Kalachakra Sadhana: The Actual Practice of the Two Stages

The text states that there are three parts to the main sadhana practice. The first is building up the two bountiful stores or networks in analogy with how karma is built up before dying and how one experiences the clear light of death. The second is making the connection after dying to bardo and the following rebirth, namely in terms of the actual main body of the practice, which is in analogy to the stages of birth. This refers to the four yogas. The third is at the conclusion, sending back the deities and performing the yogas to be done between sessions.

First is the building up a network of positive potential in terms of the bountiful field. For this, one follows the same procedure as in the preliminary practice, namely visualizing oneself as a simple Kalachakra, calling forth the bountiful field and performing the practices for building up positive potential. In general, Tibetan sadhanas are printed with large and small letters. The small letters give the sections of the outline, which gives one an idea of where one is in the practice and what is going on. If one is aware of these, it makes the practice more meaningful.

The first of the three sections of the main body of the sadhana is the building of the two networks in analogy with building up karma before you die and the experience of the clear light of death. Thus, there are two aspects here – building up the network of positive potential in terms of the bountiful field and, in analogy with the stages of death, meditating on the four gateways to liberation.

In the preliminaries, there is the building up of the two networks of positive potential and deep awareness. At that point, these two were in analogy to acquiring the positive potential to gain a human rebirth for practicing tantra. Now, in the actual body of the sadhana, the practices are in accordance with the analogy of death in order to purify death. The practices are similar but are applied differently. The meditation on the verse of voidness, by which one becomes mindful of the four gateways to liberation, is in accordance with the process of death, as well as with the application of the stages of the dissolution of the elements within the process of dying. This is done in order to purify death. The purpose for the buildup of positive potential before that is not explained separately. An implied explanation is in terms of how one brings on the experience of voidness, which is then applied to the clear light of death, thereby purifying the clear light of death. In other words, the bountiful field is visualized in front and is dissolved into oneself. As one dissolves the bountiful field into oneself, all appearances are dissolved and a state of the stark brilliance of the mind manifests. One then applies that state of mind to an experience of voidness and performs the practice of the four gateways to liberation for understanding voidness, in analogy with the process of the dissolution of the elements during death.

One can skip the generation of the bountiful field and go straight to the verse on voidness at the conclusion of the protection wheel practice. If you haven’t done these preliminary practices of building up the two networks and the protection wheel, it won’t do to leave it out of the sadhana. One should develop the judgment and discrimination to know where a practice should be applied in other sadhanas and where it is not applicable. Thus, one needs to understand the basic outline of a practice and how the individual portions of the practice are related.

The verse on voidness states that to think there are no phenomena at all, that phenomena do not exist at all, is not proper meditation. To think that one meditates on truly existent phenomena is also not proper meditation. This verse can be explained by the system of the six alternatives and the four modes of explanation, which have various levels of meaning in tantric texts. This comes out of the Guhyasamaja system, where this verse also occurs. In this system, there is the literal meaning of the texts and a general common meaning of these texts. Analysis of this verse in terms of these two levels will show how to understand the four gateways to liberation with respect to the words of this verse. In general, one should understand the absence of a truly existent nature, causes, effects or functions. Things exist only inasmuch as they can be mentally labeled. This meditation in analogy with death must precede the next section of the sadhana, which is a meditation in analogy to birth. 

There are presentations of the three and the four gateways to liberation. The liberation referred to is called the state of non-abiding nirvana. In order to enter into this state and not abide in any extremes, one needs to enter into this by a gateway. These meditations are the gateways for entering into this state. If one enters through these gateways, one will gain liberation from both types of mental obscurations: those concerning disturbing attitudes and those concerning all knowables, or the obstacles preventing liberation and those preventing omniscience. Once one has entered the gateway, there is no falling back. Since the discriminating awareness with which one understands the lack of true identities is the true opposite of grasping at true identities, which leads to all disturbing attitudes, if one has no meditations or processes involving gaining this type of discriminating awareness, one won’t be able to get rid of one’s disturbing attitudes.

There are many lines of reasoning and ways of logic that will enable one to gain an understanding of the lack of true identities. It is necessary to gain an understanding of these in a very strong manner in order to get rid of the obscurations preventing one from knowing all things. There is no difference in terms of the actual meaning of the absence of all fantasized ways of existence, which one would understand through these various methods. However, there is a difference in the type of consciousness that could become aware of this absence of the fantasized. In the tantric methods, the consciousness that takes this voidness as its object is extremely blissful. For example, one takes the bountiful field of one’s spiritual master, dissolves it into one’s mind, and then the mind enters a state of brilliance, exhilaration and bliss. Within this state, one then takes voidness as an object of meditation.

If one asks how the process follows for gathering in all the rough, discordant appearances, this is in accordance with taking as a source the fourth chapter of the tantra. In the tantra, there are chapters on the external sphere, the internal sphere, the initiation and the fourth chapter – the sadhana practice. How does the process of death occur? Normally, the elements of the body are in balance and harmony with each other. At the time of death, the first thing that happens is that the water element goes out of balance and predominates. This diminishes the body’s heat, the fire element. The earth element is now separated from the fire element and dissolves into the water element. The wind element of the body drives out the water element. The energy-winds then dissolve into consciousness. Consciousness is the support of the energy-winds, the thing the winds “ride” upon, and when consciousness can no longer serve as a basis for supporting the energy-winds, this is referred to as the energy-winds dissolving into consciousness. Consciousness itself is the sphere of space, the lack of impediment, and is said then to dissolve into space and be left by itself.

At the time of the actual clear light of death, the clear light consciousness normally does not have voidness as its object. It is a non-conceptual consciousness similar to a non-conceptual understanding of voidness, but it does not normally take voidness as its object. There is a point of controversy concerning whether the object of the clear light consciousness of death, known as the all-void state of mind, is the deepest (ultimate) or superficial (relative, apparent) level of truth. Just as, when there is the taking of voidness as an object, there are no discordant appearances and all rough, discordant appearances have been gathered in, likewise in this meditation in analogy with the clear light of death, one has all rough, discordant appearances gathered in and disappearing, in analogy to consciousness dissolving into space. This all-void state, in which there are no longer any discordant appearances, is not a blankness or nothingness by itself, but is an absence of fantasized ways of existing. This absence is to be ascertained through understanding the four gateways to liberation. One should imagine that one already has a blissful kind of consciousness taking as its object voidness with no discordant appearances and then hold the dignity and pride of actually having this type of consciousness; one is holding the pride of Dharmakaya. After this meditation of taking a Dharmakaya or Corpus Encompassing Everything as a pathway for purifying death, one meditates in accordance with the process of taking birth, which is the next major section of the four yogas of the main body of the sadhana.

