text:
Kalachakra

Kālacakra is a polysemic term in Vajrayana Buddhism as well as Hinduism that means "wheel of time" or "time cycles". "Kālacakra" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. The tantra is considered to belong to the unexcelled yoga (anuttara-yoga) class.

Kālacakra also refers both to a patron tantric deity or yidam in Vajrayana and to the philosophies and yogas of the Kālacakra tradition. The tradition's origins are in India and its most active later history and presence has been in Tibet. The tradition contains teachings on cosmology, theology, philosophy, sociology, soteriology, myth, prophecy, medicine and yoga. It depicts a mythic reality whereby cosmic and socio-historical events correspond to processes in the bodies of individuals. These teachings are meant to lead to a transformation of one's body and mind into perfect Buddhahood through various yogic methods.

The Kālacakra tradition is based on Mahayana Buddhist non-dualism, which is strongly influenced by Madhyamaka philosophy, but also draws on a wide range of Buddhist and non-Buddhist (mainly Hindu) traditions (such as Vaibhāṣika, Kashmir Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Samkhya). The Kālacakra tradition holds that Kālacakra teachings were taught in India by Gautama Buddha himself. According to modern Buddhist studies, the original Sanskrit texts of the Kālacakra tradition "originated during the early decades of the 11th century CE, and we know with certainty that the Śrī Kālacakra and the Vimalaprabhā commentary were completed between 1025 and 1040 CE." Kālacakra remains an active tradition of Buddhist tantra in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly within the Jonang tradition, and its teachings and initiations have been offered to large public audiences, most famously by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

Sanskrit texts
The Sanskrit text of the Kālacakratantra was first published by Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra in 1966, with a Mongolian text in volume 2. This 1966 edition was based on manuscripts from the British Library and the Bir Library, Kathmandu. A critical edition of the original Sanskrit text of the Kālacakratantra was published by Biswanath Banerjee in 1985 based on manuscripts from Cambridge, London and Patna.

A further planned volume by Banerjee containing the Vimalaprabhā appears not to have been published. The Sanskrit texts of the Kālacakratantra and the Vimalaprabhā commentary were published on the basis of newly discovered manuscripts from Nepal (5) and India (1) by Jagannatha Upadhyaya (with Vrajavallabh Dwivedi and S. S. Bahulkar, 3 vols., 1986–1994). In 2010, Lokesh Chandra published a facsimile of one of the manuscripts that was not used by Jagannatha Upadhyaya et al. in their edition.

Tibetan translations
The Tibetan translation of the commentary Vimalaprabhā is usually studied from the 1733 Derge Kangyur edition of the Tibetan canon, vol. 40, text no. 1347. This was published by Dharma Publishing, Berkeley, US, in 1981.

David Reigle noted, in a discussion in the INDOLOGY forum of 11 April 2020, that, "the Tibetan translation of the Kālacakra-tantra made by Somanātha and 'Bro lotsawa as revised by Shong ston is found in the Lithang, Narthang, Der-ge, Co-ne, Urga, and Lhasa blockprint recensions of the Kangyur, and also in a recension with annotations by Bu ston. This Shong revision was then further revised by the two Jonang translators Blo gros rgyal mtshan and Blo gros dpal bzang po. The Jonang revision is found in the Yunglo and Peking blockprint recensions of the Kangyur, and also in a recension with annotations by Phyogs las rnam rgyal."

Main topics
The Kālacakratantra is divided into five chapters. The content of the five chapters is as follows:
 * The first chapter deals with what is called the "outer Kālacakra" (the world system, loka-dhatu), which provides a cosmology based on Vaibhasika Abhidharma, Samkhya, the Puranas and Jain cosmology. The Kālacakra calendar, the birth and death of universes, our solar system and the workings of the elements are expounded. The myth and prophecy of the kingdom of Shambhala is also discussed.
 * The second chapter deals with "inner Kālacakra," which concerns human gestation and birth, the functions within the human body, and the subtle body aspects, mainly the channels, winds, drops and so forth. Human experience is described by four mind states: waking, dream, deep sleep, and a fourth state which is available through the energies of sexual orgasm. The potentials (drops, bindus) which give rise to these states are described, together with the processes that flow from them.
 * The third chapter deals with the requirements and preparation for meditation, mainly, the initiations (abhiseka) of Kālacakra.
 * The fourth chapter explains the sadhana and yoga (spiritual practices), both the meditation on the mandala and its deities in the generation stage, and the perfection stage practices of the "six yogas".
 * The fifth chapter describes the state of gnosis (jñāna), which is the result or fruit of the practice.

Cosmology
In the Kālacakratantra's cosmology, samsara (cyclic existence) is made up of innumerable Buddha fields and of the five elements or properties (characterized by origination, duration and destruction). The whole cosmos arises due to the collective karma of sentient beings, which produces vital winds (vayu) that mold and dissolve the atomic particles that make up the various inanimate things of the world and the bodies of sentient beings.

A key element of the Kālacakratantra is the correspondence between macrocosmic processes and microcosmic processes. The Kālacakratantra maps the various features and developmental processes of the world system to various features of the human body. The phrase "as it is outside, so it is within the body" (yatha bahye tatha dehe) is often found in the Kālacakratantra to emphasize the similarities and correspondence between human beings (inner Kālacakra) and the cosmos (outer Kālacakra), as well as with the enlightened Kālacakra mandala of deities (alternative Kālacakra). This correspondence comes about because both the cosmos and the bodies of sentient beings come into existence due to the efficacy of the habitual propensities of the minds of beings. In this sense, the cosmos is like a cosmic replica of a sentient being's body. Thus, one can say that the cosmos and the individual are nondual and mutually pervasive, even in terms of their conventional existence. They are interconnected and they influence each other.

The basic reason for this exposition is that a proper understanding of conventional reality provides a basis for understanding ultimate reality. Regarding ultimate reality, Wallace further notes, "In terms of ultimate reality, the cosmos and the individual are also of the same nature, the nature of gnosis (jñāna), which manifests in the form of emptiness (sunyata-bimba). Those who are free of the afflictive and cognitive obscurations nondually perceive the world as the form of emptiness in a nondual manner; that is, they perceive the world as an inseparable unity of form and emptiness. On the other hand, ordinary sentient beings, whose perception is influenced by the afflictive and cognitive obscurations, see the world in a dual fashion, as something other than themselves. They see the world as an ordinary place inhabited by ordinary sentient beings. But in reality, the entire cosmos, with Meru in its center, is a cosmic body of the Jina, a cosmic image or reflection (pratima) of the Buddha, having the nature of form. As such, it is similar to the Nirmanakaya of the Buddha. Therefore, according to this tantric system, one should attend to this cosmic image of the Buddha, as one attends to the statue of the Buddha, created for the sake of worship."The tantra's section on cosmology also includes an exposition of Indian astrology. In Tibet, the Kālacakra text is also the basis of Tibetan astrological calendars.

Wallace also adds that this cosmological system based on the three Kālacakras is mainly seen by the Kālacakra literature "as a heuristic model for meditative purposes". According to Wallace, all the different paradigms outlined in the Kālacakratantra are contemplative models which "serve as devices for furthering one's understanding of the interconnectedness of all phenomena and for training the mind to perceive the world in a nondual fashion" and thus by using them one can "diminish the habitual propensities of an ordinary, dualistic mind."

This view of interconnectedness is also applied among all human beings and all sentient beings and contains methods to train the mind so as to perceive all sentient beings as nondual from oneself. According to Wallace, the Kālacakratantra states that "one should look at the triple world as similar to space and as unitary." The tantra also states that "all six states of transmigratory existence are already present within every individual," and this is related to the doctrine of the three gunas.

Time and cycles
The Kālacakratantra revolves around the concept of time (kāla) and cycles or wheels (chakra). Conventionally speaking, this refers to the cycles of the planets, to the cycles of human breathing and subtle energies in the body. Regarding the outer or external aspect of conventional reality, the wheel of time refers to the passage of days, month, and years (as well as the cycles of the zodiac) while with regard to the individual or inner aspect, it refers to "the circulation of pranas [vital airs] within the wheel of the nadis [subtle channels] in the body," which is linked with the 12 aspects of dependent origination and the 12 signs of the zodiac. These different cycles are interconnected and correspond to each other.

In the first chapter, it is stated that the world emerges from emptiness and the force of time, which is a kind of power that originates the universe: Because of time (kalat), from the voids (sunyesu), originate wind, fire, water, the earth; the continents, mountains, and oceans; the constellations, the sun, the moon, the host of star-planets, and the sages; gods, bhutas, and nagas; animals that have four types of birthplace; humans and hell beings also, on the manifold earth and below -originate in the middle of void (sunyamadhye), like salt in water, and the egg-born in the middle of an egg. Chakra, in turn, refers to the universe and all things in it (i.e. the five aggregates, constituents and bases of the world), which exist as cyclical patterns powered by time. Kāla is also said to be knowledge (jñana) and chakra is the knowable (jneya). In the universal sense then, the term Kālacakra is all-inclusive and refers to the unity of the basis of reality and reality itself.

According to Wallace, from the point of view of ultimate reality, "Kālacakra" refers to, "the nonduality of two facets of a single reality—namely, wisdom (prajña), or emptiness (sunyata), and method (upaya), or compassion (karuna). The word 'time' refers to the gnosis of imperishable bliss (aksara-sukha-jñana), which is a method consisting of compassion; and the word 'wheel' designates wisdom consisting of emptiness. Their unity is the Buddha Kālacakra."Thus, Kālacakra refers to the manifestations of cyclic existence and nirvana, as well as its causes. Kālacakra therefore represents a single unified reality (also called Adibuddha, Sahajakaya, Jñanakaya, Sahajananda and Vajrayoga). When this reality manifests itself as numerous phenomena, it is called samsara. Vesna Wallace notes how the idea of time as a universal creative reality has precursors in Vedic literature and in the Upanishads and that it is likely that they inspired the Kālacakratantra's theory of the wheel of time.

However, the Kālacakratantra is clear that Kālacakra is itself empty of inherent existence (i.e. essence) and is not an independent phenomenon, but one which is dependent on conditions (a classic Madhyamaka position). As Wallace notes, the cosmic body and the body of the individual is made up of various cycles of dependent origination. Furthermore, "each cycle of dependent origination, which comprises progressively smaller cycles of dependent origination, arises in dependence upon other cycles of dependent origination and is therefore itself empty of inherent existence."

