Image: Cast of the Kalachakra Mandala in the Tibetan Peace garden, a short walk from Jamyang
On Kalachakra empowerments in the context of Indo-Tibetan history
As Jamyang Buddhist Centre prepares for Jhado Rinpoche’s visit and the Kalachakra empowerment he will bestow, Michael Lobsang Tenpa reflects on the meaning and importance of such events in the overall context of the Himalayan Buddhist tradition.
On a backpacking trip through India many years ago, I bought a t-shirt with an image of the great stupa at Bodhgaya, the spot of Buddha’s enlightenment. The words on the back of the t-shirt, perhaps in an attempt to make a reference to “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”, optimistically said “Peace, love, Kalachakara” (sic), a beautiful, if a bit obscure, sequence. The first two aspirations are self-explanatory and noble, no doubt, but what is this third word (in this case misspelled), and why does it matter so much to the followers of the Indo-Tibetan tradition?
Literally translated as “the wheel of time”, Kalachakra has little to do with the eponymous fantasy novel cycle of Robert Jordan, and does not even directly refer to the very flow of time itself (although there is a connection). Instead, it primarily refers to an advanced system of Buddhist methods, tantric methods in particular, which, after travelling through ancient India and the legendary kingdom of Shambhala, eventually found their way to Tibet. There, this system was carefully preserved and diligently applied as a solution to the main Buddhist problem: that of gaining awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. Since Kalachakra teachings are now spreading in new regions and are being practised (or at least contemplated) by an ever-growing body of students across the world, it might be worthwhile to briefly revisit the history of the system itself. The meaning of the Kalachakra empowerment, which opens the door to the system’s practice but requires a certain level of inner maturity, is also something worth contemplating.
Kalachakra in Shambhala, India, and Tibet
The tantric system of Kalachakra is said to have been originally taught by the historical Buddha himself, though not in his regular form. Using the ability to manifest emanations to guide disciples in accordance with their level and predispositions, the Buddha manifested as the Kalachakra mandala (with its symbolic deities) in Amaravati, in modern-day Andhra Pradesh. The main recipient for this teaching was King Suchandra of the legendary kingdom Shambhala, who then compiled the root tantra of the tradition, composed a commentary to it, and then taught the system in his kingdom, thus turning it into a society of practitioners. (Interestingly enough, despite Shambhala’s semi-legendary nature, it is believed to be still accessible to exceptional yogis: the father of the previous Tsenshab Serkong Rinpoche, for example, was said to have visited Shambhala and brought back fruit unseen in Tibet.)
From King Suchandra, the lineage was transmitted in an uninterrupted manner (with more texts written down the line); eventually, through pure visionary experiences connecting India with Shambhala, the Kalachakra teachings were also revealed to two Indian yogis: Cilupa and Kalachakrapada the Elder. Their combined revelations were eventually brought to Nalanda monastery and shared with a number of masters, who, in turn, brought them to the famous Buddhist translators including Tsami Sangye Drak, Ga Lotsawa, and Dro Lotsawa; each of these made their own contribution to the body of translated Kalachakra literature still extant in Tibet. Three major transmission lineages thus appeared: the Ra lineage (“Ra Lug”), the Dro lineage (“Dro Lug”), and the Tsami lineage (“Tsami Lug”); many minor ones exist as well, stemming from such famous masters as the Kashmiri pandit Shakya Shri and master Vibhutichandra. This historical richness shows that many genuine transmissions of Kalachakra were brought to Tibet, often through great effort and sacrifice; it also highlights the importance of an authentic source for the Dharma one wants to undertake. As many as twenty-four translations of the root texts are said to have been produced in this process, five of them described as being particularly complete.
