KALACHAKRA INITIATION MADISON 1981
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~, ,~~c:;q~""~q,~~-~~-~1'14·~·~· q:={~n Dawa Zangpo...
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KALACHAKRA INITIATION MADISON 1981
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~, ,~~c:;q~""~q,~~-~~-~1'14·~·~· q:={~n Dawa Zangpo. The Lord of Secrets, The Magical Dharma King. Suchandra. The first Dharma King of Shambala, Suchandra received the Kalachakra Mulatantra from the Buddha.
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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE KALACHAKRA INITIATION by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey
Prepared by the Translation Bureau of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: Sharpa Tulku, Alexander Berzin and Jonathan Landaw, in preparation for the Kalachakra initiation given by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya, January 1974.
Buddhas are Enlightened Beings who, having overcome all misery and ignorance themselves, teach others methods for doing the same. As all beings have different temperaments and capacities, Buddhas teach many varying paths leading to Liberation from suffering as well as to Omniscience, the Full Enlightenment of Buddhaho()d. The present Buddha, Shakyamuni, is the fourth of 1,000 to appear during this world age. Born as a prince in North India over 2,500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya. Thereafter he travelled extensively delivering many teachings. He taught both Hinayana paths leading to personal Liberation from suffering and Mahayana paths leading to Full Enlightenment - the ability to liberate all others from suffering as well. There are two Mahayana paths, that of the sutras and that of the tantras. Both Sutrayana and Tantrayana paths lead to the same goal·of Buddhahood. That of the tantras, however, teaches more varied and quicker means for attaining this goal. To follow this speedier path, as well as all those of the Mahayana in general, you must (1) renounce your own unhappiness and unsatisfactory way of life, (2) develop the pure Bodhicitta motivation to become a Buddha yourself in order to be able to liberate all others from their unhappiness and (3) eliminate your own ignorance by realising Shunyata or Voidness, the true way in which all things exist. Tantrayana itself is divided into four different levels to suit the needs of yarying people. The most advanced level is the Anuttarayoga, and by following its path you can attain Enlightenment in a matter of years of extremely intensive meditational practice. Anuttarayoga Tantra itself is divided into the father and mother classes, the father class specializing in method and the mother in wisdom. The Kalachakra Tantra belongs to this latter class. One year after Shakyamuni Buddha attained Enlightenment, he was requested by King Da-wa zang-po of Shambhala, the Land Held by Shiva, to teach the Kalachakra Tantra.
iv Thus it was that Buddha manifested himself in the form of the Kalachakra rneditational deity in South India and gave the full initiation and discourse of this mother Anuttarayoga Tantra at the same time as he was delivering the Prajnaparamita Sutras on Vultures' Peak. The king carne specially from his horne north of Kashmir to receive these teachings, and, after recording them, brought them back to Sharnbhala. There he constructed an enormous three-dimensional mandala abode of Kalachakra and intensely followed its rneditational practices, introducing them to the people of his kingdom. The history of the Kalachakra Tantra passes first through a line of seven kings of Sharnbhala and then twenty-five Propagators. King Da-wa zang,-po, who wrote 1,200 commentaries to the text, reigned for three years. The six subsequent kings ruled for a hundred years each. The Propagators who then followed were authorised to spread the Kalachakra practices and teachings as much as possible. The first Propagator, Rig-dan Jam-pal dr'ag-pa, was noted for his clear explanations. The most famous commentary of all, Dr'i-me wo, was written by the second, Rig-dan Pa-rna kar-po. It was only at the time of the twelfth-Propagator, however, that the Kalachakra teachings were brought from Sharnbhala to India. This was accomplished by two visiting Indian Pandits who received and then transmitted the lineage to their own country. Later, mainly through the successive efforts of twenty-five translators, this most advanced meditational practice, like all of Buddha's other teachings, was brought from India to Tibet. By the thirteenth century, at the time of B'u-ton, its practice was flourishing there. The encyclopedic Master B'u-ton wrote the most expansive commentary on the Kalachakra Tantra, and through his disciple, Cho-kyi pal-wa, its lineage was passed to Je Tzongk'a-pa. After receiving these teachings, Je Tzong-k'a-pa did a full rneditational retreat on its six-facultied completion stage. At the successful conclusion of this retreat he received a true vision of Kalachakra who, laying his hand on his head, prophesied that he would be like another King Da-wa zang-po for the propagation of these teachings. Eventually Je Tzong-k'a-pa transmitted this lineage to his disciple K'a-dr'ub ]e. Since then, its unbroken lineage has passed through many great. Masters of Tibet, and has been received intact by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama from his Senior Tutor, Kyab-je Yong-dzin Ling Rinpoche, the ninety-seventh successor to the seat of Je Tzong-k'a-pa. It is extremely significant that this Kalachakra lineage has remained unbroken to the present day, for it is impossible to experience successful insight into rneditational practice if the lineage of its transmission has been dis~pted. As Je Tzong-k'a-pa and His Holiness the Fifth Dalai Lama have repeatedly stressed, it is essential before entering the practice of Tantrayana to be well based in the common Mahayana ground of renunciation, Bodhicitta motivation and the right understanding of Shunyata. Without such a foundation you cannot-receive solid and concrete experiences fi·om the tantric p·ractices. Therefore it is important to have at least an intellectual understanding of these three subjects gained from hearing correct explanations, then thinking aboutand meditating on them. Of these three, the most crucial is your motivation for receiving a tantric initiation. Some people hope to gain protection from sickness and other troubles in their life. Others seek a
