Kritik am Buch „The Shadow Of The Dalai Lama ... - Neues von Shi De

The Kalachakra sand mandala
For this reason, we must regard this external image in sand as just the visible reflection of an innerspiritual
construction which (in another sphere) the yogi imagines as a magnificent palace built upon
the peak of Mount Meru. [1] As the center and the two regents of the imagined temple palace we
encounter Kalachakra and his wisdom consort, Vishvamata. They are enthroned as the divine couple
in the midpoint of the holy of holies.
This Buddhist “Versailles” is inhabited by a total of 722 deities, the majority of whom represent the
individual segments of time: the gods of the twelve-year cycles, the four seasons, twelve months, 360
days, twelve hours, and sixty minutes all dwell here. In addition there are the supernatural entities
who represent the five elements, the planets, the 28 phases of the moon and the twelve sensory
regions. Very near to the center, i.e., to the divine couple Kalachakra and Vishvamata, the four
meditation Buddhas can be found in union with their partners, then follow a number of Bodhisattvas.
The architecture of the Kalachakra palace encompasses five individual mandalas, each enclosing the
next. Segments which lie closer to the center (the divine couple) are accorded a higher spiritual
evaluation than those which are further away. The fivefold organization of the building complex is
supposed to reflect, among other things, the five rings (the five elements) which lie around Mount
Meru in Buddhist cosmography. Likewise the height and breadth of the palace are in their relation to
one another a copy of the proportions of the cosmos. Thus the Kalachakra mandala is also a
microcosmic likeness of the Buddhist universe.
Anyone entering the Kalachakra palace from outside progresses through a five-stage initiation which