Shangri-La, Myth of

The search for paradise on earth has been a recurring theme in world mythology for thousands of years. People have always been drawn to the idea that there is a place where humans live in harmony with each other and nature and where the wisdom in the world is gathered for the benefit of all humanity. In paradise, the ravages of time are slowed or stopped, and peace is eternal.

Shangri-La is such a place. Shangri-La is a modern myth invented by James Hilton in his novel Lost Horizon, published in 1933. In the novel, a group of westerners are rescued from a plane crash in a remote valley. The exact location is never pinpointed in the novel, but the flight had been heading northeast from Afghanistan when Hilton pictured it landing in the unexplored western region of Tibet, surrounded by the highest mountains in the world. Shangri-La is an isolated community that has a lamasery (a monastery for Tibetan lamas) headed by a 200-year-old Capuchin lama. Time is slowed significantly in Shangri-La, making life spans of more than 200 years common. The lamasery is a repository for all human knowledge and cultural treasures, gathered for posterity when the outside world self-destructs. The inhabitants of [Page 1155]Shangri-La are peaceful, opposing all aspects of violence or materialism. The tale becomes a meditation on philosophy and how to best live one's life, as the travelers in the story meet the High Lama of Shangri-La and engage in many conversations.

The idea of a lost kingdom somewhere in the Himalayas has circulated for centuries. Europeans first found references to a mythical place called Shambhala in Tibetan texts at the court of the Moghul Emperor Akbar in the 1580s. The tale appears to date even further back in time, to 962 CE in India. Shambhala is said to be a land behind the Himalayas where a group of isolated people live in peace and harmony waiting to save the world after its destruction. The kingdom is in the shadow of a crystal mountain surrounded by a ring of snow-covered mountains shaped like the petals of a lotus. A crystal palace housing the current king lies at the very center. It is said that inhabitants of Shambhala have made huge advances in science and technology, as side effects of the intense study conducted to attain spiritual goals. While gaining deeper knowledge over their minds and bodies, inhabitants of Shambhala are said to have achieved the ability to cure themselves of illness. Other side effects of their study include telepathy and precognition. Although the inhabitants are not immortal, they live healthy, happy, extended lives of well over 100 years.

The prophecy of Shambhala states that a series of 32 kings will rule for 100 years each. The outside world will continue to deteriorate as each reign passes. The pursuit of power will continue to corrupt until one evil tyrant rises above the rest to oppress the entire world. As the world appears to be on the brink of total annihilation, the mists obscuring Shambhala will clear. The 32nd king of Shambhala will ride forth to lead a mighty army against the tyrant, establishing a Golden Age of Enlightenment and restoring peace and prosperity to the world.

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