“Why does Kālacakra appear as blue? The blue colour is a symbol and represents the unchanging nature, or reality. For example, it is like how the sky appears blue, even though its true nature is unchanging and colourless. So then the nature of the outer world, the physical environment, the nature of the inner world, sentient beings, and the nature of what we call Buddha Nature, all of these are Kālacakra the wheel of time. Because of that we talk about these three aspects, outer, inner and other Kālacakra.”
“If one asks, why such prerequisites, why such secrecy is required? The Secret Mantra teachings need to be kept secret because they are beyond the spiritual capacity of people with wrong views, or even beyond those who are inclined towards the path of individual liberation. It is well known in the oral tradition of the learned scholars, in ancient India, when the secret Mantra Vajrayana was practiced in true secrecy, many practitioners attained siddhis or spiritual accomplishments. But later, when these secret teachings were practiced openly in the marketplace publicly for anyone to witness, some people lost faith. This lack of faith and misunderstanding, became one of the main causes for the gradual decline of the Buddha’s Secret Mantrayana teachings from India.”
“For the higher empowerments, a coloured sand mandala is not necessary at all.”
“Understand this clearly, the real mandala of the deity assembly, needs to be appear vividly in the space in front of you. Now when it says “space in front of us” what does that mean? I am not talking about the empty void space, some kind of blank nothingness, the space being taught here is the Dharmadhatu space. The space of reality itself, which is free from all obscurations and grasping. The Dharmadhatu space, is the luminous clear aspect of your own purified mind. And because of this nature, something as vast as Mount Meru can fit within the space of your palm.”
–Je Khenpo (teaching on Kālacakra , Day 1)
Introduction
I was recently fortunate to be sponsored to go to Bhutan this month, and thus was able to attend the three-day Kālacakra empowerment given by HH Je Khenpo. As I wrote about in Part I, prior to this event I completed academic-level translation and research on Kālacakra from 2018 onwards. This second Part II in a series of articles inspired by the Bhutanese events and visit, is on the Kālacakra teaching and empowerment given by HH Je Khenpo. The first time such a mass Kālacakra event had been held in Bhutan, attended by thousands of Bhutanese and international devotees, and one which was genuinely non-sectarian with masters from all lineages present, as the Global Peace Prayer event before it had been. Here is a short video made of the event by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service.
The meaning of Kālacakra and the supreme unchanging great bliss and union of bliss-emptiness
On the first day of the Kālacakra empowerment (12th November 2025), HH 70th Je Khenpo gave a profound and pith instruction on the meaning of the Kālacakra deity and the union (zung-jug), including how the Kālacakra represents the symbol of bliss-emptiness form the Zhen-tong (empty of other view) as being empty of all conditioned phenomena but full of all the Buddha Nature qualities which exist beyond conditioning:
“So, to elaborate more on this particular topic the zungjuk or the union. How is the zungjuk/union to be understood is that here the essence of all the teachings in the Vajrayāna context, particularly in the Kalachakra is the zung-juk or union of method and wisdom, thabshe zung-juk.
In the ordinary sense, we talk about male and female. We talk about male and energies in the nature. We refer to the moon as male, and sun as female. In the same manner, even in this context when we talk about zung-juk, the Thab/method is the male, and Sherab which represents female. Thab the male refers to the supremely unchanging great bliss. Whereas the female Sherab refers to the emptiness that possesses all the supreme qualities. So, the union of the supremely unchanging great bliss and the emptiness that possesses all the supremely great qualities is what is to be understood as union here in the Kālacakra context.”
Also, in 2023, Je Khenpo composed a stunning Prayer for the 𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒏-𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, which is downloadable here and was one of the official texts for the Bhutan 2025 event. Actions speak louder than words as we say, and Je Khenpo’s noble and vast activities to give full ordination to nuns, and bring together all four main lineages (including Jonang) onto the main stages at the Global Peace Prayer event was also magnamimous and an excellent example (despite the predominantly all-male line-up) to show the Buddhist world.
Je Khenpo also composed a daily practice booklet of Sri Kālacakra, which can be downloaded by those who took the empowerment here.
Overall, as I wrote in Part I, my experience at the Kālacakra empowerment and in Bhutan was magical and karmically flowing with blessings and ease. The Bhutanese hosts in particular were kind, gentle, accommodating, and helped me get a front row seat next to the mandala, and Je Khenpo, as well as opposite the many eminent tulkus there, every day I attended, even though it was a personal trip (sponsored by a private individual) and I was not an official guest [1].
Just prior to and during the empowerment, especially on the first day, I had several Vajra experiences of the deity and yeshe primordial awareness descending, including the Kālacakra deity wisdom mind (when I was being directed to bring the deity into the sand/mind mandala the thangka) that he was already in them, and as big as Bhutan, the universe and as small as the smallest atom, and showed himself in union doing precisely that.
Other Bhutan 2025 articles will be on the Buddha’s relics coming to Bhutan and being shown in Tashi Chodzong, and full ordination of nuns, given by the 70th Je Khenpo.
Music? Imagine by John Lennon, Kālacakra mantra, Sungtshom by 70th Je Khenpo.
