Part I: Introduction and Overview

• 1 Introduction to Tantra

  • The Need for a Realistic Approach

  • What Is Tantra?

  • Deity-Yoga

  • Training the Imagination

  • Using Visualization to Expand Our Capacities

  • Generation and Complete Stage Practice

  • The Role of Receiving Empowerment and Taking Vows

  • Commitment

  • Choosing a Tantra System

• 2 Overview of Kalachakra

  • Cycles of Time and Karma

  • Liberation from Cycles of Time

  • The Spread of Kalachakra

  • Kalachakra and the Line of Dalai Lamas

  • Kalachakra and World Peace

  • Shambhala

  • Assessing Our Preparation for Receiving Empowerment

  • Overview of the Initiation

Part II: External, Internal, and Alternative Kalachakras

• 3 External Kalachakra

  • Kalachakra: The Clear Tantra

  • The Textual Tradition

  • Description of the Universe

  • Space Particles and the Origins of a Universe

  • The Location of Shambhala

  • The Threat of Invasion

  • Barbaric Hordes

  • Levels of Meaning of Shambhala

  • The Use of Hindu Images

  • The Prophesy of a Future World War

  • Preventing War through Sharing Technology

  • Karma and Astrology

  • Kalachakra Astrology

  • Methods for Predicting the Future

  • Wartime and Peacetime Technology

  • The Golden Age of Kalachakra and the Age of Aquarius

• 4 Internal Kalachakra

  • The Four Manners of Rebirth

  • What Continues from One Lifetime to the Next

  • Subtlest Creative Drops and Space Particles

  • Devoid Forms

  • Human Rebirth

  • The Subtle Body

  • The Four Subtle Creative Drops

  • Correlation with Descriptions of Subtle Body in Other Systems

  • Kalachakra and Tibetan-Mongolian Medicine

  • The Correlation of Internal and External Cycles

  • The Life-Spirit Cycle and Good Health

  • Alchemy

• 5 Alternative Kalachakra

  • Qualifications of a Kalachakra Master

  • Improper Teachers

  • Qualifications for Receiving Empowerment

  • Deciding Whether to Attend the Empowerment

  • The Mandala Used for Conferring Empowerment

  • The Three Levels of Empowerment

  • Approaching the Complexity of Kalachakra Practice

Part III: Vows and Closely Bonding Practices

• 6 Refuge Commitments and Bodhisattva Vows

  • Studying the Commitments and Vows

  • Actions to Adopt after Formally Taking Refuge

  • Actions To Avoid and Ways To Show Respect

  • General Refuge Commitments

  • Taking Refuge and Following Other Religions or Spiritual Paths

  • Actions for Never Losing Bodhichitta Resolve

  • Root Bodhisattva Vows

  • Maintaining Vows

  • The Four Binding Factors for Losing Vows

  • Weakening Vows

  • Strengthening Weakened Vows

  • Secondary Bodhisattva Vows

• 7 Tantric Vows

  • Overview

  • Common Root Tantric Vows

  • Kalachakra Root Tantric Vows

  • Selected Points from the Secondary Tantric Vows

• 8 Tamed Behavior and Closely Bonding Practices

  • Modes of Tamed Behavior

  • Overview of Closely Bonding Practices

  • Common Practices for Bonding Closely with the Buddha-Family Traits

  • Practices Specific to Kalachakra for Bonding Closely with the Buddha-Family Traits

  • Six-Session Yoga

Part IV: Guidelines for the Kalachakra Initiation

• 9 The Preparation Ceremony

  • Keeping Our Level of Participation Private

  • How To Visualize

  • The Clear Light Basis for Visualization

  • Confirming Our Ability To Visualize

  • Visualizing the Mandala and Keeping Our Directional Orientation

  • Textual Traditions of the Empowerment Ritual

  • Entering the Site for the Ceremony

  • Transforming Our Self-Image with the Inner Empowerment

  • Gender Issues in Visualization

  • Concluding Procedures and Significance of Receiving the Inner Empowerment

  • Taking Vows and Transforming the Elements of Our Body

  • Purifying Body, Speech and Mind and Determining Future Attainments

  • Receiving Materials for Examining Our Dreams

  • General Advice

• 10 The First Day of the Actual Empowerment

  • Preliminary Steps

  • Visualizing Ourselves as a Couple and Taking Vows

  • The Yoga Encompassing Everything

  • Confidentiality

  • Entering the Mandala Blindfolded

  • Making Our Visualization More Firm

  • Invoking Deep Awareness Beings

  • Final Procedures before Receiving the Main Empowerments

• 11 The Second Day of the Actual Empowerment

  • Theoretical Basis for Empowerment

  • The Relation between Buddha-Nature and Empowerment for Purifying Obstacles

  • Causal and Foundational Seeds

  • Application to Kalachakra Empowerment

  • Experiencing Blissful Awareness of Voidness during Empowerment

  • Generating an Understanding of Voidness

  • Theoretical Basis for the Seven Empowerments of Entering Like a Child

  • The Common Structure of the Seven Empowerments

  • Final Appended Procedures

  • Concluding Remarks

Part V: Outline of the Kalachakra Initiation

• 12 Outline of the Kalachakra Initiation

  • The Preparation Ceremony

    • A. Setting the Motivation and Conferring Inner Empowerment

    • B. Requesting Vows and Causing the Disciples To Take Firm Hold of Tantra

    • C. Taking Vows, Protecting, and Being Transformed and Elevated

    • D. Tossing the Twig of a Neem Tree and Giving Sips of Water and Other Items

    • E. Arranging the Six Buddha-Families and Invoking Vajrasattva

    • F. Enhancing the Disciples' Happiness by Explaining the Dharma, and Instructing Them To Examine Their Dreams

  • The First Day of the Actual Empowerment

    • I. Entering Blindfolded, Remaining outside the Curtain

    • II. Entering Blindfolded inside the Mandala Palace

      • A. Entering, Circumambulating and Prostrating

      • B. Swearing of Oaths

      • C. Invoking Deep Awareness Beings to Descend and Reciting Words of Truth

    • III. Entering as Someone Who Can See the Mandala

  • The Second Day of the Actual Empowerment

    • IV. Giving the Empowerments to Those Who Have Entered

      • A. Water Empowerment

      • B. Crown Empowerment

      • C. Ear Tassel Empowerment

      • D. Vajra and Bell Empowerment

      • E. Tamed Behavior Empowerment

      • F. Name Empowerment

      • G. Subsequent Permission Empowerment and Appended Procedures

Bibliography

• Major Tibetan and Sanskrit Sources Consulted

• Selected Literature in Western Languages

Foreward

Preface