Through the process of meditating on the four gateways to liberation, there is a process for taking Dharmakaya as a pathway for purifying death. After this, there is no separate practice for purifying the bardo, but the practice goes directly to the stages for meditating in accordance with the stages of taking rebirth. These stages are four: the supreme victorious mandala, the supreme victorious actions, the yoga of the drops and the subtle yoga.

The supreme victorious mandala has two parts: the generation of the basis, which will be relied upon, the environment and the generation of the deities who will rely upon the environment. The generation of the environment is different from the presentation of the generation of a world system in accordance with the abhidharma teachings on general knowledge. The way in which a universe is disintegrated is first the earth element dissolves into or is consumed by the water element. The water is then dried up by fire. The fire is put out by wind, and the wind then disperses into space or the sky. The building of a world system is the reverse of this process. The space or sky referred to here is not in the sense of the permanent phenomenon of a lack of impediment for spatial existence but rather refers to actual space or sky. It is a visible type of physical phenomenon referring to an actual physical space. Here, space is used in terms similar to a western understanding of space, referring to the space of the universe, where all atoms of the various elements are located and where the various atoms can come together to form matter. Thus, here it is used in terms of the western concept of the space that pervades the universe. 

Roughly speaking, the way in which a world system forms is that within the sphere of space there occurs the movement of wind. Fire comes from this movement. From the fire comes water or liquid, and from this comes earth. There is no presentation as in the abhidharma of the golden base of the universe. In the Kalachakra, the offering of the mandala refers to the vajra base of the world system. In analogy with the way in which a world system comes into existence, likewise, the development of a living being in the womb occurs. The analogy is that the consciousness comes into the empty womb and then develops. The egg and sperm are analogous to the earth element, and these are made mobile by the water element, nourished by the fire element and caused to increase by the wind element. 

In other systems, there is the reality source that is a tetrahedral, upside-down pyramid, which in shape is analogous to a mother’s womb. The Kalachakra system refers to the reality source as infinite space. On the external level, the sphere of space is referring to the actual physical space of the universe. On the inner level, it relates to the empty space of the womb of one’s future mother. On the alternative level, one meditates on this sphere of empty space as one’s future mother’s womb but does not meditate on it as having an upside-down pyramidal shape, as in other systems. 

From the syllable YAM, there arises the black wind mandala, which is bow-shaped or like a half-moon and is 400,000 yojanas across. The wind mandala is marked by victory banners. Above and below, from the syllable HUM, comes two crossed vajras. The yogis need not visualize the dimensions as 400,000 yojanas, but rather as whatever dimension suits the capacity of their minds. The actual shape of a wind mandala is similar to a round cylinder, but inside it is marked as being the usual bow-shaped or half-moon wind mandala. In the sadhana, one establishes the other elemental mandalas up to Mount Meru as usual.

The mandalas are marked with their customary signs: the fire mandala with Mars, which in this systems is a lucky sign. A swastika as a design is often called the auspicious one and is sometimes stylized as one of the eight auspicious signs, the endless knot. Yogurt is also considered lucky. In drawings, the wind mandala is marked with swastikas.

The elements are part of the external environment to be purified, as well as the empty space in the womb of one’s future mother. In building the mandala, on the external level there are the four elements, Mount Meru, the lotus, moon, sun, Rahu and Kalagni, making ten. On the inner level, at the forehead is wind, at the throat fire, at the heart water, at the navel earth, from the navel to the secret space Mount Meru and at the secret lotus is the lotus. There are three channels through which fall feces, urine and semen, and these are joined or collected at the secret lotus channels. These correspond to the sun, moon and Rahu. There is also an analogy to this in the ten-aspected acrostic mantra, the symbol of HAMKSHAMALAVARAYA. The fact that in the ten-aspected acrostic mantra all the letters are superimposed on top of each other to form the acrostic mantra is symbolic of how all the elements in the body are superimposed and collected with one’s mental continuum.

On top of the lotus, the meditation of the tents corresponds to the vajra entering the mother’s lotus. The generation of the palace corresponds to the mother’s womb. Its being marked with the moon and sun, having the consonants and vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet stands for the mixture of semen and blood. This is explaining the symbolism of what will happen next in the sadhana. Inside this, having a syllable HUM like a moon stands for the bardo being coming into the center of the blood-sperm mixture in the womb. The syllable HI, which is together with that, stands for the winds that are the mount of the consciousness of the bardo being. All of these mixing together and becoming a syllable HAM stand for the blood-sperm-consciousness energy-winds mixed together and forming the start of the fetus in the mother’s womb. When this entire process is finished, that is analogous to the supreme victorious mandala practice.

Once the birth occurs, the entering into the various actions one does as growing up is analogous to the supreme victorious actions. The growing power of the white bodhichittas within the body is the equivalent to the yoga of the drops. When one reaches the full age of sixteen and one gets the full experience of bliss within the body, that corresponds to the subtle yoga. 

The first two victorious practices are also given the names of approximation and close approximation. The last two yogas are also given the names of actualization and the great actualization. This is a presentation of the four yogas of the generation stage. It is also a rough presentation of the symbolism of what’s going on in the sadhana in accordance with the analogies of birth.

The generation of the environment and deities is done, first of all, in terms of the five approximations to perfection, or perfecting visions, which are practiced beforehand in order to actually achieve the perfection they indicate.

There are some obscure animals mentioned in the generation of the cemetery. There is an animal that is red in color, has very sparse hair and one horn. There is a berunda, which is a type of bird with yellow feathers and passes sweet-smelling flatus. There is mention of a bird or bat that passes feces through its mouth. The blue-eyed one refers to green bird with a long tail that is sometimes called a goat-bird. The anila is a five-colored garuda, which is a large bird. 

Measurements of the Mandala

In order to figure out how the building of the mandala itself looks, it is helpful to study the measurements. The horizontal axis is called the first Brahma line, the first straight line. Then there is the second Brahma line or vertical axis. Next, the two diagonal axis lines are drawn. One of the measurements is the width of a doorway, which is the width of an entranceway into the mandala. This is said to be the length of an armspan, from the tip of one finger to the opposite finger with the arms outstretched. In the Kalachakra system, a large unit is made up of six small units. A circle at the center, which is two small units in diameter, makes up the lotus. One goes out four more small units from that, then one unit, then four, then one, then seven and finally four and constructs concentric squares at those distances, which give four base lines. There are eight major axes in a mandala construction: the two Brahma lines, the two diagonal lines and the four base lines. A base line is the measurement between two walls. The ceiling inside the mandala is usually the same measurement as the measurement from the middle of the floor to the wall on the first floor. The usual mandala is made of one story, and on top of that is a steeple-like structure. In that situation, from the floor to the top of the first story is half the measurement from one wall to the opposite wall. From the floor to the top of the steeple, on top of the building, would be the same as the distance from wall to wall. The base line is the axis indicating where the wall is located. 

