Tibetan painted scrolls, also known as thangkas, are synonymous with Tibetan culture and religion. These thangkas, depicting images of various Buddhist deities and their celestial abodes are actually considered to be sacred objects worthy of veneration.

Spiritual art from Asia has long since fascinated the minds of Westerners, explorers and observers of Oriental culture. But as time progresses, many are coming to realise that art within Asian traditions is about much more than just aesthetic beauty, and is just as much about spirituality in many cases.

An example of such spiritual art are thangkas, otherwise known as ‘Tibetan painted scrolls’. As Tibetan Buddhism becomes more popular around the world today, so too is the art and meaning behind thangkas being appreciated more and more. These days, they are not only found in the homes of Tibet enthusiasts and Buddhist practitioners as part of their objects of veneration, but they can also be found in exhibitions and museums.

These thangkas, depicting images of various Buddhist deities and their celestial abodes are actually considered to be sacred objects worthy of veneration. In fact, they are known to bestow great blessings to their surroundings and the various sentient beings that inhabit these spaces.

For spiritual practitioners, thangkas are important, especially to those nomads who find statues too cumbersome and bulky to travel with constantly. In fact, when His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India in 1959, he carried a holy Dorje Shugden thangka on his back, since the need to travel in secret and stealthily required his entire party to travel light.

Giuseppe Tucci

Giuseppe Tucci

A man who appreciated thangkas before most and was a pioneer in his field, was Giuseppe Tucci (June 5, 1894 – April 5, 1984). Tucci was an exceptional scholar of East Asian studies and had an incredible aptitude to learn languages. Born to a middle-class family in Macerata, Italy, he taught himself Sanskrit, Chinese and Hebrew before going to university at the age of 18. It was around this time that he started his prolific career as a writer, publishing a collection of Latin inscriptions in the prestigious Zeitschrift des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts.

Graduating from the University of Rome in 1919, he went on to study at Visva-Bharati University in India, founded by Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate. While there, he taught Italian and Chinese and learnt more about Buddhism. He also studied the Tibetan and Bengali languages there.

Notably, he also studied and taught at three more universities in the Indian subcontinent – Dhaka University, Calcutta University and the University of Benares. He returned to Italy in 1931, where he became known as the foremost scholar of Eastern Studies in Europe at the time. In November 1936, he visited Japan, where he toured to give lectures on Tibet.

Giuseppe Tucci reorganising the scattered pages of several manuscripts at his camp, Miang, Ngari, Tibet. Eugenio Ghersi,1933; Neg. dep. 6037/28. Courtesy of Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (Is.I.A.O.) in l.c.a. and Ministero Degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale.

It was around this time that he was criticised for his involvement with Benito Mussolini, the fascist Italian dictator. In fact, Tucci acted as Mussolini’s representative in Japan during his time there and even gave a radio broadcast on behalf of the Italian leader. Nevertheless, if you take his works into consideration, we find that his real involvement with Mussolini was more about his criticism of industrialisation and the search for an authentic connection with nature and the divine, which he believed was to be found in Asia.

Tucci’s contribution to the study of Asian art, culture, religion and language cannot be underestimated. He even organised archaeological digs in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, Ghazni in Afghanistan, Persepolis in Iran and at various sites in the Himalayan region. His career spans the writing of over 360 articles and books.

In 1978, the Government of India awarded him the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of global understanding, goodwill and friendship between various peoples and nations. In 1979, he was again granted a prestigious award, this time the Balzan Prize, bestowed to only those who have made a significant contribution to the brotherhood of mankind through either the promotion of peace or achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences or culture.

Giuseppe Tucci and Tsarong, Tibetan Minister of Finance for Chushul, August 1948. Tucci was consulting Tsarong’s personal library. Lhasa, U, Tibet. Prodhan, 1948. Courtesy of Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (Is.I.A.O.) in l.c.a. and Ministero Degli Affari Esteri e della.

