By Victor M Fontane
The Kalachakra Mandala shows the external universe, our internal universe, and the enlightened reality in a single image. The mandala reflects the entire path to enlightenment, from where we are at now to the state of a buddha. The Kalachakra Dharma was taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni and was held by the Shambhala lineage first, before it was transmitted to India and eventually to Tibet. There, it was spread by great masters of different traditions. Although other schools have preserved these teachings dearly up to the present day, only the Jonang tradition retains in detail the completion-stage practices that swiftly realize the enlightenment of Kalachakra in a single lifetime. This is the result of emphasizing the practice of these teachings for so many centuries. By inspiring us to transform ourselves and our world, this mandala suggests the prophecy of a Golden Age of world peace and harmony.
“The essential method of Kalachakra is to cultivate love and compassion to such a degree that all forms of bias are removed and the mind is able to abide in a pervasive and unchanging experience of peace and harmony. This profound realisation is known as Shambhala. To achieve Shambhala is synonymous with full and complete enlightenment or the perfect manifestation of our primordially pure Buddha-nature. Because this nature is equally present at the time of the ground and the time of the result, Shambhala is considered to be both the source of the Kalachakra teachings and the fruition of its practice.
While ultimately Shambhala is the perfection of peace and harmony, conventionally, it can manifest in a variety of ways depending on the purity of one’s mind. As such, we can identify many intermediate steps along the path that are also given the name Shambhala. All of these manifestations represent provisional opportunities for us to achieve realisation of the definitive meaning of Ultimate Shambhala and are produced through the practice of Kalachakra. This means that even if you are unable to complete the path at this time, you can be sure to create the opportunity to do so in a future life.”
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