next »

Advanced search

Christmas SeasonDilber MulticolorDragon Soul - RebornEnterprise TPHeavy MetalHobbitJulieLunarMesh TPMoonRaker ThemeNebulaPortal AquaPortal Blueseemer_templateSMF Default Theme - The Risen - World OfTP_BlueRoses1TropicalX-mas SceneXD-3Dv1XMas

[Aunt Clair]

Words could not hope to articulate the beauty and peace of the Teaching Plane of Shambhala which is not a hollow-earth, physical or mythical realm but is a very tangible temporally stable realm in the Higher Astral.  

The magician attains this realm in meditative trance. The entire microcosm exists in the heart of each human but until this blossoms it is but a golden seed. The magician must liberate the flow of chi to cause the rivers to run and to bring the city of light to fruition. When it opens like a blossom it sets a golden fruit and the clairvoyant can see a golden city in the heart of the magician who has attained Shambhala.

Until it exists in the heart , we can not find it. We can not see it , until it exists in the brain. We can not walk there until it exists in our body, mind, soul and spirit.

So we sit in meditation and we quiet the mind. We open the heart we break the dam and allow the rivers to flow through the Tree of Life nourishing us within.

When we waken and choose to learn we are welcomed. The loving spirit teachers called Mahatma, will come to us in meditative trance and lead us to become  attuned to the energies of Shambhala through the initiations.
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x366/AuntClair/REALMS%20PLANES/mahatma.jpg
We can be taken there by peers or by teaching spirits but it becomes so much easier to see and hear there when we become attuned to that vibration. My own initiations in this life began in the superetheric template of the Great Pyramids. Here is one place that the aspirant may come and be lifted up in vibration , to build up the light quotient of their energy body and to develop the subtle energy body of a higher vibrational layer which can attain Shambhala at will.

Initiatic Magick has been discussed by Crowley, Blavatsky, Bailey, Stone , Cooper and Hurtak. This is a relatively contemporary western form. Since ancient times, Eastern or Asian forms of initiation have helped the magician to attain Shambhala.Buddha taught about the teaching planes of Shambhala about 2500 years ago. Today Shambhala is attended by the Dalai Lama, Buddhists, Taoists, Hermeticists, Spiritualists and mystics from diverse paradigms.

Unlike the lower astral realms, what you see here is what you get. It is temporally stable not cloudy and dreamlike like the lower astral nor subjective to the eye of the beholder. Returning to a temple found in Shambhala the temperature, colour, time, shape and size of that realm will have remained intact. Although it grows, it does not decay.

Temples and areas of higher vibrational energies have an etheric duplicate the superetheric of these sacred zones is formed from the energy of the initiates and disciples of that temple and it manifests as a replica in Shambala.

Some parts of this realm are entirely night , others are always at noon, dusk or dawn. There are snow covered mountains, volcanic mountains, cold bright rivers , and deep still and dark rivers too. The land is harsh and barren or fertile and lush. All polarities exist here except evil. The magician must attain a positive lovig vibration to attain Shambhala and can not enter as a demonic spirit or projection.

Throughout Shambhala,live participants project in dreamstate and /or meditative trance to share , teach and learn and deceased of all ages, genders and cultures join them, too.


http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x366/AuntClair/REALMS%20PLANES/MapofShamballah.gif

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x366/AuntClair/REALMS%20PLANES/Shamballahbw.jpg
These drawings are crude mud maps. It is difficult for me to see all of Shambhala at once. if I were to draw a bird's eye view I would be so far away to get the outline of the perimeter that I would fail to see the interior.


I cut and pasted temple images into a river scene to try to depict the lay of that land. But this is not an accurate depiction either. The best I can do is to tell you about it or better yet take you there in mystic projection.

So I will attempt to describe various places and what these are adjacent to instead, in the hope that this might join some bits of that puzzle.

Blaze's Ashram
At the Southernmost point there is a wet black weathered pier pointing away from the continent into an ocean. At the end of this pier is an inverted silver geodesic dome floating above the surface of the ocean, the other half of which is a golden bowl is surrounded by  the water. This is an ashram manifested by Blaze. And it is an easy place for me to begin as we are well oriented to it in online circle. The magician is invited to manifest a place of learning and healing in Shambhala and will be directed where they might find empty real estate which is of the appropriate vibration.

Crystal Caves
Facing North the beach is white on the right, the water is flat, calm and aqua to azure.A cave opens to the right and runs along around to the East. The cave is black the cliffs are too. Crystals of every colour stud the cave walls, floors and ceiling. All of the tunnels and cave systems are connected in Shambhala as is every vibrational colour. So anything crystal is related in subject area to any other place that is crystal which has to do with amplifying vibrational energies especially to heal others. Walking through the cave tunnels is a labrynth or maze but all areas have lessons.

