, I boldly asked John if I could stay at his place.
I received no reply ... until about three weeks had passed. In the interim, John had caught up with the book and read it. He replied that since I didn't appear to be "an ax murderer"—yes, that was his term—I could stay at his home. He also cautioned that his home was small and I would have to sleep on the floor, but he did offer an air mattress. That was just fine with me. A bonus, healthwise, is that John lives far enough from the Metro station that I enjoy a 25-minute walk twice a day.
And we have our discussions—at least a few minutes most nights and longer on the evenings we share a meal together either in his home or in a restaurant. The more we talk, the more I become aware—and I think John realizes this too—that we agree on more points than we disagree, especially in regard to environment, which he works to protect through his employment.
Collectively, we confirm one of John McConnell's primary tenets, which he spoke to me many times when I interviewed him in 2004: "Come together where you agree and leave room for your differences."
So true. Fortunately, we humans are diverse. Fortunately, we possess ability for discussion, dialogue, diplomacy, and detente to determine our commonalities and to live in peace and harmony.
John's and my connection stems from John McConnell, creator of the Earth Flag and founder of the original Earth Day on the vernal equinox.
In April, this younger John now sitting across the table from me and provider of an excellent dinner had contacted me via email, asking to purchase a copy of Peace, Justice, Care of Earth, John McConnell's biography that I authored in 2007. He had instructed me send the book to his sister in Texas where he would be staying a week hence on his way to Colorado.
I sent the book and offered to introduce him to John and Anna McConnell if he wanted to visit them in Denver. He accepted my offer, and the meeting was arranged.
Then, through another email, I learned John lives in Virginia near Washington, D.C. In need of a place to stay for the Kalachakra and not wanting to pay high hotel or even hostel rates typical of that area, I boldly asked John if I could stay at his place.
I received no reply ... until about three weeks had passed. In the interim, John had caught up with the book and read it. He replied that since I didn't appear to be "an ax murderer"—yes, that was his term—I could stay at his home. He also cautioned that his home was small and I would have to sleep on the floor, but he did offer an air mattress. That was just fine with me. A bonus, healthwise, is that John lives far enough from the Metro station that I enjoy a 25-minute walk twice a day.
And we have our discussions—at least a few minutes most nights and longer on the evenings we share a meal together either in his home or in a restaurant. The more we talk, the more I become aware—and I think John realizes this too—that we agree on more points than we disagree, especially in regard to environment, which he works to protect through his employment.
Collectively, we confirm one of John McConnell's primary tenets, which he spoke to me many times when I interviewed him in 2004: "Come together where you agree and leave room for your differences."
So true. Fortunately, we humans are diverse. Fortunately, we possess ability for discussion, dialogue, diplomacy, and detente to determine our commonalities and to live in peace and harmony.
Tibetan monk uses chak-purs to place colored sand on a small ceremonial sand mandala at the Kalachakra dissolution ceremony.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrives at the site of the sand mandala dissolution ceremony. This is the second time I have taken his photograph at the moment he looked directly at me. (see photo from PeaceJam conference below.)
In this photo, taken at a PeaceJam conference in Denver, Colorado, USA, in 2006, the Dalai Lama (and his security guard) are both looking directly at my camera at the moment I pressed the shutte button ... like a personal blessing.