Taking the Kalachakra Initiation, by Alexander Berzin

Traditionally, the secrets of tantric methods for attaining enlightenment were handed down from teacher to student in private ceremonies. An alternative tradition allows for mass empowerments, in which a teacher, such as the Dalai Lama, initiates scores, hundreds, even thousands of committed seekers into these esoteric methods that hasten one's enlightenment for the benefit of all. Alexander Berzin, who has studied for decades under Tibet's Kalachakra experts, including the Dalai Lama, has put together a handbook for those who have participated in, plan to participate in, or just have an interest in the Kalachakra initiation. He provides a background of the three-day ceremony, a summary of the texts from which it originates, and a detailed description of the vows and methods involved. Having served as a translator for the Kalachakra initiation and a lecturer during the procedures, Berzin anticipates the concerns of participants and explains in easy-to-understand language that takes the mystery out of the ceremony and brings it down to earth. --Brian Bruya