Letting Go of Negativity/Darkness at Loy Krathong, Getting to Bhutan, and Reasons for Attending
After writing about the all-male photos for the special guests of the Global Peace Prayer Festival, I was reluctant to attend that particular event, that started from 4th-10th November. The main reason being, with the exception of Khandro Dorje Phagmo Rinpoche, it was all male teachers and special invited guests on the main podiums and in addition, some of the male tulkus had histories of misogynist, sexist and abusive, bullying treatment of women (I will not name names here, but people know who I am referring to). However, karma was pulling towards Kalacakra and other events, so even though I could have gone from the 7th November onwards, and the flight and SDF visa fee (100 USD per day) were kindly paid for by a sponsor, I decided to delay the flight until 10th November from Bangkok to Paro.
I had been staying in Thailand for a couple of months, Chiang Mai and Bangkok, and the weekend before I came to Bhutan, the full moon Loy Krathong event (Festival of Lights) was happening nationwide in Thailand. I have attended this event before in Chiang Mai, but not in Bangkok, so I went to the Chao Praya river and bought some lovely hand-crafted lantern flower boats (being sold on the streets by local Thai people) to send off on the river, as a symbol of letting go of past negativities/darkness and sending light into the world. Here are a few photos while doing that.
Flying with Bhutan Airlines, meeting some Vietnamese
There are two airlines that fly to Paro, Bhutan, Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines, this third time to Bhutan I went on Bhutan Airlines, which provides a good vegetarian breakfast, with fresh coffee, croissant and jam (my fave! ha ha). On the flight over, I met and got chatting to two wealthy, successful Vietnamese brother and their family (one of whom was a Canadian diplomat, the other an investment banker) who were going to the event, who when I asked if they were going to Thimphu, kindly offered me a space in their private hired van there. It was a smooth, friendly and pleasant start to the trip.
The plane stopped in Kolkata briefly before going to Thimphu, and some nuns got on the plane after some passengers disembarked, who were going to the full ordination of nuns hosted by Je Khenpo and Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (more on that later!) . I had an interesting chat with one of the nuns about philosophy, Gelug sectarianis, Je Atisha’s view of monastics not taking highest yoga tantra empowerments and more! The flight into Bhutan is one of the most spectacular in the world for Himalayan peaks views too. Here are some photos I took from the plane and with the nuns.
Staying in central Thimphu
I was able to book a hotel (not that expensive either) with a spectacular view of the mountains opposite and surrounding, almost directly in front of the main football ground where the Global Peace Prayer and empowerment were taking place. So I could even hear and see what was happening from my room.
This was my third trip to Bhutan, so I was familiar to some extent with Paro, Thimphu and surroundings. The last time I visited Bhutan was as an invited speaker for the Vajrayana conference 2022, on the female yogic roots of Vajrayana.
The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm during the day, temperatures dropped at night, but not too cold. After Thailand’s humid and at times extreme sweaty heat, it was pleasant to walk around without constantly dripping with sweat too (ha ha).
11th November Guru Padmasmabhava mantra recitation, Lha-bab Duchen and the 70th Birthday of the 4th Druk Gyalpo King, with long-life praises and prayers composed by 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje and 12th Tai Situpa
The 11th November (11/11) before the empowerment at the Changtimling football ground, just behind the clock tower in central Thimphu, was a day for Guru Padmasambhva recitation and the 4th Drug Gyalpo King’s 70th Birthday. It was also the major Buddhist festival of Lha-Bab Duchen, as I wrote about here.
Here are some photos below of myself visiting the Royal Memorial Stupa of Thimphu, and at the main event arena , with a magnificent artwork thangka of Guru Padmasambhava, Shakyamuni Buddha and the founding father of Bhutan, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel.
The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje composed a long-life birthday praise for the King’s birthday, as did the 12th Khenting Tai Situpa, who was one of the special guests attending the events. Yet again showing the non-sectarianism of the Karma Kagyu lineage teachers. I am not aware of any of the other lineage guests or teachers who composed such offering. Please correct me if so.
The magnificent carved rosewood Kālacakra statue, sand mandala and huge thangka artwork
The place of the Kālacakra empowerment was the Changtimling football ground, just behind the clock tower in central Thimphu. The magnificent thangka paintings of Kālacakra, the Drugpa Kagyu founder of Bhutan, and Buddha, were stunning, but the centrepiece of the show, which was incredibly moving and beautiful was a huge Kālacakra statue carved by hand, apparently out of a 1000-year-old rosewood tree.
The Kālacakra coloured sand mandala
In his Day One teaching (see transcript below), Je Khenpo gave an interesting teaching on the coloured sand mandala and that it was not necessary to have one for the higher level people. Here also is a short video of the sand mandala.
“What is more, in Abayakara’s Indian commentary, it clearly states that any of these three types will work fine for the empowerment, a coloured sand mandala, a painted mandala, or a mandala of directly realizing the nature of mind itself. Additionally, if one needs to confer empowerments of many different deities over many consecutive days, some empowerments take months to complete. So in this case, a painted mandala can be used in place of a sand mandala as verified by Abhayakara, and there is no concern that the empowerment based on painted mandala will be invalid.