Moving through the fabric of Tibetan religious history, these early translator lineages interacted with each other and formed the foundation for further teachings and the continuation of the practice tradition. As a result, three major transmissions emerged, still practised and maintained to this day: that of the Jonang school, which specialises in Kalachakra tantra and maintains the view of “luminous other-emptiness” (zhentong); that of the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, appreciated not just by his own Karma Kagyu school but also by the great historical masters of the non-sectarian movement (Ri-me) of Eastern Tibet; and, finally, that of Buton Rinchen Drub, whose lineage was later received by Je Tsongkhapa and by the holders of the Sakya tradition. It is Buton’s (and Tsongkhapa’s) lineage that is maintained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and that forms an important part of the ceremonial practices maintained by his private monastery, Namgyal. Jhado Rinpoche, as a former abbot of Namgyal, is a highly learned master of the latter transmission, infused with the views and practical advice of Tsongkhapa, Khedrub Norsang Gyatso, the Seventh Dalai Lama, and other great holders of the Gelug lineage.
It is worth noting that in addition to these lineages of transmission for the root texts, commentaries, and empowerments, two special systems of yogic practice arose. Tibet is sometimes said to have eight practice lineages, referring to complete and self-sufficient systems of yogic practice: Ngagyur Nyingma, Kadam, Sakya, Dagpo Kagyu, Shangpa Kagyu, Pacification, Chod, Six-Branched Yoga and Three Vajras; some of these loosely overlap with certain Tibetan Buddhist “schools” (as in the case of Nyingma and Sakya), while others, like Chod, have spread across all the schools and can be equally maintained by masters from many traditions, albeit with certain differences in technique and view. The last two practice lineages, Six-Branched Yoga (or Jordruk in Tibetan) and the Three Vajras (also commonly known as Orgyen Nyendrub, or “Orgyen’s approach and accomplishment”), are both directly derived from Kalachakra. They represent two major strategies for gaining realisation through Kalachakra’s secret yogas: the more widespread one, that of the six yogas (still practised by the abovementioned three extant lineages), and the slightly more obscure one of combining the six yogas into the methods for working with the three vajras of body, speech, and mind. This shows the enormous role that Kalachakra has played in Tibetan religious culture, giving rise to two (out of eight) comprehensive yogic systems that are counted amongst Tibet’s most precious spiritual jewels.
What is an empowerment, anyway?
The immense effort that went into preserving the lineages of Kalachakra transmission was not only focused on the root texts and commentaries brought from India; it also had to do with the dual treasures of “that which ripens (min) and that which liberates (drol)”, the ripening empowerment and the liberating practice instructions that accompany it. In order to properly study and practise Kalachakra, or any other Buddhist tantric system, one was always expected to receive a proper empowerment, or wang, relying on a qualified master who had themselves received the lineage in a proper and verifiable way. This is as true today as it was in Shambhala, ancient India, and early Tibet, and so it might be important to know a few things about the meaning and importance of empowerment ceremonies in Vajrayana Buddhism.
In his book Empowerment and the Path of Liberation, the 16th-century non-sectarian master Tsele Natsok Rangdrol contextualises the role of empowerments in the following way:
Entering the door to the teachings of Secret Mantra Vajrayana depends upon two things: ripening and liberation. Unless you first obtain the ripening empowerments, you are not authorized to hear even a single verse of the tantras, statements and instructions.Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang
Those who attempt to study advanced teachings or apply them without this type of authorisation, he continues, will only create obstacles and accumulate negative imprints. To illustrate this point, he brings up important quotes from a wide array of root tantric texts, such as this one from the Tantra of the Heart Mirror of Vajrasattva:
Just as a boatman without oars Cannot cross to the opposite bank of a river, There will be no accomplishment without the support of empowerment.
Natsok Rangdrol then offers an explanation of the three terms used to refer to an empowerment: the Tibetan term wang (Wylie: dbang), which can literally mean “power”, and the three Sanskrit terms associated with it. For wang, he writes:
Formerly your body, speech, and mind followed deluded habitual tendencies and possessed no independent power. The method that now provides you with natural authority over the indivisible state of the four kayas is called “empowerment”.
