Full Kalachakra sand mandala
(body, speech and mind)
“The Kalachakra system was one of the last and most complex tantric systems to be brought to Tibet from India. In recent years many Westerners have become acquainted with this tradition as various lamas have given the Kalachakra Initiation to large groups of people. I myself have given it several times in Western countries, as well as in India and Tibet. Such initiation are given on the basis of a mandala, the sacred residence with its residence deities, usually depicted in graphic form . The tradition I follow employs a mandala constructed of colored sand which is carefully assembled prior to each initiation and dismantled once more at the end. Due to their colorful and intricate nature, mandalas have attracted a great deal of interest. Although some can be openly explained, most are related to tantric doctrines that are normally supposed to be kept secret. Consequently, many speculative and mistaken interpretations have circulated among people who viewed them simply as works of art or had no access to reliable explanations. Because the severe misunderstandings that can arise are more harmful than a partial lifting of secrecy, I have encouraged a greater openness in the display and accurate description of mandalas.”
The best known form of the Kalachakra mandala is the sand mandala, for which colored sand grains are painstakingly placed. This sand drawing represents a 3-dimensional palace of which every single detail has a symbolic meaning. A mandala is a symbolic representation of many aspects of a specific tantra. In the Kalachakra tantra, all elements of the mandala refer to the universe (outer Kalachakra), the body and mind (inner Kalachakra) and the practice (initiation, generation and completion stages).
Every detail of the mandala, from each deity to every adornments of the building, refers to time and the universe (Outer Kalachakra), physical and mental aspects of Kalachakra and ourselves (Inner Kalachakra), and also to aspects of the practice (Alternative Kalachakra).
It should be noted that in the Kalachakra tradition, an unusual order of directions is followed in the description of the mandala. As usual (in Tibetan artwork), the Eastern direction (black) is directed to the viewer, or at the bottom of an image, but when going around the mandala, a somewhat complicated order is followed: clockwise from East to Southwest, clockwise from North to Northeast, and finally clockwise from West to Northwest.
This page describes the main layout of the mandala palace, other pages in the area for Initiates describe more in detail the deities which can be found at the various locations.
The Kalachakra Mandala is like a huge palace, with 5 distinct floor levels:
At the ground level is the Body Mandala, measuring 200 by 200 armspans, and it has 4 huge entrance ways in the main directions.
Within the Body Mandala, on a platform of 100 armspans high, comes the Speech Mandala with a floor surface of 100 by 100 armspans, which looks very similar to the Body Mandala.
At the center of the Speech mandala, on a platform 50 armspans in height, comes the Mind Mandala, with a floor surface of 50 by 50 armspans, which looks again very similar to the Body Mandala. The Mind Mandala has two more floor levels, the Exalted Wisdom Mandala and the Great Bliss Mandala.
The Exalted Wisdom Mandala is raised 25 armspans above the floor of the Mind Mandala and its floor measures 25 by 25 armspans.
On a slightly raised platform is the central Great Bliss Mandala, with a large green lotus on which the main Deity Kalachakra with his consort Vishvamata resides, surrounded by the 8 Shaktis.
The top of the roof of the Great Bliss Mandala is at a height of 200 armspans.