View
The philosophical view of the Kālacakratantra is undoubtedly that of the Mahayana Buddhist Madhyamaka school, and the text attempts to refute all other Buddhist and non-Buddhist systems. As noted by Wallace, the Kālacakratantra holds that "only Madhyamikas who assert the nonduality of compassion and emptiness avoid philosophical failure."

The Kālacakratantra summarizes its fundamental doctrines in the following passage:"Identitylessness, the maturation of karma, the three realms, the six states of existence, the origination due to the twelve-limbed dependence, the Four Truths, the eighteen unique qualities of the Buddha, the five psycho-physical aggregates, the three bodies and the Sahajakaya, and animate emptiness. The system in which these are taught is the clear and definite instruction of the Vajri."According to Vesna Wallace, the Kālacakra tradition has a unique interpretation of emptiness which is not just a mere negation of inherent existence (svabhava), but also refers to "the absence of material constituents of the individual's body and mind." This "aspect of emptiness" (sunyatakara), or "form of emptiness" (sunyata-bimba), is, according to Wallace: "a form that is empty of both inherent existence and physical particles. It is a form that is endowed with all the signs and symbols of the Buddha. That form of emptiness, also known as the 'empty form,' is also regarded as the 'animate emptiness' (ajada-sunyata). Due to being animate, this emptiness is the cause of supreme and immutable bliss (paramacala-sukha). The non-duality of the cause and effect is the essential teaching of this tantra."

The unique Kālacakra path and goal is based on this view. Its goal is: "the transformation of one's own gross physical body into a luminous form devoid of both gross matter and the subtle body of pranas. The transformation of one's own mind into the enlightened mind of immutable bliss occurs in direct dependence upon that material transformation. The actualization of that transformation is believed to be perfect and full Buddhahood in the form of Kālacakra, the Supreme Primordial Buddha (paramadi-buddha), who is the omniscient, innate Lord of the Jinas, the true nature of one's own mind and body."

The supreme imperishable bliss is also defined as peace (santa), and pervades the bodies of sentient beings and the entire world. For beings who are in samsara, this blissful Buddha-mind also manifests as sexual bliss, during which the mind becomes free of concepts and non-dual for a brief moment. Thus, the Kālacakra tradition stresses the importance of not avoiding sexual bliss, but using it on the path, since it is a kind of facsimile of the realization of emptiness and it produces mental joy. It also stresses the importance of retaining one's semen during sexual union, as well as the importance of proper motivation and not-grasping at blissful states.

The goal of Kālacakra is also described as access to gnosis or knowledge (jñana, also called vajra-yoga, prajñaparamita, vidya "spiritual knowledge" and Mahamudra) which is defined as "the mind of immutable bliss," and the union of wisdom and method, or emptiness and compassion. Jñana is also the mind free of causal relations (niranvaya) and empty of inherent existence. The Adibuddhatantra (i.e. the root Kālacakratantra) describes jñana as follows: "It has passed beyond [the designations:] 'It exists' and 'It does not exist.' It is the cessation of existence and non-existence. It is nondual. It is the vajra-yoga that is non-differentiated from emptiness and compassion. It is the supreme bliss. It has transcended the reality of atoms. It is devoid of empty dharmas. It is free of eternity and annihilation. It is the vajra yoga that is without causal relations. Wallace 2001, p. 150."

Jñana is a pure radiant mind, devoid of any impurities of habitual tendencies (vasana). It has no form and is devoid of atomic particles and is beyond subject and object. It is free of conceptualizations, and is a self-aware (svasamvedana) natural luminosity which is partless and all-pervasive. Jñana is Buddhahood, the ultimate reality or thusness (tathata). It is the Dharmadhatu, which is the primordially unoriginated beginning (adi) or atemporal source (yoni) of all phenomena. Jñana is also beyond all classifications and transcends samsara and nirvana (though it appears/manifests as both). Since it is non-dual with emptiness, it is empty of inherent existence.

Jñana also manifests as bodies, including the four bodies of the Buddha (the Sahajakaya, Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya) and the bodies of sentient beings (each one of which are said to contain the four Buddha bodies in unmanifest forms). According to the Kālacakratantra, enlightened awareness is innately present in an ordinary individual's body: "Just as space does not disappear [from a jar] when water is poured into the jar, in the same way, the sky-vajri, who is the pervader of the universe and devoid of sense-objects, is within the body."

However, even though all beings have this enlightened awareness, it is not actualized if one does not ascertain it and this entails the absence of mental afflictions or impurities which block recognition of enlightened awareness. These mental afflictions are also closely connected to the pranas or vital winds (which are said to cause and sustain the afflictions) and thus to an individual's psycho-physical constitution. Thus, awakening comes about through the purification of the pranas.

Deity and the Adibuddha

Kālacakra also refers to a specific deity who appears as a fierce multi-armed blue deity in sexual union (yab-yum) with a consort called Visvamata (or Kālacakri). The Kālacakratantra's first chapter introduces the deity as follows:"Homage to Kālacakra, who has as his content emptiness and compassion, without origination or annihilation of the three existences, who is regarding a consistent embodiment of knowledge and objects of knowledge as non-existence."The Kālacakra deities represent the aspects of Buddhahood: the non-dual (advaya) union of compassion and emptiness, the union of prajña and upaya, as well as the mahasukha (great bliss) of enlightenment. Since Kālacakra is time and everything is the flow of time, Kālacakra knows all. Kālacakri, his spiritual consort and complement, is aware of everything that is timeless, not time-bound or out of the realm of time. The two deities are thus temporality and atemporality conjoined. Similarly, the wheel or circle (chakra) is without beginning or end (representing timelessness), thus the term Kāla-cakra includes what is timeless and time itself. One of the key topics of the Kālacakratantra is the Adibuddha (Primordial Buddha or First Buddha). Regarding the Adibuddha, the tantra states:"To the one embraced by the Bhagavati Prajña, the one who is aspectless although possessing aspect; to the one who has the bliss of the unchanging and who has abandoned the pleasures of laughter and so forth; to the progenitor of the Buddhas, without origination and annihilation, possessing the three bodies, rightly knowing the three times – the omniscient Bhagavan Paramadhibuddha, I worship that very non-duality."Vesna Wallace notes that in this tantra, the Adibuddha is spoken of in two distinct ways. The first one is the idea that there is a being who was "the first to obtain Buddhahood by means of the imperishable bliss characterized by perfect awakening in a single moment." The Kālacakra literature also refers to an Adibuddha who has been awakened since beginningless time, "without beginning or end". According to Wallace, this refers to "the innate gnosis that pervades the minds of all sentient beings and stands as the basis of both samsara and nirvana."

Similarly, there is an ambiguity in the way the deity Kālacakra is explained in the tantra. According to Hammar, sometimes Kālacakra refers to the Adibuddha (which is uncreated, beyond time, eternal, the origin of the world, omniscient, non-dual and beyond causality), while sometimes the name Kālacakra refers specifically to the male figure in union with Visvamata. Regarding the difficult and complex term Adibuddha, Hammar concludes that one can see it as one way of describing Buddha-nature, "which means that there is a Buddha-seed in human beings which is always there." It can also be another way of describing sunyata (emptiness), which is also present everywhere.

Some passages of the tantra also mention Sakyamuni Buddha. They note how he transformed himself into Kālacakra when he taught the tantra to Sucandra, the king of Shambala. Some passages from the tantra also equate Sakyamuni with Adibuddha.

Mandala
The Kālacakra deity and his consort reside in the center of the Kālacakra mandala in a palace consisting of four mandalas, one within the other: the mandalas of body, speech, and mind, and in the very center, wisdom and great bliss.

The deities of the mandala are classified into various sets of families or clans (kula) as follows:

 * Three families representing body, speech, and mind; the left, right, and central channels; to the realms of desire, form, and formlessness and to the three bodies of the Buddha.
 * The four families corresponds to uterine blood, semen, mind, and gnosis; to body, speech, mind, and gnosis; to the four drops (bindu); to the four states of the mind—namely, waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the fourth state; to the sun, moon, Rahu, and Agni (Ketu), and in terms of society, they are the four castes.
 * The five families are the five psycho-physical aggregates (skandha), and in terms of society, they are the four castes and the outcastes. With regard to ultimate reality, they are the five types of the Buddha's gnosis manifesting as the five Buddhas—Aksobhya, Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi.
 * The six families are the five psycho-physical aggregates and their emptiness; and in terms of society, they are the four castes and the classes of Dombas and Candalas. With regard to ultimate reality, the six families are the five aforementioned Buddhas and the Svabhavikakaya.

Socio-political teaching
The Kālacakratantra contains various ideas about society, the individual's place in society and how they are interrelated. These provide a sociological theory which forms the framework for the Kālacakratantra's ideas on history, prophecy and soteriology. The Kālacakra system is unique in that it is the only Buddhist tantra that explores these social and caste issues at length.

Like earlier Buddhist texts and traditions, the Kālacakra literature is sharply critical of traditional Indian caste divisions and Brahmanical views of the hierarchy and status of the castes as being divinely ordained and as having inherent moral qualities. Indian Buddhists replaced this model with the idea that all humans are roughly equal and that caste divisions are mere conventional designations. The Kālacakratantra adopts these views and also interprets them through a tantric lens. In the Kālacakra system, all people are equal since they are all empty of inherent existence, are all part of the same non-dual reality, i.e. Kālacakra and thus all have the potential for Buddhahood.

The Kālacakra tradition saw attachment to caste and family as spiritual blocks and Kālacakra texts warn against social discrimination, which is based on this attachment and has negative effects on one's practice of the path. Indeed, Kālacakra texts often see the absence of attachment to social status as a prerequisite for receiving tantric teachings. Because of this, Kālacakra texts attempts to show the insubstantiality of social class and caste and thus to refute the basis for attachment to caste. According to Wallace, "to demonstrate the untenability of social discrimination, the Kālacakratantra at times uses a type of analysis that is similar to the one frequently applied in Buddhist refutations of the independent existence of a personal identity."

The Kālacakra system also links the soteriological implications of social relationships to socio-political events. Negative events, such as the Muslim conquests of India and the decline of Buddhism in India, are linked to social segregation and divisions (based on corrupt Puranic teaching). Meanwhile, positive events such as the defeat of "the barbarian Dharma" (i.e. Islam) are linked with social and spiritual unification of all castes, outcastes and barbarians into one single vajra-family. Because the Vaisnava and Saiva Dharmas promote class prejudice (jati-vada), create a false sense of identity based on caste, and thus create social divisions, the Kālacakra tradition admonishes Buddhist practitioners not to admire or follow these Dharmas. The tradition also sees caste theory as being related to false theories of a self (atman), to linguistic prejudice (based around the belief in the superiority of Sanskrit) and to theories of a creator god.

Due to these concerns, the tantric pledges found in the Kālacakra system involve transgressions of Indian social conventions, such as associating with and being in physical contact with all the various social classes without distinction, and seeing them as equal. This was often acted out in tantric ritual feasts known as ganachakras, wherein everyone was considered part of one vajra-family. This practice of social equality was also not meant to be limited to ritual contexts, as seems to have been the case within Saiva tantra.

The Kālacakra system also explains how all of society is in a way also included within the microcosm of the individual's body, which is a manifestation of the socio-religious body. Thus, the different types of persons and castes are mapped into the physical features of a person's body and the elements which make up a sentient being (aggregates, sense faculties, etc.). According to Wallace, the interrelatedness and mutual pervasiveness of the various components of the individual's mind and body represent the social and ethnic integration of a socially and ethnically mixed society."

Regarding the sociology of the Kālacakratantra, Wallace concludes:

the mutual relations and influences of the individual, the cosmos, and time parallel those in the society. Thus, the organization and functions of the different members of the social body are non-dual from the structure and functions of the different members of the bodies of the individual, the cosmos, and enlightened awareness...Just as the transformation and unification of the various components of one's own mind and body on this tantric path transform one's experience of one's natural environment, so it transforms one's experience of one's social environment. Likewise, in this tantric tradition, the unification of all the phenomenal and ultimate aspects of the vajra-family, which abolishes all dualities, is nothing other than the state of self-knowing: the state of knowing oneself as the cosmos, society, individual, and enlightened awareness; and that self-knowledge is what is meant by omniscience (sarva-jnana) in the tradition of the ''Kālacakratantra. ''

Shambhala kingdom and its holy war with the barbarians
The Kālacakratantra contains passages that refer to a Buddhist kingdom called "Shambhala", which is ruled by a line of Buddhist kings that preserve the Kālacakra teachings. This kingdom is said to be located near mount Kailasa and its capital is Kalāpa. It also mentions how this kingdom comes into conflict with invaders called mleccha (barbarians), which most scholars agree refers to Muslims and the Muslim invasions of India.

According to John Newman, the Buddhists who composed the Kalacakratantra likely borrowed the Hindu concept of Kalki and adapted the concept. They combined their idea of Shambhala with Kalki to reflect the theo-political situation they faced after the arrival of Islam in Central Asia and western Tibet. The text prophesies a war fought by a massive army of Buddhists and Hindus, led by King Raudra Kalkin, against the Muslim persecutors. Then after the victory of good over evil and attainment of religious freedoms, Kalki ushers in a new era of peace and Sambhala will become a place of perfection. Further battles with the barbarians are described as well in later eras.

Urban Hammar notes that a passage from the tantra mentions a series of figures who are said to be in the service of demonic snakes. These figures are "Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, "The white-clad one", Muhammed and Mathani." Hammar adds that "Muhammed and his teaching of Islam is presented as a barbaric teaching and consequently the main enemy of Buddhism."

According to John Newman, passages from the Vimalaprabhā also mention a year from the Islamic calendar (403 AH, 1012–1013 CE). This supports the dating of this Kālacakra tradition text to the 11th century by Tibetan and Western scholars, as well as the link to the Indian history of that era which saw conflicts with Islamic Ghaznavid invaders. Alexander Berzin also notes that Tibetan sources mention the "barbarians" slaughtering cattle while reciting the name of their god, the veiling of women, circumcision, and five daily prayers facing their holy land, all of which leaves little doubt that the prophecy part of the text is referring to Muslims.

According to the Kālacakratantra, the battle with the barbarians will be an "illusory battle". Furthermore, some passages of the Kālacakratantra describes the holy war against the barbarians from a microcosmic perspective as taking place within the body and mind of the Buddhist practitioner. These verses equate the barbarians with mental defilements and bad mental states such as ignorance. They equate victory in battle to the attainment of liberation and the defeat of Mara (Death).

The Kālacakratantra states: "The fight with the mleccha-kings is actually taking place in the body of human beings. That which in the Makha district is an illusory battle with the barbarians is no battle."The Vimalaprabhā states: "The fight takes place in the body because the battle with the mleccha king is tied to the body, in the middle of the body and because the outer is the form of illusion and the mleccha-battle in the Makha-kingdom is not the battle."Hammar concludes: "A radical conclusion is given in this verse. The fight is really in the body and is a way of liberation in the Buddhist sense. In the texts, it is obvious that the inner fight has a higher value of truth than the outer. Reading what is actually written in the text, it is said that the fight in the outer world is not going to take place. The famous eschatological battle between the king of Shambhala, the Kalkin, will not take place and instead it is a method of meditation. The inner way with liberation and illumination is superior. But in the end, because maya (the illusory world) is mentioned in this context, it is possible to imagine that what happens in the outer world indeed is an illusion, but it still has a certain value of reality. The explanation written in these verses is normally not given in the Kalacakra initiations where much stress is laid on the point that everybody who participates in the initiation is going to take part in the eschatological battle by the side of the twenty-fifth king of Shambhala, the Raudra Kalkin in the year 2325. Here it seems rather to be a method of meditation."

Subtle body
A key element of the Kālacakra teachings is an understanding of certain subtle energetic aspects of the human body. In Kālacakra (as in other tantric traditions), the human body is believed to contain certain subtle elements, mainly the three channels (nadis, left, right and central), the vital winds (lung, prana), the four drops (bindus) and six chakras. These elements function in a cyclical fashion, similar to how cosmological elements also have their cyclical movements. The Kālacakratantra contains detailed descriptions of these subtle body elements. In the Kālacakra system, the six chakras that lie along the central channel are as follows:

 * 1) The Crown Chakra
 * 2) Forehead Chakra
 * 3) Throat Chakra
 * 4) Heart Chakra
 * 5) Navel Chakra
 * 6) Secret Place Chakra (pubic region)

These subtle elements are used during tantric meditation practice to attain immutable bliss and primordial wisdom. Alexander Berzin writes that "during the Kalachakra empowerment, visualizations of different syllables and colored discs at these spots purify both the chakras and their associated elements."

According to Gen Lamrimpa: "The Kālacakra Tantra emphasizes the attainment of a buddha body by means of the empty form body, which is used to attain immutable bliss, the mind of a buddha. This differs from other highest yoga tantras, in which the buddha body is attained by transforming the extremely subtle primordial energy into the illusory body."

Adoption of non-Buddhist content
According to Vesna Wallace, in the Kālacakratantra one finds "a self-conscious absorption, or appropriation, of the modes of expression that are characteristic of the rival religious systems of India." This adoption of non-buddhist content extends to various areas of the tantra's system, including its theory, language, medicine and cosmology. Wallace argues that this is "inextricably related to Buddhist tantric conversionary efforts" and is justified by the tantra "as a skillful means for leading individuals of diverse mental dispositions to spiritual maturation." The tantra also warns that one should not grasp at one's own view in a dogmatic way, but it also states that one should be careful not to fall under the influence of other teachings "by familiarizing one-self with those teachings in order to refute them."

The Kālacakratantra refers to and draws from many different traditions, including non-Buddhist traditions such as the Shaiva, Samkhya, Vaishnava, Jain, Vedic, and Puranic traditions. The Kālacakra mandala also includes deities which are equally accepted by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. The ideas of these traditions are adopted and re-interpreted from a Buddhist perspective. Some examples of non-buddhist doctrines that the Kālacakratantra makes use of include: the Samkhya doctrines of prakrti and purusha (as well as the 25 tattvas and the three gunas), the concept of the fourth state (turiya) possibly drawn from the Saiva Agamas, and the ten avatars of Vishnu. Also, according to Wallace, the tantra "incorporates into its mandala the diverse deities that were worshipped by both Buddhists and non-Buddhists."

Vesna Wallace further notes that, "The fact that the conversion of heterodox groups was one of the motivations behind the Kālacakratantra 's adoption of specific non-Buddhist ideas implies that its teachings pertaining to the Kalacakra worldview were not kept secret from the public; that is, they were not guarded as secret teachings intended for an initiated elite. Moreover, the Kālacakra tradition's preference for explicitly presenting its specific tantric views is a result of its openly professed conversionary endeavors."Wallace notes that a study of the Kālacakra literature shows that the teachings were meant to be accessible to non-Buddhist groups. The Kālacakratantra states that "one will obtain purity and all virtues by receiving the initiation" whether one is Buddhist, Saiva, Brahmana, Jaina, etc. It also says that initiation into the Kālacakra mandala is also initiation into the mandalas of all deities, including those of non-Buddhists. The tantra also states that the Kālacakra Buddha is the source and teacher of all religious systems, and thus affirms their value while also subsuming them into Buddhist tantra and providing a justification for the tantra's adoption of non-buddhist ideas. These religious systems are of course, reinterpreted in new ways. For example, the Vedic sacrifice is reinterpreted in terms of the practice of tantric yoga.

However, while the Kālacakratantra adopts non-buddhist content, it criticizes the Brahmanical Puranic religion. According to Wallace, the text "frequently refers to the Brahmanic teachings, especially those of the Puranas, as false teachings, devoid of reasoning, creating confusion among foolish people, and composed by corrupt Brahmanic sages for the sake of promoting their own social class."

Initiation and preliminaries

Most Tibetan Buddhist lineages require initiates to practice various preliminary practices before attempting Kālacakra yoga proper. In the Jonang school for example, the common preliminaries are:
 * 1) Refuge in the three jewels and prostrations
 * 2) Awakening bodhicitta (the compassionate resolve to awaken for the sake of all beings)
 * 3) Vajrasattva meditation and recitation for purification purposes
 * 4) Mandala offerings
 * 5) Guru yoga

Geshe Lharampa Ngawang Dhargyey notes that bodhicitta is particularly essential, along with having renunciation and right view (these three common practices are also seen as necessary by Sakya Pandita). Without these foundational Buddhist elements (which are shared with common Mahayana), tantric practice will not bear fruit. Gen Lamrimpa similarly notes that without Mahayana great compassion, one will not attain Buddhahood through tantra. Lamrimpa also notes that one must have some understanding of emptiness before receiving initiation.

