Malcolm wrote:
The Vajramala is collection of template empowerments, so it is a full empowerment, but less elaborate than the two main traditions of Kalacakra (Rwa and Dro).
The synopsis indicates the text is mostly about the Guhyasamaja. Isn't this rather different from the Kalachakra (at least on the completion stage)? I am basing this on what I read from Daniel Cozort's book on Highest Yoga Tantra.
Vajramala is a tantra, it is also a collection of initiations by the Mahāsiddha Abhayakaragupta.
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
Malcolm wrote:
The Vajramala is collection of template empowerments, so it is a full empowerment, but less elaborate than the two main traditions of Kalacakra (Rwa and Dro).
The synopsis indicates the text is mostly about the Guhyasamaja. Isn't this rather different from the Kalachakra (at least on the completion stage)? I am basing this on what I read from Daniel Cozort's book on Highest Yoga Tantra.
This is a different Vajramala from the one meant by Malcolm. The one meant by Malcolm is Vajramala - a collection of sadhanas by Abhayakaragupta. The book from you link is Vajramalatantra.
Malcolm wrote:
The Vajramala is collection of template empowerments, so it is a full empowerment, but less elaborate than the two main traditions of Kalacakra (Rwa and Dro).
The synopsis indicates the text is mostly about the Guhyasamaja. Isn't this rather different from the Kalachakra (at least on the completion stage)? I am basing this on what I read from Daniel Cozort's book on Highest Yoga Tantra.
This is a different Vajramala from the one meant by Malcolm. The one meant by Malcolm is Vajramala - a collection of sadhanas by Abhayakaragupta. The book from you link is Vajramalatantra.
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
Yes, vali and mala are alternate both translated as phreng ba into Tibetan.
Thanks and ordered.
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
pueraeternus wrote:Recently I attended HHST's Kalachakra empowerment in NYC. I would like to further my study and practice, but could not find any books on Kalachakra specific to the lineage transmitted by HHST (majority are on the Gelugpa transmissions). Is there any book anyone familiar with the tradition can recommend? Or there is no great differences between the various Kalachakra lineages and I can just refer to any available in the market?
My Sakya teacher is about to start teaching from this book: The Ornament of Stainless Light. An Exposition of the Kalachakra Tantra, Khedrup Norsang Gyatso, The Library of Tibetan Classics. He received the transmissions for Kalachakra from HE Chogye Trichen Rinpoche and HHST.
We abide nowhere. We possess nothing.
~Chatral Rinpoche
pueraeternus wrote:Recently I attended HHST's Kalachakra empowerment in NYC. I would like to further my study and practice, but could not find any books on Kalachakra specific to the lineage transmitted by HHST (majority are on the Gelugpa transmissions). Is there any book anyone familiar with the tradition can recommend? Or there is no great differences between the various Kalachakra lineages and I can just refer to any available in the market?
My Sakya teacher is about to start teaching from this book: The Ornament of Stainless Light. An Exposition of the Kalachakra Tantra, Khedrup Norsang Gyatso, The Library of Tibetan Classics. He received the transmissions for Kalachakra from HE Chogye Trichen Rinpoche and HHST.
pueraeternus wrote:Recently I attended HHST's Kalachakra empowerment in NYC. I would like to further my study and practice, but could not find any books on Kalachakra specific to the lineage transmitted by HHST (majority are on the Gelugpa transmissions). Is there any book anyone familiar with the tradition can recommend? Or there is no great differences between the various Kalachakra lineages and I can just refer to any available in the market?
My Sakya teacher is about to start teaching from this book: The Ornament of Stainless Light. An Exposition of the Kalachakra Tantra, Khedrup Norsang Gyatso, The Library of Tibetan Classics. He received the transmissions for Kalachakra from HE Chogye Trichen Rinpoche and HHST.
Noted and thanks. That is one of the books I am planning to study. I have resigned to the fact that there are probably no translated reference books on the particular Abhayakaragupta transmission HHST gave, so I will be studying the various books and papers available commercially (mainly the Gelugpa tradition).
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
I would like to echo what Kirtu said several posts back. Check out the International Kalachakra Network. There is a wealth of resources there on Kalachakratantra from several lineages (not just Gelug). The public sections of the website are really helpful, but also note that if you have received Kalachakra empowerment you can request an account that will grant you access to the restricted sections of the site. There are more Kalachakra materials on that site then one could possibly read in a single rebirth.
You have to answer certain questions to get an account (like when, where, and by whom were you initiated, etc). This makes sense, as specific tantric techniques and so forth are restricted to those who received empowerment. I am not certain if there are texts or instructions specifically from the Sakya linage, but there is more material there then you might find randomly searching the web. Aside from my own teachers (who have graciously offered instruction and guidance) the IKN has been a wonderful resource for many things Kalachakra.
Congratulations on your recent empowerment. May your practice be fruitful, all the way to Buddhahood!
Last edited by Vajratantrika on Fri May 02, 2014 10:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of ignorance, attachment and aversion.
Just adding to my previous post, this is the form to request an account with IKN.
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of ignorance, attachment and aversion.
Vajratantrika wrote:Just adding to my previous post, this is the form to request an account with IKN.
Thanks. Actually I did sign up with IKN earlier, but found nothing relevant to the particular transmission given by HHST. It is still a very useful site in general.
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
not sure about empowerment in NYC, but HHST gave Kalachakra from Vajramala tradition in London 2010 and it seems this is given often by him.
also there is short text of Sahaja Kalachakra (by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye) Jonang tradition - translated to various languages - made available after Kalachakra empowerment given by Kyabje Tenga Rinpoche in Poland 2005: http://www.kalacakra.org/init/poland5.htm
If you wish to get this sadhana please contact Edward Henning - author of this page - who is also great western scholar of Kalachakra teachings http://www.kalacakra.org/
or Benchen Poland Center http://benchen.org.pl/en/
with regards to Kalachakra practice, I have little understanding but if I remember correctly the only unbroken lineage of the full Kalachakra teachings is Jonang - the six vajrayogas of Kalachakra and its Kalachakra ngondro practices.
If you are interested in practicing Kalachakra as a completion stage practice, you should find out whether or not your teacher is a holder of a complete cycle of Kalachakra teachings, as to my knowledge they are not available outside of Jonang lineage holders and even they are quite difficult to find outside of Tibet and I only know of one who speaks English.
Personally, I think since the situation of finding a teacher qualified to instruct students on the completion stages from an unbroken lineage of Kalachakra teachings is complicated, the Kalachakra empowerment is often given as a skillful means - a Lama who has Kalachakra as his yidam once told me that in the tantras it says upon receiving the empowerment you will be reborn in Shambhala when it manifests in the human realm.
This is the sadhana of 2 armed Kalachakra from the Jonang lineage called Divine Ladder, it is the same sadhana that all the Jonang Kalachakra masters have used to attain realization for centuries.
Contact the center and ask them if you would be able to practice it, they will ask Khentrul Rinpoche or be able to tell you. They are very responsive to email.
Those books are also very helpful and contain instructions for more detailed sadhana practice. If you want to choose between one of the two books, a lot of the information in Hidden Treasure is also in Unveiling Your Sacred Truth.