Kings of Shambhala
Encyclopedia
In the Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana
Buddhist tradition, there are thirty-two Kings of Shambhala
, a mythical kingdom.
The first notable king of Shambhala
, King Suchandra
(sometimes wrongly Sanskritized as "Chandrabhadra," Tib. Dawa Sangpo), was the one who requested teaching from the Buddha
. In response to his request, the Buddha gave the first Kalachakra
root tantra. By practicing the Kalachakra the whole of Shambhala became an enlightened society, with Suchandra as the ruler. He was followed by an additional six Dharmarajas (Truth Kings). His eighth successor, Manjushri Yashas (sometimes wrongly Sanskritized as "Manjushrikirti"), was the first to be known as the Kalki King (Tib. Rigden, wylie: rigs ldan), to be followed by 24 more leading up to the present day.
2) Devendra (Tib. Lhayi Wang) (876-776 BC) - Fond of Sentient Beings
3) Tejasvin (Tib. Ziji Chän) (776-676 BC) Bearer of the Dharma Wheel and the Auspicious Conch
4) Somadatta (Tib. Dawä Jin) (676-576) Lord of Speakers
5) Deveshvara/Sureshvara (Tib. Lhaji Wangchug) (576-476) Destroyer of the City of Delusion
6) Vishvamurti (Tib. Natshog Zug) (476-376) Conqueror of False Leaders, Holding a Lotus
7) Sureshana (Tib. Lhayi Wangdän) (376-276) Cutter of Delusion, Uprooter of Karma and Klesha
are known as Kalki
kings (Tib. Rigden, wylie: rigs ldan). Kalki means "Holder of the Castes." The Kalki King is said to reside on a "lion throne" in Kalapa, the capital city of the Kingdom. They are holders of the Kalachakra
(Wheel of Time) teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, passed down from the original seven Dharmarajas of Shambhala.
The Kalki have often been erroneously termed "Kulika" by Tibetan Buddhist scholars unfamiliar with the original Sanskrit texts, as Buddhist scholar John R. Newman explains:
.
2) Pundarika (Tib. Pema Karpo) (176-76 BCE) - White Lotus, Cherished by the Lord of Potala. King Pundarika wrote a commentary called "Vimalaprabha" (Skt.) or "Stainless Light." This text, together with the Sri Kalachakra, is the source text of the Kalachakra system as it is now practiced. Other practice texts are commentaries on these two. The Dalai Lamas are said to be incarnations of Pundarika.
3) Bhadra (Tib. Zangpo) (76 BC -227 CE) One who Rules by the Thousand-spoked Wheel
4) Vijaya (Tib. Nampar Gyäl) (227-327) - Attractor of Wealth, Victorious in War
5) Sumitra (Tib. Shenyen Zangpo) (327-427)- Integrator of Method and Wisdom, Victorious over Samsara
6) Raktapani (Tib. Rinchen Chag) (427-527) Holder of the Blissful Vajra and Bell
7) Vishnugupta (Tib. Kyabjug Bäpa) (527-627) Smiling Holder of the Trident and Rosary
8) Suryakirti (Tib. Nyima Drag) (627-727) Annihilator of Wild Demons
9) Subhadra (Tib. Shintu Zangpo) (727-827) Holder of the Sword and Shield
10) Samudra Vijaya (Tib. Gyatso Namgyäl) (827-927) Annihilator of all types of Devils
11) Aja (Tib. Gyälka) (927-1027) Who binds with Unbreakable Iron Chains
12) Surya/Suryapada, (Tib. (Wonang) Nyima) (1027-1127) All-Pervading, Radiant Jewel Light
13) Vishvarupa (Tib. Natshog Zug(chän)) (1127-1227) Holder of the Vajra Prod and Noose
14) Shashiprabha (Also Sasiprabha or Chandraprabha, Tib. Dawäi Ö) (1227-1327) Lord of Secret Mantras, Holder of the Wheel and Conch
15) Ananta, Thayä (Tib. Nyen) (1327-1427) Holder of the Mallet that Crushes False Ideas
16) Shripaala or Parthiva (1427-1527) Holder of the Cleaver that Cuts the Bonds of Ignorance
17) Shripala (Tib. Pälkyong) (1527-1627) - Annihilator of the Host of Demons
18) Singha (Tib. Senge) (1627 -1727) Who Stuns the Elephant with his Vajra
19) Vikranta (Tib. Nampar Nön) (1727 - 1827) Subduer of the Mass of Foes, the Inner and Outer Classes of Devils
20) Mahabala (Tib. Tobpo Che) (1827 - 1927) Tamer of all False Leaders by Means of the Sound of Mantra
21) Aniruddha (Tib. Magakpa) (1927-2027) - Who Draws and Binds the Entire Three Worlds. Aniruddha, the present Kalki king, was prophesied to rule in a time when Vajrayana Buddhism and the Kalachakra is nearly extinguished.
