No.

I l l ,

Note o n the O r i g i n of the K a l a - C h a k r a a n d

A d i - B u d d h a Systems,
[J.A.S.B.,

V o l . I I , p . 57 (1833).]

T h e p e c u l i a r religious s y s t e m e n t i t l e d the Kdla-Chakra

is
s t a t e d , g e n e r a l l y , to h a v e been d e r i v e d f r o m Sharnbhala, as i t is
c a l l e d i n S a n s c r i t , (in T i b e t a n " 6 d e - M > y u n g , " v u l g o " dej u n g , " s i g n i f y i n g " o r i g i n or source of h a p p i n e s s " ) , a f a b u l o u s
c o u n t r y i n t h e n o r t h , the c a p i t a l of w h i c h was Cdlapa, a v e r y
s p l e n d i d c i t y , t h e residence of m a n y i l l u s t r i o u s k i n g s of Sharnbhala, s i t u a t e d between a b o u t 45 a n d 50 n o r t h l a t i t u d e , b e y o n d
the Sita or J a x a r t e s , where the increase of the d a y s f r o m t h e
v e r n a l e q u i n o x t i l l t h e s u m m e r solstice a m o u n t e d t o 12 I n d i a n
h o u r s , or 4 h o u r s , 48 m i n u t e s , E u r o p e a n r e c k o n i n g .
T h e Kdla-Chakra
was i n t r o d u c e d i n t o C e n t r a l I n d i a i n t h e
last h a l f of t h e t e n t h c e n t u r y after C h r i s t , a n d a f t e r w a r d s , v i a
C a s h m i r , i t f o u n d i t s w a y i n t o T i b e t ; where, i n the f o u r t e e n t h ,
fifteenth,
a n d s i x t e e n t h c e n t u r i e s , several l e a r n e d m e n , whose
w o r k s are s t i l l e x t a n t i n t h a t c o u n t r y , p u b l i s h e d researches a n d
c o m m e n t a r i e s o n t h e Kdla-Chakra
s y s t e m ; a m o n g these a u t h o r s
t h e most celebrated are PUTON, or BIT-STOM, K H E T U P , or WIKHASG R T J B a n d PADMA CABPO, w h o l i v e d r e s p e c t i v e l y i n t h e
three
centuries a b o v e m e n t i o n e d .
PADMA CABPO (on t h e 6 8 t h leaf of his ' ' O r i g i n of (the
B u d d h i s t i c ) r e l i g i o n " &Chhos-7byung (vulgo
" Ch'os-jung,"
c o n s i s t i n g of 189 leaves,) t h u s describes the i n t r o d u c t i o n of the
Kdla-Chakra
i n t o , or a t , Nalanda (or Nalendra,
a large religious
e s t a b l i s h m e n t i n C e n t r a l I n d i a ) , a,nd t h e d o c t r i n e w h i c h i t c o n tained :
' ' H e (a c e r t a i n p a n d i t c a l l e d TSILU or CHTLTT) t h e n came
t o Nalanda i n C e n t r a l I n d i a , (S. Madhyam,
T i b . d v u s , or v u l g o
U ) . H a v i n g designed over the d o o r of t h e Bihar t h e t e n g u a r d i a n s
(of the w o r l d ) , he w r o t e b e l o w t h e m t h u s :
" H e , t h a t does n o t k n o w t h e chief first B u d d h a , (AdiBuddha),
k n o w s n o t t h e circle of time.
(Kdla-Chakra,
dus-kyi
Akhor-lo, i n Tibetan*).
* The Kdla-Chakra and Adi-Buddha systems are probably the same
with that of the Samanians in the north, in Transoxana, and beyond the
Jaxartes, as it has been described by M . Deguignes, in his " Histoire
(ienerale des H u n s , " Livre III, p. 223, etc., recently criticised by M .
K e m u s a t ; since the doctrine of the Samanians is exactly the same, as I
have found in the Tibetan volumes. Besides the mystical theology and
philosophy, there are in the Kala-Chalcra system several works on astronomy, astrology, and prophetical stories on the rise, progress, and decline

21

22

Kdla-Chakra

and Adi-Buddha

Systems.

