Kālacakra Body
Kālacakra Body is a Tibetan / Kalachakra — body mandala body system as transmitted through the lineage Kālacakra teachings distinguish outer, inner, and alternative cycles, with the inner cycle relating winds, channels, drops, and time to embodied practice. This entry combines twelve compact zodiac-sector zones with five elemental focus points and one schematic central axis; exact body-mandala layouts vary by commentary and initiation context.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Kālacakra Tantra (Tibetan rGyud ’bum canonical tradition, section numbering varies by edition) — Inner Kālacakra sections on channels, winds, drops, and correspondences between the outer cycles and the embodied inner cycle; Tibetan section numbering varies across canonical editions.
- Dalai Lama, Kalachakra Tantra: Rite of Initiation (trans. Jeffrey Hopkins et al., Wisdom Publications (1985)) — Practice-level presentation of Kālacakra outer, inner, and alternative cycles, including the body mandala framework.
Known lineage variants
- Kālacakra commentaries use different levels of outer/inner/alternative correspondence and may elaborate many more channels, winds, and deities than this compact body view.
- The twelve zodiac zones are evenly tiled on the torso as an editorial overlay; they are not a claim that each sign occupies a fixed anatomical ellipse in every Tibetan lineage.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Earth element — Inner-cycle element focus
- Water element — Inner-cycle element focus
- Fire element — Inner-cycle element focus
- Air element — Inner-cycle element focus
- Ether element — Inner-cycle element focus
Frequently asked
What is Earth element?
This point marks the earth element as one of five inner-cycle foci in the Kālacakra presentation. Its position is a front-view editorial placement within the torso, not a claim that the tantra identifies a modern anatomical site.
What is Water element?
This point marks the water element as one of five inner-cycle foci in the Kālacakra presentation. Its position is a front-view editorial placement within the torso, not a claim that the tantra identifies a modern anatomical site.
What is Fire element?
This point marks the fire element as one of five inner-cycle foci in the Kālacakra presentation. Its position is a front-view editorial placement within the torso, not a claim that the tantra identifies a modern anatomical site.
What is Air element?
This point marks the air element as one of five inner-cycle foci in the Kālacakra presentation. Its position is a front-view editorial placement within the torso, not a claim that the tantra identifies a modern anatomical site.
What is Ether element?
This point marks the ether element as one of five inner-cycle foci in the Kālacakra presentation. Its position is a front-view editorial placement within the torso, not a claim that the tantra identifies a modern anatomical site.