It is said that merely seeing the mandala can purify one’s obscurations, even if one has committed the biggest heinous crime of killing one’s father and mother, it is taught just by perceiving the mandala, one can cleanse all one’s negativities accumulated over many eons. It means that if you see the mandala, instead of developing wrong views, if one generates faith and devotion, one can become a suitable vessel for secret Mantrayana practice and one can gradually attain Buddhahood. That is what the teaching is referring to. There are immeasurable benefits to encountering any of these mandalas. For today, the mandala you should focus your attention to, is the mandala here at my right side.”
HH 70th Je Khenpo’s Kālacakra Teachings (Day One), Bhutan 2025
The teachings of Je Khenpo were profound, clear and significant and covered not only on the question of what is Kālacakra, what does it represent, and also whether a sand mandala is necessary to give the higher empowerments, but also about secret mantra Vajrayana, why it is kept secret but also how that does not necessarily contradict the gathering of people for mass empowerments.
For example, on the third and final day, Je Khenpo taught that there would be no explicit instructions given, thus making it clear that suitable and prepared vessels would follow on the inner and secret levels as he guided. For a full transcript of the first day of the empowerment, see below (here).
I am also typing up the second and third days of the teachings (from the official English translation provided) and hope to compile all three days together and offer them as a free downloadable e-book, here.
Personal vajra experiences of returning to the deity on the first day of the empowerment
During the pre-empowerment by Je Khenpo in the morning time, before the public entered the ground for the first day of the empowerment, as I was doing my daily practices in my hotel room, right next to the Kālacakra ground, I had a profound experience of the deity coming into my room and entering into union, that caused a huge breakdown in tears, joy and release. It was feeling of genuine joy, love, compassion, passion, bliss and wrath combined.The closest I can describe it is being held in the arms of a “perfect man” with all the qualities one would wish for in a male “partner”.
Part of the reason for the joy and release was the last time I was connected to (and practised) Kālacakra was when I requested some oral transmissions of Karma Kagyu Kālacakra texts from 10th Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche at Benchen monastery, Swayambunath Nepal in 2018, which he happily gave although he told me he did not have the Kālacakra empowerment itself. However, after that, due to various obstacles and challenges (as many will be aware of), I had to abandon further translations and research on Kālacakra and stopped reciting the mantra and visualizations of the single-faced, two armed innate Kālacakra. So that morning it was like some major block had been released, and I was back in “touch” with the deity.
So in the morning, the visit of the deity and then my spontaneously visualizing and reciting the Kālacakra mantra, was unusual and very moving indeed. I burst into tears and told the deity I was sorry, who replied I did not need to be sorry, because I had tried my best but had been blocked by malevolent and dark forces who wanted to either stop Kālacakra or who wanted it to be done by Gelugpas only. I knew from prior study of the Tantras, and from my first highest yoga tantra empowerment with the 17th Karmapa in Bodh Gaya, 2005 of Chakrasamvara, that the deity picks out the physical yum for the vajra master/as deity. This happened in 2006, when I was very new to it all, and it was kind of shocking to me. However, this time I was more prepared and understood what was happening. Just prior to that, I had an intuitive primordial wisdom message, that the deity would pick me as a physical yum. And I wrote on the Dakini Translations FB page that the deity picks out the physical yum based on prior study, practice, merit and devotion, not based on physical appearance, age or worldly aspects.
Kālacakra Bhutan 2025: Teachings by Je Khenpo
Transcript DAY ONE
“Here in this mandala initiation the first two [lesser] motivations are absolutely not appropriate. You must you must not enter the mandala with such limited motivation. Instead, you must enter the mandala with only this intention to attain complete enlightenment solely for the benefit of others.”–HH 70th Je Khenpo, Kālacakra empowerment (Day One, 2025)
At the beginning of the first day teachings, Je Khenpo outlined the royal patrons and Dharma Kings of Bhutan who support and patronize the Dharma in Bhutan as being equivalent to the ancient Dharma Kings of India such as, Ashoka or to the three Dharma Kings of Tibet.
Paying Homage to the Dharma Kings of Bhutan
“I pay homage at the feet of the glorious Kālacakra and Guru who are inseparable/ Today on this auspicious day we gather here following the instructions and guidance of our great Dharma King, HM King Gesar Namgyel Wangchug, the crown jewel of Bhutan, the land of medicinal herbs. On essential component of the Global Peace Prayer festival is the conferring of the Kālacakra empowerment. A transmission that spans countless generations. A teaching that transforms the very fabric of time into the path of awakening.” The successive Kings of the Wangchug dynasty in general, HM the 4th King Gyalpo and HM are the royal patrons of the Buddha Dharma. Our great Dharma Kings are equivalent to the great ancient Kings of India, such as King Bimsara of Magada
In terms of the patronage of Secret Mantra Vajrayana, Je Khenpo compared them to the King Indrabhuti of Oddiyana, Dharma King Suchandra, of the Kingdom of Shambhala in the North, where the enlightened Kings persevered the Kālacakra lineage.”
Je Khenpo stated that the Bhutanese Dharma Kings are no different from the Dharma King, Trisong Detsen in the land of Tibet.
“Why are these comparisons drawn? Because the Guhya Samaja Tantra, the King of all Tantras revealing the secret yoga was taught by the Buddha in reliance on King Indrabhuti who requested this profound instructions, and became the royal patron.