Wang is a Tibetan translation for a system of interconnected Sanskrit terms: some of them nouns, some verbs. In Natsok Rangdrol’s presentation, the Sanskrit word abhishincha (literally “to anoint” or “to sprinkle”) refers to the washing away of our obscurations: those of body, speech, mind, and gnosis (or primordial wisdom). The noun abhisheka (“anointment”) means that we are now formally authorised to perform the different aspects of practice, such as working with the pure imagery of Kalachakra tantra or learning to master our inner energies. Finally, the term abhisiddhi (literally “total attainment”) refers to the ripening of our constituent elements (including our skandhas, our pranas, and so forth) into the different aspects of awakening. All four terms show us what is supposed to happen at an empowerment, when a qualified master and a well-prepared disciple come together.
What would that look like in practice, though? If I go to an empowerment, what am I to expect? An empowerment is a process that combines certain ceremonial tasks (mostly performed by the presiding master and his assistants, with minor participation of the students) with a guided meditation shared by the teacher and the participants. Depending on the level of the empowerment (with Kalachakra empowerments typically being the most elaborate and detailed) those gathered go through multiple psychological and symbolic steps: some for preparation, some for the main part, and some to conclude the process with a sense of purpose and auspiciousness. The preparatory parts always include taking Buddhist refuge, adopting bodhisattva precepts, and, in the case of higher classes of tantra, also taking the so-called tantric vows, which then need to be studied and properly maintained. These steps prepare one’s body, speech, and mind for the main activities meant to “ripen” or “empower” the disciple and authorise them to perform the complex yogas of Kalachakra.
The elaborate Kalachakra empowerment
All three lineages described above (those that passed through the Third Karmapa, the Jonang school, and Buton) primarily transmit Kalachakra through a uniquely elaborate empowerment taught in the earlier texts of the system (although that sometimes gets substituted with the more abbreviated forms described in the section below).
Overall, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama gave the elaborate Kalachakra empowerment (the lineage for which is said to go all the way back to the rulers of Shambhala, and, of course, Tsongkhapa and his disciples) 34 times, 10 of which occurred in the West. In this, he is following in the footsteps of his predecessors, most notably the Seventh Dalai Lama; however, the magnitude of the transmission in the Fourteenth Dalai Lama’s case is unmatched, since hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world are said to have received it or attended it as observers (the Bodhgaya empowerment in 2012 is estimated to have had more than 300,000 participants). A glimpse into the incredible atmosphere of these events is now preserved in Werner Herzog’s 2003 Wheel of Time; further glimpses, however, can be gained from the recorded preliminary teachings, which, due to their open nature, are partly available on His Holiness’s website (see here and here).
His Holiness on one occasion facetiously remarked that he mainly schedules the elaborate empowerment in order to lure people in for the preliminary teachings, in which he would often comment on the foundational Buddhist texts covering the topics of bodhicitta and wisdom. He also allowed for open attendance of the Kalachakra empowerment due to its connection with the ideal of world peace; non-Buddhists were invited to participate as observers and spend some time generating compassion and positive aspirations. In that, each empowerment (often lasting at least 10 days, with all the preliminary rituals, the teachings, and the initiation itself) became a major festival for deepening one’s spiritual practice and one’s sense of the transcendental, along with one’s commitment to peace and harmony.
For Buddhists who were intent on actually practising Kalachakra, at least to some degree, these empowerment proceedings always culminated with the transmission itself, roughly divided into two main parts: (1) seven initial empowerments that establish the permission to undertake generation stage practice, and (2) two sets of four empowerments each that have to do with the more advanced yogas; according to Tsele Natsok Rangdrol, each of these empowerment levels corresponds to a particular aspect of our being that is being purified and ripened. His Holiness did not always give both parts, sometimes only sharing the first one as the essential permission to start practising the basic aspects of the Kalachakra path. Even when he did provide the second part, the general audience was not expected to understand it; the most esoteric and elusive aspects were mainly aimed at lineage holders and advanced practitioners who would be capable of grasping the intent of the teachings.