Tibetan Painted Scrolls

By far one of Tucci’s most extensive works is Tibetan Painted Scrolls. First published in 1949, spanning three exquisite volumes, Tucci describes in detail the art of thangka painting and more importantly just why and how it is an important cultural treasure trove. But he describes it as more than that – it is a window into the sphere of the divine.

In his eyes, while most modern thangkas tend to depict the same exact deities, and are somewhat repetitive, the artistic value of thangkas lies in the use of colours and shading. This grants thangkas the “iridescent life of a rainbow.”

In addition to that, thangkas are a depiction of what the Tibetan people have learnt from other ancient societies like China, India and those of Central Asia, as well as what is purely Tibetan in origin. In this sense, thangkas also provide a glimpse into Tibet’s “religious life and history”. It is for this reason that Tucci gives a short history of Tibetan culture and religion in general. Then he goes on to give a brief account of the most important of Tibet’s monuments, which is used as a chronological reference to determine the dates of important thangkas he describes in his work. Tucci then delves into his extensive explanations on a large array of beautiful and historic thangkas.

To download the entire text, click on the links below:

1. Tibetan Painted Scrolls – Vol 1
2. Tibetan Painted Scrolls – Vol 2
3. Tibetan Painted Scrolls – Vol 3

Tibetan Painted Scrolls – Thangka No. 178

Reproduced below is an excerpt from Tibetan Painted Scrolls. In it, Tucci expertly describes a thangka depiction of Shambhala, the mythical kingdom associated with the Kalachakra Tantra and its divine kings. You can read more about this subject below.

Excerpt from Tibetan Painted Scrolls. Here Tucci describes a thangka of Shambala.

Excerpt from Tibetan Painted Scrolls. Here Tucci describes a thangka of Shambala.

Excerpt from Tibetan Painted Scrolls. The thangka of Shambala as described by Tucci.

The Legend of Shambhala

The name Shambhala in Sanskrit means ‘a place of peace/tranquillity/happiness’ or ‘place of silence’. It is considered a pure land within the Human Realm. Pure lands are places where one’s physical needs are easy and worry-free, and because of that one can concentrate on spiritual practice to achieve higher states of consciousness. In essence, pure lands provide practitioners with the most effective circumstances to progress on their spiritual path. Whereas most pure lands exist in higher realms of existence such as the God Realm, Shambhala is unique. It exists in our very own Human Realm. The existence of this specific mystical paradise is mentioned extensively in the Kalachakra Tantra.

There are many places within our Human Realm where, according to Tantric scriptures, energies from different dimensions or levels of consciousness converge. These are extremely sacred and mystical sites, and our experiences when we visit these sites vary according to our spiritual maturity. For example, the Heruka Chakrasamvara Tantras speak of 24 such locations in India and in each of these locations, the entire mandala of Heruka Chakrasamvara is present. Those who practise Tantra in these locations are said to excel in their practice due to the enlightened energies there, which facilitate internal energetic processes better than in other physical locations. Shambhala is another location where there are perfect conditions for us to practise, especially the Tantric practice of Kalachakra. But unlike the 24 sacred sites associated with Heruka Chakrasamvara in India, Shambhala exists as its own kingdom separated from the worldly affairs of other countries and kingdoms.

According to the Kalachakra Tantra scriptures, the first king of Shambhala, King Suchandra, requested Buddha Shakyamuni to bestow upon him a practice that would not require the renunciation of his secular responsibilities to govern over his kingdom and people. Upon receiving this request, Lord Buddha bestowed the complete initiation into the Kalachakra practice to the king, and also expounded the Kalachakra Root Tantra to the monarch and his entourage of 96 minor kings and officials at the site of Dhanyakataka, located in the present-day Andhra Pradesh in south-eastern India.

In the Paramadibuddha, the Kalachakra Root Tantra, it is mentioned:

“Then Vajrapani’s emanation, King Suchandra from famous Shambhala, miraculously entered into the splendid sphere of phenomena. First, he circumambulated to the right, then he worshipped the teacher’s lotus feet with flowers made of jewels. Placing his hands together, Suchandra sat before the perfect Buddha. Suchandra requested the Buddha for the tantra, redacted it, and taught it too.”

