The Enigmatic World of Tibetan Buddhist Astrology
The practice of calendar-making, astronomy, astrology, and calculations touches many aspects of Tibetan life. These cultural practices extend throughout Inner and Outer Mongolia, Manchuria, East Turkestan, the Russian republics of Buryatia, Kalmykia, and Tuva, the Himalayas, Central Asia, and regions within contemporary China that have been influenced by Tibetan culture. These disciplines also play a vital role in Tibetan medicine. All students of Tibetan medicine are required to grasp a certain level of astronomy, whereas students of astronomy are not required to learn about Tibetan medicine.
The essence of Tibetan astronomy lies in locating planets through the calculation of ephemerides (tables of the positions of celestial objects), as well as in the creation of calendars and the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses. It also involves using calculations for personal horoscopes and consulting almanacs to identify auspicious days and days unsuitable for activities such as planting. The scope of study is incredibly extensive.
Tibetan astronomical calculations include two branches: White Calculation and Black Calculation. White and Black represent, respectively, materials derived from India and China, based on the dominant colors of traditional clothing. Like Tibetan medicine, Tibetan astronomy shares content with both Indian and Chinese traditions. These two systems have been adapted and integrated in different ways to form a unique Tibetan astronomical system.
Philosophical Underpinnings
The philosophical backgrounds of astronomical science in Indian, Tibetan Buddhist, and Chinese Confucian cultures differ greatly. Tibetan astronomy is rooted in the Kalachakra Tantra. “Kalachakra” means “wheel of time.” Within this tantra, Buddha presented a system of inner, outer, and other wheels of time. The outer wheel involves the movement of planets in the sky and their different orbits, as well as the division and measurement of time into units such as years, months, and days. The inner wheel deals with the energy cycles and breathing within the body. The other wheel consists of various meditative practices associated with the tantric system of the deity Kalachakra, which aims to achieve control and purification of the first two.
The outer and inner wheels correspond to each other, acting simultaneously due to the collective outer wheel and individual internal energy impulses (karma). In other words, specific energy impulses are linked to us, propelling the cycles of planets and the human body. Because energy and mental states are closely connected, we can experience these cycles in either a natural or disturbed manner. By practicing the Kalachakra, we can overcome the uncontrollable and ceaseless inner and outer situations (samsara), becoming free from their constraints or influence, thereby enabling us to reach our maximum potential and benefit others to the greatest extent possible.
Typically, individuals are influenced by their personal constellations, the changing seasons, weather conditions, lunar phases, and the stages of their own life cycles, such as childhood, adulthood, and old age. They are also often influenced by internal energy cycles, such as a woman’s menstrual cycle or the entire process from menarche to menopause. These factors can be extremely limiting. The Kalachakra system provides a set of meditative practices through which we can overcome the control of these influences and their imposed limitations, allowing us to benefit others to the greatest extent possible. The Tibetan Buddhist system presents astronomy and astrology within this broad philosophical framework. This differs from the Vedic system of Hinduism, in which students learn this knowledge to calculate the precise times for conducting Vedic rituals.
Classical Chinese thought viewed astronomy and astrology as tools for maintaining the legitimacy of political rule. Confucian philosophy considers the emperor as an intermediary between heaven and earth. If the emperor, dynasty, and government act in accordance with the seasons and calendar, aligning with the universal principles of changing cosmic forces, the empire will flourish. This concept is known as the “Mandate of Heaven”. Natural disasters would occur if they went against it, signaling their loss of political legitimacy. Therefore, to maintain harmony and political power, it was crucial to have a firm grasp of the precise seasonal times and the flow of celestial energies.
Therefore, the philosophical background of Chinese astronomy and astrology differs significantly from the framework of Tibetan Buddhism. The former aims towards politics. Personal astrology only appeared in China around the eighth century, likely influenced by Buddhism.
The White Calculation
The Indian-derived part of Tibetan astronomy primarily comes from two sources: the Kalachakra Tantra, which is explicitly Buddhist, and the Svarodaya or the Mantra Tantra, which is shared by both Hindus and Buddhists.
In discussions related to the outer wheel, the Kalachakra Tantra explains the laws of cosmic operation and the calculation of ephemerides, lunar calendars, and annual calendars. From this, two calculation methods are derived: siddhanta (Sanskrit for “pure doctrine”) or the pure dogmatic system, which was lost before it reached Tibet, and karana (Sanskrit for “simplified system”).
