Studies in the Kalacakra Tantra : A History of the Kalacakra in Tibet and a Study of the Concept of Adibuddha, the Fourth Body of the Buddha and the Supreme Unchanging

Sammanfattning: The study treats the the tantric Buddhist system of teachings of Kalacakra, today a well-known teaching and initiation given since 1970 by the present Dalai Lama at mass ceremonies around the world. The Kalacakra was first introduced by Bhadrabodhi and Gyi-jo in the eleventh century, another example of successful cooperation between an Indian pandit and a Tibetan translator. The historical text places these translators and subsequent tradition holders into a historical context. An attempt to define the concept of Adibuddha is presented and an overview of the occurrence of the concept in the Kalacakra texts has been made. The Adibuddha concept is transcendent and beyond worldly issues. It is not a personal, but rather an abstract concept which can also be interpreted as a way of expressing shunyata, the void, or tathagatagarbha, the small seed inherent in all human beings. I have compiled all the places where the concept of Adibuddha has been mentioned and made annotations on the usage. The word does not express much and consequently, it has been necessary to analyse additional concepts. Adibuddha has been compared to the concept of the fourth body of the Buddha and the supreme unchanging/indestructible. The fourth body, sahajakaya, can be considered as being the pure unchanging mind which is beyond all things. It is also beyond the dualistic concepts of prajña and upaya, wisdom and means, on a level beyond dualities. The concept of paramakshara, the supreme unchanging/indestructible is probably linked to the transcendent concept of Adibuddha. It is more of a stage which can be acquired through long practice of the methods in the six-folded yoga attached to this tantric system of teachings.