Kalachakra Initiation

I just found this fantastic video of the Kalachakra Initiation held in Bodhgaya back in 2003. Over 150,000 people attended this rare event in order to obtain empowerment to practice the tantric ritual as a path towards enlightenment. In essence what you are looking at is a mandala made of fire (as opposed to the usual sand representation), which initiates can physically traverse through while reciting the appropriate mantras and performing prostrations.

The Kalachakra or "Wheel of Time" mandala is a symbolic representation of the universe, both the physical exterior one, and the mental landscape within our own minds. As a practice, it is one of the most complex in the Buddhist lexicon, requiring intense concentration and mental discipline. The intention is to advance world peace with an understanding that there is no separation between the practitioner and the world around him/her. Violence is transmuted, illusions are destroyed, and harmful ego transformed into humble compassion for all beings, and a commitment to eliminate suffering.

The ritual developed in 874 B.C. because King Suchanandra requested a specific teaching from the Buddha that would allow him to practice the Dharma fully, and attain enlightenment without becoming a full renunciate. The Buddha responded by giving this Kalachakra teaching, and delivering the Prajnaparamita sutras simultaneously.

You can find a detailed explanation of the symbology involved HERE.

And here is a computer-generated representation of the mandala in 3D, which the practitioner attempts to visualize while meditating: