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Shambhala
The Kalachakra tantra was first practiced in Shambhala, and only very much
later the tradition of
Kalachakra came back to India. The teachings of the Buddhas have been available
in this world for
over 2800 years, but the teachings on Kalachakra came from Shambhala only
about 903 years ago.
It is possible to calculate it because we know each of the kings of Shambhala
and also how many
Kalkins there were.
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When counting in
this way we come to the Indian Pandita Chilupa.
He was from the south of India, from Orissa, and he brought the
Kalachakra tantra from Shambhala to India. At that time the Kalachakra
tantra was not known in India. By the power of his practice and experience
he knew the only place where it was available was Shambhala. He decided
to go to Shambhala and to get it from there. He took a boat and
embarked on the ocean.
While on the ocean, he had an apparition of the contemporary Kalkin in
the form of Manjushri who asked him: 'Where are you going?' 'I am going
to Shambhala' Chilupa answered. 'If you want to go to Shambhala this is
not how you can get there. Why do you want to go to Shambhala?' 'I have
heard that in Shambhala there is the tradition of Kalachakra, and I want
to
get the transmission.' 'If you want to get the Kalachakra', Manjushri said
to
Chilupa, 'then I can give it to you.' Following this, Manjushri gave the
complete initiations, transmissions and instructions.
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Back in India, Chilupa returned to the place where he had studied and
become a Pandita, the monastery
of Nalanda - of which today only ruins remain. He then imparted the complete
Kalachakra initiation,
explanations and quintessential instructions. This is how Chilupa brought
this tantra to India.
The third Indian master, Nalandapa , is said to have written at an entrance
to Nalanda a citation from
The Great Commentary: A Clear Light. What Nalandapa wrote were the Kalachakra
Symbol (rnam chu
dbang lden), the long mantra of Kalachakra , and below he wrote the quote
from A Clear Light. The line
says that in order to understand the Kalachakra one has to first understand
the 'Praises of the Name of
Manjushri'. It is not possible to understand the Kalachakra Tantra without
understanding the 'Praises of
the name of Manjushri'. Only when having understood these praises can
one understand the Kalachakra.
Also read the teaching of Kirti
Tsenshab Rinpoche about Kalachakra >>
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