For the past year, Cynthia Moku, master thangka painter, has worked closely with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche to capture his vision and image of the Primordial Rigden, the central image of the Shambhala refuge tree.

After months of preliminary drawings, interviews, and meetings with the Sakyong, Cynthia spent nearly eight hours a day, over a period of ten months executing the composition and iconography they had discussed.

The original thangka now hangs in Kalapa Valley , Nova Scotia . It measures 760mm x 990mm. It is antique silk mounted on cotton canvas. To achieve the unique and vibrant colors we see, the artist ground and mixed her own pigments in the traditional method, which has been used by generations of thangka painters.

The Primordial Rigden embodies the magical heart of Shambhala – the brilliant and peaceful presence of basic goodness and enlightened rulership. It is the central image in the Shambhala refuge tree.