22) Narasingha (Tib. Miyi Senge) (2027-2127) Ruling by the Wheel, Holding the Conch
23) Maheshvara (Tib. Wangchug Che) (2127-2227) Victorious over the Armies of Demons
24) Anantavijaya (Tib. Thaye Namgyäl) (2227-2327) Holder of the vajra and Bell
25) Raudra Chakrin (Tib. Trakpo Chakkhorchen) (2327 to ? ) Forceful Wheel Holder. The Kalki king prophesied to appear to humans all over the world in 2424 to defeat the degenerate world rulers, establishing a planet-wide Golden Age. He is the last king prophesied in the Kalachakra.
believe them to be intimately connected to the Kalki kings, dedicated to propagating the wisdom of Shambhala in the rest of the world. The term "Sakyong" literally means "earth-protector" in Tibetan, although it is colloquially understood to mean "king." This lineage is passed down as a family lineage.
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
Buddhist tradition, there are thirty-two Kings of Shambhala
Shambhala
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala or Shangri-la is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia...
, a mythical kingdom.
The first notable king of Shambhala
Shambhala
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala or Shangri-la is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia...
, King Suchandra
Suchandra
According to Indian and Tibetan legend, King Suchandra of the northeastern Indian Kingdom of Shambhala was the one who requested teaching from the Buddha that would allow him to practice the dharma without renouncing his worldly enjoyments and responsibilities...
(sometimes wrongly Sanskritized as "Chandrabhadra," Tib. Dawa Sangpo), was the one who requested teaching from the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. In response to his request, the Buddha gave the first Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
root tantra. By practicing the Kalachakra the whole of Shambhala became an enlightened society, with Suchandra as the ruler. He was followed by an additional six Dharmarajas (Truth Kings). His eighth successor, Manjushri Yashas (sometimes wrongly Sanskritized as "Manjushrikirti"), was the first to be known as the Kalki King (Tib. Rigden, wylie: rigs ldan), to be followed by 24 more leading up to the present day.
The Seven Dharmarajas (Tib. Chogyal)
1) Suchandra (Tib. Dawa Sangpo) c. 900 to 876 BC. Note: the Kalachakra calculations put the life of Shakyamuni Buddha quite a bit earlier than is generally accepted, and the Tibetans produced a number of divergent calculations of the dates given here. Also, many of the names of the kings are often wrongly Sanskritized (back-translated from the Tibetan) in Western publications.2) Devendra (Tib. Lhayi Wang) (876-776 BC) - Fond of Sentient Beings
3) Tejasvin (Tib. Ziji Chän) (776-676 BC) Bearer of the Dharma Wheel and the Auspicious Conch
4) Somadatta (Tib. Dawä Jin) (676-576) Lord of Speakers
5) Deveshvara/Sureshvara (Tib. Lhaji Wangchug) (576-476) Destroyer of the City of Delusion
6) Vishvamurti (Tib. Natshog Zug) (476-376) Conqueror of False Leaders, Holding a Lotus
7) Sureshana (Tib. Lhayi Wangdän) (376-276) Cutter of Delusion, Uprooter of Karma and Klesha
The Twenty-Five Kalki (Tib. Rigden)
The most recent 25 of the 32 Kings of ShambhalaShambhala
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala or Shangri-la is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia...