This Kālacakra Tantra, this very teaching we are about to receive today, was taught upon request of Dharma King Suchandra, of the Shambhala Kingdom. During the reign of the Dharma king of Tibet, King Trisong Detsen all the canonical scriptures of the Buddha, and the great commentarial treatises of the great panditas, existing in India, were brought to Tibet, the scriptures and commentaries, what we now revere as Kangyur and Tengyur. Furthermore, King Trisong Detsen graciously supported in propagating the inconceivable cycles of the early translation, the Nyingma school teachings, that comprise of Kama, the canonical oral transmissions. Terma, the treasure teachings concealed by Padmasambhava for the future, and dagnang (pure vision) teachings received by pure vision of realized masters. Similarly, now in these extremely degenerate times when the five degenerations are intensifying, the fact that we have the good fortune, to be blessed and full access to the teachings of the Buddha in general, and the teachings of the secret mantra Vajrayana in particular, is only due to the great benevolence and peerless wisdom, of the Dharma Kings of Bhutan.
Therefore, let us pay homage and offerings to the great Dharma kings as a gesture of our sincere gratitude. Today, many high learned lamas, tulkus, accomplished masters, the four kinds of sangha, bikhshu and bikshuni, laymen and laywomen are gathered here for the empowerment. In this gathering there are most likely many noble accomplished beings, with their minds enriched by the profound generation and completion stages. Like the hidden yogis in disguise.
To all of you, it is my sincere request to be present not as disciples receiving the empowerment from me, but rather as masters who direct the enlightened intention towards the empowerment ceremony and confer blessings as representatives of the Buddhas of the ten directions. To you all, I pay homage and offerings.
Furthermore, all attending the empowerment today now enter the mandala of the secret Mantrayana. Therefore, everyone present here today, embody the nature of male and female deities. Not one amongst us is an ordinary sentient being. Hence all of you who are worthy of homage. With bodies as numerous as atoms in all worlds, throughout all realms, with supreme devotion I offer prostration.
Amidst this gathering of learned and accomplished beings, I hold neither the eagerness nor the conceit to teach. However, for the sake of those in the audience amidst the learned ones, who have limited background knowledge, I offer a brief explanation of the empowerment for their benefit. Lacking eloquence both in worldly expression and in textual and reasoning exposition on Dharma. I shall simply share whatever arises in my mind.
The Buddha taught that admitting one’s ignorance, it itself a mark of the learned. While pretending to know, what one does not know might be considered heroic in worldly terms, from a dharma perspective, the Buddha declared that claiming knowledge one does not possess is utterly improper. In fact, it is like committing the heinous crime of lying.
So, such a person, will be like a thief of the world. Therefore, prioritizing Dharma, I admit my limitations. I myself only know about 10 percent of the Kālacakra teachings. However, if one does not even understand the essential key points of the Kālacakra teachings, then it would be improper to confer the empowerment.
From what I have observed of the Kālacakra cycle of teachings, some practitioners emphasise explanation of the tantras, some stress on conferring empowerments, while some focus on practical application. Some give importance to meditative practice and some simply generate devotion because it is the Buddhas teachings. While emphasizing whatever teachings belong to their own lineage transmission. Remaining indifferent to other traditions. Therefore, one should not cling to extreme views such as one must definitely receive the Kālacakra or one must not receive it.
In order to cultivate proper motivation to receive the empowerment, the first motivation is to cultivate the vast intention of the bodhicitta or the mind of enlightenment. How do we cultivate? For the benefit of all mother sentient beings, equal to space I am going to engage in this practice and receive the empowerments, and I alone will shoulder the responsibility to bring all sentient beings to the perfect state of complete enlightenment. This is what we call the vast intent of bodhicitta. The most important motivation one needs to cultivate here in the Vajrayana context, particularly today is what we call the five perfections, the perfect place, teacher, retinue, Dharma and time.
The five perfections of place, teacher, retinue, Dharma and time
In this particular Kalachakra gathering I will specifically highlight that to cultivate the essence of the five perfections in your mindstream is such that when one remains inseparable from the instantaneous moment of self-awareness, all the five perfections are complete within oneself. So please understand the five perfections in the following manner.
The first perfection is perfection of place. When one recognizes appearances as the innately present primordial wisdom, this is the pure realm of Og Min, Akanistha the pure realm. At this point, when one recognizes all appearances as the innate present primordial wisdom within our mind, there is no need to seek a perfect place elsewhere.
The second perfection is the perfect teacher. How do we cultivate this? When we recognize the very nature of one’s own mind is the innate primordial wisdom, this is the Vajradhara or Dorje Chang or Kālacakra. So, there is no need to search for a perfect teacher elsewhere.
The third perfection is perfect retinue, kor phun sum tshog. How do we cultivate this? When we recognize that all the sentient beings of the six realms are by nature male and female deities. There is no need to seek a perfect retinue elsewhere. This is in very much in line with what the great Drugpa master, founder o9f the Drukpa tradition, Choje Tsangpa Gyatso, who said in his aspiration prayers, may we be able to recognize the enlightened body, speech mind qualities in all the minds of sentient beings.
The fourth perfection is the perfect Dharma. How do we cultivate this? Since everything that arises unceasingly is the natural display of the ultimate vajra mind, this is the Dharma, there is no need to seek perfect teachings elsewhere.
