Tibetan Astrology

The Complexity of Karma Karma is a topic that concerns what happens to us and why. It is something that is very relevant to all of us on a personal level, not something outside of the sphere of our lives. If we can start to understand karma and how it works, we can begin to...

The Relevance of the Topic of Time  Time (dus, Skt. kāla) and such topics as the past, the present and the future are very important to study when we are on the Buddhist path. They’re not just metaphysically interesting, but they are actually quite relevant. That’s because one...

The unique Tibetan system of calculations of the lunar weekday and date, used to bring the lunar and solar calendars into harmony, lead to the features of doubled and skipped lunar dates and leap-months, all of which differ from those features in the Chinese and Indian...

An extensive glossary of Tibetan-English astro terms not found in most dictionaries.

Learn about the distinct features of the Tibetan almanac such as the “arising from the vowels” system, special dates and combination and action periods.

Overview of the three waves of Buddhism reaching Mongolia from Central Asia and then Tibet, the subsequent exploitation of Buddhism by the Manchus, its suppression under the communist regime and the initial efforts at its revival.

The astro sciences of calendar-making, astronomy, astrology, and mathematics touch many aspects of Tibetan life. These sciences play a significant role in the Tibetan medical tradition.

The Bon system of astrology was amalgamated with the Chinese astro materials that first came to Tibet in the mid-7th century. In the 11th century, with the introduction of the “Kalachakra Tantra” from India, its astro traditions were added as well to make the unique blend of...

The Chinese-derived, or “black calculations,” also called “element calculations,” adds a few more features to the Tibetan calendar, such as correlations with animal and element cycles.

A comparison of the Kalachakra, Hindu and Chinese New Years as well as the Chinese and Kalachakra systems of seasons. Although the Tibetan element-animal assignment system may be reminiscent of the Chinese, yet on closer examination there are significant differences.