Kalachakra – The Wheel of Time
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit word meaning Wheel of Time or Cycle of Time. It is a complete and elaborately detailed cosmology that explains the creation and structure of all. In this sacred explanation, the microcosm that is man is not different from the macrocosm that is the Universe. The two very complex “maps” provided by the Kalachakra – one outside us, the other inside us – include methods for applying the knowledge that leads to true freedom and lasting happiness.
The Kalachakra tradition of Tantric Buddhism focuses on the concepts of time and the ever-present cycles that pervade all life, from the movements of the planets to the intake and outflow of the breath. These teachings provide powerful techniques for harnessing and developing the subtle energies within the body, ultimately enabling practitioners to emerge victorious from the battle with the delusions that are the source of all suffering.
The mandala itself depicts a sacred residence that is the abode of hundreds of meditational deities. This residence is an intricately-detailed three-dimensional five-storied palace where every detail has multiple layers of symbolic meaning. Each element of the mandala, from each individual deity to every single adornment of the palace, refers simultaneously to an aspect of the universe (outer Kalachakra), an aspect of the body/mind (inner Kalachakra), and an aspect of the Kalachakra Tantric practice.
The practitioner strives to visualize every detail of the palace and the deities within it to a level of perfect life-like realism and imagines walking through the building and encountering all who dwell within it. Through developing the power of meditative concentration to such a degree, the practitioner skillfully trains the mind and approaches the state of enlightenment.