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, various Tibetan masters reconstructed the pure dogmatic system. Therefore, modern Tibetan schools of astronomy still teach both systems. Although some lineages lean more towards the pure dogmatic system, they also use the simplified system for calculating solar and lunar eclipses because it provides better results.
Another source of Indian astronomy is the Mantra Tantra, also known as Yodakasyapa or the “Enemy-Crushing Tantra.” This is the only text translated into Tibetan from the Hindu Shaivite Tantra, included in the Tengyur collection of Indian masters’ treatises. Its main focus is personal astrology. In Western astrology, personal horoscopes emphasize the examination of one’s birth chart, based on which personality traits are analyzed and described. While Indian astrological systems, both Hindu and Buddhist, also touch upon this, it is not their primary focus. The main concern is to reveal the markers of an individual’s life journey.
Horoscope Divination
All Indian astronomical traditions calculate and analyze an individual’s life journey based on the periods governed by nine successive celestial bodies. The Buddhist system calculates lifespan from the time of birth and the position of the moon, then divides it into nine stages using a specific formula. Hinduism does not consider lifespan but rather divides life into periods based on a different set of rules. In both cases, astrologers interpret each stage of life based on the ruling star, birth chart, and birth time.
Although Buddhist astrology includes calculating a person’s lifespan, this is not a predetermined, fatalistic system. It can also be used to calculate the extent to which we can extend our lives by engaging in many positive and constructive actions. In India, the initial Kalachakra system calculated a maximum lifespan of 108 years, while the Hindu system considered the maximum lifespan to be 120 years. In Tibet, the maximum lifespan was reduced from 108 years to 80 years because, according to Buddhist teachings, the average lifespan is gradually decreasing in the degenerate age. In the nineteenth century, the Nyingma master Mipham revised the lifespan calculation method, setting the maximum lifespan at 100 years. Moreover, despite declaring a maximum lifespan, the Tibetan Buddhist system includes four methods for calculating lifespan. Thus, there are multiple possibilities for each person’s lifespan. We are born with many different conditions, all of which may come to fruition.
Even when we talk about a definite lifespan for someone, exceptional circumstances may extend or shorten it. If a person has a terminal illness, they may not have the latent karma for a cure. However, prayers or rituals performed by high lamas can create an opportunity for a deep-seated, beneficial, latent karma to ripen and come to fruition that would not normally manifest in this life. Conversely, an external event such as an earthquake or war may provide an opportunity for a deep-seated, harmful, latent karma to ripen and come to fruition that would not normally manifest in this life. In this case, a person’s death is known as a “premature death.” In either case, if we do not have the deep-seated latent karma, even dramatic opportunities will not be relevant. Special rituals are not beneficial for some, while others survive earthquakes.
Therefore, Tibetan personal astrology is a macroscopic forecast of the possibility of a particular life event occurring. It does not guarantee which way our life will unfold. There are other possibilities because astrology can also predict other lifespans. Each possibility is like a quantum energy level. They are all feasible, but it depends on our actions and practices, as well as external unconventional conditions. Everything that happens to us in this life is based on the accumulation of latent karma from this life and previous lives. Otherwise, a dog and a person born at the same time and in the same place would experience the exact same life journey.
The main purpose of Tibetan personal astrology is to warn us about possible life paths. Whether these events unfold as predicted depends on us. Even though we face many possibilities, knowing one of them through astrology can inspire us to make good use of our precious lives to pursue spiritual goals. In the Kalachakra tradition, we strive to overcome all limitations that prevent us from wholeheartedly benefiting others. Visualizing our difficulties can help us cultivate steadfast renunciation and compassion for others. Similarly, visualizing the potential difficulties shown by astrological readings can be beneficial to our spiritual journey. Thus, Tibetan personal astrology can be a useful tool for those who are keen to navigate their life journey through astrology. Tibetan personal astrology is never a prediction of a fixed future reality.