(Source: dalailama.com)

It is said that at the time Buddha Shakyamuni bestowed the Kalachakra practice, he held another teaching session simultaneously on the Prajnaparamita Sutra at Griddhraj Parvat (Vulture’s Peak), in what is the present-day Bihar state, India.

King Suchandra, the first Dharma king of the mystical kingdom of Shambhala

The king and his entourage returned to Shambhala, and King Suchandra practised the Kalachakra Tantra diligently and gained many spiritual attainments. Then, he spread the Kalachakra teachings amongst his subjects and to the next king. Since then, all the subsequent kings of Shambhala became the lineage holders of the Kalachakra Tantra, and Shambhala produced many powerful Kalachakra practitioners. Two of the Shambhala’s kings, Manjushri Yashas and Pundarika, composed a condensed form of the Kalachakra Tantra called the Shri Kalachakra Laghutantra, and its commentary, the Vimalaprabha, both of which have become the heart of contemporary Kalachakra practice today.

The existence of Shambhala is also mentioned in the old scriptures from Zhang Zhung, an ancient pre-Buddhist kingdom in Western or North-Western Tibet. The Vishnu Purana, a Hindu scripture, also refers to Shambhala as the future birthplace of the final incarnation of the god Vishnu, who will welcome a new Golden Age to the world.

According to legend, Shambhala is a place where wisdom and love reign, and there is no crime. The kingdom of Shambhala is said to be in the form of an eight-petaled lotus, and the king of Shambhala rules from the city of Kalapa at the centre of this lotus. The residents of Shambhala have pure hearts, and they are immune to suffering and ageing. They are healthy and live for hundreds of years, and the food that they need for sustenance grows easily. The people of Shambhala consist of several well-defined classes: the farmers, the scholars, and the nobles, who all live harmoniously together.

In our world, the Panchen Lama’s line of incarnations are considered to be the emanations of one of the kings of Shambhala, King Manjushri Yashas, and they are some of the greatest holders of the Kalachakra Tantra. Until today, there is a custom in Tibet for His Holiness the Panchen Lama to give public Kalachakra initiations. Though Tantra is usually practised in private, the Panchen Lama incarnations bestow the initiation to huge crowds, and it is considered a very rare and special blessing to receive the initiation from the Panchen Lama. The Kalachakra Tantra is also practised strongly at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the official seat of the Panchen Lama in Shigatse, Tibet.

The Kings of Shambhala

There are 32 known kings of Shambhala (past, present, and future), comprising seven Dharmarajas (‘Dharma King’) and 25 Kalki Kings. The first known ruler was Suchandra, who received the Kalachakra Tantra teaching directly from Buddha Shakyamuni, and spread the Tantric practice to the next king and to the citizens of Shambhala.

King Manjushri Yashas

There were two other notable kings, Manjushri Yashas and Pundarika. Manjushri Yashas wrote a condensed form of the Kalachakra Tantra titled Shri Kalachakra Laghutantra. He was also known for converting a group of non-Buddhist priests in Shambhala and initiating them into Kalachakra practice. Manjushri Yashas also predicted the arrival of “Barbarian Dharma” 800 years later (about 600 CE). The prophecy came true with the arrival of non-Buddhist invaders in South Asia around 636-643 CE. In his introduction to the German version of The Journey to Śambhala which was written by His Holiness the 6^th Panchen Lama Lobsang Palden Yeshe, Albert Grunwedel, a German Tibetologist, wrote that:

“…the Panchen had a duty to gather together the material about a wonderland, in which he himself should have been the king in his previous existences, because he was once the celebrated [Manjushri] Yasas or Manjughosa(kirti)”

(Source: Grunwedel, A. (2010). The Journey to Śambhala. Munich: Bavarian Academy of Sciences, pg 4)

Manjushri Yashas is said to have abdicated and passed the throne to his son, Pundarika. Not long after his abdication, Manjushri Yashas entered clear light and achieved the state of Buddhahood. Pundarika was known for writing the commentary to the Shri Kalachakra titled the Vimalaprabha (Stainless Light). Both the Shri Kalachakra and Vimalapraba are the source texts for Kalachakra Tantra that are still in use today.