Dragon Temple Complex
Above the cliff a purple fort is seen.This is the Temple of the Wolf Dragon part of the Dragon Temple Complex. Here they learn about defensive martial arts. Across from the purple fort there is a green mountainous temple of the angels. Here the aspirants discuss angelic ascension, angelic ministry in dreamstate et cetera. To the right of the purple fort there is a red temple of the cobra for lessons regarding Kundalini and enlightenment. In the centre of the complex there is a white temple of the unicorn floating in a castle above the centre and a black elephant temple in a dungeoun, below.The unicorn is about transmutation and morphing . The elephant temple is about compassion and is often lead by Ganeesha. To the West is the golden feline temple of lions, tigers, et cetera.The lessons here concern energy transfer , influent and effluent energy, and developing energy methods. The Dragon Complex forms a mandala the four main temples are each a specific Hermetic energy associating that colour to a cardinal point;
Above White Ether
North Green Air
South Purple Water
West Golden Fire
East Ruby Earth  
Below Black  Earth
There is an indigo gate which is another  entrance to Shambhala behind the Temple of the Lion as one crosses the river there.

Behind the green mountain there is a wide valley on the perimeter of which there is a train track. Along this track are various schools from Kindergartens for deceased children who are not aware that their soul is ageless to primary, secondary and tertiary colleges.There is magical tree fort like entrance to a primary school we manifested there and it opens up and outward becoming bigger inside than out .The rooms fold outward from the centre like a hub. It has a ground floor, a second floor, a basement, and a castle ramparts.

Wheel of Pyramids
To the East of the Temple of the Dragons there is a Pyramid Complex. The pyramids have a floating double tetrahedron in the centre and another one down below the middle of the complex.The floating pyramid has a rainbow bridge connecting it to the floating castle in Shambhala and a tunnel connecting the lower dungeon or basement levels, too. The pyramids are monochromatic and each is a jewel toned colour. The students here appear to be juvenile.The lessons here seem more eclectic and divided by the apparent age of the students. The ruby temple is larger and more prominent in appearance.

River Styx
to the left of the Dragon Temple there is a cliff and a water gate emptying from the River of Enlightenment into the ocean near Blaze's ashram. The river above is the River of Life, the waters below are the River Styx or the River of Death. Let us go below first.
To the left is the death chambers of the pyramids and caves are behind that connecting to the crystal cave above.Here initiations are given by Chrion, the Sybil of the Underworld, Lilith, Hades, Babi, et al . Into the river two forks become apparent. One moves to the right to a city of Gold that seems to gleam an enticing welcome. But it is a city of greed and an entrance to the Hels of Earth. To the left fork there are 3 islands at the entrance. These look dark, mysterious and foreboding.  But it is another illusion. For on the central island stands Christ ready to welcome the live projectors and the deceased and to teach us with great love.   The first island is an entrance to the afterlife realms . Many teachers can be met on these islands and this is another entrance to Shambhala.
To the right of the river is a steep embankment upon which Isis may often be met or Babi the baboon God from Ancient Egypt et al. Up a narrow staircase a catcomb of rooms open up on either side . There is a massive Temple of the Sun on the right . To the left a Temple of the Moon and above an Upper Room where the pentecost and Last Supper occur. Straight on through lies an exit into a harbour in which the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria beckons. Each room has initiations. The solar angel and lunar angel of the self may be met here.
Down the River Styx comes a delightful area of the deceased of all worlds to the far right. Here upon a beach the magician may climb and converse with those who have lived or are living on diverse planets and consider incarnation there. Still further to the left bend the river meanders falling outward like a waterfall steeply but there is no death of the body here so one can ride it euphorically. It empties into the Wesak Valley.

Left Bank
On the River of Life above the River Styx the confluence of two rivers ambles towards the sea.At the mouth of the river is a white Temple of the Warrior Complex and a replica of Machu Picchu. This area looks like a jungle or rainforest.

Pyramids
Further down the left bank a steep cliff of mud and bush is topped by the Pyramids of Luxor. Many initiations occur here especially in the Great Pyramid at the edge of the cliff. The magician begins at the top in the King's Chamber blowing off the capstone the 5th initiation described by Bailey and the first one out of the body.


The 6th is in the Golden Chamber of Melchiezedek which is in a wall off of the King's Chamber.

The 7th is in the Great Manse of Shamballah which looks like the Taj Mahal somewhat and this can be found through one entrance here at the Golden Chamber.

 The Queen's Chamber is in the middle layer and that is the 8th initiation. The Death Chamber opens onto the River Styx and is often attended by Isis and Morgana le Fay et al.  

Teachers of a ken may be evoked easily to a place of that vibration. The colours identify the vibration i.e.;
Purple; Gardens of Compassion, Gnosis, Universal Mind
Golden; Temples of Wisdom, Solar Initiations
Silver; Akashic Records, Archives

Behind the pyramids it is desert. There is a Well of Time there to scry the past or future. There is a Great Sphinx and an avenue of Sphinxes too.

Great Buddha
Further down the left bank the river forks to the West . The first big Temple after the pyramid is called the Temple of 1000 lights and also the Temple of 1000 roses. In this a giant Buddha statue sits in lotus asana in repose with eyes closed but when the magician enters the temple it becomes animated and the Buddha teaches here. Monks can be seen moving up and down the goatpaths to this temple like so many ants scurrying along busily.

An ancient stone Temple ruins which is very wide and covered with monkeys comes next. There are assorted temples from there down to the Mountain of Yemaje at the river bend. There the waterway moves NE. The Mountain of Yemaje is vast with many women's magick and temples and ashrams within its bowels and on its snow covered top too.

Directly across the river from the pyramids there is a green valley which is dotted with temples and has a vast area in the centre like the steppes of Mongolia. A Mountain on this side is volcanic and called the Mountain of Pele. Inside this is that entrance to the harbour from the Upper Room.