Finally, the fifth perfection is the perfection of time. How do we cultivate this? In the immediate moment of self-awareness, the three times, past present and future are not established as separate realities. When one recognizes this very moment as equality itself, there is no need to seek a perfect time elsewhere. This is how we cultivate the five perfections in the context of the Vajrayana teachings.
Introduction to the meaning of empowerment and the qualifications of the master
So, in today’s gathering, some may wonder isn’t today an empowerment ceremony? Isn’t this an empowerment being conferred? Or is it a teaching? Now when we talk about the teachings, in the Buddhist context, according to the teachings while you received any teachings, using the umbrellas is not permitted. But here in this gathering, I would allow you all to use umbrellas. When we talk about wang, empowerment, what does wang actually mean?
Each of us has something precious within our mind, a wish fulfilling jewel of our own enlightened nature, but right now, it remains hidden beneath layers of delusions. Which is why we cannot recognize the enlightened nature of our mind. Wang or the stream of empowerments, is simply a method that washes away the stains of our delusions. It purifies them and through this purification, we gain mastery over our own true nature. We reclaim what was innately ours. That is the enlightened nature of our own mind. According to secret mantra vehicle/yana, from one perspective in the context of the empowerment ceremony, the master needs to be an authentic master, with all the noble qualities. And empowerments should be given very carefully to small groups, maybe just one fortunate disciple, or seven, twenty-one or at the most to one hundred at a time.
Before conferring the empowerment, the vajra master has to complete the approach practice of the yidam deity reciting hundreds of thousands to even ten million mantras of the yidam. The disciples too must have completed the preliminary practices, such as reciting one hundred thousand recitations of the Vajrasattva mantra.
The empowerments themselves cannot all be given at once, there is a proper sequence. First you get the lower empowerments and practice it completely bringing it to perfection. Only after that completion should one receive the next higher empowerment.
Why is secrecy required in secret mantra?
If one asks, why such prerequisites, why such secrecy is required? The Secret Mantra teachings need to be kept secret because they are beyond the spiritual capacity of people with wrong views, or even those who are inclined towards the path of Sravakas or path of Pratyeka Buddhas, those on the path of individual liberation.
It is well known in the oral tradition of the learned scholars, in ancient India, when the secret Mantra Vajrayana were practiced in true secrecy, many practitioners attained siddhis or spiritual accomplishments. But later, when these secret teachings were practiced openly in the marketplace publicly for anyone to witness, some people lost faith. This lack of faith and misunderstanding, became one of the main causes for the gradual decline of the Buddha’s Secret Mantrayana teachings in India.
Why a mass empowerment?
Why then are we gathered her today? On the other hand, there is another perspective which is equally important. The Chandrapaba Sutra, (Sutra of the Moon), teaches us that the Buddha essence pervades all beings. Generate the vast supreme mind. All beings without exception possess the seed of Buddhahood. Here there are no unsuitable beings whatsoever.
In other words, every sentient being possesses the Sugata essence, Buddha nature. In our true natural state, we are primordially pure Buddhas, therefore, ultimately no one is unsuitable to receive these teachings.
If we look at historical examples of the past, there were accounts of how accomplished great Vajra masters conferring empowerments and emptying the entire country and transferring all sentient beings to the pure realm.
If we look at the Kālacakra tradition itself, in the land of Shambhala there was a great Kalkhi King Mañjuśrīkīrti—Rigden Jamphel Dragpa, an emanation of Manjushri himself. He conferred the Kālacakra empowerment to vast numbers of people, to the rishis like Surya Ratta and to the people of all 96 districts of Shambhala. By conferring the empowerment and teaching them the Kālacakra Tantra he ripened and liberated them all.
In essence, it depends on the intention and attitude of both the vajra master and the students receiving it. That is what truly matters. If the empowerment restrictions are too strict, the lineage itself could eventually perish. And beyond that, if you maintain such strict requirements most disciples would never have the opportunity to receives such complete empowerments in their lifetime. A suitable time would never come for devotes to receive such an empowerment.
So, lineage masters, eventually recognized this importance and made a compassionate decision by making the secret mantra teachings more accessible. And from this came the tradition we have today, public empowerments, where thousands of us gather together to receive the empowerment. Now here is something important one must note, even with this more open approach there is a sovereign reality. Among one hundred people who receive the empowerment and hold the sacred samaya damtsig, perhaps one person will breach the samaya. Among 100 people, maybe ten will break the samayas. So, we must be extremely careful, this is not something to take lightly.
So, what is very crucial here is if everyone could recognize appearance and existence as the vast expanse of purity, there would be no need for such concerns, but that is extremely difficult.
What is a yidam deity and are some superior to others?
Among the many yidam deities such as Kālacakra, Chakrasamvara, Hevajra and many others, are some deities better than others, are some higher and some lower, is one deity practice superior than the other practices? Here is what one needs to understand. Ultimately, in absolute reality, all the yidam deities are equal. They are all manifestations of primordial wisdom. Each one can bestow the supreme and common accomplishments/siddhis. So, at the ultimate level there is no such thing as good or bad. There is no hierarchy at all. However, on the conventional level, there are some slight differences in their vastness and extent. Their differences in terms of how they manifest, not in their essential nature or power.
