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In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, 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. 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 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]
- ^ a b c Śambhala also Sambhala, is the name of a town between the Rathaprā and Ganges rivers. In the Puranas, it is named as the place where Kalki, the last incarnation of Vishnu, is to appear (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
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