The White Calculation system has a pan-Indian cultural basis and shares some features with ancient Greek astronomical systems. The most obvious example is the division of the zodiac into twelve signs and houses. The names of the constellations are the same as in the modern Western astronomical system, only translated into Tibetan. Therefore, natal astrology divides planets according to “signs” and “houses,” similar to Western astrology. However, the methods of interpretation are quite different. Like the Indian system, Tibetans use an equal house system, do not consider the angles between planets, and do not pay attention to the ascendant.
The zodiac is the band through which the sun, moon, and planets appear to travel around the Earth in the geocentric model. For most calculations, this band is divided into twenty-seven constellations or nakshatras rather than twelve houses. This system is not found in ancient Greek or modern Western systems, but it has many similarities with the ancient Indian system. The latter sometimes defines twenty-eight constellations, but it divides the zodiac into twenty-eight equal parts, while the Tibetan system divides one of the twenty-seven parts into two equal parts.
The twenty-eight constellation system also appears in the ancient Chinese astronomical system. This system emphasizes the North Star as the center of the sky, like the emperor of China. The constellations, like ministers, revolve around the North Star along the celestial equator, forming star clusters that differ slightly from the pan-Indian constellation system. In addition, the twenty-eight Chinese constellations do not divide the sky evenly.
The Kalachakra system involves ten celestial bodies, all of which are referred to as “planets.” The first eight are the sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and a comet. The last star is not used for astrological purposes. The remaining two bodies are the two intersections of the moon’s orbit, which are regarded as “planets.”
The sun and moon both orbit along the ecliptic, where they intersect. The intersection points are called the north and south lunar nodes. Every new moon, the sun and moon approximately intersect or appear to be in the same location. The intersection is only perfect and produces a solar eclipse when it occurs at the south or north nodes. At the full moon, the sun and moon are exactly opposite each other. The opposition is only perfect and produces a lunar eclipse when one is at the north node and the other at the south node.
Ancient Indian systems and the Kalachakra system both regard the north and south nodes as planets, whereas ancient Greek systems do not. Both Indian systems consider solar and lunar eclipses to be the intersection of the sun and moon with the nodes.
The Kalachakra system calls the north node Rahu, which means “roarer” or dragon’s head, and the south node Kalagni, which means “fire of time” or dragon’s tail. Although the Indian system still refers to the former as Rahu, the latter is called Ketu, which means “long tail,” also referring to the dragon’s tail. According to pan-Indian mythology, during solar and lunar eclipses, the so-called “dragon” swallows the sun and moon. However, in the Kalachakra system, Ketu is the name of the tenth star (comet), which is not included in ancient Indian or Greek systems, which only involve nine or seven celestial bodies, respectively.
The ancient Chinese astronomical system does not mention the moon’s north and south nodes, but only the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Later, the concept of the north and south nodes, referred to as the dragon’s head and dragon’s tail, appeared in Chinese astronomy, clearly indicating its Indian origin. However, the two nodes were not considered planets.
Another feature shared by the ancient Greek and Indian systems is that the seven days of the week are named after planets: the sun for Sunday, the moon for Monday, Mars for Tuesday, Mercury for Wednesday, Jupiter for Thursday, Venus for Friday, and Saturn for Saturday. Thus, the Tibetan words for the seven days of the week are identical to the names of the planets.
Traditional Chinese culture once had a ten-day week. The seven-day week began to be used in the seventh century AD, influenced by Persian and Sogdian Nestorian merchants living in China. However, the Chinese used numbers rather than planet names to refer to the days of the week.
Another characteristic shared by the Kalachakra and ancient Indian systems but not by the Greek system is the use of a fixed stellar or sidereal zodiac. Traditionally, zero degrees Aries is a specific moment thousands of years ago when the sun and the starting point of Aries coincided. It has remained unchanged for millennia.
Ancient Greek and modern Western astronomical systems use the tropical zodiac. Whenever the sun is at the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, this position is called zero degrees Aries. This is the actual observed position of the Aries constellation in the sky. Every year, this position moves slightly counterclockwise in the sidereal zodiac from its original zero degrees Aries position. Currently, this phenomenon occurs in Pisces before Aries.
This phenomenon is called the precession of the equinoxes. In other words, the position of the solar equinox moves backwards. After it moves into the next constellation, Aquarius – about four centuries from now – the so-called “Age of Aquarius” will technically begin. In common discourse, people often conflate the rapid approach of the “Age of Aquarius” with the Christian concept of the millennium, which marks the beginning of a new golden era.
