The Light Blazing King – Beezone Library

The Light Blazing King

The central figure is the Buddha Amitabha (Tibetan: ‘od-dpag-med) seated in vajraparyank-asana on a lotus throne (Tibetan: pad-gdan). This Buddha land is a representation of the Western Paradise (Sanskrit: Sukhavati; Tibetan: bde-ba-can) described as follows: “The luxuriant and majestic Dharma palaces and sutra halls are spread out like stars in the sky, embellished by the fresh flowers and green water between them. Seven Bodhi trees encircle the realm”. In this ultimately auspicious and splendid realm, “fragrances and colours are beyond compare”. To the left and right of the main figure are the Eight Great Bodhisattvas surrounded by the Thirteen Buddhas who are derived from Amitabha and who inhabit the Dharma palaces. The Thirteen Buddhas represent the different names of Amitabha Buddha: Buddha of Infinite Life, Buddha of Boundless Light, Buddha of Light Without Obstruction, Incomparable Buddha of Light, Blazing King of Light Buddha, Buddha of Pure Light, Ecstatic Buddha of Light, Wisdom (prajna) Buddha of Light, Buddha of Unceasing Light, Inconceivable Buddha of Light, Buddha of Light with No Name, and Buddha of Light Surpassing the Sun and Moon – Hong Kong Heritage Museum Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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The following work of Yoshiro Imaeda, ‘The Cycle of Birth and Death’, taken from THE TIBETAN ASSIMILATION OF BUDDHISM, MATTHEW T. KAPSTEIN OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 2000 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

There is a Light Blazing King,

Glorious with five hundred ornaments,

Magnificent to see.

He appears just as you think him.

Just as you wish him to be,

With magic ornaments,

Of a thousand kinds.

The following tale is about the hope to remain alive forever. The lord of this realm, Light Blazing King, dwelt in the heavenly mansion of Exalted Light, Radiating with fine light, unbearable to behold. All those dwelling, above and below, Appeared there as if in a mirror. The windows are adorned with sun and moon; It is a fine place, a happy dwelling—-no end to what can be said! All wealth appears just as you think it— All of it is magical stuff! His body is as if blazing with golden light, And his thousand sons and retinue of ten thousand relations, Thus appearing with magical power, All hope to remain this way forever!

The Story/poem continues:

“Having discovered the existence of birth and of death, I’ve not found what’s of use. If you wish to inquire about the principle of birth and death, Then [depart] from here, by goodness.

There is the Lord of the Gods, Wizard of the Three Realms, Who is a very great and venerable wizard; It would be best to ask and inquire of him.” This was explained most perspicaciously, And then the son of the gods, Precious Jewel, Moved with respect by his father’s woe Thought not at all of happy realms.

Striving to examine the principle of birth and death, With a retinue of many skilled in wizardry, He went off to [to seek out that] wizard, Not recalling at all the way home.

The Light Blazing King

There is a Light Blazing King
Glorious with five hundred ornaments
Magnificent to see
He appears just as you think him
Just as you wish him to be
With magic ornaments
Of a thousand kinds
Each made of a thousand jewels
The whole blazing with many colors
Decorated with flaming garlands
Wearing celestial robes
Garlands of wish-fulfilling gems
The finest necklace and diadems
Dancing as he likes
With wondrous magical feats
In a realm where all appears
Just as you imagine

Cycle Two: The Ten Thousand Sons

This Light Blazing King
Dwells in a house
With doors of the finest precious gems
With sun and moon adorned windows
And mirrors of the eight forms
His throne is made of crystal
He is fanned by fans
Held by sons of his own body
Ten thousand sons
Each with his own color
Each with his own form
Yet each born from the same desire
All singing his praise
He laughs with bliss
Unaware of death
Thinking his realm is eternal
But suddenly a sound rings out
From a far-off place
A cracking and shattering
As his palace collapses
His sons disappear
And he sees his own image vanish
From the mirror of form

Cycle Three: The Mirror Breaks

Suddenly the Light Blazing King
Is surrounded by darkness
The light has gone
The joy has ceased
The forms are broken
And he is cast down
He sees then
A wizard standing
Outside all this show
Named Dutara
Who laughs gently
And says:
“All this was conjured
By the mind’s display
You were dreaming
A beautiful dream
But it was a dream
The palace, the sons, the throne, the jewels—
They are thoughts
And thoughts pass
You were trapped in the mirror
Of your own light
This is the realm
Of birth and death”
Then the Light Blazing King
Bows his head
And is silent

The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism: Conversion, Contestation, and Memory

Beezone Commentary

The Light Blazing King is a mythic or allegorical figure that appears in this passage as the ruler of a resplendent divine realm—a heavenly domain filled with magical radiance, beauty, and apparent immortality. In traditional Tibetan Buddhist literature, such figures often symbolize a type of god-being (deva) residing in one of the higher celestial realms, specifically within the form or desire realms (rūpa-loka or kāma-loka).

