from THE MIRROR OF NOWNESS- THE KINGDOM OF SHAMBHALA AND THE KALAPA COURT

THE RADIANT SUCCESSION OF THE LORDS OF KALAPA:
THE KINGDOM OF SHAMBHALA


1

Floating on the radiance of nowness
In the infinite circle of the cosmic mirror,
The Kingdom of Shambhala appears as a pure realm.
The Kingdom of Shambhala appears on the face of this earth.
The Kingdom of Shambhala appears as the secret form of the human heart.

Because Shambhala is nowness,
It is all pervasive as basic goodness.
Because Shambhala does not rely on confirmation,
It expands as the vastness of the ayatanas.
Because Shambhala vaults over the apparent opposition of phenomena,
It rises as the power of wind horse.
Because Shambhala is timeless
It is always appropriate,
Because Shambhala is self-fulfilling,
It is awake in the primordial stroke.
It posses the spontaneous confidence of Lion, Tiger, Garuda, Dragon.


2


Luminous, immense, verdant, stately and eternal,
The Kingdom of Shambhala is hidden.
A towering range of impenetrable, glistening snow-mountains,
Formed from time
Frozen by the anger, lust and ignorance of egoistic fixation,
Completely surrounds it.

Within this circular ice mountain wall,
The Kingdom of Shambhala, "Held by the Source of Happiness", opens
In the shape of vast lotus with eight petals.

The melting waters of Shambhala’s mountains
Form eight cold blue racing streams
Which enrich its fields and forests
And mark the boundaries of the Kingdom’s eight provinces.

In each province, farms, forests, lakes and towns
Adorn the land, as dew in sunlight
Sparkles on a lotus' outstretched petals.

This is the land where the intrinsic sacredness
Of humanity has never been lost,
And is always whole.

The births of all who dwell here are free of pain.
Following the ways of their ancestors and the guidance of elders,
They are raised according to the inner path of meditation,
And cultivate the outer paths of art and warrior discipline.
Their manner is dignified, direct and considerate,
And their lives are untouched by sickness, hunger, unhappiness or poverty.
Both men and women are true warriors,
But live the lives of ordinary householders.
Their life spans last a hundred years,
And they view their deaths with equanimity
As no different from the transitions of life.
(1&2)
Their confidence and kindness
Appear in the ordinary human realm
As galaxies of stars in the dark of night.

In each province, as on the apex of a lotus petal’s gentle curve,
Sits a glittering capital city.
In the east is The Proud One; in the southeast, The Vast Field;
In the south, the Secret; in the west, The Flexible One;
In the northwest, The Happy One; in the north, The Originating One;
And in the northeast, The Radiant One.

In the gleaming inner courts of these capitals
Reside the Lords of Shambhala,
The father and mother lineages of dralas.
Their minds do not stray from nowness.
They are gentle and fearless.
By speech and symbol,
They expand the luminous, vast perception of nowness
Unrestricted by the limits of conventional thought.
Their brilliance blazes through the realm of human time
As protectors, as mountain gods and goddesses of lakes,
As non-dual sudden wakefulness.