During the Mughal era in India, especially after the 18th century, there was continuous influence from Arabic astronomy. Extensive observations of planetary positions were made, and there was contact with Western astronomy. As a result, many Indian astronomical systems abandoned traditional calculation methods. They saw that Western methods provided more accurate results. These results were verified by telescopes and various astronomical measuring instruments built by the Mughals on observatory platforms. Therefore, many Indian astronomical systems adopted a new technique of uniformly subtracting the standard precession value from the positions of all planets in the tropical zodiac (derived from the Western system), thus deriving their positions in the sidereal zodiac. Each Indian system used a slightly different precession value as its conversion factor. One of the most commonly used was twenty-three degrees and six minutes.
However, some Hindu astrologers claim that the planetary positions calculated by traditional methods provide more accurate astrological information. This point is crucial because Tibetan astrology is now at the same stage as Indian astrology was in the eighth century when it came into contact with Western astronomy. The planetary positions calculated by the methods in the Kalachakra system do not completely align with what is observed. Whether it is necessary to learn from India, abandon tradition, and use Western values corrected by the precession factor has yet to be determined.
One might argue that how planetary positions are actually observed in reality is irrelevant because Tibetan Buddhist astronomy never intended to send rockets to the moon or launch spaceships. The purpose of the calculated astronomical data is for astrology, so it is the accuracy and validity of astrological information, empirically speaking, that is the goal.
The goal of Tibetan astrology is to help us understand the basic karmic conditions of our lives so that we can use this understanding to overcome all limitations and unleash our full potential to benefit others. We must view Tibetan astronomical research within this Buddhist context. Judging or altering Tibetan astronomy based on the fact that its astronomical data does not match observed planetary positions is irrelevant.
To learn from each other’s astronomical systems and benefit from them, both Western and Tibetan scholars need to respect the integrity of each other’s bodies of knowledge and wisdom. Ideas can be shared, thereby gaining new insights into new areas of study, but carelessly abandoning tradition and adopting foreign methods would be tragic. As we can see in the historical development of Tibetan medicine and astronomy, they did not blindly copy outside cultures. These outside cultures inspired Tibetans to create their own unique systems based on their own research and practice, giving new forms to foreign ideas. This is how the process of benefiting all beings occurs.
The Black Calculation
The Black Calculation, originating in China, also known as the Five Elements Calculation, adds many unique features to the Tibetan calendar, such as the relationship between the zodiac and the five-element cycles, for example, the Iron Horse year. It also provides sets of variable stars to examine, used to analyze personality traits and make macroscopic predictions in personal astrology. These traits are combined with personal astrological content derived from the White Calculation system.
The Chinese-derived content includes calculations in five main areas. The first area is basic annual divination, looking at what may happen in each year of one’s life. The second area involves illnesses, predicting whether an illness is caused by harmful spirits, and if so, what type of spirit, what rituals can appease them, and also predicting the duration of the illness. The third area is used for funerals, especially for determining when and in what direction to remove the body from the home, and what rituals to perform to dispel harmful forces. The fourth area is used for obstacles, predicting when obstacles are likely to occur in a person’s life stage based on calculations. The fifth area is used for marriages, especially focusing on the future harmony between the couple. Therefore, the Five Elements Calculation is primarily used for astrological purposes.
Like the content from the Indian-derived astronomical system, the content from China has many similarities with ancient Chinese schools of astronomy. However, Tibetans have many differences in how they utilize and develop this content.
The Five Elements Calculation system is associated with a sixty-year cycle, in which each year is successively governed by one of twelve zodiac animals. These animals begin with the rat in traditional Chinese sequence, whereas the Tibetan zodiac sequence begins with the fourth animal in the Chinese sequence, the rabbit. Therefore, the sixty-year cycle begins in a different order.
The sequence of the twelve zodiac animals is linked to the dominant element (element) of the year. The element belongs to the five elements of the ancient Chinese astronomical system: wood, fire, earth, iron, and water. Each element governs two years, the first year being male and the second female. The Tibetan system has never used the concept of yin and yang from the Chinese system. Therefore, a specific combination will need sixty years to repeat, such as the first year in the classical Chinese calendar of “wood – male – rat” or the first year in the Tibetan calendar of “fire – female – rabbit.”
