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INFORMAnON Ta USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly tram the original or copy submitled. Thus. some lhesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face. while oIhers may be front any type of computer printer. The quality of th.. ntpraduction la dependent upon lM q...'1ty 01 the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct prim. coIored or po« quality illusbatiOns and photographs, print bleac:llhlough. substandaRf margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. ln the unlikely event that the author did not S81d UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, ttese will be noted. Also. if unauthorized copyright matarial had to be removed, a note will indieate the defetion. Oversïze materials (e.g., maps. drawings. charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning al the upper Ieft-hand comer and continuing from Ieft to right in equal sections with small overtaps. Photographs induded in the original rnanuscript have been reproduœd xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6- x go black and white photographie prints are available for any photographs or illustratiOnS appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly ta arder. Bell & HoweIllnfonnation and Leaming 300 North Zeeb ROBd, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 USA UMIGD 800-521-0600 THE LEGEND OF SHAMBHALA IN EASTERN AND WESTERN INTERPRETATIONS Vidoria Omitrieva Religious Studies MC GILL UNIVERSITY November, 1997 A thesis submitted to the Faa..llly of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment ofthe requirements ofthe degIee ofMaster d Arts. C Vidoria Dmitrieva, 1997. • National Ubrary Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie SeNices seNïces bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada canada The author bas granted a non L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library ofCanada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distnbute or sell reproduire, prêter, distnbuer ou copies ofthis thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership ofthe L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis Dor substantial extracts ftom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son penmSSlon. autorisation. O~12-43854-6 Canadi • ACI<NOWLEDGtENTS l would like to give my deepest thanks to professor Richard Hayes, my thesis supervisor without whose encouragement and guidance this thesis would not be possible. r ~ endebted to aIl the librarians in Canada, USA and Russia who assisted me with the collection of materials and data. Many thanks are also due ta people who expanded my knowledqe on the Shambhala legend. Among them are Michail Chiriatiev, president of the Roerich and Ramakrishna society of St.Petersburq, Daniel Entin, director of the New York Roerich Museum, Edwin Bernbaum, the author of The Way to Shambhala, and Nyingma-pa lama Mipham Choogyal. l would like to give my special thanks to the Sakya pa lama Chopgyet Trichen Rinpoche for the blessing of this work . • ABSTRACT • The legend of Shambhala incorporated in the Tibetan Canon, has been one of the favourite motives of Tibetan Buddhism throughout the centuries. High lamas and laity alike venerated the legend connecting their innermost aspirations with it. For sorne it represents a mystical millennial country revealing itself only ta the chosen ones, while others perceive it as a symbol of the hidden treasures of the mind. This way or the other, the legend of Shambhala remains a living belief for many. The present hardships of Tibet made the legend with its leitmotif of future victory of BuddhisID, especially viable. When the legend reached the West in the beginning of this century, it inspired Many westerners including political leaders, and acquired diverse and innovative interpretatians. Conveying the ever cherished human dream of a better world beyond ours, the legend of Shambhala proved ta be a ubiquitous symbol surpassing its original Buddhist framework . • RÉsUMÉ • La légende de Shambhala, incorporée au canon Tibétain est un des motifs les plus répandus du bouddhisme Tibetain depuis des siècles. Les haut lamas, aussi bien que les laïques, v~nèrent cette légende et y associent leurs aspirations intimes. Pour certains, elle représente un pays mystique et millénariste qui ne se révèle qu'aux élus, tandis que d'autres y voient un symbole des trésors cachés de l'esprit. Quoi qu'il en soit, la légende de Shambhala reste une croyance vivante pour le peuple. Les souffrances présentes du Tibet rendent cette légende, avec son leit-motif de la victoire future du bouddhisme, particulièrement actuel. Lorsque la légende parvint en Occident, au début du vingtième siècle, elle inspira un grand nombre d'occidentaux, y compris des leaders politiques, et s' y enrichit d'interprétations variées et innovatrices. En transmettant le rêve humain, chéri depuis toujours, d'un meilleur monde situé ~ar delà le notre, la légende de Shambhala s'est avérée un symbole qui a su dépasser son cadre bouddhiste originaire. • • CONTENTS I:l.t:rcduction 2 1. Shambhala Myth: Origin and Essence 5 2. Kalacakra: Historical Survey 28 3. Sharnbhala and Western Interpretation 42 4. Be-Yuls: Sha~hala on Earth 73 S. Inner Shambhala 77 Surrrrnary 84 Bibliography 90 • 1 • INTRODUCTION What is the uniqueness of the Shambhala legend that retaineà its popularity and significance throughouL centuries? Why did it turn out ta be sa alive and inspiring for masses both in the East and the West? What was the original motivation of its promulgators: thirst for power or compassion of bocLl1isattvas? What does the legend tell us about Buddhism, religion in general, the world, human spirit anè its potential? Answering these questions rneans designing the well-deserved niche that the legend should occupY in his~ory and phenomenology of religion. The present thesis will attempt ta look at these issues, though they might require more thorough examinacion than that allowed in the framework of an M.A. thesis. In its course we will trace the hisLory of the Shambhala myth from its original Indian-Tibetan context into the modern world and discuss the often incredible transformations the legend underwent. Chapter two of the thesis is devoted ta the history of Kalacakra, the main teaching of Shambhala that is believed ta have been kept there before its coming ta rndia in the tenth century A.D. Several versions of the Kâlacakra history available ta us now outline distinct perspectives for future st"0dy and researeh that may contribute to Buàdhist studies and expand our knowledge of the history of Buddhisrn in rndia and Tibet. The myth of Shambhala is not exceptional in the sense that folklore of the eountries neighbouring Tibet is rieh in stories of mythical or historical places that served as the birthplaces and strongholds of different religious beliefs. The comparative study and analysis of the myths similar ta the Sharnbhala legend can be reeiprocally beneficial; hence • chapter one deals with the original Sharnbhala myth as weIl as 2 • with its Central and Eastern _~ian counterparts. Chapter Lhree will review various interpretations of the Shambhala myth in the West. We will see how the myth, having completely lost its Tibetan identity, became a weapon in the nands of àifferent political parties and movements. In chapter four of the thesis we will examine sorne modern Tibetan and Western trends of the Shambhala myth interpretation. In conclusion, we will atternpt ta look into the inner syrnbolism of the legend and ta discern its ~niversal message. Ravie. of Literature. Fortunately, we have at our disposaI of the precious ma~erials of KaZ1jur (Bkaib agur) and f'mljur (Bstan agur) collection, known as the f'1betaa canon, that is the primary valiè source of information, along with the Puranas' references to Sharnbhala and its future role in our planet f s salvation. Rami~ and Jfabibbirata also contain passages related to Shambhala. The TibetaD canon is primarily valid from the Buddhist point of view as it contains "Buddha Va cana" , the words of the Suddha, representing an indisputable authority for Mahayana and Tantric buddhists. According to E.Bernbaum, "the Kalacakra texts contain sermons delivered by the Buddha in which he àescribes Shambhala and the raIe i t will play in history" (Bernbaum, 28). Seing a "sarvajna" (all-knowing), the Enlightened One could not possibly rnislead his devotees. As the legendary land of Sharnbhala became known through the Kalacakra system, a part of the ribetaD C&Doa, the latest scholarly researches on Kalacakra by Hoffmann, Mullin, Hopkins, Newman, Orofino and others, are very valuable. However, the RaLacakza raatra itself, though highly esoteric, • coded, and basically not translated into any European 3 language, is paid much more attention ta in the modern • academic world than ~he actual place of origination and preservation of this highest tantra. This can be partially explained by ~he lack of the scholarly approved sources, as weIL as by the extreme vagueness of almost aIL existent materials on Sharnbhala. The rnost ample and detailed of the recent publications on the subject is The Way to Shambhala by E.Bernbaum. Besiàes tha~, we have ~o rely on rather sca~~ered pieces of information in various Buddhist and Tibetological pe~iodicals thaL aL bes~ devote a few lines, or paragraphs, ta Sharnbhala, usually in connection with the Kdlacakra 5~uàies, or Kdlacakra Initiation which has recently becorne very popular in the West.