are known as Kalki
Kalki
In Hinduism, Kalki is the tenth and final Maha Avatar of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time...
kings (Tib. Rigden, wylie: rigs ldan). Kalki means "Holder of the Castes." The Kalki King is said to reside on a "lion throne" in Kalapa, the capital city of the Kingdom. They are holders of the Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
(Wheel of Time) teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, passed down from the original seven Dharmarajas of Shambhala.
.. . so far no one seems to have examined the Sanskrit Kalachakra texts. The Buddhist myth of the Kalkis of Shambhala derives from the Hindu Kalki of Shambhala myths contained in the MahabharataMahabharataThe Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
and the PuranasPuranasThe Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
. The VimalaprabhaVimalaprabhaVimalaprabha means 'Stainless Light Commentary', or 'Dri-med ‘od' , it is a commentary to the Kalachakra tantra, more specifically, the Laghutantra or Abridged Kalachakra Tantra from Shambhala King Manjushri-Yashas...
even refers to the Kalkipuranam, probably the latest of the upapuranaUpapuranaThe Upapuranas are a genre of Hindu religious texts consisting of a large number of compilations differentiated from the Mahapuranas by styling them as secondary Puranas by using a disparaging prefix Upa...
s. This relationship has been obscured by western scholars who have reconstructed the Tibetan translation term rigs ldan as "Kulika." Although Tibetan rigs ldan is used to translate the Sankrit kulika in other contexts, here it always represents Sanskrit kalkin (possessive of kalkah; I have used the nomininative kalki).
Kalki
1) Yashas (Tib. Jampal Trakpa; "Manjushri Yashas") - King Yashas is said to have lived in the second century BCE. He put the Kalachakra teachings in a condensed and simplified form called the "Sri Kalachakra" or "Laghutantra". He also converted a group of non-Buddhist Brahman priests of Shambhala to Buddhism and gave them the Kalachakra initiation, thereby uniting all inhabitants into one "vajra caste," or family of tantric practitioners. He said to have predicted the coming of "barbarian Dharma" after 800 years (about 600 CE), which indicates a form of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
2) Pundarika (Tib. Pema Karpo) (176-76 BCE) - White Lotus, Cherished by the Lord of Potala. King Pundarika wrote a commentary called "Vimalaprabha" (Skt.) or "Stainless Light." This text, together with the Sri Kalachakra, is the source text of the Kalachakra system as it is now practiced. Other practice texts are commentaries on these two. The Dalai Lamas are said to be incarnations of Pundarika.