v more comfortable rebirth as the result of receiving an initiation. Still others wish to gain their personal Liberation from continued rebirth with suffering. To receive a full, complete and pure initiation, however, you must discard all such motives, for they are basically selfish ones. Instead you must have the highest motivation of the Enlightened Attitude of Bod. hicitta. You must go to a.n initiation, then, with the attitude of wishing to attain Enlightenment as quickly as possible through tantric medi~ational practice in order to be able to bring ultimate happiness to all living beings. Thus if you are sincerely intent on receiving a Kalachakra initiation and then following its meditational practice, you should go to one not only with this highest motivation, but also with prior experience of renunciation of suffering and some insight Into the actual way in which all things exist. In addition you should visualize the area in which the initiation is to be given as the actual mandala abode of Kalachakra and view His Holiness the Dalai Lama giving the initiation as Kalachakra himself. By the strength of your visualization and motivation you can then be assured that you are receiving, at an initiation given by a Master of unbroken lineage tracirig back to Shakyamuni Buddha himself, full permission and· empowerment to practice the Kalachakra teachings - a most advanced and profound path leading to Buddhahood. There are three levels of Kalachakra Tantra practice, referred to as external, internal and alternative Kalachakra. The external teachings concern astronomy, astrology and mathematics- "kala" meaning "time" and "chakra" meaning "wheel." The internal teachings concern the structure of the human body, including its energy systems. Alternative Kalachakra is the study and practice of the actual Kalachakra meditational deity and his circular mandala abode. Receiving a full initiation empowers you to study and practice all levels of these teachings in their proper progressive order. One of the reasons His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives the Kalachakra initiation many times is that in the future the twenty-five Propagators will rule throughout the Universe and spread once more its teachings. At that time all those who have received this initiation will be reborn fully prepared to attain Enlightenment through this meditational practice. We are now in the reign of the twenty-first Propagator of Kalachakra. Very soon the era of the twenty-second will begin.
For most Annutarayoga Tantra initiations either a powdered, painted, lhree-dimensional or a visualized mandala of the meditational deity involved may be used. For the Kalachakra Initiation, however, only a mandala made of coloured powder is permitted. With the exception of one instance when one of the Propagators of Kalachakra used a three-dimensional mandala to confer an initiation to a specific disciple for a special purpose, all Kalachakra Initiations have been given with a powdered sand mandala. It is essential to visualize the area where the initiation is being given as the actual transparent mandala abode ofKalachakra and the Tantric Master conferring the initiation as Kalachakra himself. The Kalachakra meditational deity has four faces, twenty-four arms and two legs. His front face is blue, with a slightly wrathful expression, fangs bared. His
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right face is red, left white and rear yellow, each with three eyes. His lower set of eight arms is blue, the middle set red and the upper white. His body is blue, right leg red and left white. He embraces a yellow consort with four faces and eight arms. The Kalachakra Initiation lasts for three days. The first day is the preparation ceremony during which are explained the three prerequisites for tantric practice - renunciation, an Enlightened Motive of Bodhicitta and a correct understanding of Shunyata or Voidness. During this first day, as the disciples are not yet authorized to enter the mandala, you should imagine yourself waiting at the tip of the giant vajra diamond-sceptre at its eastern gate. Whether you are male or female, you should visualize yourself in the form of a two-armed single-faced blue Kalachakra embracing a two-armed single-faced consort. With folded hands you should earnestly request initiation. It is extremely important not to think of yourself, your surroundings or your Lama in ordinary terms. During the preparation ceremony one person, representing all the disciples, throws a stick on a special tray. If the stick falls from the tray three times, the disciples may not receive the initiation at that time. The actual initiation is held on the second and third days. The initiation has seven parts, begun once the disciples have been admitted into the mandala through Kalachakra and his visualized consort. As infants born in the mandala, the Lama cares for you like a mother, preparing your consciousness for ripening. First is the Water Initiation during which you are washed and cleaned like a new-born infant. Second is the Initiation of the Headress, planting seeds in your mind-stream to develop the crown protrusion of a Buddha. This ceremony is similar to a baby's first haircut. Third is the initiation of the Crown Banner, also to plant seeds for developing a crown protrusion. This is likened to the piercing of a baby's ears and his first wearing of jewelry. Fourth is the Vajra and Bell initiation. The former plants seeds for attaining the body of a Buddha and the latter a Buddha's speech. The ringing of the bell is like a baby's first words. Fifth is the Initiation of Actions, committing you to what you will be practicing. If there are few disciples, everyone at this point is given bone costumes, tridents and skull-cups, otherwise they are visualized. This stage is like a baby's learning to act on his own. The sixth of this set of initiations is that of the secret name, during which you receive the name of one of the five Dhyani Buddhas. Like the naming of a child, you will attain Enlightenment in the name of this Dhyani Buddha aspect. The seventh initiation, the Initiation of Permission, has two parts: the Actual Permission and Rituals Related to the Permission. This is similar to the first readi~g lesson of a child. Although it is not essential to understand the entire three days' ceremony, if the strength of your basic visualizations and underlying motivation is great, you can be certain yot.i are receiving full initiation into the Kalachakra Tantra.
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A GUIDE TO THE KALACHAKRA INITIATION MADISON -1981 A GUIDE TO THE KALACHAI