Pawel's Ashram
In the vast green steppes nestled by the foothills of the Mountain of Pele is the white domed small cubic ashram of Pawel surrounded by four pillars. Within it there is a pillar of energy running from ceiling to floor like the one in Blaze's ashram . The floor is black and white compass points perhaps 16 of these each half black and half white like the yin yang symbol and like the rph and lph of the Tree of Life. Below the white cube is a black cube. It is connected by a tunnel below and a bridge above to Blaze's Ashram. It has 4 main entrances at the West open to the ocean view. At the North to the White Manse of Shambhala
to the East into the bowels of  Mt. Pele.

The Floating Hub Mandala of Shambhala
And to the South tunnel of Pawel's ashram to dual ladders of silver or gold going to the hub above Shambhala which is like the Kamachakra Mandala in appearance having a square centre a round perimeter and 8 openings on the perimeter.  

Akashic Records & White Manse
Through the North tunnel of Pawel's ashram one comes to the White Manse. This is the place of the 7th Initiation according to Bailey , Stone et al. To the east of the long reflecting pool gardens there is an entrance to the Hall of Records and this moves further Westward to diverse entrances to the Akashic Records in a slightly lower plane eventually coming to the beach on the West Coast. Behind or further north is the Temple of the Zodiac another clock in Shambhala.

Yggdrasil
Coming out of the Upper Room cliffside , across the Harbour where the lighthouse of Alexandria glows and the Colossal or Rhodes guards the entrance there is a frigid land of ice and snow in the distance and the mountain of Valhallah and a floating island above it as Asgard. From here the magician may explore the Nordic Tree of Life ascending and descending into all 9 spheres.

Between the White Manse and Valhallah there are so many more temples a large purple pagoda figures prominently though and this was a place of many initiations including ones with elementals . Each floor has different colours and different teachers. That is the end of my description of the far left bank.

Cave of the Earth Mother, Native American Teaching Spirits
Now let us begin again on the right bank of the river as it empties into the ocean near the pier near  the Temple of the Dragons. Right away there is a cave system directly beneath the Temple of the Dragons black cliffside . First there is an ancient doorway into a tree root which has an ancient African Mother beneath the Baobab there. Then comes a Native American Great Grandmother spirit and her firepit where she beckons us to unburden ourselves tossing away emotional garbage and angst and past hurts. Then we come to a smoke lodge for Men's business. And finally the bank opens up to a green valley where Silver Birch has a campfire and White Eagle has an ashram high up the sheer cliff face.

Wesak Valley
As the valley widens a massive rocky entrance opens to the Wesak Valley a waterfall plummets down a crocodile filled river which divides this valley. Here many project each year for holy festival of the Buddhic and Christ Consciousness confluence during the full moon of Taurus.  

At the top of the waterfall is the Temple of The Divine Feminine crowning the Mountain of Shekinah. Beneath the waterfall one may enter the caves and find the heart and womb of Shekinah. The other side or NorthWest of this green lush mountain is the Mountain of Pele like two conjoined peaks on a mountain range.
From the Temple of Divine Feminine there is a pillar of Female avatars and a garden path which ambles downward into a complex called the Garden of Compassion. There are 4 archways there each into an area of a Goddess ;
*Quan Yin the Boddhisatva of Compassion Air North
*Khali Fire West
*Mary Isis Water East
*Gaia/Demeter Earth South

AC Circle's ashram
Looking North and Westward from the Mountain tops of Shekinah and Pele is a  blue glass cathedral complex. There is a tiny chapel there manifested by my peers in home circle circa 2002. There is a massive blue glass cathedral complex with tunnels through and above the clear ocean there. Dolphins jump briskly and every type of tourist abounds there.

Far to the North Eastern side of the Continent of Shambhala there is a golden temple complex of golden domed museum of the worlds, golden library and golden galleries of all ilk.

Back once more to the black pier by the Dragon Temple and into the river. This time press straight on staying to the right side and one comes to a jungle bridge above and then a crystal bridge beyond that . This part is called the Valley of Peace the river trickles shallow and slowly here over a wide bed of smooth rocks.
On the far left bank across the crystal bridge there is an entirely different area.

First there is a nexus a round vortex above and below. Above this temple, the dragons fly freely and magicians morph into these and cavort. Below one old ancient dragon teaches in a dungeon like lair. The temple is white to clear and opens widely into great rooms where teachers swish by silently in floor touching robes of jewel toned hues.

Outside that temple the river flows before it from the pier and beside it as it forks again to the left sharply heading due west into a canal system. On that right bank is a dirt road. On the right side is the the Alchemist Garden of Dutch, German, English, et al  alchemists.  Inside the Alchemist's Garden there is a beerhall and an old pub where the men drink and smoke and talk about philosophy . On the other side of that same dirt road, the magician walks through a fog and comes to Japan and China and other asian alchemist/philosophers.

But on the left bank opposite the cerebral dirt road is a village of orange clay buildings where children run and holler and old folks fish and seem oblivious to visitors.Men and women court and the place seems very lazy but joyful.

[Aunt Clair]

Excerpt from a post on AD entire post here ;
http://forums.astraldynamics.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=21841&p=140203#p140203

, I would then just think, "Go to the closest planet to Earth with intelligent life on it."  Anybody have any experiences with this?

