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The Global Peace Prayer Festival has commenced in Bhutan, marking the start of a landmark spiritual gathering that brings together Buddhist leaders, practitioners, and peace advocates from around the world from November 4 to 17.
The festival, being held in Thimphu, features sacred rituals, a non-sectarian Global Peace Prayer, the mass recitation of Bazaguru, public blessings, and the Kalachakra Empowerment. It aims to unite spiritual leaders and practitioners from all traditions of Buddhism to foster peace, compassion, and harmony in a world increasingly marked by conflict and division. Organised by the Royal Government of Bhutan, the 13-day festival brings together eminent lamas, scholars, and practitioners from all vehicles of Buddhism--Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. The gathering seeks to harness the transformative power of loving-kindness and awareness to co-create a future rooted in peace and happiness. The Global Peace Prayer Festival commenced with the sacred ritual of Jabzhi Dhoechog, conducted by the Central Monastic Body at Kuenselphodrang. The rare ritual, performed on a grand scale, combines peaceful offerings with wrathful protection to heal, cleanse, and purify the body, speech, and mind of negative karma. As the celebrations continue, a Global Peace Prayer will be held at Changlimithang Ground, where representatives of all sects of Vajrayana Buddhism and other Buddhist traditions will offer prayers for world peace. The prayers will be conducted in multiple languages, including English, Tibetan, and Dzongkha, with simultaneous translations provided during teachings and empowerments. Eminent lamas will also offer public blessings, allowing devotees to receive spiritual grace and guidance. This will be followed by the mass recitation of the Bazaguru mantra, a collective act of devotion and mindfulness that unites people from diverse backgrounds in a shared aspiration for peace. The Kalachakra Initiation and Empowerment, presided over by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, will offer profound teachings on the sacred connection between the individual and the universe, as well as the innate Buddha nature present within all beings. A detailed schedule featuring participation from lamas across Bhutan and abroad will be released as the event progresses. The festival will also witness the Bhikkhuni Ordination, known as the Gelongma Ordination, where more than 250 Buddhist nuns from around the world will be ordained by His Holiness the Je Khenpo at the Training and Resource Centre of the Bhutan Nuns Foundation in Tshalumaphey, Thimphu. This marks the second such ordination organised by the Bhutan Nuns Foundation for Mahayana Buddhist nuns. In addition to the main ceremonies, the festival will showcase an exhibition of Kalachakra art and artefacts and host scholarly seminars on the Kalachakra tradition. These events reflect Bhutan's enduring commitment to preserving and sharing the spiritual heritage of Buddhism with the world. Bhutan's Global Peace Prayer Festival stands as a historic occasion of unity, devotion, and global healing, offering a powerful message of compassion and collective spiritual awakening in times of turmoil. (ANI)
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