As in all Vajrayana practices, a disciple must undergo ritual initiation (abhiseka) under a qualified Vajra master to practice the Kālacakra methods. The Kālacakratantra states that disciples must carefully investigate one's tantric master beforehand, so as not to end up practicing a distorted teaching. The tantra also lists various qualities of a proper tantric master, such as being free of greed, having tantric pledges, and being devoid of mental afflictions (klesa). A corrupt teacher however is conceited, angry and greedy.

There are two main sets of initiations in Kālacakra: the “Entering as a child” set and the “Supreme” set of initiations. The first of these two sets concerns preparation for the generation stage meditations of Kālacakra. The second concerns preparation for the completion stage meditations known as the Six Yogas of Kālacakra. Attendees who don't intend to carry out the practice are often only given the lower seven initiations. The tantric initiations are also said to facilitate the purification of the four drops (bindus). The initiations include a series of ritual acts, meditations and visualizations. The supreme initiations include visualizing oneself as the deity, engaging in sexual union with the deity's consort and experiencing sexual bliss.

The tantric initiations include sets of tantric vows or pledges called samaya (such as the fourteen root downfalls etc.). If these are not kept, the practice will not bear fruit. The same applies to the bodhisattva precepts.

After the preparatory steps have been taken, one can embark on the actual practice of Kālacakra, which relies on two main methods. Vesna Wallace outlines these as follows:"One is a conceptual method of familiarizing oneself with the ultimate nature of one's own mind by means of autosuggestion, specifically by means of generating oneself in the form of the deities of the kalacakra-mandala. The other method is a non conceptual method of spontaneous and direct recognition of gnosis as the ultimate nature of one's own mind. The first method, which is characteristic of the stage of generation (utpatti krama), is contrived and based on one's faith in the innately pure nature of one's own mind, and it uses primarily one's powers of imagination. Even though it is characterized by freedom from grasping onto one's own ordinary psycho-physical aggregates, or one's self-identity as an ordinary being, it is still characterized by holding onto the imagined self-identity. The second method, which is characteristic of the stage of completion (sampatti krama), draws upon the experience of imperishable bliss and the direct perception of the innately pure nature of one's own mind, which is devoid of grasping onto any identity."Unlike other anuttara-yoga tantras, the goal of Kālacakra practice is not the transformation of the vital winds (pranas) into an illusory body, rather, the Kālacakra system's goal is the "windless state" (avata), which is "the complete eradication of all present and future pranas." This is said to lead to the arising of the body of empty form ("the form of emptiness"), and the mind of immutable bliss.

Generation stage
Generation stage (bskyed rim) practices generally consist of meditative visualizations, mainly of oneself as the Kālacakra deity in union with his consort Visvamata, and of the Kālacakra mandala and attendant deities. The first part of this stage is also known as deity-yoga (devata-yoga).

This is generally preceded by classic Mahayana practices such as taking refuge, arousing bodhicitta and so on. Then the meditator "imaginatively dissolves the atomic structure of his own body and the body of the universe," in a process which is supposed to mimic the dying process. Then they meditate on empty form. Then follows the meditation on the mandala and of oneself as the deities. The various features and symbols of the mandala (including the deities) correspond to various Buddhist doctrines and to aspects of the bodies of the Buddha. For example, the four sides of the mandala correspond to the four applications of mindfulness.

The visualizations are also paired with mantra recitation. There are different mantras in the system, but the main mantra is: "Oṃ āḥ hūṃ ho haṃ kṣa malavaraya hūṃ phaṭ"There are also various sadhanas (texts outlining the practice) of different complexities, the most complex of which can include up to 634 deities while one of the simplest ones includes nine deities. Generation stage practice is said to continue to purify the four drops.

According to Geshe Lharampa Ngawang Dhargyey, there is no need to practice samatha ('clear stillness') separately, as the culmination of the generation stage leads to the attainment of samatha. Furthermore, this practice also facilitates the attainment of insight (vipasyana) into the impermanent, empty and blissful nature of the visualized imagery.

According to Geshe Lharampa, the main objective of the generation stage is to dispel ordinary appearances and ordinary conceptions. Everything in one's experience (what one sees, ones thoughts, etc.) is to be seen as being the mandala and deities. There are two elements of this, divine pride (the self-confidence that one actually is the deity) and clear appearance (of the visualization).

The development of "divine pride" is based on some understanding of the emptiness of inherent existence of the deities that one is identifying with. Indeed, according to the Kālacakratantra, generation stage practice is based on one's understanding of emptiness, and thus should only be done once one has had some realization into emptiness. Furthermore, it is also based on the understanding that the entire mandala is an illusion (maya) and an ideation (kalpana).

Following the practice of deity yoga visualization, there are two further yogic practices which are part of the stage of generation: the yoga of drops (bindu-yoga) and the subtle yoga (suksma-yoga). Both of these involve a sadhana on sexual bliss, most often done with an imagined consort or "gnosis-consort" (jnana-mudra). The yoga of drops requires generation of inner heat or candali (tummo), which incinerates the pranas in the channels and allows the seminal essence or bodhicitta to flow into the chakras, generating the four blisses. During the practice of the subtle yoga, a drop of purified bodhicitta enters the secret chakra and ascends up the central channel generating the four blisses and transforming the four drops into the four bodies of the Buddha.

Six yogas of the completion stage
In Kālacakra, the yoga of the generation stage is seen as being characterized by ideation or imagination (kalpana), and thus can only indirectly induce spiritual awakening (as well as mundane siddhis). The Completion Stage yogas however are seen as free of ideation, uncontrived and non-conceptual (since their focus is the form of emptiness, not the deity's bodily form). They are thus the most important yogas for the direct attainment of the mahamudra-siddhi (i.e. prajnaparamita) and thus of the attainment of Buddhadhood.

The Kālacakra system's Completion Stage (rdzogs rim) practices include a set of practices known as the "Six Phase Yoga" (Ṣaḍaṅga-yoga, sbyor drug) also known as the "Six Vajra-Yogas". This system has a close connection to previous Indian systems of six phased yogas, the first of which appears in the Maitri Upanishad. The practices of the six phased yoga are based on the subtle body system of channels (nadis), winds (lung, prana), drops (bindus) and chakras, and require a foundation of generation stage practice.

The six yogas are as follows:

 * The Yoga of Retraction (pratyāhara, so sor sdud pa). This practice involves bringing the vital winds (pranas) into the central channel where they are dissolved. This is done by focusing the mind on the aperture of the central channel in the top of the forehead with eyes open and an upward gaze (the "gaze of Ushnishacakri"). When the vital winds cease to flow in the side channels, the connection between the five sense faculties and their objects is severed and craving for material things diminishes. When this happens, extraordinary signs which are also called empty forms arise (the sign of smoke, a mirage, fire-flies, a lamp, a flame, the moon, the sun, the supreme form, and a drop/bindu) and become more vivid the more stabilized the mind becomes. The first four signs appear when practicing at night or in a dark enclosed space and the others appear while practicing in the daytime and while meditating on open space. A drop/bindu with a Buddha at the center will appear as the tenth sign.
 * Yoga of Meditation (dhyāna, bsam gtan). This yoga refers to meditative absorption of the "all-pervading form" (visva-bimba), which is also practiced with the gaze of Ushnishacakri. It is defined as a mind that has become unified with empty form as an object and has the five factors of wisdom (prajna), investigation (tarka), analysis (vicara), joy (rati), and immutable bliss (acala-sukha). The ten signs also may spontaneously reappear. Daytime practice of this yoga is achieved by gazing at the cloudless sky with one's back turned to the sun until a shining black line appears in the center of the sign of the sign of the drop. The body of the Buddha will appear in the central channel, looking like the sun's image in water with all colors.
 * Yoga of Wind Control (prāṇāyāma, srog rtsol). By concentrating on the navel chakra, one draws in and stabilizes the pranas in that chakra, which is the seat of the drop associated with the fourth state of mind (turiya). Then one apprehends and moves the arisen form of Kālacakra's sambhogakaya into the navel where it merges with the drop. The deities remain in the navel chakra, and then ascend and descend the central channel during the process of inhalation and exhalation. The external breath ceases and the meditator practices kumbhaka (breath hold). This allows one to stabilize the mind on the navel chakra, which leads to the arising of inner heat (candali, tummo) which melts the four drops. One then experiences the four blisses.
 * Yoga of Retention (dharāṇā, ‘dzin pa). This entails the unification of the vital winds or pranas in the navel chakra accompanied by the manifestation of Kālacakra and consort, followed by the sequential concentration on the chakras of the heart, throat, forehead and ushnisha which cause the pranas to dissolve the four elements of water, fire, wind and space associated with these chakras. This leads to the experience of the four blisses. Afterwards, the pranas cease and the mind becomes unified. One then apprehends the form of emptiness (sunyata-bimba).
 * Yoga of Recollection (anusmṛiti, rjes dran). This is the non-conceptual union of the mind with empty form. One perceives innumerable rays of light consisting of five colors in the navel chakra. This results in the realization of the form of gnosis (jnana-bimba) or the empty form. One becomes purified and appears as a stainless disc of light.
 * Yoga of Samādhi (ting nge ‘dzin). The red and white drops are stacked along the central channel causing immutable blisses, the cessation of all pranas and the transformation of the material body into a body that is not material, the empty form body, which is also the four bodies of the Buddha. According to Wallace: "the object of gnosis (jneya) and gnosis (jnana) itself become unified and give rise to supreme, imperishable bliss. For that reason, the samadhi that is practiced here is defined as 'a meditative concentration on the form of gnosis (jnana-bimba).' It is also interpreted as the imperishable bliss that arises from the union of the apprehended object  (grahya) and the apprehending subject (grahaka) "

Origins
According to the Kālacakra tradition, Sakyamuni Buddha manifested as the Kālachakra deities and taught the Kālachakra root tantra at a stupa in Dharanikota (near modern Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh). He did this while supposedly bilocating (appearing in two places at once) at the same time as he was also delivering the Prajñāpāramitā sutras at Griddhraj Parvat in Bihar.

Along with King Suchandra, ninety-six minor kings and emissaries from Shambhala were also said to have received the teachings. The Kālacakra thus passed directly to the kingdom of Shambhala, where it was held exclusively for hundreds of years. Later Kings of Shambhala, Mañjushrīkīrti and Pundarika, are said to have condensed and simplified the teachings into the Śri Kālacakra or Laghutantra and its main commentary, the Vimalaprabha, which remain extant today as the heart of the Kālacakra literature. Fragments of the original tantra have survived; the most significant fragment, the Sekkodesha, was commented upon by Naropa.

Mañjuśrīkīrti is said to have been born in 159 BCE and ruled over Shambhala and 100,000 cities. In his domain lived 300,510 mleccha barbarians with heretical beliefs in Nimai sinta (sun). He expelled all these heretics from his dominions but they accepted Buddhism and pleaded that they be allowed to return. He accepted their petitions and taught them the Kālacakra teachings. In 59 BCE he abdicated his throne to his son, Puṇḍārika, and died soon afterwards, entering the saṃbhogakāya of Buddhahood.

There are currently two main textual traditions of Kālacakra in Tibetan-Buddhism, the Ra lineage of Ra Lotsawa and the Dro lineage  of Drolo Sherap Drak. In both traditions, the Kālacakratantra and its related commentaries were returned to India in 966 CE by an Indian pandit. In the Ra tradition this figure is known as Chilupa, and in the Dro tradition as Kālacakrapada the Greater. Chilupa is said to have set out to receive the Kālacakra teachings in Shambhala, along the journey to which he encountered a manifestation of Mañjuśrī, who gave him the Kālacakra initiation. He then disseminated the Kālacakra teachings in India.

According to Vesna Wallace, the propagation of the Kālacakra teachings in India date to the 11th century.

Spread to Tibet
According to Tāranātha, seventeen distinct lineages of Kālacakra that came from India to Tibet were recorded and compiled by the Jonang master, Kunpang Chenpo. The main two lineages of these that are practised today are the Dro lineage and the Ra lineage, both lineages were founded by disciples of an Indian master named Nalandapa.

The Ra lineage became particularly important in the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, where it was held by such prominent masters as Sakya Pandita (1182–1251), Drogön Chögyal Phagpa (1235–1280), Butön Rinchen Drup (1290–1364), and Dölpopa Shérap Gyeltsen (1292–1361). The latter two, both of whom also held the Dro lineage, are particularly well known expositors of the Kālacakra in Tibet, the practice of which is said to have greatly informed Dölpopa's exposition of shentong philosophy. A strong emphasis on Kālacakra practice and exposition of the shentong view were the principal distinguishing characteristics of the Jonang school that traces its roots to Dölpopa.

Today, Kālacakra is practiced by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, although it is most prominent in Gelug and Jonang. It is the main tantric practice for the Jonangpa, whose school persists to this day with a small number of monasteries in Kham, Qinghai and Sichuan.

Kālacakra lineages
Butön Rinchen Drup had considerable influence on the later development of the Gelug and Sakya traditions of Kālacakra while Dölpopa and Tāranātha were the main figures who developed the Jonang tradition on which the Kagyu, Nyingma, and the Tsarpa branch of the Sakya draw. The Jonang tradition mainly use the texts of Jonang masters Bamda Gelek Gyatso and Tāranātha to teach Kālacakra. The Nyingma and Kagyu rely on the Kālacakra works of Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso and Jamgon Kongtrul, both of whom took a strong interest in the Jonang Kālacakra tradition. The Tsarpa branch of the Sakya maintain the practice lineage for the six branch yoga of Kālacakra in the Jonang tradition.

There were many other influences and much cross-fertilization between the different traditions, and indeed the 14th Dalai Lama asserted that it is acceptable for those initiated in one Kālacakra tradition to practice in others.

Jonang
One of the main promoters of Kālacakra in Tibet were scholar-yogis of the Jonang school, such as Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292–1361) and Tāranātha (1575–1634). In fact, the Jonang tradition specializes in Kālacakra, its practice (especially that of the six vajra yogas), its philosophy and its rituals. This began with the work of Kunpang Thukje Tsöndru (1243–1313) who synthesized seventeen different transmission lineages of the Kālacakra sixfold vajrayoga into the Jonang Kālacakra tradition. Jonang is particularly important in that it has preserved this complete Kālacakra system (which has now entered other schools like Kagyu and Nyingma).

In the 17th century, the government of the 5th Dalai Lama outlawed the Jonang school, closing down or forcibly converting most of its monasteries and banning their writings. The Jonang tradition has survived and is now officially recognized by the Tibetan Government in exile as a fifth school of Tibetan Buddhism. Khenpo Kunga Sherab Rinpoche and Khentrul Rinpoche are contemporary Jonangpa Kālacakra masters.

Gelug
The Dalai Lamas have had specific interest in the Kālacakra practice, particularly the First, Second, Seventh, Eighth, and the current (Fourteenth) Dalai Lamas. The present Dalai Lama has given over thirty Kālacakra initiations all over the world, and is the most prominent Kālacakra lineage holder alive today. Billed as the "Kālacakra for World Peace," they draw tens of thousands of people. Generally, it is unusual for tantric initiations to be given to large public assemblages, but the Kālacakra has always been an exception.

The 14th Dalai Lama's 33rd Kalachakra ceremony was held in Leh, Ladakh, India, from July 3 to July 12, 2014. About 150,000 devotees and 350,000 tourists were expected to participate in the festival.

The Dalai Lama, Kalu Rinpoche, and others have stated that the public exposition of this tantra is necessary in the current degenerate age. The initiation may be received simply as a blessing for the majority of those attending, however, many of the more qualified attendees do take the commitments and subsequently engage in the practice.

Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche (1926–2006), the 9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, Jhado Rinpoche and the late Gen Lamrimpa (d. 2003) were also among prominent Gelugpa Kālacakra masters.

Kagyu
The Kālacakra tradition practiced in the Karma Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu schools is derived from the Jonang tradition and was largely systematized by Jamgon Kongtrul, who wrote the text that is now used for empowerment. The 2nd and 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul (1954–1992) were also prominent Kālacakra lineage holders, with the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul giving the initiation publicly in North America on at least one occasion (Toronto 1990).

The chief Kālacakra lineage holder for the Kagyu lineage was Kalu Rinpoche (1905–1990), who gave the initiation several times in Tibet, India, Europe and North America (e.g., New York 1982 ). Upon his death, this mantle was assumed by his heart son, Bokar Tulku Rinpoche (1940–2004), who in turn passed it on to Khenpo Lodro Donyo Rinpoche. Bokar Monastery, of which Donyo Rinpoche is now the head, features a Kālacakra stupa and is a prominent retreat center for Kālacakra practice in the Kagyu lineage.

Tenga Rinpoche was also a prominent Kagyu holder of the Kālacakra; he gave the initiation in Grabnik, Poland in August, 2005. Lopon Tsechu performed Kālacakra initiations and build Kālacakra stupa in Karma Guen buddhist center in southern Spain. Another prominent Kālacakra master is the Second Beru Khyentse.

Chögyam Trungpa, while not a noted Kālacakra master, became increasingly involved later in his life with what he termed Shambhala teachings, derived in part from the Kālacakra tradition, in particular, the mind terma which he received from the Kalki.

Nyingma
Among the prominent recent and contemporary Nyingma Kālacakra masters are Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1894–1959), Dilgo Khyentse (1910–1991), and Penor Rinpoche (1932–2009). An important Nyingma Kālacakra lineage holder alive today is Sakyong Mipham.

Sakya
Sakya Trizin, the present head of the Sakya lineage, has given the Kālacakra initiation many times and is a recognized master of the practice.

The Sakya master H.E. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is one of the main holders of the Kālacakra teachings. Chogye Rinpoche is the head of the Tsharpa School, one of the three main schools of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is the holder of six different Kālacakra initiations, four of which, the Bulug, Jonang, Maitri-gyatsha, and Domjung, are contained within the Gyude Kuntu, the Collection of Tantras compiled by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and his disciple Loter Wangpo. Rinpoche has offered all six of these empowerments to Sakya Trizin, the head of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche has given the Kālacakra initiation in Tibet, Mustang, Kathmandu, Malaysia, the United States, Taiwan, and Spain, and is widely regarded as a definitive authority on Kālacakra. In 1988 he traveled to the United States, giving the initiation and complete instructions in the practice of the six-branch Vajrayoga of Kālacakra according to the Jonangpa tradition in Boston.

Iconography
Tantric iconography including sharp weapons, shields, and corpses similarly appears in conflict with those tenets of non-violence but instead represent the transmutation of aggression into a method for overcoming illusion and ego. Both Kālacakra and his dharmapala protector Vajravega hold a sword and shield in their paired second right and left hands. This is an expression of the Buddha's triumph over the attack of Mara and his protection of all sentient beings. Symbolism researcher Robert Beer writes the following about tantric iconography of weapons and mentions the charnel ground:"Many of these weapons and implements have their origins in the wrathful arena of the battlefield and the funereal realm of the charnel grounds. As primal images of destruction, slaughter, sacrifice, and necromancy these weapons were wrested from the hands of the evil and turned – as symbols – against the ultimate root of evil, the self-cherishing conceptual identity that gives rise to the five poisons of ignorance, desire, hatred, pride, and jealousy. In the hands of siddhas, dakinis, wrathful and semi-wrathful yidam deities, protective deities or dharmapalas these implements became pure symbols, weapons of transformation, and an expression of the deities' wrathful compassion which mercilessly destroys the manifold illusions of the inflated human ego."

title: Kalachakra


text:
San Diego Chicken

The San Diego Chicken (also known as The Famous Chicken, the KGB Chicken or simply The Chicken) is a sports mascot played by Ted Giannoulas.

Origin
The character originated in 1974 in an animated TV commercial for KGB-FM Radio in San Diego. Writer, cartoonist, and actor Brian Narelle was working for Odyssey Productions and offered to animate an acrobatic chicken as part of a commercial contract bid. Narelle went on to direct and animate the commercial as well as create cartoon art for the campaign.

In March 1974, Giannoulas was hired to wear the first chicken suit; at the time he was a 20-year-old journalism major at San Diego State University. He was originally from Canada but had attended Hoover High School in San Diego. The Chicken's first appearance was a KGB promotion to distribute Easter eggs to children at the San Diego Zoo. After his first appearance, Giannoulas, a lifetime baseball fan, approached the San Diego Padres front office. “I’ll bet I could get into games free in this get up,” he thought. He was allowed to wander throughout the stands at Padres games, and if someone said "lay one on me," The Chicken would "lay" an egg containing a prize via his leggings. He soon took to the field and, he recalled, “discovered a side of my personality I did not know existed, almost a Jekyll and Hyde thing.” Once on the field, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to mime, joke with players and umpires, and connect with fans. Padres’ attendance, which had been the lowest in the league, doubled that summer.

The Chicken, whose antics entertained steadily larger crowds, began to add appearances at concerts and sporting events, while continuing to perform at more than 520 San Diego Padres games in a row. The Chicken also appeared at many San Diego Clippers basketball games before the team moved to Los Angeles. San Diego sports reporter Jack Murphy described him as an "embryonic Charlie Chaplin in chicken feathers".

Firing and afterwards
Conflict emerged between KGB Radio and Giannoulas, and he was fired on May 3, 1979. Another unnamed employee was hired to don a chicken outfit at a Padres game. Fans, many of whom were aware that Giannoulas was not in the outfit, booed the chicken loudly, forcing him off the field. After a lawsuit was decided in Giannoulas's favor in June 1979 by Judge Raul Rosado, Giannoulas was allowed to continue to perform in a chicken costume, although not the same one as the original. His new persona, the self-styled "Famous Chicken", emerged from an egg at a "Grand Hatching" seen by 47,000 people at a Padres game at Jack Murphy Stadium on Friday, June 29, as the sound system played the introduction to "Also sprach Zarathustra", the theme notably used in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Beginning in 1981, Giannoulas co-starred on the Saturday morning children's television series The Baseball Bunch, alongside noted Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. The local Emmy Award–winning series ran for five seasons and featured The Famous Chicken as the comic foil to Bench as he attempted to mentor a fictional baseball team of Little League-aged children. In his 1984 review of the show, Miami Herald sports writer Bob Rubin praised Giannoulas' contribution to the series, writing, "The Chicken may be the most gifted physical comic since Curly, Larry, and Moe."

Five years after a halftime incident at a Chicago Bulls' NBA game in January 1991, a Chicago jury ordered Giannoulas to pay $300,000 to a Bulls cheerleader injured when The Chicken tackled her on the basketball court.

In 1998, the owners of the Barney & Friends children's television show on PBS sued Giannoulas for copyright and trademark infringement, over a sketch in which The Chicken engages in a slapstick dance contest against a Barney-like character. Giannoulas prevailed in the suit and recovered his attorneys' fees, based on the court's determination that his sketch was a legitimate parody, and therefore protected speech.

The success of the Famous Chicken helped lead to mascots becoming widespread throughout professional sports, particularly Major League Baseball. The Chicken was named one of the 100 most powerful people in sports for the 20th century by The Sporting News. The pop culture publication Spy referred to Giannoulas as the Laurence Olivier of sports mascots, and The New York Times called him "perhaps the most influential mascot in sports history."

Giannoulas was inducted in the Baseball Reliquary Shrine of the Eternals in 2011.

Later activities
By 2015, The Chicken was reported to have made 5,100 appearances in 917 different facilities, 50 states, and eight countries, wearing out more than 100 chicken suits.

As of August 2016, after 42 years of playing The Chicken, Giannoulas was still making appearances across the United States, albeit at a slower pace, performing at 11 ballparks in July and August of that year. He expressed uncertainty about how long he would continue, or whether he would appoint a successor. "It's not the end," he was quoted as saying, "but I can see it from here."

Notable appearances

 * In 1975, The KGB Chicken made a promotional appearance at the first ComicCon convention. Convention organizers gave him the grand prize in their costume contest, then asked for it to be returned when they realized he was "a professional".
 * Early in the first Holiday Bowl on December 22, 1978, security guards attempted to eject The Chicken from the field. He refused to leave the game, sitting on the sidelines as the issue was ironed out. Meanwhile, as Brigham Young University was working their way through the "red zone" for a touchdown, the crowd was chanting, "We want The Chicken."
 * The Chicken was on hand at Jack Murphy Stadium in, when the Oakland Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers on the infamous "Holy Roller Play" on September 10. After the Raiders recovered the winning touchdown in the end zone, The Chicken fell on the ground and lay motionless as though he had a heart attack.
 * The Chicken appeared at WrestleMania XV and WrestleMania 2000, although the costume was worn by Pete Rose at WrestleMania XV, during which he was Tombstoned by Kane.
 * The Chicken made a cameo appearance in the cult movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes as one of the citizens stomping the remaining killer tomatoes in a parking lot.
 * In 1979, The Chicken recorded a cover of Rod Stewart's disco hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"
 * In the 1980s, The Chicken would appear in McDonald's commercials with Ronald McDonald. McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc was also the owner of the Padres, at whose games The Chicken appeared frequently.
 * From 1982 to 1984 Donruss sports cards sets included a card for The Chicken, with an offer on the back allowing purchasers to send the card to The Chicken himself to autograph it.
 * The Chicken is featured in the educational economics video Chickenomics.
 * In 1985, an undercover U.S. Marshal dressed as The Chicken as part of Operation Flagship.
 * In 1986, he appeared in Zoobilee Zoo Laughland where he gives a good laugh with Talkatoo Cockatoo and Lookout Bear and helps Bravo Fox find new good jokes.
 * In 1991, he appeared in a Captain D's commercial with his real-life mother, Helen Giannoulas
 * In 1994, The Chicken was featured in Boys' Life magazine in a piece about mascots. Unlike other interviewed mascots who asked the magazine not to reveal their human names, Giannoulas was fine with his true name not being secret. The article says that Giannoulas' antics helped set a new standard compared to earlier dull mascots.
 * In 2008, The Chicken was featured in a Sony commercial along with Dale Earnhardt Jr., James Brown and Peyton Manning. In the commercial, The Chicken gets angry and tries to beat a customer when the customer says he does not like sports. The Chicken was held back by Manning.
 * In 2013, a caricature of The Chicken was featured in a New Yorker cartoon by Paul Noth; Giannoulas commented "This means I've finally arrived!"
 * In 2015, The Chicken was invited to appear as an Honored Guest at Anthrocon on the weekend of July 9–12, 2015, which was their 19th Furry Convention held annually at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh PA
 * In 2021, The Chicken was invited by umpire Joe West to attend the game where West broke the record for most games umpired by a single person.
 * In 2022, The Chicken appeared in the Peacock documentary I Love You, You Hate Me to comment on the Barney sketch.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: San Diego Chicken


text:
Steve Harvey

Broderick Stephen "Steve" Harvey Sr. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, Family Feud Africa, and the arbitration-based court comedy Judge Steve Harvey, and formerly hosted the Miss Universe competition. His accomplishments include seven Daytime Emmy Awards, two Marconi Awards, and fourteen NAACP Image Awards.

Harvey began his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s, and later hosted Showtime at the Apollo and starred in the television sitcom The Steve Harvey Show on The WB. In 2000, he was featured in The Original Kings of Comedy after starring in the Kings of Comedy Tour. His last standup show was in 2012. Harvey is also the host of both Family Feud and Celebrity Family Feud, holding this role since 2010. He also hosted Little Big Shots, Little Big Shots Forever Young, and Steve Harvey's Funderdome.

As an author, Harvey has written four books, including his 2009 bestseller Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. In 2017, he founded Steve Harvey Global, an entertainment company that houses his production company East 112 and various other ventures. Harvey launched an African version of Family Feud and also invested in the HDNet takeover along with Anthem Sports and Entertainment. He and his wife, Marjorie, are the founders of The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on youth education.

Early life
Broderick Stephen Harvey was born on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, the son of Jesse Harvey, a coal miner, and Eloise Vera. His first name is Broderick, named after actor Broderick Crawford of the TV series Highway Patrol. Harvey had a severe stutter as a child, but eventually overcame it. When he was in the sixth grade, Harvey said that he wanted to be on TV when he grew up after his teacher asked Harvey and his classmates were asked what their personal dreams were. Harvey's teacher thought his dream was unrealistic due to his severe stutter; she ridiculed Harvey in front of the class, and called his parents and told them that Harvey was being a "smart aleck." Harvey and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, living on East 112th Street, which was renamed Steve Harvey Way in 2015. Harvey graduated from Glenville High School in 1974.

Shortly after high school, Harvey attended Kent State University and West Virginia University, where he was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, but never graduated. While Harvey has talked about overcoming his early life and educational obstacles, Harvey later conceded, "It really threw my life into a downward spiral, and I regret not getting that degree."

Early career and comedy
Harvey has been a boxer, an autoworker, an insurance salesman, a carpet cleaner, and a mailman. He first performed stand-up comedy on October 8, 1985, at the Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland, Ohio. In the late 1980s, Harvey was homeless for three years. He slept in his 1976 Ford when not performing gigs that provided a hotel, and showered at gas stations and swimming pools. Rich and Becky Liss helped Harvey during this time with a contract for carpet cleaning and credit at a travel agency.

1990–2009: Move to television and film
Harvey was a finalist in the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search performing on April 16, 1990, eventually leading to a long stint as host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, succeeding Mark Curry in that role. Harvey's success as a stand-up comedian led to a starring role on the short-lived ABC series Me and the Boys in 1994. He would later star on The WB network show The Steve Harvey Show, which ran from 1996 to 2002. While popular, the show never achieved critical acclaim outside of the African-American community.

In 1997, Harvey continued his work in stand-up comedy, performing on the Kings of Comedy tour along with Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac. The tour became the highest grossing comedy tour in history, grossing $18 million its first year and $19 million its second. The comedy act would later be put together into a film by Spike Lee called The Original Kings of Comedy. That title was also used as the name of Harvey's comedy and variety television show (later renamed Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge), which aired on The WB network from 2003 until 2005.

Harvey is the host of The Steve Harvey Morning Show, a weekday morning radio program he has hosted since 2000. It was originally syndicated through Radio One, Inc. from September 2000 to May 2005. As of 2019, the show is syndicated through the United States.

Harvey appeared in the 2003 movie The Fighting Temptations alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles. The same year, he played the role of Clarence Johnson in the film Love Don't Cost a Thing. In 2004, Harvey had roles in the films Johnson Family Vacation and You Got Served; in 2005, he co-starred in the movie Racing Stripes as the voice of Buzz.

In 2006, Harvey released the stand-up special Steve Harvey: Don't Trip... He Ain't Through with Me Yet directed by Leslie Small. The special was filmed at MegaFest with Harvey not using profanity during the show. He hosted the Disney Dreamers Academy, a teen-focused personal and professional enrichment event that took place January 17–20, 2008, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Harvey released the book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man in 2009. The book is about how men think about women and relationships. Based on the book, the 2012 film Think Like a Man is an ensemble romantic comedy depicting characters taking advice on dating from the book. The hardcover version spent 64 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list, 23 of those weeks at No. 1.