H e , t h a t does not k n o w c i r c l e of t i m e , k n o w s n o t t h e e x a c t
e n u m e r a t i o n of the d i v i n e a t t r i b u t e s .
H e , t h a t does not k n o w the e x a c t e n u m e r a t i o n of t h e d i v i n e
a t t r i b u t e s , k n o w s n o t the s u p r e m e i n t e l l i g e n c e (S. Vajra dhara
jnydna, T i b . rdo-rje M s i n - p a h i ye-shes).
H e , t h a t does not k n o w the s u p r e m e i n t e l l i g e n c e , k n o w s
not t h e T a n t r i c a p r i n c i p l e s (Tantra
Yanam).
H e , t h a t does n o t k n o w the T a n t r i k a p r i n c i p l e s , a n d a l l
s u c h , are wanderers i n the orb of t r a n s m i g r a t i o n s , a n d are o u t of
the w a y (or p a t h ) of the supreme t r i u m p h a t o r (S.
Bhagavdn
Vajra dhara, T i b . 6 , c h o m - M a n - M a s rdo-rje M s i n - p a ) .
" T h e r e f o r e , Adi-Buddha
( T i b . m c h h o g - g i d a n g - p o h i Sangsrgyas) m u s t be t a u g h t b y e v e r y t r u e 6 L a m a (S. Guru, a s u p e r i o r
teacher, religious g u i d e ) , a n d e v e r y t r u e d i s c i p l e w h o aspires to
l i b e r a t i o n (or e m a n c i p a t i o n ) m u s t hear t h e m . "
T h u s w r o t e he :
" T h e venerable (the lord) NA'BOTAPA (NAROTTAMA J )
b e i n g at t h a t t i m e the p r i n c i p a l (S. Upddhyaya,
T i b . mkhan-po)
of t h e Bihar ; he, together w i t h five h u n d r e d p a n d i t s , d i s p u t e d
w i t h h i m , b u t w h e n t h e y saw t h a t he e x c e l l e d t h e m a l l i n d i s p u t i n g , t h e y fell d o w n at his feet, a n d h e a r d of h i m
Adi-Buddha;
t h e n t h i s d o c t r i n e was m u c h p r o p a g a t e d . " S e e leaf 6 8 , b y
PA'DMA CA'RPO.
H e r e follows the t e x t of the a b o v e - q u o t e d passage b y
PAD MA CA'RPO, b o t h i n the T i b e t a n a n d R o m a n c h a r a c t e r s .

s^r g- a ^ - a f I r ^ - cr^sr ^ S H & J '

^ \ ^ ' ^

q"*r

of the Muhammedan faith. In the ftstan-Agyur collection (of 225 volumes)

the five first volumes contain fifty-two tracts or treatises on the KalaChakra, all translated from the Sanscrit; but, besides these, there are
many other volumes written by Tibetan authors on the same subject.
In
the Asiatic Society's library, there are also some printed volumes, containing commentaries on the Kdla-Chakra,
by Khetup or more properly
wiKbasgrub, mentioned in this paper as a very celebrated writer in the
fifteenth century.
Should I find any interesting article in it, I shall take
occasion to notice it hereafter.

1910.]

Kdla-Chakra

and Adi-Buddha

Systems.

23

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sjcsr 5T^'S*^' sprq'gfW J s r ^ ' ^ ' S ' ^ " .1

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ST^W a w

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?F]^rq-q|yig-qft^' qyq*j'qor^^ q ^ ^ ^ q ^ or q ^ - ^ ^c- q"^' * J M T ^ ' 9^* q*r

g^* *r

D e nas efous Nalandar b y o n , </tsug-lag k h a n g - g i sgo gongd u m a m p a 6chu d v a n g W a n b r i s , d e h i grsham-du : " G a n g - g s i

w c h h o g - g i d a n g - p o h i Sangs-rgyas mi-shes-pa des n i d u s - k y i
A k h o r - l o m i - s h e s - s o ; G a n g - g i s d u s - k y i ^ k h o r - l o mi-shes-pa-des
n i w t s h a n y a n g - d a g - p a r 6 r j o d - p a mi-shes-so ; G a n g - g i s m t s h a n
y a n g - d a g - p a r &rjod-pa mi-shes-pa des rdo-rje A d s i n - p a h i - y e shes-kyi s k u - m i - s h e s - s o ; G a n g - g i s rdo-rje A d s i n - p a h i ye-shesk y i s k u mi-shes-pa des s n a g s - k y i theg-pa mi-shes-so ; G a n g - g i s
s n a g s - k y i theg-pa m i s h e s - p a d e t h a m s - c h a d n i A k h o r - v a - p a stre
6 c h o m 4 d a n - A d a s rdo-rje M s i n - p a h i , l a m d a n g b r a l - v a h o . D e t a - v a s - n a m c h h o g - g i d a n g - p o h i Sangs-? gyas n i 6 L a m a d a m - p a r n a m s - k y i s & s t a n - p a r - b y a - z h i n g , t h a r - p a d o n - d u grnyer-vahi slobm a d a m - p a - r n a m s - k y i s m n y a n - p a r - b y a h o , " zhes b r i s - p a .
J o v o NAEOTAPA de n u s d e h i m k h a n - p o y i n - p a s , d e l a sogs
p a P a n d i t a Zna 6rgyas 6rtsad-pas p h u l - d u p h y i n - p a r m t h o n g nas z h a b s - l a 6tud-de d a n g - p o h i Sangs ?'gyas n y a n - p a s c h h e r d a r var gyur-pa yin-no.
N o m e n t i o n is m a d e of t h e Kdla-Chakra,
n o r of
Adi-Buddha,
b y ancient writers i n I n d i a , t i l l the 10th century, except i n the
first v o l u m e of t h e r G y u t class i n t h e K a h - g y u r , where i t is
e v i d e n t l y a n i n t e r p o l a t i o n f r o m t r u e h i s t o r i c a l w o r k s of l a t e r ages.
S i n c e t h e passage a b o v e e x h i b i t e d is a n a u t h e n t i c t e x t for
t h e n a m e of Adi-Buddha,
w h i l e i t furnishes a g e n e r a l i d e a of t h e
Kdla-Chakra
system, I have thought proper to bring i t to the
n o t i c e of t h e S o c i e t y , a n d hope i t w i l l be of some interest.
-