{{Short description|Mythical kingdom in Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu tradition}} {{About|the mythical kingdom in Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism||Shambhala (disambiguation)}} {{Contains special characters|Indic}} {{Hinduism}} {{Vaishnavism}} {{Buddhism}} {{Tibetan Buddhism}}
'''Shambhala''' ({{langx|sa|शम्भल}}, {{IAST3|Śambhala}}),<ref name="MW">Śambhala m. (also written Sambhala): Name of a town (situated between the Rathaprā and Ganges, and identified by some with Sambhal in Moradabad; the town or district of Śambhala is fabled to be the place where Kalki, the last incarnation of Vishnu, is to appear in the family of a Brahman named Vishnu Yash) MBh. Hariv. Pur. (Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit-English Dictionary'', 1899).</ref> also spelled ''Shambala'' or ''Shamballa'' ({{bo|t=བདེ་འབྱུང|w=Bde'byung}}; {{zh|c=香巴拉|p=Xiāngbālā}}), is a spiritual kingdom in Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Shambhala is mentioned in the ''Kalachakra Tantra''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hiltebeitel |first=Alf |title=Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics |url= https://www.abundanceadvice.com/david-chandler-the-shambala-secret-review/ |year=1999 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-34050-0 |pages=217–218}}</ref><ref>The Tantra by Victor M. Fic, Abhinav Publications, 2003, p.49.</ref> <!-- and in the ancient Zhangzhung texts of western Tibet.{{cn}}--> The Bon scriptures speak of a closely related land called Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring.<ref>The Bon Religion of Tibet by Per Kavǣrne, Shambhala, 1996</ref>
The Sanskrit name is taken from the name of a city near the Ganges, sometimes identified with Sambhal in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, as mentioned in the Hindu Puranas.<ref name=MW/> The mythological relevance of the place originates with a prophecy in ''Vishnu Purana'' (4.24) according to which Shambhala will be the birthplace of Kalki, the next incarnation of Vishnu, who will usher in a new age (Satya Yuga);<ref name=MW/><ref name=Hindu>{{cite book |last=LePage |first=Victoria |title=Shambhala: The Fascinating Truth Behind the Myth of Shangri-La |year=1996 |publisher= Quest Books |isbn=978-0835607506 |pages=125–126 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUIum8H_9qgC}}</ref> and the prophesied ruling Kingdom of Maitreya, the future Buddha.<ref name=arch/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ia800908.us.archive.org/2/items/SHAMBHALA/SHAMBHALA_text.pdf|title=Shambala: Oasis of Light|first1=Andrew|last1=Tomas|year=1977|location=Manchester|publisher=The Philips Park Press}}</ref>
== Kalachakra tantra== {{Main|Kalachakra}} [[File:Rigdan Tagpa.jpg|thumb|Manjuśrīkīrti, King of Shambhala]]
Shambhala is ruled by the future Buddha Maitreya.<ref name=arch>{{cite book |title=Arch. orient |date=2003 |publisher=Nakl. Ceskoslovenské akademie věd. |pages=254, 261 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pb4TAQAAMAAJ&q=maitreya+shambhala |access-date=11 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Sh>{{cite book |last1=Roerich |first1=Nicholas |title=Shambhala |date=2003 |publisher=Vedams eBooks (P) Ltd |isbn=978-81-7936-012-5 |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRDUA5ZpNJsC&q=maitreya+shambhala&pg=PA65 |access-date=11 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The Shambhala narrative is found in the ''Kalachakra tantra'', a text of the group of the Anuttarayoga Tantras. Kalachakra Buddhism was presumably introduced to Tibet in the 11th century, the epoch of the Tibetan Kalachakra calendar. The oldest known teachers of Kalachakra are Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (d. 1361) and Buton Rinchen Drub (d. 1364).{{cn|date=November 2024}}
In the narrative, King Manjuśrīkīrti is said to have been born in 159 BC and ruled over a kingdom of 300,510 followers of the Mlechha religion, some of whom worshiped the Sun. He is said to have expelled 20,000 people from his domain who clung to Surya Samadhi (solar worship) rather than convert to Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) Buddhism. <!--These expelled Rishis, seers, sages and saints, who had realized truth and eternal knowledge exclaimed, "We want to remain true to our Sun-Chariot. We do not wish to give up our belief system to change to another." --> After realizing these were the wisest and best of his people and how much he was in need of them, he later asked them to return, and some did.<ref>Das, Sarat Chandra (1882). ''Contributions to the Religion and History of Tibet'', in ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'', Vol. LI. Reprint: Manjushri Publishing House, Delhi. 1970, pp. 81–2.</ref><ref>Edwin Bernbaum "The Way to Shambhala: A Search for the Mythical Kingdom Beyond the Himalayas" 1980 & Albert Grünwedel "Der Weg nach Shambhala" 1915</ref>