The Tibetan astronomical system does not use the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches of the ancient Chinese system. The Chinese astronomical system links them to a sixty-year cycle, emphasizing them in calendrical calculations and astrology far more than the zodiac animals and the five elements.
In addition to the natural connection between the birth year’s zodiac and five elements, further connections are derived from each year of age, but the algorithms differ for the sexes. In fact, most of the algorithms derived from China are different for men and women. It should be noted that in Tibetan and Chinese astronomical systems, our age refers to the natural year we are alive, regardless of how short the period lasts in a given year. For example, if a person is born in the tenth month of a Tibetan year, they will be one year old by the New Year, and two years old after the New Year. This is because although the person has only been alive for three months, they have spanned two natural years. Therefore, each Tibetan becomes one year older at the Tibetan New Year and does not celebrate or calculate their age in the Western manner based on their birthday. Thus, the Tibetan concept of age is not equivalent to the Western concept of age, which calculates the full number of years since birth.
Within the sixty-year cycle, each of the twelve animals forms a set of related five elements of the so-called sand-painting calculation, with the different combinations of the five elements, namely, life force, body, power, luck, and life spirit. The first four also appear in ancient Chinese astrology, where “power” refers to financial power. The life spirit or the organizing principle of life (Tibetan bla) is a completely Tibetan cultural concept and also appears in the indigenous Bon culture.
By analyzing the relationship between one’s innate sand-painting five elements and the relationship with any transit year, we can predict the potential dangers of that year based on one’s life force; predict one’s health status and physical illnesses based on the body; predict the success or failure of one’s business, etc. based on power; predict one’s general luck and travels based on luck; and predict the condition and stability of one’s basic life signs based on the life spirit. If the relationship is difficult, religious rituals are recommended to dispel these disharmonious elements.
Each of the twelve zodiac animals is linked to three of the weekdays – life force, life spirit, and death. Because everyone shares the same zodiac, the first two are auspicious during the week, while the latter is not. This calculation is especially used in divination when choosing dates for treatment.
Divination also uses a magic square (nine palaces), specifically a three by three grid. Each cell contains a number, ranging from one to nine. The numbers in every three cells, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, add up to fifteen. The nine numbers are combined with the sixty-year cycle, so that every one hundred and eighty years, the same magic square number will be linked with the same element-zodiac year. The order starts with the number one and goes in reverse order: nine, eight, seven, etc. Each number in the nine-palace magic square is associated with a color and one of the five Chinese elements. The numbers are often referred to along with their color. 1-white for iron, 2-black for water, 3-blue for water, 4-green for wood, 5-yellow for earth, 6-white for iron, 7-red for fire, 8-white for iron, 9-brown or sometimes 9-red for fire. When printing the nine-palace magic square, the color arrangement of each cell must follow this pattern.
Based on the date of birth, the advancing magic square number is derived for each year of age. When related to the advancing element-zodiac, there are differences between men and women. The data in each birth square has its own interpretation, including descriptions of past lives, the remaining possible lifespan in this life, and possible future lives, as well as what kind of reincarnation will occur after performing religious rituals or building statues of the Buddha. This is the source of information on past and future lives provided by Tibetan astrology. The body, life force, power, and magic square luck data can also be calculated like the five elements.
The eight trigrams in the I Ching (Book of Changes) – three broken or solid lines arranged horizontally – are also used in the Tibetan Five Elements Calculation or Black Calculation, although not the sixty-four hexagrams. Each year and age, a trigram is derived from a specific trigram position. The calculation methods differ between men and women. People of the same age and sex share the same trigram.
In Tibetan astrology, with the exception of the Bon tradition, there is no transition year trigram. A transition year trigram refers to one that places each natural year in a specific sequence. Therefore, whether it is for a man or a woman, the calculation of the birth trigram is not based on their birth year but rather on the advancing trigram position of their mother’s age when giving birth to them. The interpretations of the birth trigram and the advancing trigrams provide even richer information for astrological predictions.
Furthermore, body, life force, power, and luck trigrams can also be calculated. They come from four types of magic square data calculated based on the date of birth. Comparisons of the future couple’s four types of magic square data, along with the sand-painting calculations of body, life force, power, and luck, are precisely what is used to determine if a marriage is suitable.
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