The complete list of Shambhala kings are as follows:

The Seven Dharmarajas

1. Suchandra – a manifestation of Vajrapani
2. Devendra, Fond of Sentient Beings – a manifestation of Ksitigarbha
3. Tejasvin, Bearer of the Dharma Wheel and the Auspicious Conch – a manifestation of Yamantaka
4. Somadatta, Lord of Speakers – a manifestation of Sarvanivarnaviskambhin
5. Deveśvara/Sureśvara, Destroyer of the City of Delusion – a manifestation of Jambhaka
6. Viśvamūrti, Conqueror of False Leaders, Holding a Lotus – a manifestation of Manaka
7. Sureśana, Cutter of Delusion, Uprooter of Karma and Klesha – a manifestation of Khagarbha

The Twenty-Five Kalki Kings

1. Manjushri Yashas – a manifestation of Manjushri
2. Pundarika, White Lotus, Cherished by the Lord of Potala – a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara
3. Bhadra, One Who Rules by the Thousand-spoked Wheel – a manifestation of Yamantaka
4. Vijaya, Attractor of Wealth, Victorious in War – a manifestation Kshitigarbha
5. Sumitra, Integrator of Method and Wisdom, Victorious over Samsara – a manifestation of Jambhaka
6. Raktapani, Holder of the Blissful Vajra and Bell – a manifestation of Sarvanivarnaviskambhin
7. Vishnugupta, Smiling Holder of the Trident and Rosary – a manifestation of Manaka
8. Suryakirti, Annihilator of Wild Demons – a manifestation of Khagarbha
9. Subhadra, Holder of the Sword and Shield – a manifestation of Vighnantaka
10. Samudra Vijaya, Annihilator of All Types of Devils – a manifestation of Vajrapani
11. Aja, Who Binds with Unbreakable Iron Chains – a manifestation of Yamantaka
12. Surya/Suryapada, All-Pervading, Radiant Jewel Light – a manifestation Kshitigarbha
13. Vishvarupa, Holder of the Vajra Prod and Noose – a manifestation of Jambhaka
14. Shashiprabha, Lord of Secret Mantras, Holder of the Wheel and Conch – a manifestation of Sarvanivarnaviskambhin
15. Ananta/Thayä, Holder of the Mallet that Crushes False Ideas – a manifestation of Manaka
16. Shripaala/Parthiva, Holder of the Cleaver that Cuts the Bonds of Ignorance – a manifestation of Khagarbha
17. Shripala, Annihilator of the Host of Demons – a manifestation of Vighnantaka
18. Singha, Who Stuns the Elephant with His Vajra – a manifestation of Vajrapani
19. Vikranta, Subduer of the Mass of Foes, the Inner and Outer Classes of Devils – a manifestation of Yamantaka
20. Mahabala, Tamer of All False Leaders by Means of the Sound of Mantra – a manifestation of Kshitigarbha
21. Aniruddha (the current king), Who Draws and Binds the Entire Three Worlds – a manifestation of Jambhaka
22. Narasingha, Ruling by the Wheel, Holding the Conch – a manifestation of Sarvanivarnaviskambhin
23. Maheshvara, Victorious over the Armies of Demons – a manifestation of Khagarbha
24. Anantavijaya, Holder of the Vajra and Bell – a manifestation of Vajrapani
25. Raudra Chakrin, Forceful Wheel Holder – a manifestation of Manjushri

Raudra Chakrin is believed to be the future and final king of Shambhala. According to a prediction within the Kalachakra Tantra, Raudra Chakrin will defeat the degenerated rulers of the future and usher in the last Golden Age. Following that Golden Age, the Dharma will degenerate and completely disappear from the world. After hundreds of thousands of years without the Dharma, the next Buddha of our time, Maitreya, will take birth once again to turn the wheel of Dharma.

