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In [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] tradition, '''Shambhala''' (also spelled '''Shambala''' or '''Shamballa''') is a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snowpeaks of the [[Himalayas]]. It is mentioned in various ancient texts, including the [[Kalachakra]] and the ancient texts of the [[Zhang Zhung]] culture which pre-dated Tibetan Buddhism in western [[Tibet]]. The [[Bön]] scriptures speak of a closely-related land called [[Olmolungring]].
'''Dokham''' ([[mdo khams]])


==Shambhala in the Buddhist Kalachakra Teachings==
*The eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau.
Shambhala ([[Wylie transliteration|Tib]]. ''bde 'byung'') is a [[Sanskrit]] term meaning "place of peace/tranquility/happiness". Shakyamuni [[Buddha]] is said to have taught the Kalachakra [[tantra]] on request of King [[Suchandra]] of Shambala; the teachings are also said to be preserved there. Shambhala is believed to be a society where all the inhabitants are enlightened, centered on a capital city called [[Kalapa]].  


Shambhala is ruled over by the [[Kulika]] King (Tib. ''Rigden''), a benevolent monarch who upholds the integrity of the Kalachakra [[tantra]]. Religious scholars believe that this figure developed out of the myth of the Hindu conqueror [[Kalki]], a similar personage. The Kalachakra prophesizes that when the world declines into war and greed, and all is lost, the twenty-fifth Kalika king will emerge from Shambhala with a huge army to vanquish the corrupt and usher in a worldwide [[Golden Age]]. <!-- Some scholars put this date at 2424 AD{{Citation needed}}. -->
[[Ü]] ([[dbus]]) - 1) center, middle, midst, amidst, core, central. 2) Central Tibet, a district in Tibet; ''Ü'' One of the two central provinces of Tibet, the other being [[Tsang]]. ([[gtsang]]). [RY]


As with many concepts in [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism, the idea of Shambhala is said to have an "outer," "inner,' and "secret" meaning. The outer meaning understands Shambhala to exist as a physical place, although only individuals with the appropriate [[karma]] can reach it and experience it as such. There are various ideas about where this society is located, but it is often placed in central Asia, north or west of Tibet. The inner and secret meanings refer to more subtle understandings of what Shambhala represents, and are generally passed on orally.
From ''[[The Light of Wisdom]]'', vol. 1, pg. 239, Note 134: For details of places [[Ngari]] ([[stod mnga' ri]]) and [[Dokham]] ([[mdo khams]]):  [[Mount Tisey]] surrounded by snow mountains, [[Gugey]] surrounded by slate mountains, and [[Purang]] surrounded by water are the [[Three Districts of Ngari]] in Upper Tibet, which were formed in the manner of a pond.  [[Lharu]] and [[Geru]] in [[Tsang]] ([[gtsang]]) and [[Yeru]] and [[Yönru]] ([[g.yon ru]]) in Central Tibet are the [[Four districts of Ü and Tsang]] in the middle, which were formed in the manner of an irrgation channel. The [[Six Ridges]] are [[Zalmo Ridge]], [[Tsawa Ridge]], [[Markham Ridge]], [[Menyag-rab Ridge]], [[Pobor Ridge]], and [[Mardza Ridge]].  The [[Four Rivers]] are [[Manchu]], [[Dzachu]], [[Drichu]], and [[Ngulchu]].  These are the [[Six Ridges and Four Rivers]] of Lower [[Dokham]], which were formed in the manner of a plough furrow.  Thus it has been told.


==The Shambhala of Chogyam Trungpa==
It is also said that the [[Three Districts of Ngari]] in Upper Tibet in the manner of a warrior's battle axe, the [[Four Districts of Ü and Tsang]] in the middle were formed in the manner of a precious gold belt, and the [[Six Ridges and Four Rivers]] of Lower [[Dokham]] were formed in the manner of a beautiful lining of plush silk. ([[JOKYAB]])
Although [[Chogyam Trungpa]] came out of the [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] tradition, in his teachings Shambhala vision has its own independent basis in human wisdom that does not belong to East or West or any one culture or religion. Shambhala [[kingdom]] is seen as [[enlightenment| enlightened]] society that people of all faiths can aspire to and actually realize. The path to this is provocatively described as the practice of [[warrior|warriorship]] — meeting fear and transcending aggression, and of [[secular]] [[sacred|sacredness]] — joining the wisdom of the past and one's own culture with the present in nowness.


