The Kalachakra mandala is a cosmographic representation of the inner, outer, and alternative dimensions of reality. A support for tantric contemplative practice, mandalas are regarded as the actual abode of a particular deity. Presenting the sphere of the deity’s presence, the deity’s surrounds and the range and depth of a deity’s influence, mandalas are meditation devices for actualizing and embodying a specific sublime form.

Encompassing the body, speech and mind of the Kalachakra deity along with the 636 complementary deities in the mandala, the Kalachakra mandala is particularly complex. For this reason, there is an emphasis within the Tibetan Buddhist tantric practice traditions of using supports for contemplation such as replicas of the actual mandala including thangka paintings, 3D constructions, and now computer-generated animations for imagining or visualizing the Kalachakra mandala. What follows are a selection of mandalas of the Kalachakra as a 3-dimensional animation, as photographs of 3-dimensional representations of the mandala, and as traditional thangka painting depictions of the Kalachakra.

Kalachakra Mandala Animation

 

 

Download a small version of this video (576Kb WMV-file) by right-clicking small video file and chose ‘Save’.

Download a medium quality version of this video (5.2Mb WMV-file) by right-clicking medium video file and chose ‘Save’.

Download the best quality version of this video by right-clicking (large 286Mb AVI-file) large video file and chose ‘Save’.

Animations were created by and are courtesy of Edward Henning. The mandalas are based upon the writings of the Jonang master Bamda Gelek.

3D Kalachakra Mandala Gallery

View our Gallery of 3D Kalachakra Mandala images.