Shambhala
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Shambhala (Sanskrit: शम्भल, IAST: Śambhala),[1] also spelled Shambala or Shamballa (Tibetan: བདེ་འབྱུང, Wylie: Bde'byung; Chinese: 香巴拉; pinyin: Xiāngbālā), is a spiritual kingdom in Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Shambhala is mentioned in the Kalachakra Tantra.[2][3] The Bon scriptures speak of a closely related land called Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring.[4]
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.[1] 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);[1][5] and the prophesied ruling Kingdom of Maitreya, the future Buddha.[6][7]
- ^ a b c 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).
- ^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (1999). Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics. University of Chicago Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN 978-0-226-34050-0.
- ^ The Tantra by Victor M. Fic, Abhinav Publications, 2003, p.49.
- ^ The Bon Religion of Tibet by Per Kavǣrne, Shambhala, 1996
- ^ LePage, Victoria (1996). Shambhala: The Fascinating Truth Behind the Myth of Shangri-La. Quest Books. pp. 125–126. ISBN 978-0835607506.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
archwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Tomas, Andrew (1977). "Shambala: Oasis of Light" (PDF). Manchester: The Philips Park Press.