==The Shambhalas of the Zhang Zhung and the Mongols==
[[Category: Key Terms]][[Category: Teachings]][[Category: Tibet]][[Category: Sacred Sites]]
Ancient [[Zhang Zhung]] texts identify Shambhala with the [[Sutlej Valley]] in  [[Himachal Pradesh]]. [[Mongolia]]ns identify Shambala with certain valleys of southern [[Siberia]].
 
==Western Fascination with Shambhala==
The Western fascination with Shambhala has often been based upon fragmented accounts of the Kalachakra tradition, or outright fabrications. Tibet was largely closed to outsiders until very recently, and so what information was available about the tradition of Shambhala was haphazard at best.
 
The first information that reached western civilization about Shambhala came from a [[Portugal | Portuguese]] [[Jesuit]] priest and explorer, [[Estêvão Cacella]], in early 17th century.
 
During the nineteenth century, [[Theosophy | Theosophical Society]] founder [[H.P. Blavatsky]] alluded to the Shambhala myth, giving it currency for Western [[occult]] enthusiasts. Later [[esotericism | esoteric]] writers further emphasized and elaborated on the concept of a hidden land inhabited by a hidden mystic brotherhood whose members labor for the good of humanity.
 
The mystic [[Nicholas Roerich]] and the Soviet agent [[Yakov Blumkin]] led two Tibetan expeditions to discover Shambhala, in [[1926]] and [[1928]].
 
===Shambhala in Nazism===
Beginning in the 1960s, various [[occult]] writers have sought to explain the evil of [[Nazism]] by suggesting [[Adolf Hitler]] tapped into the malevolent forces of Shambhala when he sent [[Ahnenerbe]] researchers to [[Tibet]] to measure [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] skulls as part of his [[master race]] justifications.
 
In [[neo-Nazism|Neo-Nazi]] mysticism, Shambhala is sometimes supposed to be the place to which Hitler fled after the fall of the [[Third Reich]]. Hitler was known to have an interest in the myth of Shambhala and in "eastern mysticism" generally, from which he appropriated the [[swastika]].
 
It is also believed that [[Josef Stalin]] organized an expedition to find Shambala.
 
===Western Esoteric Traditions===
Madame Blavatsky, who claimed to be in contact with a [[Great White Brotherhood|Great White Lodge]] of Himalayan Adepts, mentions Shambhala in several places without giving it especially great emphasis.  (The Mahatmas, we are told, are also active around [[Shigatse]] and [[Luxor]].) Blavatsky's Shambhala, like the headquarters of the Great White Lodge, is a physical location on our earth, albeit one which can only be penetrated by a worthy aspirant.
 
Later esoteric writers like [[Alice Bailey]] (the [[Arcane School]]) and the [[Agni Yoga]] of [[Nicholas Roerich|Nicholas]] and [[Helena Roerich]] do emphasize Shambhala.  Bailey transformed it into a kind of extradimensional or spiritual reality. The Roerichs see its existence as both spiritual and physical.
 
Related "hidden land" speculations surrounding the underground kingdom of [[Agartha]] led some early twentieth-century occultists to view Shambhala as a source of rather negative manipulation by an evil (or amoral) conspiracy. Nevertheless, the predominant theme is one of light and hope, as evidenced by [[James Redfield]]'s and [[Chogyam Trungpa]] Rinpoche's respective books by that name.
 
===Shambala in popular culture===
==== Movies ====
In the 2004 adventure movie ''[[Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow]]'', the two main characters make a journey in the city of Shamabala, hidden deep into the Himalayans.
 
