Tibetan Astrology

Tibetan astrology has materials that are similar to or derived from systems from India and China but are modified and used in very different ways to constitute the unique Tibetan system. Much of the materials for the study of these topics derive from the “Kalachakra Tantra.”

The daily positions of the planets are calculated according to complex arithmetic formulas. The Tibetan mathematical model of the motion of the planets differs greatly from the Indian and Chinese ones.

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

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...

Buddhism regards time as a nonstatic phenomenon, an interval on an individual mental continuum between the experiences of two sequential events.

Examine the contents of the first two chapters as they appear in “The Abridged Kalachakra Tantra” and its commentary, “Stainless Light.” The first concerns the external cycles of time, the second the internal cycles.

The first and second of the five inclusive features of a Tibetan calendar are the lunar weekday and the date of the lunar month. These are involved in the mech­anism through which the lunar and solar calendars are brought into harmony.

Ten heavenly bodies are treated in the Kalachakra system, all of which are called “planets.” A common feature with the ancient Greek and Hindu systems is the naming of the days of the week after the planets.

An overview of the history of astrology in China and India, how they came to and developed in Tibet and, from there, to Mongolia and Central Asia.

Magic-squares consist of a grid of three by three with numbers in each row and column adding to 15. Each number is correlated with a color and one of the five Chinese elements. In the Tibetan astro system, each year and each date has a magic-square number.