When we refer to a deity/yidam, it is not just grasping to their colorful images, such as their faces, one face, two faces, many faces, one arms or two arms and so on. All of these deities that appears with colorful images represent the inner enlightened nature of the deities. So, when we talk about the deities, deities do not refer to the external, colorful images. That is not the meaning of the deity. The meaning of the deity in essence is the union of method and wisdom. That is what we need to understand.
The meaning of Kalacakra and the supreme unchanging great bliss
So, in this context, what does the wheel of time really mean? Kālacakra /du gi khorlo, Kala time represents the method and chakra refers to the wisdom. Kala referring to method, what is the method? It is the choggyur mi gewai Dechen, the supremely unchanging great bliss. And chakra, referring to wisdom represents emptiness that possesses all the supreme qualities.
Now from these two what is the supremely unchanging great bliss? It is the same as the primordially pure self-arisen awareness. This is termed in Dzogchen as the kadag Rangjung gi rigpa. The nature of mind and co-emergent appearances and Madhyamika or the middle way school teachings, tongpa/emptiness and dependent origination. All of these teachings are complete in terms of the union I am speaking about as taught in the Kalachakra teachings. Therefore, whether we talk about the Mahamudra, great perfection or Mahasandi, Madhyamaka or Uma. Empty-of-Self (Rang-tong), and empty of other, the Zhentong, or bliss emptiness school/detong.None of these teachings contradict each but the names may differ as per tradition, but the actual meaning transcends thought, expression and description. So, the main point that I want to relay is that all the Sutrayana teachings, whether the Prajnaparamita, whether it is the middle way school Uma, the Mahamudra, the Great Perfection and when you talk about the school of emptiness, whether it is rangtong, Shentong and detong, all the essence of the teachings are complete here in this Kalachakra teachings.
What is the zungjug/union?
So, to elaborate more on this particular topic the zungjuk or the union. How is the zungjuk/union to be understood is that here the essence of all the teachings in the Vajrayana context, particularly in the Kalachakra is the sugjuk or union of method and wisdom, Thabshe zungjuk.
In the ordinary sense, we talk about male and female. We talk about male and energies in the nature. We refer to the moon as male, and sun as female. In the same manner, even in this context when we talk about zungjuk, the Thab/method is the male, and Sherab which represents female. Thab the male refers to the supremely unchanging great bliss. Whereas the female Sherab refers to the emptiness that possesses all the supreme qualities. So, the union of the supremely unchanging great bliss and the emptiness that possesses all the supremely great qualities is what is to be understood as union here in the Kālacakra context.
The important connection of Secret Mantra Vajrayana with ethics/conduct
There are people who have misconceptions about the secret mantra Vajrayana teachings. People think that secret Mantrayana teaching has nothing to do with Vinaya, the teachings on the Buddhist ethics, nothing to do with the Sutras, Abhidhamma or the teachings on wisdom. There are people who think that Vajrayana is all about visualizing deities and chanting mantras. And that in Vajrayana any conduct is fine, eating meat, drinking alcohol and so on, there are people who think that in Vajrayana all one needs to do is obey one’s lama. This shows they do not understand even a tiny fraction of what secret Mantrayana actually means.
So, what does it mean? When one embarks on the secret mantra Vajrayana path, we need to abandon all harmful actions of body, speech and mind. Everything the Vinaya and ethics teach us. Then we perfect all virtuous qualities, everything taught in the Sutras and Abhidhamma about wisdom, compassion and skillful conduct. On top of this firm foundations, when our practice is embraced by the union of method and wisdom, as taught in the secret Mantrayana. Then it becomes the ultimate Vinaya, the ultimate Sutra Yana, and the ultimate Abhidharma. Therefore, the secret Mantrayana is the quintessence of the Buddha’s teachings.
It is where all the Buddha’s teachings culminate and are perfected. If one does not understand this and treats Vajrayana as something separate and isolated from the rest of the Buddha’s teachings, then we are actually pushing the Vajrayana out of the Buddha’s Teachings and creating a false division which is not acceptable.
The outer, inner and other Kālacakra
To give a contemporary example, that might help one understand Kālacakra, these days all around the world, people understand that protecting the natural environment is crucial and we think of nature, the colour green comes to our mind, we use green to represent nature and the environment. In a similar way, we need to understand our own nature and true nature. Now, the way we see our body, speech and mind, and the way things appear to us is confused and deluded. We see ourselves as ordinary, limited, solid and separate. But the actual nature of our body, speech and mind is the body, speech and mind of the Kālacakra deity itself, that is our true nature.
Why is Kālacakra appearing in blue? The blue colour is a symbol and represents the unchanging nature, or reality. For example, it is like how the sky appears blue, even though its true nature is unchanging and colourless. So then the nature of the outer world, the physical environment, the nature of the inner world, sentient beings, and the nature of what we call Buddha Nature, all of these are Kālacakra the wheel of time. Because of that we talk about these three aspects, outer, inner and other Kālacakra as the divine bodies of the deities, male and female.
As mentioned earlier, ultimately all deity practices are equal. There is no good or bad but conventionally speaking, Kālacakra is particularly vast in scope. Vast in scope refers to not just inner meditation practices, it refers to the inner world of sentient beings, Mount Meru, the four continents, Sun and Moon, the planets and stars, the years and months, the dates and so on. Even though all of these appearances in essence are empty, they manifest in the form of divine mandalas. That is what is being taught here in the Kālacakra.
