This new Kālacakra mantra composition and vocals is the creation of Adele Tomlin, a Buddhist scholar-translator of Kālacakra texts and books, and of an important philosophical commentary on the Empty-of-Other Heart Sutra commentary by Tibetan Buddhist master of Kālacakra, Jonang and Shangpa Kagyu lineages, Je Tāranatha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBcQa3sF1_8
I have received the Kālacakra empowerment a few times within the Jonang and Karma Kagyu traditions. I based my vocals and melody on the sounds that came out as I visualised herself in union as Innate Kālacakra, and from a previous recordings of Jonang Kālacakra teacher.
There are not many recordings of the Kālacakra mantra online, and none from a female vocalist.
As a solo singer, I sang the melody and arrangement, then used the Suno app to create the instrumental background. Adding a second layer of vocals using the Audacity mixing app. The whole composition was recorded and created by myself alone on a laptop and mobile phone audio recorder.
I wanted to create something majestic, dramatic, serene, with a feminine edge of the consort, Vishvamata. But also that was aligned with the origin of Kālacakra and its location and origin in the Indian sub-continent. Said to have been written down in Sanskrit verse by famed Mahasiddha, Nāropa.
Included in the images are Kālacakra deity paintings from 15th and 18th Century Tibet, images of Kālacakra lineage holders from Shambhala Kings, Mahasiddha Nāropa (said to be the written author of the Kālacakra Tantra), Jonang Kunkhyen Dolpopa, Je Tāranātha and Karma Kagyu, 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje and the ten powerful syllable monogram symbol.
Oṃ (Ah Huṃ Hoḥ) Haṃ Kṣaḥ Ma La Va Ra Ya Svā Hā
The first Jamgon Kongtrul discusses the nature of the ten syllable mantra of Kālacakra , haṃ kṣaḥ ma la va ra ya and three other elements. The ten letters of the root mantra of Kālacakra are:
1. h
2. kṣ
3. m
4. l
5. v
6. r
7. y
8. the visārga in kṣaḥ, which features as the cresent below the anusvāra
9. the anusvāra in haṃ
10. the vowel a, which is the “life” of the consonants.
The ten syllables are often wrongly referred to in other places as including Om Ah Hum Ho, but this is not correct according to the Jonang and Karma Kagyu lineages.
Other Resources
For my original work, translations, articles, and podcasts on the deity and practice of Kālacakra, see her website here: https://dakinitranslations.com/kalacakra-2/
For an explanation by Je Tāranātha and Jamgon Kongtrul the First of the ten syllables of the Kālacakra mantra, see here.
For a clip from my Dakini Conversations podcast, with Indian scholar-translator, Niraj Kumar on Kālacakra and its written author, Nāropa, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x2rPasmP7E
#kalachakra #kalacakra #mantra #BuddhistMantra #shambhala