A mandala is an ancient diagram used to focus the attention of seekers and practitioners, serve as a spiritual teaching tool, establish a sacred space, and assist in meditation. Tibetan Buddhist mandalas are symbolic maps of the mind, guiding practitioners from mundane, worldly concerns to the enlightened center of consciousness, embodying the primordial cosmic force. Various mandalas correspond to different aspects of enlightenment, such as compassion, wisdom, or power. This particular mandala is for the practice of the Wheel of Time.

Thangkas are paintings on silk or other fabrics such as hemp or cotton. The term 'thangka' is a transliteration of the Tibetan word, meaning 'scroll painting.' Before creating each Buddha image, certain rituals are performed, including reciting texts, making offerings, giving alms, and performing rituals to consecrate the place, tools, and materials used for the thangka painting. Scriptures and mantras associated with the Buddha image are written on the back of the artwork with gold ink or vermilion, and prayers are made for the depicted deity to bestow wisdom and power upon the new image. The thangka thus receives the blessings of the depicted deity.

Since the 8th century, when Padmasambhava brought Mahayana Buddhist esoteric teachings to Tibet, many of the images of deities for esoteric practice were created as thangkas. Today, when people refer to thangka art, they naturally think of Buddha images, and thangka Buddha images have become a symbol of esoteric Buddhist teachings.

The artistic expression of the Wheel of Time Mandala
Like many Buddha thangkas, the Wheel of Time Mandala is depicted with stunning artistry, including composition, form, and color, showing its magnificent and grand scale. The main deity, Kalachakra, and the female deity embrace each other in a union, standing on a lotus and sun, moon, and star wheels. Their feet trample upon the great deity and the sky mother, symbolizing the overcoming of various obstacles such as greed, hatred, and ignorance. Above the composition are Shakyamuni Buddha, Green Tara to his left, White Tara to his right, Yellow Wealth Deity in the lower left corner, and Wealth God in the lower right corner, who are protective deities of the Wheel of Time practice.

Kalachakra is depicted with four faces and twenty-four arms. The main face is blue, the left is white, the right is red, and the back is yellow. Each face has three eyes, with eight white arms, eight red arms, and eight blue arms. The legs are white and red, respectively. The hair is adorned with a vajra, and the body is dressed in heavenly garments and a tiger skin skirt, adorned with all the jewels and ornaments of the Buddha’s body, making it exceptionally beautiful. The hands hold various items: from top to bottom on the left, a four-faced Brahma head, hook, mirror, white conch, lotus, Mani jewel, rope, bow, skull staff, shield, vajra bell; on the right, a copper axe, jewel staff, spear, Dharma wheel, bell, drum, mace, arrow, cymbals, trident, and sword.

The four faces of the female deity are middle yellow, left red, right white, and back blue, each with three eyes. The left four arms hold a skull cup, rope, white conch, and Mani jewel; the right four arms hold cymbals, mace, drum, and jewel. The Kalachakra’s appearance has a dynamic sense of rotating and flashing beyond time and space. The thangka conveys the purity and harmony of life through the sacred and transcendent nature of Buddhism, reflecting the Buddhist sentiment and aesthetic pleasure, and fully expressing the spirit of the Wheel of Time.

Transmission and Thought of the Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time originated from Shakyamuni Buddha's secret teachings in the form of the 12,000 verses of the "Wheel of Time Root Tantra," which were recorded by King Sktal Kha of the Uddiyana (Shambhala) and brought back to Shambhala, where it was transmitted sequentially. In the later period of Indian Mahayana esoteric Buddhism, the Wheel of Time teachings spread widely throughout India, and subsequent commentators further explained and annotated the "Wheel of Time Root Tantra," producing a systematized and richly endowed teaching of the Wheel of Time.

During the 11th century, the Indian yogi Dharmadhara arrived in Shambhala and brought back the "Wheel of Time Root Tantra" and other texts to India, becoming the first generation of transmitters in India. Dharmadhara transmitted to his son, Dharmadhara Khonpa, and Dharmadhara Khonpa transmitted to his son, Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava transmitted to Khyenrab Chökyi Gyaltsen, who was the founder of the Kagyu school and passed it down through generations.

During the transmission of the Wheel of Time teachings from India to Tibet, over twenty translators translated the texts. Among them, the translations by the translators Drakpa and Khotse were the most complete. The two translations became known as the Drakpa and Khotse schools, respectively. The Drakpa school inherited the practical lineage, while the Khotse school inherited the scholarly (commentary) lineage. The translation by Drakpa Chökyi Gyaltsen was included in the Tibetan Canon, and the versions translated by Indian scholars were passed down through various Tibetan Buddhist sects, becoming a major practice in Tibetan Buddhism, practiced across Tibetan regions.​