The visible and invisible phenomena to the human eye
Now, at this point, some of you might wonder, is there a contradiction between what the Buddhist teachings describe and what we cannot observe with scientific instruments. Regarding this question, although myself am not an expert in science, when I examine it through my own experience and reflection, I find something quite remarkable. There are extremely subtle material particles, that actually exist but remain hidden from our ordinary perception. Things we simply cannot see directly with our own eyes. Today, with scientific instruments, we can observe these particles, just as the enlightened Arhats of ancient times could perceive with their pure vision.
For example, if you look at a cup of water, in the ancient times, the Arhats who had clairvoyant wisdom minds, could see through the cup of water and find millions of sentient beings dwelling in the water. In the same manner, through the scientific observation, science can tell us there are countless organisms in a cup of water. So this is a parallel and is something amazing.
When it comes to our body and mind, scientists can observe the physical body, but they cannot directly observe the mind. What they can see in the body is the neutral activity in the brain that correlates with positive or negative mental states and the feelings that arise from them, in ordinary worldly language, we call the body material and the mind immaterial. But in Buddhist philosophical terminology, we cannot simply categorise mind as immaterial. Rather we distinguish between what is visible to the eye, which we call having form and what is invisible to the eye, which we call formless. It is similar to how we might see that humans have physical form, while gods and spirits are formless beings.
To give an example to illustrate this. Although the abbot of Dechenphu Lhakhang is Genyen Dragpa Melen (guardian protector in Bhutan) , a long with his retinue of 100 000 god spirits, known as tsens, we cannot see them with our ordinary eyes. With all our scientific instruments and technology, we can barely detect anything there. The same is true of the Kingdom of Shambhala. Does this mean that these places and Kingdoms are truly formless? That they have no form at all. No that is not quite right. Rather, the time has not yet come, and those of us without the necessary merits and karmic connection, we cannot perceive them. They are concealed or hidden by the divine blessings and protection.
So things that arise from the common karma, shared by sentient beings, they can appear and be perceived in a common shared way by everyone. The reason we perceive everything from the highest peak of existence, down to the lowest hell realm is that the causes for all these appearances exist completely within our own body. From the crown of our head, to the soles of our feet, through the power of interdependent origination. This appears outwardly as external phenomena. Now, a point to be noted, the perceptions that arise in what we call the transcendental meditation. Cannot be perceived through ordinary samadhi meditation. And the perceptions that arise in the ordinary samadhi meditation, cannot be perceived by an untrained, ordinary, mundane mind.
Five types of superior vision
So if scientists cannot even observe the mundane, ordinary mind, how could they possibly observe the perceptions of the samadhi meditation? Let alone transcendental meditation. We human beings possess only one type of vision, our physical fragile eyes. But beyond this limited sight, there exists five superior types of vision, the divyacakṣu, lha-chen or divine eye vision. The wisdom insight, prajñācakṣu, sherab chen, or the wisdom eye vision. The Dharma vision/eye, dharmacakṣu sangye chen, or the buddhacakṣu, ye shes chen. And finally, cho gi chen, or the Dharma vision.
What these five exalted types of vision can perceive is truly inconceivable and beyond ordinary comprehension. For this reason, we simply cannot conclude that something does not exist merely because scientists have not observed it. This is mainly to dispel the doubt and misconception of people saying that the cosmic structures and configurations described in the Kālacakra teachings have not been observed by the scientists, so these teachings must not be true. So in order to dispel this doubt and misconception, I hereby describe the entire cosmological teachings.
Now, to talk about the coloured sand mandala, according to the Tantras true intention, the ripening empowerment, especially the vase empowerment, should be bestowed in a coloured sand mandala. The three key practices of melodic chanting (yang), drawing sacred geometric lines (tig) and ritual dance (gar) are central to the secret mantra practice. And these three are practices that are actively flourishing in the monastic centres all around the world. The yang is the melodic chanting. These days, in order to make the chanting pleasing to the ears, people try to change the melodic chanting, which exists in the tradition, for the longest time. People try to change the geometric drawing of the lines, in order to please the current witness. In order to please the patrons. The are also certain accounts where the sacred dances are reformed, just for entertainment purposes. So this is not acceptable. This will be the violations of the Vajrayana teachings.
Is it necessary to have a coloured sand mandala?
There are also people who have a concern that if one has a coloured sand mandala during the empowerment it is a proper complete empowerment, and without it is the empowerment somehow deficient or incomplete? No. That’s not how it works. Externally, in the coloured sand mandala, the Bum Wang, the vase empowerment is conferred. Likewise, in the body mandala or the vajra master internally, the secret empowerment is conferred. In the same way, the wisdom empowerment is bestowed in the mandala of the consort. And most secretly, in the mandala of one’s own mind, the awakened mind, the fourth word empowerment is bestowed. So for the higher empowerments, a coloured sand mandala is not necessary at all.
When we talk about Kālacakra in general, the text mentions seven empowerments for introducing children to the sand mandala. When they say children, they are not talking about infants, those from birth up to around ten years of age, that is the context. Even though these are considered lower empowerments, the teachings tell us that if both the master and the students receiving the empowerment have completely renounced worldly activities and distractions, then a coloured sand mandala is not necessary.