====Television====
The series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues includes a visit to Shambhala, and Kwai-Chan Kane, one of the lead characters, is a "Shambhala master".
 
====Games====
In the computer game "Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine" Shambala is an old and nearly empty monastery in [[Kazakhstan]].
 
====Anime====
The [[Fullmetal Alchemist]] movie is titled ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa]]'', and touches upon the Nazis' fascination with the mythical place.
 
==== Books ====
*The myths of Shambhala were part of the inspiration for the story of [[Shangri-La]] told in the popular novel ''[[Lost Horizon]]'', and thus some people incorrectly assume that Shambhala is synonymous with Shangri-La.
 
*"The Secret of Shambhala: The Search for the Eleventh Insight" by James Redfield. In this non-fiction work Redfield describes his search for Shangri-La or Shambala and also details the significance of prayers and positive thoughts in our life.
 
==== Music====
* [[Three Dog Night]] has a song called "Shambala", on their ''Cyan'' album. "Shambala" was written and originally recorded by songwriter [[B.W. Stevenson]].
* The [[Rockapella]] musical group performed a cover of the above song, on their ''Smilin'' and ''Primer'' albums.
* The [[Beastie Boys]] have a song called "Shambala", on their ''Ill Communication'' album.
* The [[The Tibetan Song and Dance Troupe of Diqing]] has an album titled "Shambala is not far away."
* The [[Black Metal]] band [[Alpha Drone]] have a song called ''Shambala Serrano''.
* The horror-rap group [[Insane Clown Posse]] makes several references to Shambala in their "Joker's Cards" albums.
* The rap groups [[Jedi Mind Tricks]] and [[The Lost Children of Babylon]] often referenced Shambala in their early recordings.
 
==See also==
 
*[[Kalachakra]] - The Buddhist body of scripture which introduced Shambhala.
*[[Kings of Shambhala]] - A summary of the seven Dharmarajas and twenty-five Kulika Kings.
*[[Hyperborea]] - A mythical Greek land.
 
==External links==
*[http://www.berzinarchives.com/kalachakra/mistaken_foreign_myths_shambhala.html Berzin Archives article on foreign myths about Shambhala]
*[http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com Shambhala Music Festival]
*[[Chogyam Trungpa|Chogyam Trungpa's]] [http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/0-87773-264-7.cfm Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior]
 
[[Category:Buddhist mythology]]

Latest revision as of 02:22, 11 October 2007

Dokham (mdo khams)

  • The eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau.

Ü (dbus) - 1) center, middle, midst, amidst, core, central. 2) Central Tibet, a district in Tibet; Ü One of the two central provinces of Tibet, the other being Tsang. (gtsang). [RY]

From The Light of Wisdom, vol. 1, pg. 239, Note 134: For details of places Ngari (stod mnga' ri) and Dokham (mdo khams): Mount Tisey surrounded by snow mountains, Gugey surrounded by slate mountains, and Purang surrounded by water are the Three Districts of Ngari in Upper Tibet, which were formed in the manner of a pond. Lharu and Geru in Tsang (gtsang) and Yeru and Yönru (g.yon ru) in Central Tibet are the Four districts of Ü and Tsang in the middle, which were formed in the manner of an irrgation channel. The Six Ridges are Zalmo Ridge, Tsawa Ridge, Markham Ridge, Menyag-rab Ridge, Pobor Ridge, and Mardza Ridge. The Four Rivers are Manchu, Dzachu, Drichu, and Ngulchu. These are the Six Ridges and Four Rivers of Lower Dokham, which were formed in the manner of a plough furrow. Thus it has been told.

It is also said that the Three Districts of Ngari in Upper Tibet in the manner of a warrior's battle axe, the Four Districts of Ü and Tsang in the middle were formed in the manner of a precious gold belt, and the Six Ridges and Four Rivers of Lower Dokham were formed in the manner of a beautiful lining of plush silk. (JOKYAB)

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