Yes, others have done so and written about it . Robert Bruce has written about the window on the edge of our universe and being splat upon it like a fly on a windscreen.  After Robert Bruce "found it" , he went through it intuitively.

I have done this with friends, too .Many of my peers also found it by smacking into it which is a bit of metaphysical humour. Anyway, we went through this "barrier" by changing polarity to become all magnetic for a time by shutting down the sun and electric energies. Once through we came to a station of sorts and met beings that took us in projection to other planets where we observed the lifeforms. We went to one where the people were like ;

*gophers ~ their ecosystem was desert and they lived underground in caves and used tools and had speech. they did not wear clothes

*locusts ~ they had a communal system and sang in long ballads , they had dance, and ceremonies, they had language and they did not wear clothes

*ants ~ these had nearly killed each other off they wore armour and were warriors
they had language and weapons and spent time fighting in communities

*humanoids~ all manner of humanoids have been found some live underground and live like primitive humans they seem albino and hairy and giant compared to us. Others are short and gray purple like ET they use tools , they have language, jewelry , art , music, technology

*spheroids blobs~ a very sophisticated lifeform that is a brain without limbs very strange

*squids ~ these are the closest to our planet they are pinky gray purple they have humanoid heads and arms but their legs are like a squid or octupus . They live on coastlines and underwater. They have language, education, reading and writing, art, music , festivals and religion.

There is a Museum of Worlds in Shamballah which is much easier to get to. It is a golden temple that is multi storied with domed ceilinged pillars. It is a temporally stable realm in the Higher Planes. There one can learn about sentient life forms of other solar systems.

(2) Has anybody tried to verify "secret" places?  Edgar Cayce said that there was something underneath the paw of the sphynx in Egypt.

We went under the sphinx on a lark and saw a system of tunnels and followed these to a pyramid . We had initiations in the sphinx and in the pyramids .

(3) What specific things from the Akashic records (not just what the building looked like or what's inside it, but actual things you learned from within it or saw/read)?  What other temples/building/places exist?

In the akashic records I have read reasons for some of the suffering I have endured in this life and understood that sometimes we are at fault through karma but not always. Sometimes an incipient event occurs. We have a lesson to forgive the perpetrator of harm to us or to seek revenge and not forgive them but enter into a karmic bond. It is best to walk away and let the universe smite them . What is dished out comes back and it will bite them on the arse in this life and the next one too.

[Aunt Clair]

Shamballah is a lovely paradise full of temporally stable temples. This means that if you project there today and again a decade from now the temples will be in the same location and you will be able to find your way about . And you can take peer mystic magicians with you in projection to view the temples , meet the teachers there and attain attunements of higher vibrational energies there too.

There is an ocean that comes to a river mouth. On the left is a white temple of the warrior which teaches martial arts discipline, protection and energy arts. On the right is the Temple of the Dragons and a Metaphysical College for students .

Down the river on the right is a Native American Spirit Village having a smoke lodge and a campground and an ancient cave too. Here you can meet the Great Goddess and the Great Father Sky and Mother Earth as well as Silver Birch and White Eagle.

On the left is the Great Valley of Luxor with the pyramids and the sphinx and a well of time . There you can meet a number of teachers including but not limited to ; Isis , Horus, Osiris, Anubis, et cetera.

Further on the right there is the Etheric of the Wesak Valley as on Earth it is a holy place for festivals and great gatherings. Here you can meet Christ and Buddha.

Here the river biforcates on the right it runs into a Valley of Peace where one can meet with afterlife beings of different planets and above on either side are metaphysical universities. On the left is a Temple of Light Attunements and a creek bed.

Follow the creek to a liitle bridge and to the Alchemists Garden.On the right is a path into a village on the right of this path is the European Alchemists Pub and on the left is the Temple of Tao and an Asian Alchemists Village .To the left of the bridge is a valley of time with villages from around the world that delight astral tourists.

Back to the main river that biforcated to the left. The pyramids are now on your left . There is a small door to the temple of Serapis Bey there at the top of the cliff and just past them on the left is the Temple of 1000 Lights and Roses where Buddha can be met.

On the right of this river there are a variety of temples including but not limited to the Manse of Shamballah which looks like the Taj Mahal and the Akashic Hall of Records on its left . Here one can meet with the Godhead of their belief system.

Behind the Great Manse on a Peninsula is the Great Crystal Sapphire Cathedral of Christ.

Straight ahead is a mountain of Yemaja . And sort of off to the right tucked behind the Wesak Valley and The Manse of Shamballah is a Mountain of Pele and the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria in etheric . There is an Etheric Stonehenge adjacent to the Temples of Compassion where you can meet Rhiannon, Quan Yen, Khali, Mary ,Isis et al. And there is Valhallah in a great mountain of ice and snow where you can meet the Norse pantheon.

Every pantheon is there. And there is a path to the afterlife too where one can tour hels or heavens. And one can attain Kether in this manner too to dwell for a short time with the non gendered sentient light of Godhead.

