Myriad worlds Buddhist cosmology in abhidharma kalacakra and dzog-chen

As a prelude to Kongtrul’s survey of the entire range of Buddhist teachings, Myriad Worlds describes four major cosmological systems found in the Tibetan tradition-those associated with the Hinayana, Mahayana, Kälacakra and Drog-chen teachings. To suit the capacities of different grades of beings, Buddha taught four levels of cosmology: the numerically definite cosmology of the individual way; the cosmology of infinite buddhafields of the universal way; the special cosmological system of the Kalacakra Tantra; and the dazzling non-cosmology of the Dzog-chen system, which dispenses with the dualistic perspective, revealing the creative principle to be awareness alone.

Each of these cosmologies shows how the world arises from mind, whether through the accumulated results of past actions or from the constant striving of awareness to know itself.

This detailed and thorough account of worldviews that present conceptions of space and time which differ significantly from Western ideas is at once illuminating and challenging.