There are porches and entrance hallways into the mandala on each of the four sides. The distance between the edge of the porch and the building is two armspans, each of which is made up of six small units. The distance across the doorway is six small units as well as the length of the hallway into the porch. The porch sticks out six small units in each direction from the entranceway. The distance between the end of the porch and the wall is two large units or twelve small units. From the center to the end of the porch are six armspans. This is for the mind mandala.

There are three stacked buildings, and these buildings are double the size of each other. The speech mandala is twice the size of the mind mandala, and the body mandala is twice the size of the speech and four times the size of the mind mandala. 

From the inner part of the wall out the measurements are 1.5, 3, 1.5, 3, 1.5 and 1.5 (Rinpoche is referring to a diagram on a board). These added together make twelve.

From the center of the mandala to the inside edge of the wall of the mind mandala is four armspans. Normally, an armspan is made up of four units in the other systems. In the Kalachakra, an armspan is divided up into six units making the length to the wall twenty-four units. This is analogous to the complete stage, where the subtle energy system is discussed in terms of six chakras: crown, forehead, throat, heart, navel and the secret space. It is also analogous to the central energy system, which is divided into six major channels: three in the upper part of the body and three in the lower part. Outside of this is the speech mandala, which is twice as large. Beyond this is the body mandala, which again is twice as large as the speech mandala. From the center of the mandala to the outermost edge of the body mandala is divided into thirteen parts, and one part of these thirteen is the width of a doorway in the body mandala itself.

The size of the central calyx of the lotus where the main couple stands is two units from the center. Counting from there, four units is again a circle whose edge is six units from the central axis. This is the edge of the central lotus, which has eight petals and is where the eight shaktis or powerful ladies are standing. Ten shaktis are mentioned, and there are ten mantras that correspond to the ten perfections. The perfection of wisdom, prajnaparamita, and the perfection of deep awareness, jnanaparamita, are contained within Vishvamata. The Guru-Yoga only mentions this set of deities at the very center of the mandala. I will give you a rough idea where the other deities reside. 

There is a deity of the earth called Sadak Dorje, the Open-Bellied Lord of the Earth, and there is a whole set of measurements associated with him. Within the eight nagas there is one called Kaliya. All the various earth lords are under his control, and it is said that he lies under the earth. When one makes a fire puja, mandala or house, the measurements must fit where this naga is lying and one needs to seek his permission. From the top of his head to the tip of his tail is ten handspans. Each handspan is divided into nine sections. Therefore, he is ninety of the smaller unit. Multiply this by four (the number of sides to a square), and this is three hundred sixty, which is the number of days in the year according to a lunar calendar. The lunar year is divided into the twelve houses or months, and three are in each of the four seasons. The days are calculated in terms of parts of the naga’s body with his head at the beginning of the year. For an exact calculation of this relationship, one must first accurately know the four main directions, and for this one uses a compass. This is discussed to give some idea of how these matters are presented in the Kalachakra system.

There are twenty-eight constellations in this system. The person who is constructing a building and making the foundation would perform a ritual in which they generate themselves in the form of the wrathful deity, the One Who Puts an End to Interferences. There are many rituals for doing this, and in some of them the vajra master generates themselves as the deity. Different parts of the naga’s body are outlined using powdered sand, and these parts are generated into the other seven of the eight nagas. A hole is dug, and a vase filled with jewels or other precious substances and medicine is buried in the hole. The dirt from the hole is taken and placed with the torma offering, and the rest is scattered around the site of the building and on the workers. One then sends the nagas away, and the ritual is finished. The ritual ensures no interference from the nagas or local earth spirits.

The central couple is generated through the five prior approximations – the five visualizations done prior for perfecting. This is first done by visualizing a moon disc with the thirty-two Sanskrit vowels on it circling around to the right. These are in the form of the thirty-two major signs and are the approximating visualization for perfecting the mirror-like deep awareness. Underneath this, on a sun disc, coiling around in a circle going to the left are the eighty consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet that are in the nature of the eighty minor signs. This is the approximating visualization for perfecting the deep awareness of the equality of things. A syllable HUM that is the consciousness of the scent-eater, which is referring to the bardo being, marks the moon like the “rabbit in the Moon.” This is the approximating visualization for perfecting the deep awareness of the individuality of things. Along with the syllable HUM is a syllable HI that stands for the life-supporting energy, the mount of the consciousness of the bardo being. This is the approximating visualization for perfecting the deep awareness for accomplishing different tasks. The moon and sun along with their vowels and consonants, which are in the nature of the white and red bodhichittas (the drops), then mix together with the syllables HUM and HI, which stand for the energy-wind and consciousness of the bardo being, and become a syllable HAM. This is the approximating visualization for perfecting the deep awareness of the reality of all things, dharmadhatu. This is present in the Guru-Yoga as well, which reads:

Within a state of this absence, like a surfacing bubble, comes a water-born lotus with petals outspread. On its corolla are stacked symbolic discs of a moon, a sun, Rahu, and Kalagni.

On top of them, in the nature of my white and red sources, are a moon and a sun, their perimeters embellished with garlands of vowels and consonants in the nature of the major and minor marks of a Buddha, and their center embedded with syllables HUM and HI, symbolizing my energy-wind and mind.

This corresponds to how a human body is formed from the mixture of the white and red bodhichittas of the parents along with the consciousness and winds of the bardo being. All of this transforms into the consciousness and winds of the being that takes birth. It also describes how the aggregates of the deep awareness are perfected out of this process with these visualizations.

Out of the syllable HAM, one transforms into Kalachakra and Vishvamata. The text reads:

These mix into one in the form of a syllable HAM, from which I transform and arise, Kalachakra, imbued with the lustrous hue of a sapphire, blazing with brilliance, having four faces and twenty-four arms.

To symbolize the vajra of supreme, unchanging blissful awareness and the actual state devoid of impossible ways of existing, my first two hands hold a vajra and bell, while embracing my motherly partner.

In the guru-yoga, the root master dissolves into oneself, and in the state of great bliss, after all appearances have dissolved into oneself, one then meditates on voidness. From within the state of voidness, one arises as the deity. In the fourteen tantric root vows, one of the vows is to be mindful of voidness three times each day and night. Doing this process fulfills this commitment. This process is known as the definitive guru-yoga or the deepest level of meaning guru-yoga and is also known as the process for building up a network of deep awareness. It is also known as the supreme form of protection. Building up the network of deep awareness came in the sadhana during the protection wheel practice. Here in the guru-yoga, it comes during the first of the four yogas, the yoga of the supreme victorious mandala.

