_

This article was written by Peter Dziedzic, a junior at DePaul, who is pursuing a double major in Religious Studies and English. Peter is an Interfaith Scholar and a former co-president of DePaul Interfaith.

_

Images of bowed monks, throngs of observers, and a devoutly perched Dalai Lama upon a stage filled my head as I watched a live stream of the Kalachakra from Washington, DC. These were beautiful scenes, and the words that the Dalai Lama offered resonated with deep wisdom. Watching through a computer screen, I felt a pervading distance between myself and the ceremony. And yet, woven through these diverse images, there was a thread of unity and sincerity, as if I was absorbed into the scene, the ceremony, the ritual.

This ritual, the Kalachakra for World Peace, is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist ceremony that has been practiced for centuries, and this is the first time it has been brought to the capital of the United States. The ten-day event includes hours of teachings, powerful blessings and prayers, a spiritual initiation for participants, and the creation and destruction of the iconic sand mandala, dedicated to both individual and world peace and balance. The Kalachakra, open to the public, is attended by those who want to positively influence their own state of being and the state of the world through karmic implications.

I truly appreciate this opportunity for our nation to not only bear witness to this sincere and powerful event, but to grow in awareness of the rich wisdom found in the spiritual traditions of the world. A significant focus of the Kalachakra is the imparting of Buddhist wisdom to initiates and the public. The Kakachakra, for this brief week, is a part of the national and public discourse, and shows that interfaith awareness is a reality and ever-increasing need in our society. Public observers, such as Gabriel Riera, note the increasing desire for cross-cultural understanding, and religious understanding is an essential part of this societal thirst.

In this thirst, I sense a longing to break away from the barriers that our communities have established and so staunchly maintained – perceived dichotomies of the “Other.” In opportunities for dialogue through experience and learning, such as the Kalachakra, we slowly tear away at the illusory barriers that so confine our lives. The Kalachakra’s emphasis on unity – unity of self and unity of the world – embodies the integral realization of the interfaith movement. Breaking down the dichotomies of differentiation is not merely a social act but a wholly spiritual act that embodies a desire for effective change in the world. This theme echoes not only in the prayers of the monks and resounding wisdom of the Dalai Lama, but in the work of those who come together from different traditions to make change in their communities.

Washington serves as an auspicious womb for the service, for “His Holiness is conferring the Kalachakra empowerment in a location where local decisions affect multitudes around the world.” Many believe that the karmic energy produced by the Kalachakra will work to affect policymakers and leaders to bring about peace in the world. Many skeptics in my circles immediately condemned these efforts as mere wishful thinking, as another failed effort among a long list of efforts to reform our approach to governance and global relationships. Yet others are wholly drawn to this effort. How do we explain the mixed responses to the Kalachakra?

For those who cynically dismiss the Kalachakra, I would argue that they, like all others, have suffocated under barriers of division. They have established a clear definition of “reality” that does not bear the wasted time of creative solutions. For those who are drawn to this spiritual response to global crises, I would argue that they are acknowledging the changing role of religion and spirituality at this critical juncture in human history, when so much of how we live – how we think, interact, move, and communicate – has been radically transformed. With such strides in the profane world, many are left wondering how such changes will transform how we embrace and express the spiritual dimensions of the human person.

Many decry that faith has lost any “substantial” significance in the world, that faith and spiritual zeal are mere coping mechanisms. I see the Kalachakra and the wide-ranging interest in the ceremony as defying this perception, and it is an example of the way in which spirituality and interfaith engagement may be an asset in the struggle to radically change our world and perceptions. We must employ our spiritual voice as an effective voice in the national and global exchange of ideas and solutions.

Spirituality, in this century, must not be locked behind the closed doors of chapels and temples, in the quiet and soft confines of our living rooms, our buried in choking libraries. It must be taken into the streets and embraced and acknowledged as a catalyst for change. We must allow our faith and philosophical identities to guide us in an uncertain world. This should not be dismissed as mere good will, but seen as the sheer will of those who are weary of a failing world.

As we simultaneously grow strained in maintaining the boundaries of the “Other” in an interdependent world, we must recognize not only the power of spirituality in uniting us beyond our shortcomings, but also our common desire to change our interactions with one another by engaging the spiritual values of humanity.

While the Kalachakra continues into the week, karmic energy will be released into the world. I embrace this event as a hopeful turning point in how we engage spiritual values not only in the public and global discourse, but realize the power of engaging spirituality – the spirituality of our lives and the spirituality of others – as we work to bring peace to the world.

I thank the Dalai Lama for the wisdom he is imparting and for offering us hope in darkening times. The road ahead is long and uncertain. Let us embrace the power of spirituality and interfaith cooperation as a powerful and transformative essence of our time.

For more information on the Dalai Lama’s visit to the United States and on the Kalachakra, please visit – http://www.kalachakra2011.com/.