Ep249: Kalachakra Tantra - Lama Glenn Mullin
Lama Glenn Mullin is a spiritual teacher, Tibetologist, and author of over 30 books on Buddhism.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Glenn discusses the mysterious Kālacakra ‘Wheel of Time’ Tantra, exploring its history, and uncovers its unique esoteric characteristics,
Glenn recounts his own connection to the Kālacakra tantra, including his memories of the Dalai Lama’s first ever public Kālacakra empowerment given to hundreds of thousands of people in Bodhgaya, and discusses the surprising pros and cons of mass public initiations.
Glenn reveals the subtle body yogas of the Kālacakra, compares its methods to other highest yoga tantras such as Cakrasaṃvara and Guhyasamāja, and considers the Kālacakra prophecies of Śambhala and a coming age of darkness over the world.
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - Kālacakra
03:01 - Glenn’s history with the Kālacakra
04:25 - Dalai Lama’s first public Kālacakra empowerment
08:18 - Coney Island of the mind
08:49 - Blavatsky and Theosophical Society’s interest in Kālacakra and Śambhala
10:25 - Dreams and other signs during tantric empowerment
14:24 - Why give public tantric empowerments?
15:35 - Outer, Inner, and Secret levels
18:14 - Exclusively secret traditions
18:38 - History of public Kālacakra empowerments
20:06 - Tantric vows
21:07 - Śambhala prophecies and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
23:48 - Today’s signs of fulfilment of prophecy
26:30 - Origin of Kālacakra in the Buddha’s teaching career
32:42 - Time capsule wisdom teachings
35:09 - Highest Yoga Tantra’s characteristics
36:29 - Cross-fertilisation with Himalayan shamanism
37:30 - Later ways of categorising tantric systems
40:20 - Unique and common aspects of the Kālacakra yogas
42:30 - 7 initiations of entering like a child
46:48 - Kālacakra completion stage
48:18 - Subtle body yogas and rainbow body
53:35 - Misunderstandings about Śambhala
55:15 - A century of Russian interest in Kālacakra
01:00:27 - Limits of Helena Blavatsky’s understanding
01:01:38 - Blavatsky’s world legacy
01:06:50 - Why is Kālacakra so little practiced?
01:15:10 - How to receive teachings from Glenn
Previous episodes with Lama Glenn Mullin:
To find out more about Lama Glenn Mullin, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James