For those aiming to truly receive the first seven initiations, elaborate materials were developed by senior Western scholars, including Jeffrey Hopkins and Alex Berzin, whose book Introduction to the Kalachakra Initiation became a very popular read amongst those attending the ceremony with His Holiness. The book, although not fully applicable to the more abbreviated forms of Kalachakra transmissions (see below), provides extremely clear information on the general context of Kalachakra teachings and on the precepts and vows that one receiving an initiation would be expected to then maintain. It is a wonderful reminder that one entering the doors of Kalachakra means entering an extremely rich world inseparable from Buddhism’s general teachings on ethics, compassion, and wisdom. Upon receiving the empowerment, one is expected to maintain the quintessential points of Buddhist practice (expressed in the three levels of vows), and usually also perform a daily practice (a “commitment”) that should never be skipped or neglected.
Abhayakaragupta’s Vajravali
Although the primary lineages of Kalachakra transmission (those that also maintain the root texts, commentaries, and elaborate yogic instructions) mainly rely on the elaborate empowerment, certain abbreviated forms exist as well. One of the more famous ones came from the Indian master Abhayakaragupta, who, prompted by his primary meditational deity Vajrayogini, compiled a major tantric collection known as Vajravali, or “Vajra Garland”. Vajravali, which was brought to Tibetans by the Kashmiri pandit Shakya Shribhadra, contains empowerments for many of the advanced tantric systems, along with their sadhanas, or “methods of accomplishment”; the Kalachakra empowerment included in this cycle has a more succinct fourfold structure similar to that of other tantric cycles, and is generally accepted to be an equally suitable entrance to Kalachakra practice. A major technical distinction between the elaborate empowerment and that of Abhayakara (and similar lineages) is also the particular mandala used: sand mandala for the former and cloth (or printed) mandala for the latter.
Collections similar to Vajravali sometimes also include a simpler form of Kalachakra initiation known as the empowerment of the “Coemergent” (Sahaja) Kalachakra. This form, which has its own sadhanas and yogic commentaries associated with it, is, for example, included in the Rinjung Gyatsa collection (that Lama Zopa Rinpoche famously transmitted to early FPMT students in the 1980s), and has also been given in the West by such masters as Garchen Rinpoche.
Later “short lineages”, pure visions, and terma
Since the world of Vajrayana is dynamic and doors to the realm of enlightened kayas are never fully closed, more recent lineages of Kalachakra transmission eventually arose in Tibet as well. One of them comes from Khyenrab Choje, the first Chogye Trichen of the Tsar subschool of Sakya:
While in meditation retreat in the Potala in Lhasa, as a result of his spiritual practice, Khyenrab Choje beheld the sustained vision of the female tantric deity Vajrayogini against the backdrop of the cliffs of Drak Yerpa and received extensive teachings and initiations directly from her. Two forms of Vajrayogini appeared out of the face of the rocks at Drak Yerpa, one red in color and the other white, and together they bestowed the Kalachakra initiation on Khyenrab Choje. When asked if there was any proof of this, his attendant showed the kusha grass Khyenrab Choje brought back with him from the initiation. It was unlike any kusha grass found in this world, with rainbow lights sparkling up and down the length of the dried blades of grass. This direct lineage from Vajrayogini is the shortest, the most recent, and the most direct lineage of Kalachakra that exists in this world.From Parting from the Four Attachments
Although Khyenrab Choje lived in the 15th century, his unique lineage is very much alive today, carried over by the masters of Tsar and Sakya schools and merged with other transmissions. The 26th Chogye Trichen Rinpoche (a guru to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Sakya Trichen) was an accomplished Kalachakra practitioner himself; when he was giving a major Kalachakra empowerment in Malaysia in 1989, powerful signs of auspicious synchronicity manifested in the following way:
During the initiation of Kalachakra, at the time of the consecration of the physical representation of the mandala by the deities of the wisdom mandala, Rinpoche explained that the deities of the mandala of Kalachakra were now actually present above the physical mandala on the shrine. One of those present remarked that when Rinpoche said this, his words had unusual weight, as though he were clearly seeing this for himself.