Arising as Kalachakra with consort fulfills the samaya of the vajra, bell and the embracing mudra related to Akshobhya. In the guru-yoga, the text describes the appearance of the main couple. This is performed more extensively in the sadhana, where the remaining deities come forth, dissolve into your mouth as Kalachakra, enter the womb of Vishvamata and then are emanated out of her lotus to their respective places in the mandala. After this, they are dissolved again and caused to arise again by the singing of the four goddesses. They are again called forth and are regenerated in the lotus of the consort. They emanate out of the consort’s lotus again to their respective places in the mandala, and this is the supreme victorious actions. The procedures for combining the wisdom beings with them come next; they are initiated and given the seal impression of their family. The sadhana then continues with the yoga of the drops and the subtle yoga.

The way in which ordinary birth takes place is under the influence of the various impulses or karma. The different types of impulses that account for one’s impulsive behavior are the obtaining cause for taking rebirth. When these impulses are analyzed, the various energy-winds are the vehicle for them. These karmic energy-winds are the causes for continuing rebirth in samsara. There are 21,600 of these karmic energy-winds, which course through the body and correspond to the breaths taken during a day. This is what needs to be purified. What will purify them is done on the complete stage.

In the subtle energy system, there are four basic energy-drops: at the crown, throat, heart and navel chakras. These are known as the drops at the time of waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the time of the fourth occasion, or bliss. The various types of mental obscurations can be spoken of in terms of the 21,600 obscurations, which ride on an equal number of karmic winds and are related to the four drops. To get rid of the 21,600 obscurations and their matching karmic winds, one needs to accomplish a devoid form. The last two of the six complete stage practices – continual mindfulness and single-minded concentration – are where one actually accomplishes this purification. Inside the central energy-channel, one actualizes a devoid form of the main couple at the lower end. On top of this, one stacks the 21,600 drops of bliss in the central energy-channel. The process of stacking these 21,600 drops of unchanging bliss depletes the 21,600 obscurations and their winds. When completed, this causes all the rough matter of the rough body to disappear, and one achieves the enlightenment of the great mahamudra of the devoid form with unchanging supreme bliss.

First, one must do the generation stage practices of meditating on the mandala and its deities in the form of the Kalachakra couple, and this will ripen into success in being able to actualize a devoid form by stacking the drops of bliss. This is the significance of doing the generation stage practices.

In order to deal with the karmic energy-winds in terms of the cycles of breath, which pass through the body each day, these are divided into twelve sections or shifts. In order to purify these, the Enlightened One, the Buddha, manifested in the form of Kalachakra. When one dies, the elements of the blood, sperm and consciousness separate. The sperm element goes down and comes out through the bottom. The blood goes up and comes out the nose. The consciousness goes out into the bardo. One needs to purify this separation process at the time of death. The right channel is red and is where the blood travels. To symbolize preventing the blood from going out and to stabilize it, the right leg of Kalachakra is outstretched and red. The left channel is white and is where the semen passes through. To symbolize the semen stabilizing staying up at the time of death, the left leg of Kalachakra is bent and white. From the hips up the body is blue. 

The significance of the term breath control or pranayama, which has many different meanings in different systems, is to gain control over the energy-winds. One seeks to control them, so that the winds in the right and left channels go into the central channel instead of going out and dispersing. Kalachakra standing on top of Mara and Rudra symbolizes the blocking of the right and left channels. The moon, sun and Rahu planets, discussed here in terms of three, which combine Rahu and Kalagni within Rahu, as both are involved in eclipses, symbolize the three main channels, which are involved in this yogic practice. 

Just as there are two divisions of a year, in terms of the days increasing or decreasing over the course of twelve months, likewise there is the internal process of the “twelve grand shifts” of the breath during the course of a day. The breaths shift from going out primarily from the right nostril to primarily out the left nostril. This relates to whether the breath is primarily in the right or left channel. Since the twelve grand shifts involve two things, the right or left channel, just as the process of the twelve months involves the days getting longer or shorter, this is symbolized in Kalachakra having two legs. The fact that the twelve months can be organized into three groups of four months is also the way that the twelve shifts can be organized into three groups of four shifts each. This number three is signified by the three necks of Kalachakra. One shouldn’t imagine that he has three independent necks coming out of his trunk, but rather one neck with three sections. If the twelve months are taken on the external level, the twelve grand shifts are taken on the internal level and divide these into groups of four, and the four stand for the four faces of Kalachakra on the three necks.

If the year is divided into six seasons (early and late), each of two months, and the same is done with the grand shifts, the number six is symbolized by three shoulders on each side. Each “shoulder” has two sockets with four arms, so there are twelve arms on each side, twenty-four all together. The number twenty-four corresponds to the twenty-four phases of the moon during one month, as well as the breaths that can also be divided into twenty-four. There are three hundred and sixty days in the year on the external level, and on the internal level there are three hundred and sixty regular shifts of the breath during the course of a day. Likewise, the joints of the fingers total three hundred and sixty. The shoulders and arms are grouped into blue, red and white ones symbolizing body, speech and mind.

The first red hand holds a fire arrow. “Fire” is the code word for three, so the hand is holding three arrows. The five elements are symbolized by the different colors of the fingers: thumb–yellow–earth, index–white–water, middle–red–fire, ring–black–wind and little–green–space. Of the three necks, the middle is blue, the right one is red, and the left one is white. Of the faces, the central one is blue, the right one is red, the left one is white, and the back one is yellow. The shoulders are level with each other, so that the front set is blue, the middle set is red, and the back set is white. The shoulder sockets are two blue, two red and two white ones. The arms fan out from these, and can either be visualized as fanned vertically or horizontally. As one should meditate on the deity as animated, either or both are appropriate. Deities have many different hairstyles. Kalachakra’s hair is tied up like a crown in a bun with a jewel on top.

We are all composed of the six basic elements: space, wind, fire, earth, water and deep awareness. There are six aggregate factors: consciousness, other affecting variables, feeling, recognition, form and deep awareness. There are the six sense faculties: ear, nose, eye, tongue, body and mind. There are also six stimulants of consciousness: sound, smell, form (sight), taste, physical sensation and all phenomena. There are the six types of powers: power of the private organs, power of speech, power of the hands, power of the legs, power of the anus and supreme power. There are the actions of the six powers: to urinate, to speak, to grasp, to move, to defecate and to ejaculate semen. These six categories are known as the six actions under the power of karma.

There are six energy-winds: life-supporting, equalizing, upward-going, all-pervasive, fire-accompanying, downward-voiding. There is another set of energy-winds: the joyful or joyous, turtle, chameleon, Devadatta, the One Who is Victorious Over Wealth and the joyful wind that arises simultaneously. There are six chakras or energy centers: crown, heart, throat, forehead, navel and secret space. There are the 21,600 energy-winds and the 72,000 energy-channels. There are 360 bones and the 360 joints.