Those who did not return are said to have set up the city of Shambhala. Manjuśrīkīrti initiated the preaching of the ''Kalachakra'' teachings in order to try to convert those who returned and were still under his rule. In 59 BC he abdicated his throne to his son, Puṇḍārika, and died soon afterward, entering the Sambhogakaya of Buddhahood.<ref>Das, Sarat Chandra (1882). ''Contributions to the Religion and History of Tibet'', in ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'', Vol. LI. Reprint: Manjushri Publishing House, Delhi. 1970, pp. 81–2.</ref><ref>Edwin Bernbaum "The Way to Shambhala: A Search for the Mythical Kingdom Beyond the Himalayas" 1980 & Albert Grünwedel "Der Weg nach Shambhala" 1915</ref>
thumb|Portrait of an Alti Himalian Shaman. Detail from "A Sorceress from Tungusy" 1812–1813 by: E. Karnejeff
The Kalachakra tantra prophesies that when the world declines into war and greed, and all is lost, the 25th Kalki king Maitreya will emerge from Shambhala,<ref name=arch/><ref name=Sh/> with a huge army to vanquish Dark Forces and usher in a worldwide Golden Age. This final battle is prophesied for the year 2424 or 2425 (in the 3304th year after the death of the Buddha). Thereafter, Buddhism would survive another 1,800 years.<ref>Alexander Berzin, ''Taking the Kalachakra Initiation'' (1997), p. 33. Lubosh Belka, "The Shambhala Myth in Buryatia and Mongolia", in: Tomasz Gacek, Jadwiga Pstrusińska (eds.), ''Proceedings of the Ninth Conference of the European Society for Central Asian Studies'', Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2009), pp. 19–30 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=afQZBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 p. 20f]).</ref>
==Western reception== Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism were largely unknown in the West prior to the beginning of the 20th century.<ref>Lopez, Donald S. Jr. ''Prisoners of Shangri~La, Tibetan Buddhism and the West'', The University of Chicago Press, 1998</ref> The name itself, however, was reported as early as the 17th century, by way of Estêvão Cacella, the Portuguese missionary who had heard about Shambhala (transcribed as ''Xembala''), and thought it was another name for Cathay or China. Cacella in 1627 headed to Tashilhunpo, the seat of the Panchen Lama and, discovering his mistake, returned to India.<ref>Bernbaum, Edwin. (1980). ''The Way to Shambhala'', pp. 18–19. Reprint: (1989). Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., Los Angeles. {{ISBN|0-87477-518-3}}.</ref>
===Neo-Theosophy===
Later 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. Alice A. Bailey claims Shamballa (her spelling) is an extra-dimensional or spiritual reality on the astral plane, a spiritual centre where the governing deity of Earth, Sanat Kumara, dwells as the highest Avatar of the Planetary Logos of Earth, and is said to be an expression of the Will of God.<ref>Bailey, Alice A, ''A Treatise on Cosmic Fire'' 1932 Lucis Trust. 1925, p 753</ref>{{bsn|date=January 2024}}
===Expeditions and location hypotheses=== Nicholas and Helena Roerich led a 1924–1928 expedition aimed at Shambhala. They also believed that Belukha Mountain in the Altai Mountains was an entrance to Shambhala, a common belief in that region.<ref>Archer, Kenneth. ''Roerich East & West''. Parkstone Press 1999, p.94</ref> They led a second expedition to look for Shambhala in Mongolia between 1934 and 1935.<ref>{{cite journal |author-last=Boyd |author-first=James |date=January 2012 |title=In Search of Shambhala? Nicholas Roerich's 1934–5 Inner Mongolian Expedition |journal=Inner Asia |location=Leiden and Boston |publisher=Brill Publishers |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=257–277 |doi=10.1163/22105018-90000004 |issn=2210-5018 |jstor=24572064}}</ref>
Inspired by Theosophical lore and several visiting Mongol lamas, Gleb Bokii, the chief Bolshevik cryptographer and one of the bosses of the Soviet secret police, along with his writer friend Alexander Barchenko, embarked on a quest for Shambhala, in an attempt to merge Kalachakra-tantra and ideas of Communism in the 1920s. In a secret laboratory affiliated with the secret police, Bokii and Barchenko experimented with Buddhist spiritual techniques to try to find a key for engineering perfect communist human beings.<ref name="Znamenski">Znamenski (2011)</ref>
They contemplated a special expedition to Inner Asia to retrieve the wisdom of Shambhala – the project fell through as a result of intrigues within the Soviet intelligence service, as well as rival efforts of the Soviet Foreign Commissariat that sent its own expedition to Tibet in 1924.
