Book Review | The Kālacakra Tantra: A path-breaking work

Believed to be recounted by the Ādi-Buddha to King Sucandra of the mythical land of Śambhala, the Kālacakra Tantra (The Wheel of Time), one of the most complex tantric texts, portrays a mythic reality whereby cosmic and socio-historic events assimilate the various features of the human body and offers teachings on the transformation of one’s body and mind into perfect Buddhahood through various esoteric yogic procedures. The book Kālacakra Tantra (2022), Vol.1 is a comprehensive translation of the original Kālacakra text. Splitting the volume into four major sections with an elaborate introduction, the illustrious author of the book Niraj Kumar has brilliantly delineated the essence of the Kālacakra teaching— the correspondence between the cosmic system or loka-dhātu and the processes in the bodies of individuals— through his meticulous four-step method of presenting the verses in Sanskrit, decoding the words, translating the texts cogently in English, and finally, giving a lucid explanation of the verses. In his bold attempt of translating 169 verses, the author seemed to have lived the goal of the Kālacakra, i.e., the realisation of the entire universe within one’s body (deha-madhye-samastam). [caption id=“attachment_13283302” align=“alignnone” width=“604”] The Kalacakra Tantra: Vol I Translation, Annotation, Commentary, by Niraj Kumar[/caption] Through word-by-word translation with incisive explanatory notes, the book has beautifully presented the relation between linguistics and cosmos and terrestrial geography, time and planetary computation, the art of predicting the outcome of the event by understanding the natural order of things, and the Kalkī Kings of mysterious Śambhala and the village of the Kalāpa. Apart from the meticulousness that is evident in unveiling the polysemic terms and taking pains in deciphering the enigmatic concepts, the uniqueness of Niraj’s work lies in his awe-inspiring presentation of tough mathematical calculation regarding lunar and solar calendar in the planetary computational section. The sharpness of his presentation will surely put the readers in wonder as to how one who speaks on the metaphysical and esoteric aspects of the Kālacakra can delve into the intricacies of the algebraic equations. It is also more than wonder to perceive the author’s deep explanation of the consonant series, semi vowels, and vowels, their birth places in the body, their connection with the chakra points, five elements and aggregates, and the five dhyāni Buddhas as their personification that has aptly established a relation between the fields of linguistics, bio-body, and spiritualism. Again, the astrological interpretation of the outer cycles of passages of watches, days, months, and years (cycles of the zodiac) and its bearing on the inner cycles of circulation of life wind (prāṇa) within the subtle channels in the body that has a connection with the 12 links of dependent co-arising tells that the ignorance (the Buddhist notion of avidyā) of this fact is the cause of attachment and bondage. The Buddhist concept of impermanence of the conditioned things and the ultimate reality of the point-instant or moment-now is evident in the explanation of the real time which operates through breathing. The author said, “The Kālacakra Tantra deals with the real time that destroys everything” (p.289). By assigning life to everything on this earth, the Kālacakra philosophy has come closer to Yogic philosophy that asks the aspirant to meditate on anything in the world including the most trifling things. For, in the yogic life-view, one should feel oneness with every small thing the practice of which, in turn, will enable one to see the Supreme Reality even in some modicum. Understanding the natural order of things or knowing things as they are will make one know what will happen next or what will result in what. This is what is stressed in Svarodaya. This, however, requires disciplined yogic practice under the proper guidance of a guru. Here comes the relevance of wisdom (prajñā) and the method (upāya) of compassion. Though it may seem off-topic to many, I can relate the chariot (p.504) and water sprinkling machine (p.510) described in the third chapter to the chariot used in the Poi Leng (chariot festival) and the kyoṅgphrā used to sprinkle water during Poi Sāngken ceremony of the Tai Buddhist communities of Northeast India. Though the contexts of these objects are different here, it can be fathomed quite meaningfully if the idea of the objects used in these rituals is derived from this text, for, like the Kālacakra tradition, in the Tai ritual also, pouring of water signifies peace and harmony. The aesthetical and organisational part of the book has a great role to play for the readers with different levels of understanding. The preface with the narrative of the author’s personal experiences, the introduction written in simple language, the use of diagrams, graphs, tables, and maps to simplify the contents, and the appendices, the vivid glossary, and index included at the end of the book would help readers make effortlessly what they want out of the book. Due to its involvement of diverse fields to look into the ultimate reality, this seminal work will expectantly be able to attract the scholars from the disciplines like astrology, history, religious studies, yoga, mathematics, folklore philosophy, astrophysics, linguistics, numerology, and even transhumanist studies over and above Buddhist philosophy and practice. Finally, the thought of such a substantial work probably cannot dawn on one’s mind unless one has the blessedness of having innate ideas about this subject. It is like giving birth to the idea of which one is pregnant, as they say, yathā bāhye tathā dehe. Niraj had these sorts of ideas that often peeped out through his subconscious mind in the form of reveries or vivid dreams. Let the celebrated author have more such ideas so the readers can have soon the next volumes of this path-breaking work that might open up a new era in Buddhist literature. The author is a Professor of Philosophy, Nowgong College, Assam. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .