Since the time of the seventh Dalai Lama, Kalsang Gyatso, the monastery has also had a special responsibility to maintain the practices of the Kalachakra system. This the monks of tne monastery have done successfully. Even now their supportive role is a major factor enabling me to give the Kalachakra initiation easily when requested. In 1992 Namgyal Monastery completed a Kalachakra temple adjacent to the main temple of Thekchen Choeling, here in Dharamsala. On the walls of the temple are depicted the Kalachakra mandala and the entire panoply of deities resident within it.
Many people visit the temple.
Tibetans believe that even looking at such images of deities and their mandalas can sow seeds of positive potential. Due to their colourful and intricate symbolism, mandalas have lately attracted a great deal of interest. While some can be openly and simply explained, others are related to tantric doctrines that are normally supposed to be kept secret. As a result, many speculative and mistaken interpretations have been circulated. Because severe misunderstandings that can then arise are more harmful than the partial lifting of secrecy, I have encouraged a greater openness in the display and accurate explanation of mandalas.