Actually, the temples are so numerous that they dot every cliff and river bank in Shamballah. I have not been in them all...yet

[Aunt Clair]

Today I was researching the Kalachakra Tantra because the hub we saw yesterday in projection reminded me of a (Shambhala/Shamballah/Shambala) mandala ;

http://www.crystalinks.com/shambhala.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx8BR3FLir8&feature=endscreen&NR=1

The Meaning of a Mandala
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/advanced/tantra/level1_getting_started/meaning_use_mandala.html

The Tibetan word for "mandala," dkyil-‘khor , literally means "that which encircles a center." A "center," here is a meaning, and "that which encircles it" - a mandala - is a round symbol that represents the meaning. Not all mandalas, however, are round.

There are many types of mandalas, used for various purposes in both the sutra and tantra practices of Buddhism. Let us survey some of them.
Outer Mandala

An outer mandala (phyi’i dkyil-‘khor) is a representation of a world system. It is used as an offering made to a spiritual teacher in request for a teaching, the conferring of a set of vows, and for the conferring of a tantric empowerment. It is similarly used as an offering of appreciation at the conclusion of the teaching or the vow or empowerment (tantric initiation) ceremony.

The mandala offered may consist of a flat-bottomed bowl, held bottom side up, with three mounds of raw grain or gems, placed one atop the other on its surface and contained within progressively smaller concentric rings. It is crowned with an ornamental diadem.

Traditional Tibetan mandala offering sets

Alternatively, the mandala offering may be made by a hand-mudra, with the fingers intertwined in a specific pattern.

Mandala Offering Hand-Mudra
The world system represented by both types of outer mandala is most frequently that depicted in the abhidharma teachings concerning special topics of knowledge. It consists of a system having four island-continents around a Mount Meru in the center, with each island-continent having two smaller islands flanking it on the side facing away from Mount Meru. In the Kalachakra system, the shape of the world-system is slightly different, although it still has a Mount Meru, four island-continents, and eight smaller islands.

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has often said that we may also imagine the outer mandala representing the planet earth, the solar system, the galaxy, or the universe, as modern science conceives of them today. It makes no difference. The point is that offering a mandala represents the willingness to give everything in the universe to receive teachings, vows, or empowerment.

Offering an outer mandala a hundred thousand times is a standard part of the special preliminary practices (sngon-‘gro) done to build up sufficient positive force (bsod-nams, merit) to begin earnest tantra practice with some modicum of success. In such cases, the object to whom the mandala is offered is usually a visualized assembly of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and lineage masters, especially our own personal spiritual teachers. The effectiveness of the mandala in building up positive force depends on the purity of the motivation, the level of concentration , and the depth of understanding the voidness of ourselves making the offering, the objects to whom we offer it, the mandala itself, and the action of offering it.

Repeated offering of an outer mandala also builds up the positive force required to break through our current level of understanding and progress to a deeper level. For example, Tsongkhapa (Tsong-kha-pa Blo-bzang grags-pa), the founder of the Gelug tradition, offered eighteen sets of 100,000 mandala offerings, in addition to thirty-five sets of 100,000 prostrations, in order to build positive force sufficient for gaining a correct understanding of the Prasangika-Madhyamaka view of voidness.

Inner, Secret, and Very-Nature-of-Reality Mandalas
Anuttarayoga tantra, the highest of the four classes of tantra in the New Translation Period schools (Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug), has four levels of offering. Parallel to them are the four levels of mandala offering. These four levels of offerings and mandala offerings correlate with the four empowerments (dbang, initiation, "wang") of anuttarayoga tantra.

An outer offering (phyi’i mchod-pa) is of external objects such as water, flowers, incense, and so on, or of the desirable objects of the five senses. An external mandala is an offering made of an external world-system. The outer offering and outer mandala correlate with the vase empowerment (bum-dbang). A vase empowerment purifies the body for attaining a Nirmanakaya (sprul-sku), Corpus of Emanations. It empowers practice of the generation stage (bskyed-rim), during which we visualize ourselves as Buddha-figures.

An inner offering (nang-mchod) is of aspects of the body. These may be either aspects of the gross body, namely the five aggregates and five elements or, in Kalachakra, aspects of the subtle body, namely the ten subtle energy-winds. Five meats and five nectars, purified, transformed, and multiplied, represent the two sets of five or the ten. An internal mandala (nang-gi dkyil-‘khor) is an offering made of various parts of the gross body, with the spine or trunk imagined as Mount Meru and the four limbs imagined as the four island-continents. The inner offering and inner mandala correlate with the secret empowerment (gsang-dbang). A secret empowerment purifies the subtle energy-winds and speech for attaining a Sambhogakaya (longs-sku), Corpus of Full Use. It empowers practice, on the complete stage (rdzogs-rim), of illusory body (sgyu-lus).

A secret or hidden offering (gsang-mchod) is of blissful awareness. Alternatively, it is of the nonconceptual blissful awareness of voidness with the clear-light, subtlest level of mental activity (a clear-light mind). Similarly, a secret or hidden mandala (gsang-ba’i dkyil-‘ khor) is an offering of a blissful awareness or of a nonconceptual blissful awareness of voidness with a clear-light mind. The secret or hidden offering and the secret or hidden mandala correlate with the deep discriminating awareness empowerment (shes-rab ye-shes dbang). A deep discriminating awareness empowerment purifies the mind for attaining a Jnana-dharmakaya (ye-shes chos-sku), Corpus of Deep Awareness Encompassing Everything. It empowers practice, on the complete stage, of clear light (‘od-gsal).

