Summary of Empowerment

The Summary of Empowerment (Skt. Sekoddeśa; Tib. དབང་མདོར་བསྟན་པ།, Wyl. dbang mdor bstan pa) is considered to be the only extant portion of the root text of the Kalachakra Tantra. According to the Buddhist tantric tradition, it was transmitted by the Buddha in his emanation as Kalachakra, to Sucandra, the first king of Shambhala. The text’s 174 verses cover a wide range of topics. After a short introduction to the eleven empowerments that constitute a gradual purification of the aggregates, body, speech, mind, and wisdom, the treatise turns to the so-called “sixfold yoga.” It begins by teaching meditation on emptiness via the contemplation of various signs, such as smoke or fireflies. Following the description of the control of winds and drops within the body’s channels and chakras, along with the signs of death and methods of cheating death, the text goes on to describe the three mudras—karmamudra, jnanamudra, and mahamudra. After a concise criticism of cause and effect, the text concludes by describing six kinds of supernatural beings closely related to the Kalachakra Tantra, along with their respective families.

Text

The Tibetan translation of this text can be found in the Highest Yoga Tantra section of the Tibetan Dergé Kangyur, Toh 361

• English translation: Summary of Empowerment