The Prophecy of Shambhala

The Kalachakra Tantra predicts that the world we live in will degenerate into war and greed as materialism and self-indulgence spread, and those who follow the ideology of materialism will be known as barbarians (mleccha). In the future, when the barbarians and the evil kings who rule them, believe that there is nothing else for them to conquer, the mist that keeps Shambhala hidden will disappear, and the physical location of this paradise will become known to the barbarians.

An 18^th Century thangka of the last Kalki King of Shambhala, Raudra Chakrin

The barbarians and their kings will attempt to invade Shambhala with their huge armies and their dreadful and powerful weapons. In response to this attack, the 25^th Kalki King of Shambhala, Raudra Chakrin, will lead a vast army to eliminate the dark forces and usher in a Golden Age to our world.

According to Alexander Berzin, this event will occur in 2424 CE. However, some theologians interpret this war to only be a symbolic one, because the Buddha’s teachings do not support violence. The battle represents the inner conflict as the practitioners fight against their negative tendencies, such as greed, anger, and selfishness. This is consistent with the explanation given by Khedrub Je, one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s students:

“[The] ‘holy war’ symbolically, teaching that it mainly refers to the inner battle of the religious practitioner against barbarian tendencies.”

(Source: en.wikipedia.org)

The force of karma is what controls sentient beings who are driven by selfish instincts, customs, and habits created by not understanding the nature of reality. Therefore, these beings hurt and fight each other and create karma. This karma develops into habits and tendencies to continue the cycle, which creates new forces of karma.

Hence some theologians believe the battle described in the Kalachakra prophecy is an inner one, and the invaders are the winds of delusions and afflictive emotions caused by karma running wild within our body. Practitioners of Tantra bring these psychic winds together and dissolve them in the heart chakra. When practitioners succeed in achieving this, they will then see the subtlest level of the mind, the clear light mind. This clear light mind is the deepest and most ultimate meaning of Inner Shambhala, the land of peace.

Therefore, from this prophecy, it can be said that in the future, King Raudra Chakrin will lead sentient beings in a fight against their negative tendencies which create so much suffering, and usher in a Golden Age, rather than doing battle against an actual outer enemy.

Introduction to the Kalachakra Tantra

The Kalachakra is one of the most advanced Tantric practices that was brought from India to Tibet. Kalachakra means the “cycles of time”. The Tantra explains both universal and spiritual progress through the use of three cycles:

• External cycle
• Internal cycle
• Alternative (spiritual) cycle

A Kalachakra sand mandala

These three cycles are included in the five chapters of the Kalachakra Tantra. The first and second chapters are known as Ground Kalachakra.

• Chapter 1 contains information about the outer or physical Kalachakra or cycle. This includes information about the Kalachakra calendar system, the working of elements, our solar systems, and the death of the universe.
• Chapter 2 contains information about the inner Kalachakra, and the functions and classifications of the human body and its experiences. The human body consists of several components such as the winds, channels, and drops, while the human experience is described as waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the energy of sexual orgasm.

The third to fifth chapters are known as the Path and Fruition.

• Chapter 3 contains information about the preparation for meditational practice, which is the Kalachakra initiation.
• Chapter 4 explains the actual meditation practice on the mandala, the deities in the generation stage practices, and the completion or the perfection stage of the Kalachakra’s Six Yogas.
• Chapter 5 describes the fruit of the practice, the state of enlightenment.

How the Kalachakra Tantra Went From India to Tibet

The Kalachakra deity

The Kalachakra Tantra reached India through the efforts of a great saint named Kalachakrapada the Elder. It is said that one day Manjushri, who was Kalachakrapada’s yidam (meditational deity), appeared to him and entreated him to travel to the north of India. There, he encountered the Kalki King Aja who is considered to be an emanation of Yamantaka. King Aja bestowed upon him the complete initiation and commentary of the Kalachakra practice. Therefore, Kalachakrapada became the first in the line of Indian masters who propagated the practice.