An offering of the very nature of reality (de-kho-na-nyid mchod-pa, thusness offering) is of the nonconceptual cognition of voidness. Alternatively, it is of the inseparable two truths, namely (1) the pure appearance of ourselves as Buddha-figures (yidam, "deity") and (2) nonconceptual blissful awareness of voidness with a clear-light mind. A mandala of the very nature of reality (de-kho-na-nyid-kyi dkyil-‘khor, thusness mandala) is an offering of the nonconceptual cognition of voidness or of the two inseparable truths formulated as above. The offering of the very nature of reality and the mandala of the very nature of reality correlate with the fourth (dbang bzhi-pa) or word empowerment (tshig-dbang). A fourth or word empowerment purifies the body, speech, and mind inseparably together for attaining a Svabhavakaya (ngo-bo-nyid sku), Corpus of Essential Nature or more fully, a Svabhava-dharmakaya (ngo-bo-nyid chos-sku), Corpus of Essential Nature Encompassing Everything. It empowers practice, on the complete stage, of the unified pair (zung-‘jug) of the two truths.

Mandalas on the Basis of Which Empowerments are Conferred
Unlike subsequent permissions (rjes-snang), which are conferred on the basis of a torma (gtor-ma) roasted barley cake actualized (actually transformed) into a Buddha-figure by a tantric master, empowerments are conferred on the basis of a mandala.

The vase empowerment, found in all four classes of tantra, is conferred on the basis of the symbolic mandala world in which a Buddha-figure or set of Buddha-figures lives. It includes (1) the supporting mandala (rten-pa’i dkyil-‘khor) – namely, a palace and the environment around it – and (2) the supported mandala (brten-pa’i dkyil-‘khor) – all the figures inside.

The basis for labeling or imputing (gdags-gzhi) the symbolic mandala world during the empowerment ritual may be:

    A cloth mandala (ras-bris-kyi dkyil-‘khor), which is a two-dimensional depiction of the palace and environment, somewhat like an architectural blueprint, painted on a piece of cloth or paper, and usually placed inside an ornately painted square wooden frame with open sides and a roof.

Painted cloth mandala of Kalachakra
A powdered sand mandala (rdul-phran-gyi dkyil-‘khor), which is a depiction of the palace and environment made of powdered colored sand and usually placed in the same type of wooden frame as is a cloth mandala.

Making a Guhyasamaja Sand Mandala
A mandala of mental stability (bsam-gtan-gyi dkyil-‘khor), which is actualized from the absorbed concentration (ting-nge-‘dzin, Skt. samadhi) of the tantric master, without a physical basis.Exclusively in some mother anuttarayoga tantras, such as Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini, Hevajra, and Chittamani Tara, a body mandala (lus-kyi dkyil-‘khor, lus-dkyil), in which the tantric master has actualized (actually transformed) various parts of his or her subtle body as aspects of the supporting and supported mandalas. Receiving an empowerment from a body mandala requires prior receipt of an empowerment from one of the other three types of mandala listed above.Occasionally, a three-dimensional mandala (blos-blangs), usually made of wood or metal, may alternatively be used.

Traditional 3D Kalachakra mandala in the Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

A modern 3D Kalachakra mandala made by Arjia Rinpoche in the USA

The next three empowerments are found only in anuttarayoga tantra.
The secret empowerment is conferred from a round symbolic mandala of conventional bodhichitta (kun-rdzob byang-sems-kyi dkyil-'khor). This refers to drops, usually of yoghurt and tea, which serve as the basis for labeling the subtle energy-drops of white and red bodhichitta and which are given to taste.

The deep discriminating awareness empowerment is conferred from a round symbolic mandala of a womb (bha-ga’i dkyil-‘khor). The fourth or word empowerment is conferred from a round symbolic mandala of deepest bodhichitta (don-dam byang-sems-kyi dkyil-‘khor). This mandala refers to the deepest understanding of voidness.

In Kalachakra,
The vase empowerment is conferred from a round symbolic vase-like breast, rather than from a vase containing consecrated water as in other anuttaryoga systems.The secret empowerment is conferred from a round symbolic mandala of a womb, the source of symbolic drops to taste, rather than from a mandala of conventional bodhichitta drops as in other anuttarayoga systems. The deep discriminating awareness empowerment is conferred from a round symbolic mandala of conventional bodhichitta – subtle energy-drops that descend within the body – rather than from the mandala of a womb as in other anuttarayoga systems. The fourth or word empowerment is conferred from the round symbolic mandala of deepest bodhichitta, as in other anuttarayoga systems.

Mandala Symbolic Disks
Tantric practice includes visualization of various round symbolic mandala disks. The most common are mandala disks of the sun and the moon, representing, respectively, the understanding of voidness and the bodhichitta aim to reach enlightenment so as to be of best help to all others.

The five external and bodily elements – earth, water, fire, wind, and space – are often represented by symbolic mandala disks having the shapes and colors set by Buddhist convention. For example, a square yellow mandala disk represents the element earth.