3) Bhadra (Tib. Zangpo) (76 BC -227 CE) One who Rules by the Thousand-spoked Wheel
4) Vijaya (Tib. Nampar Gyäl) (227-327) - Attractor of Wealth, Victorious in War
5) Sumitra (Tib. Shenyen Zangpo) (327-427)- Integrator of Method and Wisdom, Victorious over Samsara
6) Raktapani (Tib. Rinchen Chag) (427-527) Holder of the Blissful Vajra and Bell
7) Vishnugupta (Tib. Kyabjug Bäpa) (527-627) Smiling Holder of the Trident and Rosary
8) Suryakirti (Tib. Nyima Drag) (627-727) Annihilator of Wild Demons
9) Subhadra (Tib. Shintu Zangpo) (727-827) Holder of the Sword and Shield
10) Samudra Vijaya (Tib. Gyatso Namgyäl) (827-927) Annihilator of all types of Devils
11) Aja (Tib. Gyälka) (927-1027) Who binds with Unbreakable Iron Chains
12) Surya/Suryapada, (Tib. (Wonang) Nyima) (1027-1127) All-Pervading, Radiant Jewel Light
13) Vishvarupa (Tib. Natshog Zug(chän)) (1127-1227) Holder of the Vajra Prod and Noose
14) Shashiprabha (Also Sasiprabha or Chandraprabha, Tib. Dawäi Ö) (1227-1327) Lord of Secret Mantras, Holder of the Wheel and Conch
15) Ananta, Thayä (Tib. Nyen) (1327-1427) Holder of the Mallet that Crushes False Ideas
16) Shripaala or Parthiva (1427-1527) Holder of the Cleaver that Cuts the Bonds of Ignorance
17) Shripala (Tib. Pälkyong) (1527-1627) - Annihilator of the Host of Demons
18) Singha (Tib. Senge) (1627 -1727) Who Stuns the Elephant with his Vajra
19) Vikranta (Tib. Nampar Nön) (1727 - 1827) Subduer of the Mass of Foes, the Inner and Outer Classes of Devils
20) Mahabala (Tib. Tobpo Che) (1827 - 1927) Tamer of all False Leaders by Means of the Sound of Mantra
21) Aniruddha (Tib. Magakpa) (1927-2027) - Who Draws and Binds the Entire Three Worlds. Aniruddha, the present Kalki king, was prophesied to rule in a time when Vajrayana Buddhism and the Kalachakra is nearly extinguished.
22) Narasingha (Tib. Miyi Senge) (2027-2127) Ruling by the Wheel, Holding the Conch
23) Maheshvara (Tib. Wangchug Che) (2127-2227) Victorious over the Armies of Demons
24) Anantavijaya (Tib. Thaye Namgyäl) (2227-2327) Holder of the vajra and Bell
25) Raudra Chakrin (Tib. Trakpo Chakkhorchen) (2327 to ? ) Forceful Wheel Holder. The Kalki king prophesied to appear to humans all over the world in 2424 to defeat the degenerate world rulers, establishing a planet-wide Golden Age. He is the last king prophesied in the Kalachakra.
The Kalkis and the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lamas are said to be incarnations of the second Kalki, Pundarika. The Second, Seventh and Fourteenth (present) Dalai Lamas are said to have particularly strong affinities to the Kalki kings, and the present Dalai Lama has offered the Kalachakra initiation thirty times thus far in his lifetime.The Lineage of Sakyong Kings
Followers of contemporary Tibetan Buddhist teachers Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his son Sakyong Mipham RinpocheSakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradul is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and Shambhala International, a worldwide network of urban Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, monasteries, a university, and other enterprises, founded by his father, the Buddhist teacher...
believe them to be intimately connected to the Kalki kings, dedicated to propagating the wisdom of Shambhala in the rest of the world. The term "Sakyong" literally means "earth-protector" in Tibetan, although it is colloquially understood to mean "king." This lineage is passed down as a family lineage.
See also
- Dalai Lamas
- KalachakraKalachakraKalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
- Kalki PuranaKalki PuranaThe Kalki Purana is a prophetic work in Sanskrit that details the life and times of Kalki, the tenth and final Dashavatara of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu...
- KalkiKalkiIn Hinduism, Kalki is the tenth and final Maha Avatar of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time...
- Panchen Lamas
- Sakyong Mipham RinpocheSakyong Mipham RinpocheSakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradul is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and Shambhala International, a worldwide network of urban Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, monasteries, a university, and other enterprises, founded by his father, the Buddhist teacher...
- ShambhalaShambhalaIn Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala or Shangri-la is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia...
- SuchandraSuchandraAccording to Indian and Tibetan legend, King Suchandra of the northeastern Indian Kingdom of Shambhala was the one who requested teaching from the Buddha that would allow him to practice the dharma without renouncing his worldly enjoyments and responsibilities...