Song Of Kalapa Valley Poem by Douglas Penick

This is the sacred ground which must be held.
The future of human dignity depends on this.


Imperial Kalapa, summit of Shambhala
Ringed by diamond peaks and snow mountains
Swathed amid lush gardens, turquoise lakes
Swirling amid winds
Sweet with the scents of juniper, ice and spring;
From here the myriad banners of the four dignities
Flutter and snap with a sharp crack
Like the sound of river ice thawing far off
Piercing all conventional self-absorption in the human realm.

The roofs of Kalapa, broad glittering slabs of crystal,
The roof beams of Kalapa, fragrant cedar and sandalwood
Adorned with rubies and sapphires
The pillars of Kalapa, ebony and cinnabar
Adorned with capitols of pure gold,
The walls of Kalapa, alabaster and marble,
The floors of Kalapa, polished mahogany and cypress,
The portals of cypress made of bronze and adorned with silver bells;
The luster of this palace, this wonder pervades the human realm.
It gleams in the pure nature of the six senses.
It overwhelms all poverty and hesitation.


Here, flowing through the iridescent panoply of time
Like the sun moving across the sky
Immovable yet shifting in every instant,
The one and the many undivided,
The Imperial Rigden sits on the eight lion throne of Kalapa
As if seated in the center of a great golden mirror.
This is the spontaneous wisdom of the human mind,
Deathless, pure, all embracing.
Its sword, its law, its song.


Whether you see this or not,
It is here.
It shimmers in the air above Kalapa Valley
It throbs in the earth of Kalapa Valley
It pulses in the hearts of those at Kalapa Valley.


This is the sacred ground which must be held.
The future of human dignity depends on this.


Whether you see this or not,
It is here.

Whether anyone sees this or not,
It is so.


This is the sacred ground which must be held.
The future of human dignity depends on this.
This is so.



*


Chodzin Paden, Magyel Pomra Sayi Dakpo, burning in the love of the Dorje Dradul of Mukpo Dong who is a living fire, sings this as full moon light floods the Great Tent of Magyel Pomra