2010–2016: Family Feud and other ventures
Harvey began hosting Family Feud in September 2010. The show has seen improved ratings under him, and Harvey holds the longest tenure of any Feud host. He also hosts Celebrity Family Feud, where celebrities compete for a chance to donate up to $25,000 to their favorite charity. The show airs during the summer on ABC.

In August 2011, on his radio show, Harvey called Cornel West and Tavis Smiley "Uncle Toms" because of their criticism of President Barack Obama. Harvey later apologized for using the phrase but maintained his criticism of West and Smiley.

On August 2, 2012, Harvey performed his final stand-up act at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, ending a 27-year career as a stand-up comedian. The two-hour performance was broadcast live on pay-per-view.

The same year, Harvey debuted a self-titled syndicated talk show produced by Endemol and distributed by NBCUniversal Television Distribution at the NBC Tower in Chicago.

In 2013, Harvey became the first double host nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, receiving nominations for both Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Game Show Host. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The following year, Harvey launched a new dating website called Delightful. It is a joint venture with IAC with Harvey supplying articles and videos for the site.

In December 2015, Harvey hosted the Miss Universe 2015 pageant in Las Vegas. Upon announcing the final results, he mistakenly named the first runner-up, Miss Colombia (Ariadna Gutiérrez) as the winner. A few minutes after she was crowned, Harvey announced that he had read the results incorrectly and that Miss Philippines (Pia Wurtzbach) was the new Miss Universe. Harvey apologized to Wurtzbach outside the venue and later tweeted an apology to both contestants. He also hosted the Miss Universe 2016 pageant in the Philippines on January 30, 2017, telling the Miss Universe Organization that he wanted to personally apologize to the Filipinos for the incident that occurred during the last Miss Universe pageant he hosted. Harvey returned as host for the Miss Universe 2017 pageant in Las Vegas on November 26, 2017, the Miss Universe 2018 pageant in Thailand on December 17, 2018, the Miss Universe 2019 pageant in Atlanta, Georgia on December 8, 2019, and the Miss Universe 2021 pageant in Israel on December 13, 2021. During the 2019 pageant, he mistakenly announced Miss Philippines (Gazini Ganados) as the winner of the National Costume contest when the winner was Miss Malaysia (Shweta Sekhon).

In January 2016, Harvey gave a motivational speech to audience members after the taping of an episode of Family Feud. The theme of the speech was for people to embrace the skills they were born with. He references embracing the gifts with jumping from a cliff and relying on the parachute (those gifts) to help you. The speech was the motivation for the book Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance, published by Harvey in 2016.

In October 2016, it was announced that Harvey would host two revival specials of Showtime at the Apollo for Fox. The following month, the Steve Harvey talk show was cancelled, and it was announced that Harvey had reached a deal with IMG to produce a new syndicated talk show in Los Angeles with NBCUniversal. The new series, Steve, premiered in September 2017, and was described as having more of a celebrity- and comedy-oriented format with a larger amount of creative control held by Harvey, as opposed to the previous program's larger focus on human interest subjects. To facilitate the new series, production of Harvey's radio show and Family Feud were relocated to L.A.

Harvey is the co-creator of Little Big Shots, a series launched in 2016; executive producers are Harvey and Ellen DeGeneres. The series features children demonstrating talents and engaging in conversation with Harvey. He hosted the show until 2019.

2017–present: Steve Harvey Global
Harvey united all of his businesses under Steve Harvey Global (SHG) in 2017. Brands under SHG include East One Twelve, Harvey's in-house production company that is used to develop digital content, films, and television. The company also owns the rights for international versions of Family Feud, of which an African version of the show was announced to begin in 2020. He also launched the Sand and Soul Festival in 2017. The event has been held yearly and features live music, comedy, and a question and answers session with Harvey and his wife Marjorie. He also launched Harvey Events, a special events company led by his daughter Morgan Hawthorne and son-in-law Kareem Hawthorne. It has produced events such as the FroRibbean Fest in Atlanta in 2018.

In 2017, Harvey began hosting a New Year's Eve special from Times Square for Fox (which, like his talk show, would be produced in partnership with IMG). Two days before the broadcast, Harvey was ordained in the state of New York so he could officiate an on-air wedding between Keven Undergaro and Maria Menounos during the special. The special was Fox's most-watched New Year's Eve broadcast to date.

In January 2017, Harvey made jokes on Steve Harvey about Asian men, ridiculing the idea that any white or black woman would want to date one. He said: "Excuse me, do you like Asian men? No, thank you." Harvey went on to add, "I don't even like Chinese food." The remarks brought criticism from Asian Americans, including New York politicians and Fresh Off the Boat author Eddie Huang. Huang called Harvey "hypocritical" for speaking about issues facing the black community while denigrating Asians. Harvey apologized on his talk show and Twitter, saying: "I offer my humblest apology for offending anyone, particularly those in the Asian community … It was not my intention, and the humor was not meant with any malice or disrespect whatsoever." However, he also earlier said, "I ain't been laughing that much over the past few days. They're kinda beating me up on the internet right now for no reason. But, you know, that's life, ain't it?"

In response to a caller from Flint, Michigan, who insulted the Cleveland Cavaliers after their loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals, Harvey, a Cavaliers fan, told the caller to "go have yourself a nice glass of brown water!" in reference to the city's water crisis. The joke was criticized by, among others, Amariyanna Copeny and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, who demanded a public apology. Harvey responded by saying, "The caller and I were talking trash about our teams and cities. Simply trash talking about sports. I made a joke directed at him, as he is from Flint, a city for which I have great affection and respect. So much so that I devoted a full hour on my daytime talk show to raising awareness for the Flint water crisis … The caller laughed, as my joke was taken in the context it was offered."

At the end of 2018, it was announced that Harvey would host the eighth annual NFL Honors. He said that he had wanted to host it for a while, going as far as to say in his opening monologue: "What took y'all so long to ask me to host the show?" Harvey returned to host the ninth annual show the following season.

In 2019, Harvey announced the launch of a learning hub called Vault. He also invested in the takeover of HDNet along with Anthem Sports & Entertainment.

In January 2022, Harvey began hosting the arbitration-based court comedy Judge Steve Harvey on ABC.

On International Day of Happiness 2022, Harvey, on behalf of the United States and the Vatican pavilions, held a talk in Dubai during Expo 2020 to discuss the relations between happiness and religion.

In March 2024, it was announced that Harvey would join Merit Street Media, an upcoming multi-platform media outlet owned and created by his longtime friend Phil McGraw, the former host of Dr. Phil.

Philanthropy
Harvey is the founder of the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides youth outreach services. It hosts a yearly camp for fatherless children and also partnered with Kent State University to provide scholarships to the school. Harvey is also a partner with Walt Disney World Resort and Essence for the Disney Dreamers Academy, a yearly workshop at Walt Disney World for 100 students.

During the 2022 Halloween Thriller Night hosted by the Heal Los Angeles Foundation, Harvey and Chris Tucker received the inaugural "Man in The Mirror" Award, given to influential individuals who use their platforms for good. Harvey accepted the award presented by Prince Jackson, son of Michael Jackson.

Personal life
Harvey has been married thrice and has seven children (four biological children and three stepchildren). From his first marriage to Marcia Harvey, Harvey has two daughters (twins Brandi and Karli) and a son (Broderick Harvey Jr.). From his second marriage to Mary Shackelford, Harvey has a son named Wynton. The couple divorced in November 2005. In 2011, Collin County, Texas-based 199th District Court Judge Robert Dry expressed concern about Mary Harvey spreading false information about the divorce, with the judge suggesting that she had not been left materially destitute.

In June 2007, Harvey married Marjorie Bridges, whom he says is responsible for making Harvey a better man and changing his life. Marjorie is a mother to three children (Morgan, Jason, and Lori), all of whom Steve adopted. They have five grandchildren: three through Jason's marriage to his wife Amanda, one through Morgan's marriage to her husband Kareem, and one through Karli's marriage to her husband Ben. Through 2017, Harvey and his family divided their time between Atlanta, where his radio show was broadcast and Family Feud was recorded, and Chicago, where he hosted his talk show for NBCUniversal from the company's Chicago studios, although he would host his radio show there as well. In 2018, Harvey moved his talk show, radio show, and Family Feud to Los Angeles.

In January 2017, Harvey was met with criticism for his decision to meet with then-President-elect Donald Trump. He defended his decision, citing that it would help spark positive changes.

Harvey is a Christian, and has attributed his success to his faith in God. Harvey is an advocate for religious harmony, expressing reverence especially to Islam, and the belief that "to get to heaven, there's gotta be more than one route." Harvey also reports that he has followed a vegan diet for health reasons and has presented the rationale for his diet on his TV program.

Written works

 * 2009, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
 * 2010, Straight Talk, No Chaser
 * 2014, Act Like a Success
 * 2016, Jump, Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance

Awards and honors
Emmy Awards
 * 2014: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host – Family Feud
 * 2014: Daytime Emmy Award for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Informative (as host/executive producer of Steve Harvey)
 * 2015: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Informative (as host/executive producer of Steve Harvey)
 * 2017: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host – Steve Harvey
 * 2017: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host – Family Feud
 * 2018: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host – Steve
 * 2022: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host – Family Feud

NAACP Image Awards
 * Four-time winner: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
 * Three-time winner: Outstanding Comedy Series (as executive producer/star of The Steve Harvey Show – 2000, 2001, 2002)
 * 2001: Entertainer of the Year
 * Three-time winner: Outstanding News/Talk/Info Series (as executive producer/host of Steve Harvey – 2014, 2015, 2017)
 * 2015: Outstanding Host – Talk/Reality/Variety/News/Information
 * 2016: Outstanding Host – Talk/Reality/Variety/News/Information
 * 2016: Outstanding Variety Series/Special (as host of Family Feud)

Radio
 * 2007: Syndicated Personality/Show of the Year – Radio & Records magazine
 * 2013: Marconi Award winner – Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year
 * 2015: Marconi Award winner – Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year

Television
 * 2013: Favorite New Talk Show Host – 39th People's Choice Awards

Organizational
 * 2011: BET Humanitarian Award – 2011 BET Awards

Halls of Fame
 * 2013: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
 * 2014: NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee (Radio)

State/local
 * 2015: East 112th Street in Cleveland renamed Steve Harvey Way

Honorary degrees
 * 2016: Honorary Doctorate Degree Received at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama

title: Steve Harvey


text: User talk:66.38.128.51

title: User talk:66.38.128.51


text:
M2-9

Minkowski 2-9, abbreviated M2-9 (also known as Minkowski's Butterfly, Twin Jet Nebula, the Wings of a Butterfly Nebula, or just Butterfly Nebula) is a planetary nebula that was discovered by Rudolph Minkowski in 1947. It is located about 2,100 light-years away from Earth in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus. This bipolar nebula takes the peculiar form of twin lobes of material that emanate from a central star. Astronomers have dubbed this object as the Twin Jet Nebula because of the jets believed to cause the shape of the lobes. Its form also resembles the wings of a butterfly. The nebula was imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 1990s.