After he returned to India, Kalachakrapada defeated the abbot of Nalanda Monastery, Naropa, in a debate and initiated him into the practice of Kalachakra. Naropa then legitimised the practice of Kalachakra in Nalanda and initiated great masters, such as Atisha, into the practice as well.

There are two main lineages of the Kalachakra Tantra that came to Tibet: The Ra and the Dro lineages. The Ra lineage descended from Samantashri, a Kashmiri master, and Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drak, a Tibetan translator. Prominent Sakya masters such as Drogon Chogyal Phagpa (1235-1280), Sakya Pandita (1182-1251), Buton Rinchen Drup (1290-1364), and Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (1292-1361) practised the Ra lineages.

The Dro lineage descended from Somanatha, another Kashmiri scholar who travelled to Tibet, and translator Dro Lotsawa Sherab Drak. The Dro lineage was widely practised within the Jonang School. A famous Jonang scholar, Taranatha, wrote a commentary on the Dro lineage of Kalachakra. Both Buton Rinchen Drub and Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen were holders of Kalachakra Tantra from both the Ra and Dro lineages.

The Kalachakra Tantra came to the Gelug school through Lama Tsongkhapa. It is said that Lama Tsongkhapa had a pure vision of Kalachakra and auspicious signs while examining this Tantra. The deity put his primary hands on Lama Tsongkhapa’s head and declared,

“Concerning the Kalachakra Tantra, you have appeared like King Suchandra himself.”

One of Lama Tsongkhapa’s main disciples, Khedrup Je, who would later be recognised as the 1^st Panchen Lama, wrote a commentary on the Kalachakra Tantra. Today, the Kalachakra Tantra is practised by all Tibetan Buddhist schools, and prominently featured within the Gelug lineage.

Iconography of Shri Kalachakra

The following are the main features of Shri Kalachakra’s iconography:

• His body is blue in colour.
• He has four faces. The main face is blue-black, with a fierce expression and bared teeth. The face on the right is red in colour with a desirous expression. The face on the left is white with a peaceful expression. Finally, the face on the back is yellow in colour and in Samadhi. Each of the faces has three eyes.
• His hair is tied and adorned with Vajrasattva, Vishvavajra, and a crescent moon as a crown.
• Kalachakra wears vajra earrings, necklaces, bracelets, a vajra jewel, anklets, belt, mala, and a loose tiger skin skirt.
• He has six pairs of shoulders. The first and second pairs on the left and right are blue. The third and fourth pairs are red, and the fifth and sixth are white.
• Of his 12 upper arms, the first four arms (left and right) are black in colour, the second four arms are red, and the third four arms are white.
• On his 24 hands, all the little fingers are green, the ring fingers are black, the middle fingers are red, the index fingers are white, and the thumbs are yellow. All the fingers are radiant and beautiful.
• In his 12 right hands, the first four black hands hold a vajra, sword, trident, and a curved knife. The four red hands hold a flaming arrow, vajra hook, a rattling damaru, and a hammer, while the four white hands hold a wheel, a spear, a stick, and a battle axe.
• In his 12 left hands, the first four black hands hold a vajra bell, shield, katvanga, and a blood-filled skull-cup. The four red hands hold a bow, vajra, lasso, jewel, and a white lotus, while the four white hands hold a conch, a mirror, a vajra chain and the four-faced head of Brahma adorned with a lotus.
• The right leg is extended and red in colour. It steps on a being named Kamadeva who has four hands and one face. Kamadeva’s four hands hold five flowers, a bow, a lasso, and a hook.
• The left leg is white, and steps on a being named Rudra, who has a white face, four arms, and three eyes. The four arms hold a trident, damaru, a skull-cup, and a katvanga.
• Holding the soles of Kalachakra’s feet are two demons, Uma and Rati, who lie in a woeful position.