All of these are generated into deities in order to purify all of these into discriminating awareness (shes-rab). The deities generated from syllables with a short vowel A are deities on the side of method. Those generated from syllables with a long vowel A are on the side of wisdom. The six aggregates purify on the method side. The six elements purify on the wisdom side. The way these two are joined is as follows: deep awareness goes with space, form with wind, recognition with fire, feeling with earth, other affecting variables with water and consciousness with deep awareness. 

The six sense faculties and six stimulants of consciousness join in their obvious relationship: ear and sound, nose and smell, eye and form, tongue and taste, body and touch, mind and all phenomena. The six powers and actions go together in their obvious relationship. The two sets of winds go together in their order. The different colors on the finger joints of the main figures are generated in the nature of the different deities. The different colors are in accordance with the different elements, and each of them is purifying, as follows: space–green, wind–black, fire–red, water–white, earth–yellow and deep awareness–blue. The three hundred and sixty bones will be generated as deities. The first are the front teeth. Of the upper two front teeth, the right is in the earth family, and the left is in the water family. Of the lower two front teeth, the right is in the fire family, and the left is in the wind family. The upper teeth are on the method side, and the lower teeth are on the wisdom side. This symbolizes method and wisdom as being together without either one missing.

This is the general procedure involved. There are very many deities, and they are all generated in a very similar way. I will discuss some of the deities involved in the body mandala. There are the 360 deities for the days of the lunar year. Likewise, there are offering deities on the ledges of the apron outside the body and speech mandalas, and they purify all the different kinds of desires, such as to spit, stand up, sit down, wash oneself, run, scratch and so forth. All these are generated as different types of offering goddesses, and the sadhana lists all these offering goddesses.

The main couple is generated through the procedure of the five approximating visualizations for perfecting. The other deities of the mind mandala include the eight shaktis, the five male and female dhyani Buddhas, the eight male and female bodhisattvas and the five wrathful deities. The deities are generated in order to develop deep awareness and to purify the bases on an outer and inner levels. On the outer level, this is purifying the elements, planets, stars, constellations, time and so forth. On an inner level, this is purifying the aggregates, sensors, stimulators, winds and so forth. In the alternative Kalachakra system, referring to the sadhana, all of these bases are generated as deities in order to purify them.

The deities are generated through the practice of the supreme victorious mandala. In other systems, where there is a presentation of the three single-minded concentrations, the first is called the concentration on the yoga of first application. The second is the concentration on the supreme victorious mandala, and it is followed by the concentration on the supreme victorious actions. In the Kalachakra generation of the mandala and the deities come first.

After all the deities have been generated, light rays go out from oneself as Kalachakra and purify all beings as Kalachakras. Offerings are made, empowerments are given, and one dissolves oneself back into voidness. Within this blissful consciousness one again generates oneself as Kalachakra. One is trying to purify the future, as one cannot affect the past. One is trying to purify all possibilities of one’s future rebirth. One also wishes to purify one’s death, bardo and rebirth, which will be under the influence of one’s compulsive behavior and disturbing attitudes, karma and delusions. These are discussed in terms of a male, but the gender is not important.

The classification of the four yogas can also be in terms of the approximation, near-approximation, actualization and great actualization. At this point, we have finished the first yoga, the supreme victorious mandala, or the approximation. 

In the supreme victorious actions, the main couple in union causes the fiery peasant maiden (namely, tummo) to blaze, causing the various experiences of bliss. The main couple and the eight shaktis dissolve into a drop. Goddesses are called forth who sing songs to incite oneself to arise again, which you do. In the supreme victorious mandala, the main couple is generated through the five approximating visualizations for perfecting. In the supreme victorious actions, a twenty-part procedure is followed. The Guru-Yoga mentions this as follows:

The shakti maidens, as well as our seats, melt into light and dissolve into me. I, as well, melt into light. Within a non-objectified state of voidness, I arise once more as a Kalachakra, with one face and two arms.

In the sadhana, first come the five arousings, which are the union of the couple, the tummo blazing, the experience of bliss, the dissolving into the drops and the singing of the goddesses leading you to rise again. The five-fold arising is next, and that consists of all the deities of the mandala being drawn into your mouth and sent into the womb of Vishvamata. The mandala is drawn forth, and the mandala dissolves again leading through your mouth into the womb of Vishvamata, travels back into you as Kalachakra and is emanated out with the full mandala being generated. There are similar practices in other systems.

Next come drawing forth, making to stay, binding, pleasing and making of one taste. This is the five-fold procedure for having the wisdom beings called forth and joined to the visualization. This is accomplished with the five wrathful figures: Vajravega does the drawing forth, Prajnantaka does the abiding, Yamantaka does the binding, Padmantaka does the pleasing and Vighnantaka does the making of one taste. In some systems, this is done by JAH HUM BAM HOH, or in the Thirteen-Deity Yamantaka practice it is done by the wrathful guardians of the four major doorways. In the Kalachakra, it is done by these five wrathful deities.

This finishes the twenty-part procedure for the second yoga, the supreme victorious actions.

The Guru-Yoga reads:

By meditating on the nearly actualizing branch, the supreme victorious actions, with its enlightenment through twenty aspects: namely the five-fold arousing, by tunes of divine maidens’ melodious songs, of myself as Bhagavan Vajrin, together with my ladies of awareness, all standing on the lotus of my great bliss chakra, where, through the force of having melted with the fires of tummo at my navel, we had taken the form of drops of greatly blissful awareness; and likewise the five-fold arising; the five forceful ones; and their hooking in (beings for deep awareness), merging, binding, pleasing, and making them of equal taste with the circle of those to bond me closely, which also make five…

Next is the giving of empowerment to all the deities in the mandala and giving the crown ornament of their respective Buddha family. The sadhana practice here is extremely elaborate and longer than in other systems. Following this is becoming mindful of the purity of everything. This is done in terms of reminding oneself of the symbolism of everything in the mandala. The guru-yoga reads:

…and also with its conferring of empowerment, application of seals, and mindfulness of the purifications, may I manifest all their significance.

Application of seals means getting the crown-ornament of the head of the Buddha families. This is a prayer to achieve this part of the sadhana.

It is important to keep in mind that the bases to be purified are ordinary death and birth under the influence of karma and delusions. The actual process that will do the purification is the six-part complete stage practices. What will ripen into success on the complete stage are the generation stage practices. The result that will come from this is the actual enlightened state of Kalachakra. In other words, one will stack the 21,600 drops in order to eliminate the 21,600 karmic energy-winds and will experience the 21,600 drops of great bliss. In this way, one achieves a state of the mahamudra or great seal of the devoid form, or the “state of Buddhahood from first of all.”

Through this practice, one attains the four Buddha Bodies – the four ultimate bodies free from mental obscuration. There are four basic energy drops: the drops of the time of being awake, dreaming, deep sleep and union. When these drops are separated from the mental obscurations, one achieves the four Buddha Bodies.

