Shambhala
- Origin
- Shambhala belongs to Tibetan Buddhism, where its story is told in the Kalachakra tantra. Wikipedia names the oldest known Kalachakra teachers. The second source is a general-interest article, not a Buddhist text.
- How we treat it
- The label says this is a tradition held by living Buddhists. It does not say whether such a kingdom exists. The searches by outsiders described here are a separate matter from the tradition.
- Routes out
- The tradition's own account comes first, then the article about outsiders' searches.
A hidden kingdom of Tibetan Buddhism, ruled by the future Buddha Maitreya and told of in the Kalachakra tantra.
Wikipedia says the ruler of Shambhala is the future Buddha Maitreya, and that its story is found in the Kalachakra tantra, one of the Anuttarayoga Tantras. Kalachakra Buddhism is thought to have reached Tibet in the 11th century. The oldest known Kalachakra teachers it names are Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, who died in 1361, and Buton Rinchen Drub, who died in 1364.
ExplorersWeb lists other names for the place, including Shangri-La and Eden. It says early Tibetans regarded this spiritual kingdom as the ultimate goal. In Buddhism, it says, the city lies hidden deep beneath the Himalaya and is a place of enlightenment, knowledge and peace. The article adds that people from many different backgrounds have gone looking for it, from New Agers to, at one point, Nazis.
"Shambhala is ruled by the future Buddha Maitreya.[6][8] 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).[citation needed]"
- Exploration mysteries: Shambhala, ExplorersWeb