As Long As Space Endures: Essays on the Kalacakra Tantra in Honor of the Dalai Lama

The anthology celebrates the contribution that the exiled head of Tibetan Buddhism has made to the propagation of the tantric Buddhism of Tibet, the Vayrayana or Diamond Vehicle, and specifically the Kalacakra, Wheel of Time, tantric system. In sections on translation and revelation, analysis and insight, and transmission and transition, the 25 essays consider such aspects as the Kalacakra commentary by Vajragarbha on the Tattvapatala of the Hevajratantra, the body as a text and the text as a body, medicine and astrology in the healing arts, demon diseases and Tibetan medicine, and dissolution and emptiness meditation in the Kalacakra six-session guru yoga sadhana. The contributors are scholars and practitioners of Buddhism. The essays are not indexed, but each includes extensive notes. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Kalachakra Tantra--Kalachakra means wheel of time--is a tradition of Buddhist theory and practice whose root text treats a fantastic expanse of knowledge ranging from observations of the cosmos to investigations of meditative states and vital bodily energies. In the Tibetan-speaking world, a public Kalachakra initiation remains the most sought-after eveny in the life of a devout Buddhist. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama has long had a strong connection with the Kalachakra Tantra and brought the initiation to the West in 1981, performing it in the U.S., Switzerland, Spain, and Australia. This volume has been created to celebrate his long involvement with the Kalachakra teachings.