In the sadhana now comes the third yoga, the yoga of the drops. As the main couple, there is the consecration and transformation of the secret space and the secret organ of the couple. Of the five basic types of energy-winds, one of them is the downward-voiding energy-wind. This is the energy-wind that deals with eliminating and retaining solid and liquid waste. Each of the energy-winds has its own function. For example, the upward energy-wind deals with control of food, breath and so forth by either going in or out of the throat. Likewise, the downward-voiding energy-wind deals with the lower functions. Its color is yellow because it relates to the element of earth. This is represented in the mandala by a molding on the top of the walls, below the colonnade that goes all around the walls, right beneath the ceiling. This molding sticks outside a little from the wall and in the single deity Yamantaka mandala of is yellow. One uses the downward-voiding energy to ignite the fire of the inner peasant maiden, tummo. Through the blazing of this, the energy-winds in the side channels enter the central channel. This causes the bodhichitta to melt causing the experience in the descending sequence of the four joys or blisses. This is the yoga of the drops.

The Subtle Yoga

After this is the reversal of the sequence of the experience of the four joys going back up. This is the fourth yoga, the subtle yoga. There are four types of results during the experience of the four joys in reverse sequence. From the secret space chakra up to the navel, the result is similar to the cause. From the navel to the heart is the ripening result. From the heart to the throat is the man-made result. From the throat to the crown is the result that is a parting, which is exemplified by true cessations, the third noble truth; these are both results that are partings.

There is much significance to the names of the third and fourth yogas. The yoga of the drops refers to the experience of the four joys in descent. Since this is dealing with the melting of the drops of bodhichitta in the subtle energy system, it is referred to as the yoga of the drops. There are two divisions of the generation stage: the rough and the subtle. The rough stage is being able to maintain the visualization of the mandala for four hours. The subtle stage is being able to visualize the entire mandala in a tiny drop at the tip of the nose for four hours. This can be done in different systems either in a drop at the tip of the nose at the upper end of the central energy-channel or at the tip of the private organ at the bottom end of the central energy-channel. Since here, in the fourth yoga or subtle yoga, one goes from the bottom back up in the reversal sequence of the experience of the four joys going up the central energy-channel, and since this starts at the tip of the bottom of the central energy-channel, it is therefore given the name “subtle.”

The Guru-Yoga reads:

May I manifest the supreme actualizing branch, the yoga of the drop, by imagining what represents the four levels of joyful awareness in emerging order, which come from consecrating our private place and space, absorbing in union, and then rousing my downward-voiding wind to make the flames of my tummo blaze upwards through the pathway of my central channel so that the coursing of my right and left energy-winds stop and my bodhichitta, melting from the HAM at the crown of my head, descends in stages.

May I reach the endpoint of the greatly actualized branch, the subtle yoga, with its four levels of joyful awareness that stabilize from below, rising upward once more in the same order in which they came; and also a web of emanated illusions, which heralds enlightenment.

To perform a generation or complete stage practice, there needs to be at least five deities of the five families. In the guru-yoga, this is met through the central couple and the eight shaktis and satisfies the qualifications for doing a full tantric practice. The text reads:

In short, may I reach the endpoint of my efforts to meditate, in four sessions, on the supreme stage of generation, the waters to cleanse me of making everything appear in its ordinary manner and clinging (to it actually existing in that way) – the pathway of mind that ripens giving rise to the complete stage’s being complete, and which purifies the outer and inner bases for purification.

The generation stage is to purify all appearances, ordinary self-image and so on into pure form. This is what will ripen into the complete stage. All the various practices of the generation stage are in order to gain pure appearance and will ripen into success on the complete stage. The way to overcome ordinary appearances and grasping at them in ordinary ways is to always visualize oneself as the deity, all beings around one as deities of the mandala, transform all food with OM AH HUM and imagine that all experience is pure enjoyment or bliss. This will ripen into one’s experience on the complete stage of everything that appears to the consciousness, all experiences, will appear as the play of inseparable voidness and bliss – a blissful consciousness inseparable from voidness. Therefore, one prays in an intensive manner in four sessions per day that the generation stage will purify the outer and inner bases to be purified and that one gains proficiency in the complete stage.

In the sadhana what follows is the recitation of mantras. The Guru-Yoga text reads:

By exerting myself, in addition, in repeating mantras, performing fire pujas and presenting offerings, may I ripen infinite beings through being unimpeded in realizing the actual attainment of the ultimate attainment.

Repetition refers to the recitation of mantras, as done in a retreat. After this, one can perform the fire puja or burnt offering. The final achievement refers to the eight ordinary or common actual attainments, and in this way one will be able to benefit all beings. It is important to do the mantra recitation without any mental wandering, have strong compassion wishing to benefit all and with many prayers to achieve a devoid form. With these in place, one’s recitation of mantras becomes very effective, whereas with mental wandering it loses its power.

The complete stage is divided into three: the discussion of the basic energy-channels, or what abides; the energy-winds themselves, which move through the channels; and the drops, which are to be led through this system. There are six main energy-channels and six main chakras. The six main channels are the central, the right main and the left main in the upper and lower parts of the body. The six main chakras are the crown, which has four side channels, the forehead, which has sixteen side channels or petals, the throat, which has thirty-two, the heart, which has eight, the navel, which has sixty-four, and the secret space, which has thirty-two. If the top and bottom of the central energy-channel is added, there are eight important spots in the energy system.

In other systems, at the place in the chakras where the energy-channels enter, there is no open space in the channel: the space is closed between the chakras. They are closed at the actual point where petals come into the chakra, not allowing air to flow through. In the Kalachakra system, the channels are open at that point. It is like the center of a tube through the chakras themselves, whereas in the other systems the central tube is pinched at those points.

There are ten main energy-winds. One is the all-pervasive, and in the other tantric systems, except for the time of death, this wind does not move through the body, whereas in the Kalachakra it does. The body goes through a cycle of twelve major shifts in the energy-winds during the course of a 24-hour period of primarily going through the right or left. There are six hundred and seventy-five breaths of deep awareness.

There are four basic energy drops associated with the four occasions. The drops are also referred to as the body, speech, mind and deep awareness drops in addition to the enlightening body, enlightening speech etc. drops. The color of the drops is a mixture of white and red, being a mixture of the white and red bodhichittas, or constituent drops. They are the size of a mustard seed. As to their location, the waking or body drop is located at the middlebrow, the dream or speech drop is located at the throat, the deep sleep or mind drop is located at the heart, and the fourth occasion or deep awareness drop is located at the navel.

While awake, all the upper energy-winds collect in the crown chakra at the drop associated with the occasion of being awake, and the lower winds collect at the navel. All the delusional appearances are present at that time. While dreaming, the upper energy-winds collect at the throat, and the lower energy-winds are at the private place. The appearance of dreams occurs at this time.