In the Kalachakra system, round symbolic mandala discs of four heavenly bodies involved in eclipses – the moon, the sun, Rahu, and Kalagni (the north and south nodes of the moon) – represent four subtle energy drops within the subtle body. These are the energy-drops of the waking state, the dream state, the deep sleep state, and the fourth or peak state.
Mandala Palaces

Most Buddha-figure systems include a mandala palace, often called an immeasurably magnificent palace (gzhal-yas khang), in which the Buddha-figures of the system reside. The structure of the palaces models that of ancient Indian palaces, although the roofs suggest Chinese influence. The palaces are square, mostly with two but occasionally with more than two stories, and have portals leading to entrance halls on each side and an archway beyond each portal. The walls are multilayered in thickness and are topped with moldings and other complex and ornate structural jeweled features.

Each architectural feature represents a particular aspect of the path to enlightenment. In regard to the Vajrabhairava mandala, for example, the four sides of the palace signify the four noble truths, the five colors of the floor and of the layers of the walls represent the five types of deep awareness, and so on.
Body Mandala

Several Buddha-figure systems of both father and mother anuttarayoga tantra have body mandalas (lus-dkyil). A body mandala comprises a network of Buddha-figures arranged inside the body of ourselves as a Buddha-figure and for which various parts of our impure samsaric bodies have served as their obtaining causes (nyer-len-gyu rgyu). The obtaining cause of something is that from which one obtains the item as its successor and thus it ceases to exist when its successor arises. For example, bread dough, in baking into bread, stops existing as dough. Similarly, in the Guhyasamaja system, for example, our impure aggregate of form serves as the obtaining cause for the pure form of a Vairochana to arise instead of it.

In the Buddha-figure systems of mother anuttarayoga tantra that have body mandalas, such as Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini, and Chittamani Tara, the figures arise from parts of the subtle energy-body, namely the energy-channels, as their obtaining causes. In the father anuttarayoga tantra systems that have body mandalas, such as Guhyasamaja, the figures arise from parts of the gross body, such as the aggregates, elements, cognitive sensors, and limbs, as their obtaining causes. In the systems of anuttarayoga tantra, designated as nondual in the Sakya tradition, that have body mandalas, such as Hevajra, parts of both the gross and subtle bodies serve as the obtaining causes for the Buddha-figures.

The above are examples of supported body mandalas of Buddha-figures. Some anuttarayoga systems, such as Guhyasamaja, also have a supporting body mandala comprising a palace for which parts of the gross body have served as its obtaining causes.

Only the body mandalas in mother anuttarayoga systems serve as bases from which a vase empowerment may be conferred.

In the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, Shambhala has three meanings.
http://www.shambhala.com/html/about/defined.cfm

Externally, Shambhala was a geographic location, a seat of inspiration where the Buddha taught the Kalachakra Tantra, the Tantra of the Wheel of Time. In the mythology of Bon, the native religion of Tibet, Shambhala was a Central Asian kingdom, the origin and center of the world whence issued all spiritual energies.

Internally, Shambhala is the dharma chakra, located in the heart of all beings. It is the symbol for mind, completing the trinity of body, speech, and mind.

The esoteric meaning of Shambhala is tathagatagarbha, buddha-nature, the essence of all things. It transcends existence and non-existence and is the ground of both samsara and nirvana.According to the Kalachakra Tantra, the Emperor of Shambhala, Rigden, waged war against and subdued the Three Lords of Materialism: the Lord of Form, the Lord of Speech, and the Lord of Mind. In the Dark Age these Three Lords extend their power and seduction, enslaving the human mind with psychological and spiritual materialism. When Shambhala is acknowledged—when buddha-nature shines through—the strategies of the Three Lords become irrelevant and the teachings of the Kalachakra Tantra are realized.

In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala (or Shambala) is a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas. It is mentioned in various ancient texts including the Kalachakra and the ancient texts of the Zhang Zhung culture which pre-dated Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet. The Bon scriptures speak of a closely-related land called Olmolungring.
http://d2prxy8bgthmlr.cloudfront.net/a/Shambhala/id/1897022

The Legend of Shambhala
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/advanced/kalachakra/relation_islam_hinduism/holy_wars_buddhism_islam/holy_war_buddhism_islam_shambhala_long.html
According to tradition, Buddha taught The Kalachakra Tantra in Andhra, South India, in 880 BCE, to the visiting King of Shambhala, Suchandra, and his entourage. King Suchandra brought the teachings back to his northern land, where they have flourished ever since. Shambhala is a human realm, not a Buddhist pure land, where all conditions are conducive for Kalachakra practice. Although an actual location on earth may represent it, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains that Shambhala exists purely as a spiritual realm. Despite the traditional literature describing the physical journey there, the only way to reach it is by intense Kalachakra meditation practice.

Seven generations of kings after Suchandra, in 176 BCE, King Manjushri Yashas gathered the religious leaders of Shambhala, specifically the brahman wise men, to give them predictions and a warning. Eight hundred years in the future, namely in 624 CE, a non-Indic religion will arise in Mecca. Because of a lack of unity among the brahmans’ people and laxity in following correctly the injunctions of their Vedic scriptures, many will accept this religion, far in the future, when its leaders threaten an invasion. To prevent this danger, Manjushri Yashas united the people of Shambhala into a single “vajra-caste” by conferring upon them the Kalachakra empowerment. By his act, the king became the First Kalki – the First Holder of the Caste. He then composed The Abridged Kalachakra Tantra, which is the version of The Kalachakra Tantra that is presently extant.