French Buddhist Alexandra David-Néel associated Shambhala with Balkh in present-day Afghanistan, also offering the Persian ''Sham-i-Bala'', "elevated candle" as an etymology of its name.<ref>David-Néel, A. ''Les Nouvelles littéraires'' ;1954, p.1</ref> In a similar vein, the Gurdjieffian J. G. Bennett published speculation that Shambalha was ''Shams-i-Balkh'', a Bactrian sun temple.<ref>Bennett, J.G: "Gurdjieff: Making a New World". Bennett notes Idries Shah as the source of the suggestion.</ref>
=== Shangri-La === Shambhala may have been the inspiration for Shangri-La, a fictional paradise on Earth, hidden in a Tibetan valley, which features in the 1933 novel ''Lost Horizon'' by British author James Hilton.<ref name="Wood11">{{cite news|last1=Wood|first1=Michael|title=BBC – History – Ancient History in depth: Shangri-La|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/cultures/shangri_la_01.shtml|access-date=28 February 2018|work=BBC|date=17 February 2011}}</ref>
==See also== * Agartha * Himavanta * Kingdom of God * Kumari Kandam * Lost city * Sagala * Shambala (disambiguation) * Shangri-La * Kalki 2898 AD
== Citations == {{Reflist}}
== General and cited references == {{Refbegin|30em}} * Allen, Charles. (1999). ''The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History''. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: Abacus, London. 2000. {{ISBN|0-349-11142-1}}. * Bernbaum, Edwin. (1980). ''The Way to Shambhala: A Search for the Mythical Kingdom Beyond the Himalayas''. Reprint: (1989) St. Martin's Press, New York. {{ISBN|0-87477-518-3}}. * Berzin, Alexander (2003). Study Buddhism. ''[http://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/shambhala/mistaken-foreign-myths-about-shambhala Mistaken Foreign Myths About Shambhala]''. * D'Montford, Dr. S. (2004). ''Tibetan Buddhist Atrocities and Propaganda''. Sydney: Happy Medium Publishing. * Martin, Dean (1999). "{{'}}Ol-mo-lung-ring, the Original Holy Place". Huber, Toni, ed. ''Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays''. pp. 125–153. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. {{ISBN|81-86470-22-0}}. * Meurois, Daniel, and Anne Givaudan (1987). ''Le Voyage a Shambhalla. Un pèlerinage vers soi''. Ed. Le Passe-Monde. * Meyer, Karl Ernest and Brysac, Shareen Blair (2006) ''Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia''. {{ISBN|0-465-04576-6}}. * Rock song "Halls of Shambala" by B. W. Stevenson, covered and popularized by the rock band Three Dog Night in "Shambala". * Symmes, Patrick. (2007). "The Kingdom of the Lotus" in ''Outside'', 30th Anniversary Special Edition, pp. 148–187. Mariah Media, Inc., Red Oak, Iowa. * Trungpa, Chogyam. ''Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior''. Shambhala Publications. {{ISBN|0-87773-264-7}} * Znamenski, Andrei (2011). ''Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophecy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia''. Quest Books, Wheaton, IL (2011) {{ISBN|978-0-8356-0891-6}}. * Znamenski, Andrei. ''[https://www.amazon.com/dp/0835608913 Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophecy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia]''. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2011. {{ISBN|978-0-8356-0891-6}}. * Rock opera [https://web.archive.org/web/20151017110134/http://szambalia.pl/ ''Szambalia''] (''Shambhala''; 2014). Official premiere in Poland, Warsaw (24 June 2014). {{Refend}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
Category:Asia in mythology Category:Places in Hindu mythology Category:Places in Buddhist mythology Category:Mythological kingdoms, empires, and countries Category:Pure lands Category:Sambhal Category:Hinduism Category:Tibetan Buddhism Category:Shambhala vision