2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar

The 2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar is, as calendars go, pretty nifty. It features an astrological forecast for each day of the year, determined by a combination of three factors: element combination, ruling conjunction, and auspicious combination. If you do not know what any of these things are, don’t worry; located at the end of the calendar, in the “About This” section, is a wonderfully constructed chart that explains what each astrological indicator is and how it affects a person’s daily life. The indicators are listed in both English and Tibetan, giving the calendar a nice cultural flare. There is also a key that tells one how to read all the information listed on each day’s calendar square, making it all very easy to use and understand. In addition, there are also a few paragraphs on Buddhism and Tibetan astrology that, while not deeply detailed, are still informative and educational.

Each month of the calendar features a drawing of an Arhat, a person who, in layman’s terms, is an elder in the Buddhist religion who has reached enlightenment. These particular drawings were done by the Seventeenth Karmapa Orgyen Trinley, a current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The sketches are very rudimentary with a minimum of lines and colors, but it is this very simplicity that gives them their charm.

One really wonderful thing about the calendar is that it marks Buddhist holidays, as well as the traditional Western ones for countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. All the astrological information is conveniently located at the bottom of the square for each day, leaving plenty of room to write in appointments, birthdays, reminders, and other important notes. This feature makes it useful as a functioning calendar, as well as an astrological chart.

The 2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar is created by Nitartha International and Nalandabodhi, two non-profit organizations which strive to preserve the traditions and culture of Tibet.

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