Ornament of stainless light: an exposition of the kālacakra tantra

The Kalachakra (literally, "Wheel of Time") tantra, a core practice of Tibetan Buddhism, is a method for transforming the universe by working with the body and mind. This first volume of the Library of Tibetan Classics series was hand-picked by the Dalai Lama?who recognized it as the finest explication of this practice?and overseen by Thupten Jinpa, whose work has been indispensable to Tibetan Buddhism, both in the West and on the whole. Gavin Kilty's fluid translation makes this volume a pleasure to read.Like its classical Indian predecessor, Stainless Light or Vimalaprabha by Pundarika, Norsang Gyatso's commentary is divided into five sections: (1) the outer world, including the unique Kalachakra cosmology, (2) the inner world of the individual and the subtle nervous system, (3) the Kalachakra initiation rite, (4) the sadhana and generation-stage practices, and (5) the completion-stage practices, including pranayama. Ten appendixes plus a glossary, notes, and bibliography make this an indispensable reference volume on the Kalachakra tantra.