What is more, in Abhayakara’s Indian commentary, it clearly states that any of these three types will work fine for the empowerment, a coloured sand mandala, a painted mandala, or a mandala of directly realizing the nature of mind itself. Additionally, if one needs to confer empowerments of many different deities over many consecutive days, some empowerments take months to complete. So in this case, a painted mandala can be used in place of a sand mandala as verified by Abhayakara, and there is no concern that the empowerment based on painted mandala will be invalid.
It is said that merely seeing the mandala can purify one’s obscurations, even if one has committed the biggest heinous crime of killing one’s father and mother, it is taught just by perceiving the mandala, one can cleanse all one’s negativities accumulated over many eons. It means that if you see the mandala, instead of developing wrong views, if one generates faith and devotion, one can become a suitable vessel for secret Mantrayana practice and one can gradually attain Buddhahood. That is what the teaching is referring to. There are immeasurable benefits to encountering any of these mandalas. For today, the mandala you should focus your attention to, is the mandala here at my right side.
Understand this clearly, the real mandala of the deity assembly, needs to be appear vividly in the space in front of you. Now when it says “space in front of us” what does that mean? I am not talking about the empty void space, some kind of blank nothingness, the space being taught here is the Dharmadhatu space. The space of reality itself, which is free from all obscurations and grasping. The Dharmadhatu space, is the luminous clear aspect of your own purified mind. And because of this nature, something as vast as Mount Meru can fit within the space of your palm. In actuality, it transcends being either narrow or wide, it is beyond such limitations entirely.
So what I have shared you today is just a basic outline a rough introduction to the history and background of this empowerment ceremony to go to the higher more advanced empowerment. When we proceed to the more advanced empowerments, I won’t be able to explain everything in full detail, in the way I am doing now and the reason why it is.
So, think of it this way. Imagine someone dressed beautifully in elegant clothes and fine jewelry. When people see them, everyone thinks how wonderful, how beautiful. There’s nothing troubling or disturbing about it. Everyone appreciates what they see physically. But now imagine that same person suddenly appearing completely naked in front of everyone. What would happen? People would be shocked and scandalized. Their minds would be disturbed, wouldn’t they? Well, it’s similar with this profound tantric teachings. If I were to explain the deepest, the most sacred meaning directly and literally spelling everything out in explicit detail, most people’s mind simply won’t be ready to receive it properly instead of helping you. It would actually cause confusion and could do more harm than good.
So the empowerment that we will be giving through the sacred words spoken words as I confer the empowerments I’ll be reading out the sacred words and what is important is through your devotion and faith in your heart receive the empowerment. That is how the blessings and the blessings of the lineage will enter into your mind streams.
The empowerment: bathing ritual
When our peerless teacher Buddha Shakyamuni was born, gods and goddesses performed a ceremonial abolution for Buddha. And secondly, in ancient time in ancient India when a when a king was enthroned, the first the very first ritual was the empowerment bath. We are following the same tradition here today.
It’s vital to know the bathing ritual. It is not like ordinary water washing away physical dirt from your body. The deity, whose very essence is divine, takes the form of water and through this they wash away the impurities of our body, speech and mind. Today with so many people receiving this empowerment. It would be impractical to physically distribute each empowerment substances, the bathing water, the secret nectar and so forth to everyone present.
More importantly, if these substances of the empowerment were actually handed out, some might develop misconceptions and doubts. In reality, such misconceptions indicates that one is not yet prepared to receive the profound secrets of tantra. So here is what we will do instead. I will be performing the ritual here and you can focus your attention on the reflection in this glass mirror.
As I perform the bathing ritual, you can visualize this way. From the space in front of you, gods and goddesses are pouring the sacred water over you, bathing you completely. As they do this, all your negative karma and obscurations are being completely purified and washed away. When you think about it this way, it will bring a sense of peace and clarity to your mind. So please visualize in this manner.
The correct superior motivation, not lower motivations
The preliminary empowerment right consists of 16 essential dharmas. First essential dharma for the preliminary rights empowerment begins with establishing a proper motivation.
When we speak of motivation there are three levels we must understand clearly. the lesser motivation, the middling motivation and the supreme motivation. The lesser motivation is simply wishing that all illnesses and negative forces of this present life be pacified and that we obtain some happiness.
The middling motivation is aspiring merely to attain the status of gods or humans in our future lifetimes.
And finally, the supreme motivation. The supreme motivation is the aspiration to attain the complete and perfect state of Buddhahood.
Here in this mandala initiation the first two motivations are absolutely not appropriate. You must you must not enter the mandala with such limited motivation. Instead you must enter the mandala with only this intention to attain complete enlightenment solely for the benefit of others. This is the Buddhist motivation. Wanting to achieve perfect Buddhahood not for your own sake but to be truly helpful to all sentient beings.
Endnotes
[1] Unlike other recent teachings I have attended in Europe, and Taiwan, the Bhutanese were polite, kind, gracious, open and helped make my attendance (and I am sure that of others) a pleasant, enjoyable and magical experience. No constant staring either, active humiliation or preventing me from entering and take a seat (unlike in Taiwan ha ha). If anything, even though I was not a guest, the Bhutanese organisers and volunteers were polite, and happy to help and assist whenever requested.