The following are the main features of Vishvamata’s (Shri Kalachakra’s consort) iconography:

• Her body is yellow in colour.
• Her four faces, from right to left, are the colours yellow, white, blue, and red. Each face has three eyes.
• Her four right hands hold a curved knife, a hook, a rattling damaru, and a bead mala.
• In her four left hands are a skull-cup, a lasso, an-eight-petal lotus, and a jewel.
• Her crown holds an image of Vajrasattva.
• Her left leg is extended.

Shri Kalachakra and Vishvamata reside in the centre of the Kalachakra mandala. The weapons and shield held by Shri Kalachakra represent triumph over Mara, and his ability to protect sentient beings. Robert Beer, researcher of Tibetan Buddhism symbolism, explained that with regards to the weapons held by the deities:

“Many of these weapons and implements have their origins in the wrathful arena of the battlefield and the funereal realm of the charnel grounds. As primal images of destruction, slaughter, sacrifice, and necromancy, these weapons were wrested from the hands of the evil and turned – as symbols – against the ultimate root of evil, the self-cherishing conceptual identity that gives rise to the five poisons of ignorance, desire, hatred, pride, and jealousy. In the hands of siddhas, dakinis, wrathful and semi-wrathful yidam deities, protective deities or dharmapalas, these implements became pure symbols, weapons of transformation, and an expression of the deities’ wrathful compassion which mercilessly destroys the manifold illusions of the inflated human ego.”

(Source: en.wikipedia.org)

Kalachakra Practice

His Holiness the 11^th Panchen Lama giving Kalachakra initiation to a mass audience

The Kalachakra Tantra is unique because of its tradition of being delivered to a mass audience. It is said that practising Kalachakra creates the cause for one to be born in Shambhala. The benefit of being reborn in Shambhala is so that one can continue spiritual practice without disturbances. The Kalachakra initiation enables practitioners to practice yoga as described in the Kalachakra Tantra with the aim of achieving the state of Shri Kalachakra.

Requirements and Motivation

Kalachakra Mandala

To be properly initiated in Kalachakra practice, the teacher and disciple should meet certain qualifications. According to His Holiness the 4^th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen, the qualification of a teacher is as follows:

“He should have control over his body, speech, and mind. He should be very intelligent, patient, and without deceit. He should know the mantras and tantras, understand reality, and be competent in composing and explaining texts”

(Source: dalailama.com)

The student should have experienced, or at least have intellectual understanding and appreciation of the three principal aspects of the Mahayana path:

• Renunciation of samsara
• Bodhicitta
• Understanding of emptiness

Out of the three, the most important is Bodhicitta, which should be the primary reason for one to be initiated. In the Abhisamayalankara text, Lord Maitreya defined Bodhichitta as “the desire for true, perfect enlightenment for the sake of others.” In the context of Kalachakra, practitioners should have the following motivation:

“For the sake of all sentient beings, I must achieve the state of Shri Kalachakra. Then I will be able to establish all other sentient beings in the state of Shri Kalachakra as well”

(Source: dalailama.com)

Overall, there are 11 initiations within Kalachakra practice. The first seven initiations are considered the first set and are about preparing for generation stage meditation in Kalachakra. The second set, the remaining four initiations, are to prepare for the completion stage meditations. Those who do not have any intention to practise Kalachakra are only given the first set of initiations.

For more interesting information:

• Free Downloads: Texts, PDFs and More!
• The Mystical Land of Shambhala
• Historic First Kalachakra Initiation by the 11^th Panchen Lama
• Powerful Kalachakra
• Happy family for Kalachakra
• Great Savant of Tibet: Buton Rinchen Drub
• House of Shambhala
• Ra Lotsawa the Yamantaka hero
• George Roerich – Light of the Morning Star
• Helena Roerich: Writer, Philosopher and Peacemaker

Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:

If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team