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Dalai Lama Delivers Kalachakra Buddhist Teaching To Thousands Of Devotees (PHOTOS)

LOOK: Thouands Gather In Himalayan Village To Hear Dalai Lama Speak
By 

Reporter, HuffPost

The Dalai Lama spent his 79th birthday and the days surrounding it delivering a Kalachakra for world peace in a small Himalayan town in the Ladakh district of India-administered Kashmir.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a Kalachakra is an extended ceremony centered around a mandala that aims to initiate and empower disciples. Roughly 150,000 devotees reportedly converged for the event, including Hollywood actor Richard Gere -- a longtime student of the Tibetan leader.

During the Kalachakra the Dalai Lama urged Buddhists in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to halt violence against Muslims.

"I urge the Buddhists in these countries to imagine an image of Buddha before they commit such a crime," the Dalai Lama said. "Buddha preaches love and compassion. If the Buddha is there, he will protect the Muslims whom the Buddhists are attacking."

Take a look at the gathering that drew tens of thousands of devotees to receive the Dalai Lama's teachings:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buddhist devotees wait in line to get inside the venue of the Dalai Lama's teachings on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buddhist devotees wait to listen to the Dalai Lama's teachings on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
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An elderly Buddhist devotee rests and a girl waits as they walk towards the venue of the Dalai Lama's teachings on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
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Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures to devotees before he starts teaching on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
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Buddhist devotees hold umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they listen to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
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Buddhist monks prepare a Sand Mandala, a spiritual and ritual symbol depicting the Buddhist universe, as Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is seated at the back on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buddhist devotees wait in line to get inside the venue of the Dalai Lama's teachings on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An elderly Buddhist devotee walks as others wait in line to get inside the venue of the Dalai Lama's teachings on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
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A Buddhist monk folds his hands in respect as Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrives on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A woman prays as Buddhist devotees gather to listen to the Dalai Lama's teachings on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buddhist devotees listen to the teachings of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on the fifth day of Kalachakra near Leh, India, Monday, July 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

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