The Kalachakra, which will be bestowed by HH the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya this winter, is a supremely powerful and effective teaching belonging to the Vajrayana, the vehicle of mantras. Technically speaking, it belongs to the unsurpassed yoga tantras. The unsurpassed yoga tantras are classified into the father, mother and non-dual tantras; the Kalacakra belongs to the latter, non-dual, category.
Once one receives the empowerment or initiation into this practice, the practitioner seeks to identify with the deity Kalachakra; this is an extremely effective method of spiritual purification and transformation. As such, Kalachakra is not an external god, but rather a facet of the unlimited enlightened nature of mind. In the same way, the deity’s mandala is not an external paradise, but rather represents the pure field of transformed perception.
When such rare and precious teachings are bestowed, there are five sublimities that converge:
1. The sublimity of place
here, the place of Bodhgaya, where the Buddha gained enlightenment, is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists.
2. The sublimity of time
this refers to the time at which the teachings are bestowed.
3. The sublimity of the teaching
here, the Kalachakra, which is an extremely powerful method to transform the mind.
4. The sublimity of the teacher
HH the Dalai Lama, the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. There could be no better teacher.
5. The sublimity of the retinue
this refers to the bodhisattvas receiving the teachings with a pure altruistic motivation.
These five sublimities are not some abstract proposition; rather, they point to the fact that in order for such a transmission to be effective, certain conditions need to be united. When all these converge, as they do in this case, the occasion is truly sublime, since this represents an extraordinarily rare opportunity to receive these precious teachings.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many Tibetans will be coming from very far. From the Buddhist point of view, there is nothing more important, and they will not care what hardships they face. They simply feel extremely lucky to receive this teaching. However, sometimes in the West people will have many doubts and hesitations: they will worry about their family, their job, or the costs of making such a journey. We should consider that whatever the difficulties and problems we may face, these pertain to the very nature of cyclic existence; however, here we have an opportunity to do something truly meaningful, so we should put aside these worries in order to connect to this teaching and realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity.