At the time of deep sleep, the energy-winds collect at the heart chakra, and the lower ones at the private place. At that time, nothing appears, and it is like being unconscious.

At the time of being in sexual ecstasy, the upper energy-winds gather at the navel and the lower energy-winds at the tip of the sexual organ. At that time, the bliss of being in sexual union appears.

The drops themselves are not obscurations but are the place upon which the various instincts of the mental obscurations are laid. They are obscured but are not themselves obscurations. In the Guhyasamaja system, in the discussion of the subtlest level of consciousness and the subtlest energy-winds, that presentation does not correspond to the Kalachakra presentation. When referring to the energy drop at the heart and the events related to it, then there is correspondence between the two systems.

The path that deals with this system and purifies it is discussed in terms of the six-branch yoga. The discussion of the path is divided into two, the first being the stages of the bhumi-levels of mind and the paths, referring to the five paths, and the second being the six-branch yoga of the complete stage. Initiation is the entranceway or gateway for tantra, but it is not an entranceway for actually attaining any of the tantric paths of mind. Otherwise, when one received an initiation, one would achieve one of the tantric states of mind, which does not happen. Initiation does allow one to undertake the practices of the tantric path. The entranceway for the Mahayana is bodhichitta, but until one develops the dedicated heart of bodhichitta, one does not actually have one of the Mahayana paths. When one enters the Mahayana through developing bodhichitta, one has attained one of the paths, unlike the case in tantra.

Obtaining initiation and going through all the processes of the generation stage with its building up the bountiful stores or networks concerning the three spheres of body, speech and mind, all of this encompasses the first of the five tantric pathway minds, the tantric building-up pathway mind.

Entering the first of the six yogas of the complete stage, namely the individual collecting stage, achieves the second tantric pathway mind, the applying pathway mind. This path has four phases: peace, peak, patience and supreme Dharma. The six stages of the complete stage start with the individual collecting stage. This stage constitutes the first phase of the applying pathway mind – peace. The second of the six yogas, mental constancy, corresponds to the second of the four phases – peak. The third and fourth of the six yogas, breath control and holding, take one through the third phase of the applying pathway mind, patience. The fifth yoga, continual mindfulness, constitutes the phase of supreme Dharma.

There are two traditions of interpretation concerning the sixth of the yogas, namely single-minded concentration. One tradition states that this yoga covers all the transworldly or beyond the ordinary stages. The other states that one part of this yoga is still in the ordinary stages, and the other is in the stages beyond the ordinary. Out of the 21,600 drops of bliss, which are stacked up in the central channel during the single-minded concentration, there are twelve sets of 1800 drops. According to the second tradition, the first set of drops is still on a worldly path of mind and constitutes the “great stage of the supreme Dharma.” 

Now come the transworldly paths of the mind, and they are divided into the ten bhumis. The tenth level can be divided into two – the mirror attainment of the tenth level and the special tenth-level mind. Now, there are eleven stages to place into the remaining eleven sets of bliss drops. This is a general presentation for further study.

The first of the six yogas is called individual collection, and this involves a special time, posture and gaze for the practice. Normally, the right nostril is involved with the incoming breath, and the left with the outgoing. Because of this, the practice is timed for when the breath is primarily going through the right nostril, and for collecting the breath in the middle of the night, the special place is an extremely dark room. The Guru-Yoga reads:

With a manner of looking in which my eyes are partially closed and turned up so that I feel they are penetrating the very core of the upper end of my central channel between the corners of my eyes, may I fixate my mind single-pointedly at this spot, without mental dullness or flightiness of mind.

As a non-deceptive sign that, resulting from this, the hosts of winds in my right and left channels have gathered into this spot in my central channel, may I manifest the four night signs that are like smoke, a mirage, flaring sparks in the sky, and a butter-lamp flame. By meditating further, as before, with this manner of looking at the space that is free of moisture-bearing clouds, may I complete these (four) with the six further signs of blazing, then moon, sun, Rahu, lightning, and a drop.

One visualizes oneself as the Kalachakra couple and visualizes the three channels and six chakras along it. The upper end of the central energy-channel is visualized like an open end of a tube in between the eyebrows. The gaze of the eyes is fixed at the spot in between the brows. In order to gain single-minded concentration or shamatha, one needs to get rid of agitation, mental dullness and flightiness. Signs of success are from the energy-winds dissolving and abiding at that spot. There are ten signs that appear. After the signs of success, there is the appearance of a fine black line, similar to a hair, in the hollow open upper ending of the central channel. Inside that black line is an appearance like a devoid form of a small Kalachakra couple. One focuses single-mindedly on that when it manifests. In the Nyingma systems of meditation, during the practices to recognize one’s own mind, there are similar practices to this in which a small body manifests. When this actually appears and one can focus on it for as long as one wishes, one has achieved proficiency in the first of the six branches of the complete stage, the individual collection.

When one is focusing on the hollow open end of the upper energy-channel and the appearance like a devoid form becomes manifest, one can say there is no basis for that appearance. It is imaginary and has no basis. However, one should realize that at the upper end of the central energy-channel, at the place in the forehead, the drop of the occasion of being awake resides, and one could set this as the basis for its appearance. This is an important point to keep in mind.

During the second, third and fourth branches – mental constancy, breath control and holding – the appearance of this devoid form becomes more excellent.

First, there is the appearance of a devoid form during the first of the six branches, the individual collecting. This becomes clearer and increases during the next three stages. During the fifth stage, close mindfulness, one gathers and mixes together the upward-going, downward-voiding winds and the drops of bodhichitta at the navel chakra. From the mixture of these comes the actual devoid form, and this becomes more serviceable and increases until the sixth stage, the single-pointed concentration. This form goes on to become the form of an enlightened being.

In the other systems of anuttarayoga tantra, there are the two types of mental constancy in terms of drawing in all appearances either all together or in clumps. These are the names given for the two types of concentrations, and this is not present in the Kalachakra. If the signs of dissolution do not appear, starting with the sign of the smoke-like vision, there are practices to enhance one’s experiencing these things, which are explained on the side. However, they don’t include here the practices included in the other systems of anuttarayoga that involve gaining mental constancy through the stages of dissolution, either altogether or in clumps, or the practice of the “three types of behavior.”

