THE MIRROR OF NOWNESS: THE LEGACY OF THE RIGDEN KINGS OF SHAMBHALA

FOREWORD

The core of what follows is an account of the thirty-two rulers of the legendary Kingdom of Shambhala. The first eight were titled Dharma Kings and the latter twenty-five titled Rigdens or ‘Caste Holders’. The eighth Dharma King, Manjusrikirti-Yasas was responsible for the change of social arrangements resulting in the change of title.

The Kingdom of Shambhala is said to have three aspects first as a pure realm, secondly as a real though seldom seen place on the earth, and thirdly as an essential part of human nature. Thus Shambhala is the fruition, path and ground of the social manifestation of enlightened mind.

Only four of its rulers are spoken of as having manifested directly in human historical time: Sucandra, Pundarika, Manjusrikirti-Yasas, and the future twenty-fifth Rigden, Raudracakrin. The rest are known only by the description of their outer appearance in the Kingdom of Shambhala and by the description of their inner manifestation in Sambhogakaya form.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of those who dwell in pure realms is that their compassion can manifest anywhere, uncircumscribed by the concepts of space and time. Thus the inner descriptions of the rulers of Shambhala portray the aspects of enlightenment which they display and which radiate during their reign throughout the human world. Through their complex forms, colors, attributes and atmospheres, the rulers of Shambhala manifest the mind of timelessness in the world of time and move in the hearts of all human beings.



THE RADIANT SUCCESSION OF THE LORDS OF KALAPA:
THE COSMIC MIRROR

1

In the all-pervasive pure immensity of primordial space,
The limitless, the timeless;
Space before stillness, time before occurrence,
The signless, the directionless, the gateless;
In this realm which neither appears nor disappears;
Space without other, ground without path, the primordial mandala
Is pure presence, is pure reality itself.

Now
Without beginning,
Now
Without end,
The cosmic mirror
Is the spontaneous expanse of infinite space.

The first moment without the second,
The cosmic mirror is primordial nowness.


2

Now,
Radiating within the space beyond space and the time beyond time,
Everywhere and simultaneously

Now,
Light before illumination and shadow;
Luminosity inseparable from bliss,
The radiance of all, bliss of all:
The self-luminous blazes as gates of light.

Now
Without logic or consequence,
Sight, sound smell, taste and touch
Shine
Free from the limits of perceiver, perception or consciousness.

This is the all-encompassing radiance
Of the cosmic mirror.


3

Now,
As a bolt of lightning, as a sharp cry
All the wisdom of the cosmic mirror
Condenses.

A sudden dot,
Vibrant, alive, awake,
Pulses in the infinite expanse of luminous space.

Now is the all pervasive life
Of vision, tenderness and courage.

The Kingdom of Shambhala
Rises beyond time
Complete, Brilliant and all pervasive
In every instant.



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.


THE RADIANT SUCCESSION OF THE LORDS OF KALAPA:
THE KALAPA COURT

1


At the center of the Kingdom of Shambhala,
Like silver anthers rising amid golden lotus petals,
A towering ring of crystal mountains rises
Formed from time frozen by concepts of eternalism and nihilism.

Theses glittering peaks surround a lofty circular green plateau,
The great park of Malaya, adorned with turquoise lakes and crystal streams.
Glades of juniper, tamarisk, bamboo, and rhododendron perfume the air.
Here stands the mandala of Kalachakra,
Surrounded by the mandalas of the eight gods, the eight Naga kings,
The protectors of the ten directions,
The nine great destroyers, the gods of the eight planets,
The twenty-eight stars, and innumerable other protector deities.

At the center of Malaya, arising in the spontaneous heart of nowness,
Is the ultimate court of primordial time,
Kalapa, "The Timely”, the capital of Shambhala,
Glowing with an intense radiance that fills the whole of space.

Here dwell the Earth Protectors and Rigdens
Who rule over all Shambhala
And radiate the heart of all true human law.

Kalapa is a vast square with high bright ruby walls
Surmounted by golden balustrades.
Its four gates are made from sapphire, yellow diamond, ruby and emerald.
Within the walls are the inner gates and courtyards paved with white opal.
In the center, on a platform of pearl, is a great palace, the Kalapa Court.
It is made of gold and looms nine stories high
With pillars and beams made of cinnabar, silver, coral and gzi.
Its floors are ebony, sandalwood and cedar.
It's moldings are made of silver and liquid gold,
And its roof and the floor of its throne room
Are made from crystal plates that radiate heat.
Its roof is surmounted by victory banners and a gold dharmachakra.
Garlands of gold and pearl hang from its eaves.
The luster of the palace is so great that it dims the sun and moon,
And the sky above the palace shines like a sparkling sea.

Also within the ruby walls of Kalapa, surrounding the central palace
Are thirty-one smaller pavilions built in the same way.
Each is surrounded by gardens and streams.
The sound of chimes and the scent of flowers fill the air.

Here dwell of the Rulers of Shambhala,
The seven Earth Protector Dharma Rajahs and twenty-five Rigdens.

The Rulers of Shambhala appear directly from the heart of the cosmic mirror
As nowness pervades the endless succession of time.
As timelessness pierces the endless stream of cause and effect,
The rulers of Shambhala follow one after another
Just as the sun moves across the sky.
Thus primordial time radiates within the realm of time
As ruler, as guide, as sustenance, as vision.

2

Inseparable from the fabric of the vast and minute cycles of time itself,
The thirty-two Lords of Kalapa
Move slowly across the luminous court yard.
Each in turn dwells in each of the thirty-two pavilions of Kalapa.
Each in succession appears in rulership,
Resolving, one into the other,
As the many rays and aspects resolve into a single blazing sun.
The True Law of the human realm
Resounds with their foot-fall.
Time unfolds as the vowels and consonants
Weave the binding of the senses and elements
To the pervasive unwavering blue light of Samantabhadra.

Thus the mind of the rulers shines in light.
The mood of their command colors the sky.
Their deeds are the dance of the elements.

The sun and moon are their wisdom display,
The stars and planets show their path,
The four seasons are their law
In order that confidence blaze like a prairie fire
In the hearts of all men, women and children.

In order to show the law inherent in the movements of the human,
The Lords of Kalapa, the Rulers of Shambhala
Appear in the Kalapa Court,
One after the other;
Appear in slow procession
And the whole of time resounds from their footsteps.

So
Through the blessings of the elements and ayatanas,
The Kingdom of Shambhala appears
As living reality on the very face of this earth,
Alive in every breath, sound, mood, season, hour and instant.