Following the initiation, as the chopon was clearing the shrine, he noticed clear markings on the mandala plate…. There were eight clear flower shapes at eight points around the edge of the plate, and two in the center of the plate, making a total of ten flower patterns of “lotuses.” This was seen by everyone and was photographed.From Parting from the Four Attachments
Further teachings related to Kalachakra arose through the terma (or “revealed treasure”) tradition, often primarily associated with the Nyingma lineage. In general, masters of the Nyingma school don’t rely on Kalachakra (which arrived to both India and Tibet quite late) beyond quoting it; a notable exception was Mipham Rinpoche, who wrote a major Kalachakra commentary that is yet to be translated into English. In the absence of a uniquely Nyingma lineage of Kalachakra, the terma teachings (sometimes associated with the subclass of “pure vision” teachings, or dagnang, like those of the Fifth Dalai Lama) might be one of the only ways to experience Kalachakra in union with the view of Dzogchen. Two relatively recent practice cycles from this category are the Ati Kalachakra Longsal of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and the Kalachakra Six Unions guru sadhana revealed by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (another guru to the current Dalai Lama).
In general, when it comes to the terma tradition, most non-sectarian masters (including His Holiness the Dalai Lama) maintain a middle way view: genuine revelations definitely exist (since all the tantras that came from India themselves arose in the same way), but we need to maintain a wise level of discernment and check the origins of a particular cycle. In Approaching the Buddhist Path, His Holiness mentions that the authenticity of a particular terma is usually checked by an authoritative master who considers three factors: whether the teaching and the terma are prophesied by another lineage master (such as Padmasambhava), whether the terma is in harmony with the well-known authentic treasure teachings, and whether the treasure discoverer has authentic qualities. Guided by these criteria in our careful contemplations, we can also consider how Kalachakra continues to be a vibrant element of the spiritual culture of the Himalayan region: having passed through Shambhala, India, Tibet, Mongolia, and now open to the entire world, it continues to inspire further spiritual methods and countless practitioners.
Conclusion
Depending on our individual connections to particular teachers, lineages, and traditions, we might at some point decide to attend a Kalachakra transmission, or just admire it from afar, rejoicing in the positive imprints people are receiving through their practice and study.
Regardless of what decision we make for ourselves, we would be invited to remember that the essence of Dharma lies in the three principal aspects of the path (renunciation, bodhicitta, and the wisdom of emptiness and interdependence), and that any Buddhist tantric practice, if we choose to undertake some, would have to rely on proper cultivation of these foundational blocks. Without them, and the associated practice of mind-training methods (lojong) and foundational learning, we risk turning the advanced teachings and methods of Kalachakra into an object of mere intellectual fascination. An even greater danger lies in turning these advanced contemplative methods into a system of esoteric techniques leading us away from compassion, potentially even fortifying our sense of self-importance and increasing the distance between us and our fellow sentient beings. However, if our practice is deeply integrated with the three principal aspects, and if we understand the importance of a healthy and balanced relationship with a spiritual mentor (the master who shares the transmission and who has been carefully checked by us), entering the doors of Kalachakra might give us access to a path that many great beings of the past have walked as well. If we keep deepening our wisdom and compassion, this journey will certainly make a contribution to the healing of the world, which so badly needs its time cycles (symbolically represented by the Wheel of Time, Kalachakra) to be turned into cycles of wisdom and boundless love.
His Eminence Jhado Rinpoche will confer the Kalachakra Tantra Empowerment at Jamyang London on the 9th and 10th September, 2026