The primary component of the central binary is the hot core of a star that reached the end of its main-sequence life cycle, ejected most of its outer layers and became a red giant, and is now contracting into a white dwarf. It is believed to have been a sun-like star early in its life. The second, smaller star of the binary orbits very closely and may even have been engulfed by the other's expanding stellar atmosphere with the resulting interaction creating the nebula. Astronomers theorize that the gravity of one star pulls some of the gas from the surface of the other and flings it into a thin, dense disk extending into space. As the central binary orbits with a period of about 86 to 120 years, the wind emitting from the binary changes direction with it.

The nebula has inflated dramatically due to a fast stellar wind, blowing out into the surrounding disk and inflating the large, wispy hourglass-shaped wings perpendicular to the disk. These wings produce the butterfly appearance when seen in projection. The outer shell is estimated to be about 1,200 years old.

title: M2-9


text:
Watkins Abbitt

Watkins "Wat" Moorman Abbitt (May 21, 1908 – July 13, 1998) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia from February 17, 1948 to January 3, 1973. He was a top lieutenant within the Byrd Organization, the political machine named for its leader, U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd.

Early and family life
Abbitt was born in Lynchburg, Virginia to George Francis Abbitt and Otway C. Moorman Abbitt. He graduated from Appomattox Agricultural High School in Appomattox, Virginia in 1925. He earned an LL.B. from the University of Richmond in 1931 and began the practice of law in Appomattox. He married Corinne Hancock on March 20, 1937, and they had a son and two daughters who survived infancy.

Career
Upon admission to the Virginia bar, Abbitt had a private legal practice, and was also a bank executive. In 1931 he was elected Commonwealth's attorney for Appomattox County and served from 1932 to 1948. He also was elected member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1945.

Congress
When U.S. Representative Patrick H. Drewry died in office, Abbit won the special election to fill the vacancy. A Democrat, Abbitt won a full term later that year and 11 more times after that (February 17, 1948 – January 3, 1973). He was a member of the agriculture committee, and supported farm subsidies as well as fiscal conservatism and opposed increased federal intervention in state affairs. Abbitt became known for his opposition to school desegregation in the 1950s, supporting Massive Resistance alongside other Byrd Democrats. For instance, he denounced Brown v. Board of Education as "the naked and arrogant declaration of nine men." Abbitt signed the Southern Manifesto in 1956. Abbitt voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968 as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was a delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention, and chairman of the state Democratic party from 1964-1970.

Abbitt announced his retirement after being redistricted into the same congressional district as fellow Democrat Dan Daniel, and Republican Robert Daniel won the seat in a 5-candidate general election field, becoming the first Republican to represent Southside Virginia in the century.

Endorsement of Douglas Wilder
Having long since recanted his segregationist views, Abbitt endorsed L. Douglas Wilder, who became Virginia's first black governor in 1989. According to his son, state delegate Watkins Abbitt Jr., he and his sisters played a role in his father's change of heart. Watkins Jr. noted that in his later years, his father always worked for free for any black church that needed legal services, and a black minister spoke at the funeral.

Death and legacy
Abbitt was married twice. His first wife of 52 years, Corinne, died in 1989 and Abbitt later married Mary Ann Schmidt who survived him when he died from leukemia in Lynchburg, Virginia on July 13, 1998. He maintained an active law practice as late as a week before his death. A park in Appomattox, Virginia is named for him.

His son, Watkins Abbitt Jr., served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1986 to 2012.

Elections

 * 1948; Abbitt was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election unopposed and was re-elected in the general election unopposed.
 * 1950; Abbitt was re-elected unopposed.
 * 1952; Abbitt was re-elected unopposed.
 * 1954; Abbitt was re-elected unopposed.
 * 1956; Abbitt was re-elected unopposed.
 * 1958; Abbitt was re-elected with 87.15% of the vote, defeating Independent Frank M. McCann.
 * 1960; Abbitt was re-elected unopposed.
 * 1962; Abbitt was re-elected unopposed.
 * 1964; Abbitt was re-elected after tying Independent Samuel W. Tucker in the general election.
 * 1966; Abbitt was re-elected with 75.3% of the vote, defeating Independent Edward J. Silverman.
 * 1968; Abbitt was re-elected with 71.52% of the vote, defeating now-Republican Samuel W. Tucker.
 * 1970; Abbitt was re-elected with 61.02% of the vote, defeating Independent Ben Ragsdale and Republican James M. Helms.

title: Watkins Abbitt


text:
User:Lukwam

This is the Wikipedia page for user Lukwam.

These are some of the topics I am interested in:

art & design
design classic, Shepard Fairey, Walker Art Museum

cars
Saab, Saab 99, Saab 900, Volvo

comedy
alternative comedy, Andy Kaufman, Bob Odenkirk, Bob Zmuda, Brian Posehn, Chris Elliott, Chris Rock, comedian, comedy club, Dave Chappelle, David Cross, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Get Your War On, Girls Guitar Club, The Groundlings, improvisation, improvisational comedy, improvisational theatre, Lewis Black, list of comedies, list of comedians, Mitch Hedberg, mockumentary, Patton Oswalt, pretending to be stupid, Richard Pryor, Ricky Gervais, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sam Kinison, Sarah Silverman, Second City, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, The Onion, Tony Clifton

companies
Akamai, Akamai Technologies, Broad Institute, Center for Genome Research, Collective Technologies, Cypress Semiconductor, list of company name etymologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, O'Reilly & Associates, O'Reilly Media

computers & internet
1984 (television commercial), all your base are belong to us, Apple Computer, Apple Macintosh, Bill Gates, commercial at, disk, domain forwarding, Domain Name System, e-mail, FreeBSD, Google, google (verb), Google bomb, instant messenger, Mac OS X, MySQL, open source, PowerBook, spam (e-mail), Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Sun Microsystems, Tim O'Reilly, Usenet, web service, weblog, Xanga

drugs
420 (drug culture), cannabis, ecstasy (drug), recreational drug use

games & puzzles
billiards, board game, Boggle, crossword, crossword abbreviations, cryptic crossword, disentanglement puzzle, eight queens problem, Emily Cox, frisbee, game theory, Henry Rathvon, LEGO, mathematical game, mechanical puzzle, Monty Hall problem, The Puzzler, Rubik's Cube, word game, yo-yo

language & words
collective noun, English language, etymology, list of acronyms and initialisms, list of collective nouns, list of collective nouns by collective term, list of collective nouns by subject, list of collective nouns for birds, list of collective nouns for people, neologism

mathematics
Blaise Pascal, golden ratio, magic square, Markov chain, one way function, non-zero-sum, Pierre de Fermat, probability, random number

movies
A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, The Big Lebowski, Christopher Guest, Clerks., comedy film, Fear of a Black Hat, Friday (movie), Glengarry Glen Ross, Half Baked, Hurlyburly, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jon Favreau, Kevin Smith, Kevin Spacey, Man on the Moon, Mel Brooks, Office Space, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Run Ronnie Run, Spike Jonze, Spike Lee, Swingers, This Is Spinal Tap, The Usual Suspects, Waking Life, Waiting for Guffman, Wet Hot American Summer, Wild Style

music
analogue disc record, The Beastie Boys, beatmatching, Bob Dylan, Coldcut, compact disc, cut-up technique, direct drive turntable, disc jockey, DJ Shadow, electronic music, Final Scratch, freestyle music, freestyle rap, hip hop music, hip hop slang, jam band, Kid Koala, Lemon Jelly, Liz Phair, Ninja Tune, old school hip hop, Phish, phonograph, psychedelic trance, Radiohead, rapping, sampling (music), scratching, Technics, trance music, trip hop, turntablism, vinyl record

philosophy & religion
Immanuel Kant, Martin Heidegger, list of Jews, marriage, phenomenology, polygamy, Quaker views of homosexuality, Religious Society of Friends, Religious aspects of marriage, Sagittarius, same-sex marriage, same-sex marriage in the United States, Scientology

places
Bedford, New York, Bedford Hills, New York, Belize, Boston, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Central Square, Fox Lane High School, Kendall Square, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nags Head, North Carolina, New England, New York, New York, Oberlin, Oberlin, Ohio, Oberlin College, Outer Banks, Placencia, Porter Square, Pound Ridge, New York, Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York, Somerville, Massachusetts, Union Square, Westchester County, New York

science & medicine
amino acid, bioinformatics, biotechnology, bipolar disorder, Charles Darwin, genome, genome project, genomics, Human Genome Project, James Gleik, natural selection, periodic table, Richard Feynman

television
Adult Swim, Ali G, animated series, Arrested Development (TV series), Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Awful Truth, Beavis and Butt-head, Bill Maher, The Brak Show, Comedy Central, Curb Your Enthusiasm, David Letterman, The Daily Show, Dinner for Five, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Duckman, Family Guy, Futurama, Gary Shandling, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law, Home Movies, Howard Stern, Jumping the shark, Larry David, Larry Sanders Show, Michael Moore, Mission Hill, Mr. Show with Bob and David, The Office, Pinky and the Brain, Red Dwarf (television), Ren and Stimpy, Saturday Night Live, Sealab 2021, Seinfeld, situation comedy, The Simpsons, The Sopranos, Soup2Nuts, South Park, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, talk show, television program, Tenacious D, That 70s Show, The Tick, Tracey Ullman, TV Nation, Williams Street Studios, Whose Line Is It, Anyway?

voice actors
Andy Merrill, Billy West, Brendan Small, C. Martin Croker, Carey Means, Dan Castellaneta, Dana Snyder, Dave Willis, Don Messick, Frank Oz, Frank Welker, George Lowe, Jim Henson, H. Jon Benjamin, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Jonathan Katz, June Foray, Mary Kay Bergman, Maurice LaMarche, Matt Stone, Chris Ward (a.k.a. mc chris), Nancy Cartwright, Seth MacFarlane, Tom Kenny, Trey Parker

title: User:Lukwam