Introduction to Tibetan Astrology
“Tibetan Astrology” is the consolidated form of indigenous ‘Ancient Tibetan Astrology’, ‘rGya-rTsis’ from China and ‘dKar-rTsis’ from India. It depicts the motions of the celestial bodies like the Sun, the Moon, the Planets and the constellations; and the consequential external change of the weather and the cycle of the four seasons. And subsequently on this basis, it clearly reveals the internal content – the sentient beings – with wisdoms of embracing happiness and averting suffering. It is also an inseparable element of traditional Tibetan Medicine and thus, an important feature of the traditional Tibetan Science of Healing. This science illustrates how both the Universe of the celestial bodies, and this human body, come into existence by the assembly of the five elements. And with regard to this, it demonstrates their interdependence as how the external change affects the internal flow of energy — on as minute a scale as a breath (time) and a particle (position). The Tibetan fields of science can flexibly be differentiated into the ten fields of studies, out of which ‘Astrology’ is one of the five minor studies. However ‘Tibetan Astrology’ in its real essence is a part of the Kālacakra Tantra, which remains one of the most revered texts of Non-dual Tantra — the third of the three aspects of Anuttara Yoga — and thus it is not just a study, but a way of living and a path of practice of the Buddha Dharma.