From the branch of individual collecting, the superficial accomplishment achieved is the power of having words of truth: what one says will come true. The ultimate accomplishment achieved is the body of a Vajrasattva. The second branch, mental constancy, has the same time of practice, at night, and the same conditions, in the dark, as the first branch. In the first branch, one held one’s gaze upward while looking at the appearance like a devoid form. In the second branch, one focuses on it in a manner of holding the dignity of actually being the small deity couple inside the central channel. One meditates in this way until the signs of certainty of this become manifest. At this point, one achieves what is called a facsimile devoid form. On the superficial level, one achieves the five types of extrasensory perception, and on the ultimate level, it lays the potency for achieving the attainment of Akshobhya. The Guru-Yoga reads:

Through stability of mind with which devoid forms gather in stages at my body-drop’s site and which stays single-pointedly aimed at these forms, for as long as I wish, may I induce from this a blissful sense of physical and mental fitness.

The next two branches involve the practice of vajra breathing and vase breathing. First in the breath control practice is vajra breathing, and this involves using the devoid form accomplished on the prior branches. With this form located at the upper end of the central energy-channel at the middlebrow, as one inhales, the form moves down to the heart chakra, resounding with the syllable OM, as one breathes in. With the holding of the breath, it stays at the heart with the syllable HUM. As one exhales, the devoid form moves back to the forehead with the syllable AH. 

Next is the vase breathing, and ordinarily the vase breathing practices involve taking the lower energy-winds and bringing them up to the navel combined with bringing the upper energy-winds down to the navel and holding them together there. The process in the Kalachakra is visualizing oneself in the form of the main couple with the main energy-channels and chakras. One then performs the procedures for bringing the upper energy-winds down using the tiny devoid form to the navel and bringing the lower energy-winds up to the navel, holding both there. In this process, one ignites the inner fire of the inner peasant maiden, tummo, which causes the bodhichitta to melt within the central channel. It goes down, and one experiences the four joys of descent. The bodhichitta is then made to go up, and one experiences the four joys in reverse. One is able to focus on this supreme blissful consciousness in that state of absorption, and afterwards one arises again as the devoid form. By cultivating this in terms of the absorption and subsequent attainment (post-meditative realization), one is able to actually see the colors of the ten winds unmixed as the ordinary level of attainment. The ultimate level of attainment is that one will be able to reach the state of attainment of Amoghasiddhi. The Guru-Yoga reads:

By accustoming myself to the breath-control practice of vajra-repetition, spontaneously accomplishing all, in which my winds, indivisible from mantra, course through the pathway of my Rahu-channel, and to the breath-control practice of possessing a vase, in which my upper and lower energy-winds are stopped at my navel, may I have arise the distinguished signs of all hosts of my winds entering the center of my emanation chakra and abiding there slightly, and thus manifest melodious sounds of the bodhisattvas’ praise.

Next comes the branch of holding. For this practice, one has the same situation and way of sitting as for the other branches. One repeats the practice of the previous branch and ignites the tummo. With experience, one achieves on the superficial level the ability to outshine or defeat the four maras and can overcome untimely death, greatly increasing one’s lifespan. On the ultimate level, one sets the potential for achieving the body of Ratnasambhava. The Guru-Yoga reads:

Through the yoga of holding my mind immobile and firm in the center of my pair of life and downward energy-winds mixed into one at the hubs of my half-dozen chakras, may I then, at the end of enhancing four levels of joyful awareness that fall from above and stabilize from below, arise in a devoid-form body on the face of my mind and cause hordes of demonic forces of untimely death to decline.

The fifth branch is continual mindfulness. At the navel chakra, when the winds, mind and bodhichittas are inseparable there, then after the absorption with the signs of the winds entering, abiding and dissolving, one will actually obtain a real devoid form of the Kalachakra couple surrounded by the eight shaktis. At this point in the fifth branch, one gets an actual devoid form at the navel chakra. From this fifth branch, one gets a devoid form and unchanging great bliss that are actual true ones according to definition. On the superficial level, the attainment is supreme unchanging bliss. On the ultimate level, one attains the ability to achieve the body of Amitabha. 

By the sixth branch, single-minded concentration, one has achieved a real devoid form, the small main couple with the eight shaktis at the navel. Focusing single-mindedly of that, one starts to stack up the energy drops of white and red bodhichitta. At the time of death, the white bodhichitta leaves through the lower orifice of the central channel, and the red leaves through the nose at the upper end of the energy-channel. In order to reverse this, the symbolism is that the right leg is red and outstretched for the red bodhichitta to come down. The left leg is white and bent in order to prevent the white bodhichitta from leaving at the time of death. Similar to this, one starts stacking the 21,600 drops, which is done in a two-fold process: the white drops stacking from below and the red from above. This is done in the external body, which is visualized as Kalachakra with the three main channels and six chakras. One’s focus of attention is on the tiny body at the navel, and in the process of doing this one stacks in stages 21,600 of these drops. At the conclusion of this, one achieves enlightenment.

The Guru-Yoga reads:

Having well attained the force of all my devoid forms and vital winds being under control, may I then, from a great co-arising blissful awareness induced by the blazing once more of the flames of my tummo, actually arise in the body of a devoid-form father and mother, joined in union, and diffuse rays of light of assorted colors out the holes of the pores of my skin.

Joined in union with a mahamudra devoid-form partner like this, may I meditate on great and unchanging blissful awareness, well induced by this mudra’s own power, and joined with voidness.

By the force of stacking my white and red sources to the count of twenty-one thousand six hundred up and down through the path of my central channel, may the elements of my corporeal matter be consumed like iron by mercury.

With twenty-one thousand six hundred moments of unchanging greatly blissful awareness that realize voidness, may I stop the same number of winds of my karma and cleanse myself quickly of all propensities for obscuration and thereby attain the enlightening bodies of a triumphant Buddha.

The unchanging great bliss referred to here in terms of the state of mahamudra would correspond in the Guhyasamaja system to the bliss experience by the state of unity of clear light and illusory body.

The verses of the prayer conclude:

May I actualize with ease, and without any hindrance, these points to which I aspire like this, and thus become a superior ship-captain for freeing all beings, through this consummate path, to the Buddhas’ magnificent isle of jewels.

In short, by however much I have built up a network of lustrous positive force by steps such as these, may I quickly be born in Shambhala, the storehouse of gems, and complete there the stages of the peerless path.

First, the Buddha arose in the form of Kalachakra at the Stupa of Shri Dhanyakataka. The King Suchandra requested this tantra, and it was given. The root tantra was in 12,000 stanzas. Suchandra wrote the great commentary in 60,000 verses. The teaching went back to Shambhala, where the line of kings followed from him. The First Holder of the Caste wrote the abbreviated tantra in one 1030 verses. His son wrote the commentary, Stainless Light, in 12,000 verses. This lineage continued in Shambhala, and the teachings of Kalachakra entered India. From India, they were brought to Tibet, where they continued until the present. His Holiness conferred the initiation on you, and you are all very fortunate to have met with these teachings.

One should dedicate all the merit built up for all to be taken care of and protected by His Holiness, Avalokiteshvara. One should pray that all beings attain quickly the enlightened state of Kalachakra. This concludes the teachings.