Interfaith Prayers at the Tibetan Losar Celebration

Interfaith Prayers at the Tibetan Losar Celebration
Prayerful Reflection: Kanwal Prakash Singh

The "Losar" - the "Tibetan New Year" ceremonies began outside with the traditional Smoke Puja and Buddhist chants led by Venerable Arjia Rinpoche, Director and spiritual head of the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, near a specially prepared platform for sacred fire. About 100 brave faithful participating in the Tibetan Losar ceremonies (2015 is the Tibetan Year 2142 - "The Wood Sheep Year") were greeted by a blue sky overhead, about ten inches deep white snow on the ground, and with a wind chill temperature of around -20 degrees F. Yet, there was the unusual warmth of a special moment, friends from many faith communities, our common prayer and gratitude for the sky, earth, water, fire, and the blessings that sustain life that we share as a human family.

Following the outdoor ceremonies, the gathering moved inside to the beautiful Cultural Center and prayers for peace and harmony offered by Arjia Rinpoche, representatives of Baha'i, Sikh, Catholic, and Jewish faiths, and Charlie Wiles, Executive Director of Center for Interfaith Cooperation in Indianapolis. The Interfaith Prayer ceremony was followed by traditional Tibetan tea and refreshments: sweet rice, milk tea, Mongolian bread, and friendly fellowship in the Dining Room of the Cultural Center.

PRAYERFUL REFLECTION ON WORLD PEACE AND HARMONY
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh

Ek OanKar WaheGuruJee Kee Fateh: One Supreme Creator; All Victories Belong To Wonderful Lord. Congratulations to everyone on the auspicious and happy occasion of Losar- Tibetan New Year. It is a privilege to share my reflection for peace and harmony in our world at this Interfaith Losar Celebration.

Let us place before us the wisdom and spirit of all Divine Messengers of every faith and spiritual tradition; Let us remember His Holiness the Dalai Lama - The Spiritual Global Rattna, Venerable Buddha of Compassion, and an extraordinary Humanitarian of our times; Let us meditate upon all the Enlightened Teachers, the Righteous Warriors, and Amazing Trailblazers of all nations and generations who sacrificed their all for truth, justice, and to uplift our sights to higher promise and undreamed-of possibilities; Let us give thanks to all the ordinary men and women who gave incredible meaning and testimony of timeless living legacy to Life, God's Family, and to all cultures and communities across the human universe:

Life, learning, and advancement of human civilization depend on each of us, in faith, entering into a sacred commitment of peace, harmony, and goodwill toward one another. Each of us, individually and collectively, has a stake in this vision and cherished human condition that may:

• Nurture our body, mind, and spirit without fear
• Assure our personal, community, and universal peace and wellbeing
• Promise being treated in fairness, with justice and equal opportunities
• Provide a rightful place for all that we hold sacred; respect for our faith, culture, and
• traditions that nurture our spirit
• Safeguard basic inalienable rights and freedoms
• Protect us from all threats to our safety and humanity

For our world to prosper and progress, we must tirelessly strive toward peaceful resolutions of conflicts and needed accommodations to remove obstacles that divide us and cause tensions, threaten peace and interfaith and cultural harmony among communities as is evident from myriad conflicts around the world. We must dismantle the barriers that divide and separate us because of culture, faith, status, ethnicity, or gender.

We can begin by acknowledging God's Light in each other, our shared hopes and prayers, our collective responsibility to truth, justice, mutual survival, and shared humanity. Toward that, we must work together to uphold human dignity, end violations and denials of basic rights, workplace discrimination and harassment, acts of oppression and tyranny, unfounded stereotyping of entire communities and bring those who are disenfranchised into a place of hope and promise.

We must pray together and imagine a world where hope, healing, compassion; trust and friendship; opportunity and responsibility are cherished anchors; Where right rather than might determines our destiny; Where enlightened spiritual leaders like His Holiness the Dalai Lama provide a universal guiding light to create a lasting legacy of peace entrusted to future generations.

The Losar is an auspicious moment to make our pledge to such a vision and then work in solidarity to make it a realityGreat dreams are never easy, but with good intentions, selfless endeavors, and an all-embracing spirit, we may see the long-awaited destination in the distance.

Venerable Arjia Rinpoche and Buddhist monks offering prayer.

UNIFYING SPIRIT IN PRAYER AND SHARING
The Losar Celebration was a spiritually-enriching affair led by Venerable Arjia Rinpoche, Director and guiding light of The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center. We knew this was hallowed ground, blessed by the six pilgrimages of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and thousands of followers of diverse faith traditions, many interfaith gatherings, religious celebrations, and other special events.

I felt that the sacred sounds of chants are all-transcending; they present no language, cultural, or spiritual barrier to the human spiritAll frontiers and divides are man-created, for all faiths offer a spirit of shared humanity, message of peace, justice and human dignity for all God's (Great Spirit's) Children and Creation. We shared prayers, traditional refreshments, and fellowship as One God's beautiful family.

For one brief moment, the lesson of our unity and universality stood before us, and we felt that, may be The Tibetan Losar in the Year of Sheep could be a new beginning for peace and goodwill throughout the lands, cultures, faith communities, and usher in a more hopeful tomorrowI felt blessed at the thought of this unimagined possibilityIt made me evermore determined to join others in doing my part in this noble endeavor and cherished prayer of witnessing peace and harmony across our global village.
 

The Smoke Puja as a part of the Losar ceremonies.

Guests who participated in the New Year ceremonies in the Cultural Center building.

KP Singh presenting Sikh Gutka (prayer book) to His Holiness the Dalai Lama (2007, Photo by Craig Lovell)

KP Singh offering his prayer for peace and harmony with Venerable Arjia Rinpoche

Interfaith Prayer Service at Chamtse Ling Temple, Bloomington, Indiana (2013)

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