Taking the Kalachakra Initiation (Paperback)

by Alexander Berzin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Traditionally, the secrets of tantric methods for attaining enlightenment were handed down from teacher to student in private ceremonies. An alternative tradition allows for mass empowerments, in which a teacher, such as the Dalai Lama, initiates scores, hundreds, even thousands of committed seekers into these esoteric methods that hasten one's enlightenment for the benefit of all. Alexander Berzin, who has studied for decades under Tibet's Kalachakra experts, including the Dalai Lama, has put together a handbook for those who have participated in, plan to participate in, or just have an interest in the Kalachakra initiation. He provides a background of the three-day ceremony, a summary of the texts from which it originates, and a detailed description of the vows and methods involved. Having served as a translator for the Kalachakra initiation and a lecturer during the procedures, Berzin anticipates the concerns of participants and explains in easy-to-understand language that takes the mystery out of the ceremony and brings it down to earth. --Brian Bruya

Review
"This reviewer attended a public Kalachakra abhisheka(empowerment) with H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1991 and had limited understanding then of what was taking place. The rite was deeply inspiring, but how much more meaningful the experience might have been had this book been available! Berzin brings his signature blend of erudition and even-handedness to all elements of the Kalachakra world: internal, external and alternative Kalachakra; vows and their broader significance; and the entire series of empowerments -- for which the author offers step-by-step support (including vivid mnemonic techniques for key visualizations). Practical introductory material includes a concise, 'spiritual bottom line'-oriented introduction to tantra; an explanation of the relationship between Kalachakra can have in creating world peace. Though rooted in the Gelug tradition of Berzin's principal teachers, the text is a generous orientation to the Kalachakra tradition in all four of Tibet's Buddhist lineages." --Mandala: A Tibetan Buddhist Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications (November 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559390840
• ISBN-13: 978-1559390842
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,053,256 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical guide, January 28, 2002

By	Geertrudis L. Harderwijk (Belgium) - See all my reviews

Alex Berzin manages to convey the essence of the Kalachakra tantra, the vows and committments, and the initiation ceremony in day-to-day language, which makes the book absolutely essential for the serious first-time initiate. The book is also a valuable asset for everybody else interested in the Tibetan tantric tradition; it takes away some of 'magical myths'and misconceptions surrounding tantra. As a practical guide to the initiation, well this it IT.
This book also forms an excellent introduction to the excellent, but much more 'scholarly' and formal book 'Kalachakra Tantra, Rite of Initiation' by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical guide, February 3, 2002

By	Geertrudis L. Harderwijk (Belgium) - See all my reviews

This book could have had the sub-title 'A practical guide to the Initiation'. Berzin manages to convey the essence of the Kalachakra tantra, the vows, committments, and the initiation ceremony in day-to-day language, which makes the book absolutely essential for the serious first-time initiate, and a 'must-have' for just about everybody else interested in the Kalachakra tantra. Also for people who do not intend to take the initiation, this book appears quite suitable to remove misconceptions about tantra and may well inspire some to take it.