Here’s a deeper interpretive reading:

Symbol of Divine Attachment and Illusion

The Light Blazing King, though appearing to be a luminous and eternal being surrounded by wealth and glory, is ultimately subject to impermanence. His kingdom is described as a mirror-like, magically constructed realm—entirely dependent on mental formations (“All wealth appears just as you think it”). This points to the illusory nature of even the highest heavens in Buddhist cosmology.

When his life ends, he is shocked, unable to understand why such splendor could decay. His bewilderment, and that of his sons and retinue, underscores a key Buddhist teaching: even gods are subject to saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death).

Representative of Beings in Higher Realms

In the Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism, stories like this often illustrate a broader message: no realm, no matter how elevated, is exempt from impermanence. The Light Blazing King may therefore represent any being caught in the delusion of permanence and self—even among the most seemingly divine or spiritually accomplished.

A Cautionary Archetype

This figure also serves as a cautionary tale for aspirants: to not become enamored with psychic powers, visions, or blissful states that may arise in meditative practice. As Adi Da (and similarly Ram Dass) warned, the subtle realms can become traps if one is not rooted in truth or real understanding of the transient nature of all phenomena.

Illusion of Completion in the Radiant Realm

The Light Blazing King presides over a realm described as filled with radiant light, golden forms, and magical appearances. This parallels the Sixth Stage as Adi Da defines it, where the practitioner may enter states of:

Formless light
Infinite bliss
Dissolution of egoic identity into subtler fields of awareness

However, Adi Da insists this is not final realization—it’s still within the domain of the conditional self. The king’s shock at death reflects precisely what Adi Da warns of: those attached to these subtle attainments mistake them for Reality, only to be devastated by their inevitable dissolution.

“The attainment of Nirvikalpa Samadhi is not Enlightenment. It is the last and greatest of all illusions.” – Adi Da Samraj

Ignorance of the Cycle

The Great Wizard Dutara tells the gods:

“All of you are sullied with ignorance!… This is called the principle of birth and death.”

This matches Adi Da’s emphasis that all conditions—even divine and formless ones—are part of the great cycle of appearance and disappearance, which he refers to as “the search” and “the cosmic play of egoic illusion.”

In the Sixth Stage, there is a refined detachment from gross identity, yet the root presumption of separateness—especially the presumption of subtle, formless awareness as Reality—is still active.

The True Seventh Stage Gesture

Precious Jewel, the son of Light Blazing King, is dissatisfied with partial realization, and seeks a deeper truth by going beyond the known realms. He sets off, not recalling the way home.

This reflects what Adi Da identifies as the rare transition to the Seventh Stage of Life, marked by:

The transcendence of all conditional states
The Realization of the Condition that is always already the case
The Radical (root) understanding of the self-contraction

In Adi Da’s terms, Precious Jewel begins the “searchless Beholding” that characterizes true Realization—moving beyond realms, archetypes, and even the brilliance of “light.”

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From The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation, several passages resonate deeply with themes from The Light Blazing King. Here are some direct connections:

1. Illusory Appearances and the Realm of Light

The poem’s central theme—that of a radiant but impermanent realm created by mind—mirrors the Book’s emphasis on phenomena as projections of mind. A section of the text states:

“All phenomenal appearances are but the display of the void-nature of mind… Like a dream, a magical illusion, or a mirage…”

This directly parallels the conjured, wish-fulfilling realm of the Light Blazing King, who rules over a palace “just as you imagine,” only to watch it vanish.

2. The Mirror as Metaphor

In Cycle Three, the King sees “his own image vanish / From the mirror of form.” This image aligns with the teaching:

“When the mind looks into its own nature, it sees no form; it is like a mirror reflecting nothing.”

The poem and the Book both use the mirror to expose the non-substantial, reflective nature of experience—emphasizing that what we see is not inherently real.

3. The Teacher Figure – Dutara and the Guru

Dutara, who appears in the final cycle as a figure of truth who awakens the King, resembles the role of the guru or liberating teacher in the Tibetan tradition. The Book proclaims:

“The guru appears to liberate the mind from its false projections and reveal its intrinsic purity.”

Dutara’s gentle laugh and truth-telling embody this function: not as judge, but as revealer.

4. Birth and Death as Cycles of Dream

Dutara says: “This is the realm of birth and death.” The Book often calls this realm “the round of birth and death”, a cyclical illusion powered by karmic mind:

“Samsara is but the turning of the wheel of thought; cease thought, and you shall cease birth and death.”