Shambhala in the Buddhist Kalachakra Teachings
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_shambahla05.htm
The Kingdom of Shambhala takes a central place in the Kalachakra teachings. Shambhala (Tib. bde ’byung) is a Sanskrit term meaning place of peace/tranquility/happiness. Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have taught the Kalachakra tantra on request of King Suchandra, also the teachings are said to be preserved there. Shambhala is said to be a society where all the inhabitants are enlightened, centered around a capital city called Kalapa. War and injustice are said to be unknown there, and it is said to be peopled by beautiful women and men dwelling in magnificent abodes.

Shambhala is ruled over by the Kulika or Kalki (Tib. Ridgen) King, a benevolent monarch who upholds the integrity of the Kalachakra tantra. Religious scholars believe that this figure developed out of the myth of the Hindu conqueror Kalki, a similar personage. The Kalachakra prophesizes that when the world declines into war and greed, and all is lost, the twenty fifty Kalika king will emerge from Shambhala with a huge army to vanquish the corrupt world rulers and usher in a worldwide Golden Age. Some scholars put this date at 2424 AD.

As with many concepts in Vajrayana Buddhism, the idea of Shambhala is said to have an “outer,” “inner,” and “secret” meaning.

The outer meaning understands Shambhala to exist as a physical place, although only individuals with the appropriate karma can reach it and experience it as such. There are various ideas about where this society is located, but it is often placed in central Asia, north of Tibet.

The inner and secret meanings refer to more subtle understandings of what Shambhala represents, and are generally passed on orally.
    
Western Fascination with Shambhala
During the nineteenth century, Theosophical Society founder H.P. Blavatsky alluded to the Shambhala myth, giving it currency for Western occult enthusiasts. Later esoteric writers further emphasized and elaborated on the concept of a hidden land inhabited by a hidden mystic brotherhood whose members labor for the good of humanity.

The myths of Shambhala were part of the inspiration for the tale of Shangri-La told in the popular book Lost Horizon, and thus some people even refer to Shambhala improperly as if it were a Shangri-La. Shambhala’s location and nature remains a subject of much dispute, and several traditions have arisen as to where it is, or will be, including those that emphasize it as a non-physical realm that one can approach only through the mind.

Ancient Zhang Zhung texts identify Shambhala with the Sutlej Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Mongolians identify Shambala with certain valleys of southern Siberia. Beginning in the 1960s, various occult writers have sought to explain the evil of Nazism by suggesting Adolf Hitler tapped into the malevolent forces of Shambhala when he sent Ahnenerbe researchers to Tibet to measure Tibetan skulls as part of his master race justifications.It is also believed that Josef Stalin organized an expedition to find Shambala.

Western Esoteric Traditions
Madame Blavatsky, who claimed to be in contact with a Great White Lodge of Himalayan Adepts, mentions Shambhala in several places without giving it especially great emphasis. (The Mahatmas, we are told, are also active around Shigatse and Luxor.) Blavatsky’s Shambhala, like the headquarters of the Great White Lodge, is a physical location on our earth, albeit one which can only be penetrated by a worthy aspirant.

Later esoteric writers like Alice Bailey (the Arcane School) and the Agni Yoga of Nicholas Roerich and Helena Roerich do emphasize Shambhala. Bailey transformed it into a kind of extradimensional or spiritual reality. The Roerichs see its existence as both spiritual and physical.

Related "hidden land" speculations surrounding the underground kingdom of Agartha led some early twentieth-century occultists to view Shambhala as a source of rather negative manipulation by an evil (or amoral) conspiracy. Nevertheless, the predominant theme is one of light and hope, as evidenced by James Redfield’s and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s respective books by that name.

[Aunt Clair]

Golden Temples of Wisdom
http://www.templesofwisdom.org/wisdom/grounds.html
The Brotherhood of Light
Environment and Grounds
The central structure in the Temples of Wisdom is the center of nine halls. It is like the capital rotunda in Washington with a great dome overhead. The dome is gold and white, with carved and jeweled ribs and it lights the building. If you look up, you can see the dome of white light become rainbows, and then see the eternal story of creation. The dome itself is a kind of hologram for visions, and beautiful three dimensional images are often displayed there.

The other temples can be reached from this central dome via different hallways.

These temples also have external entrances. For instance, to enter the Temple of Healing, one first walks through a green field with golden wheat swaying in the distance, and blue-purple mountains far away. The sky is bright blue. The road is made of white sand and it leads to the temple of healing and purification.

It is modeled after the temple of Aesculapius, the Greek god of physicians. It is of white marble with large pillars and there is a statue of the god outside. Inside it is lit by tall, elaborately carved floor lamps, which shed bright golden light throughout the interior. There are carved censers which spread different kinds of incense. The floors are also marble.

In the front and center of the main room is an altar to the lords of all worlds. There are many hallways connecting to rooms off to the sides. These are used for healing, purification, and therapy.

There are eight other temples besides this one.

From the central dome, one corridor leads to the Temple of the Past. This temple, also called the Temple of the Knowledge of Many Worlds, is a museum that contains the recorded experience of many realms of being. When there are visitors from new worlds, they are asked to visit the museum and donate some of their memories. They then think of their past and the world they inhabited, and the information is reflected or recorded in the records of the museum. These memories are then available to those who wish to learn about these worlds. When these visitors are professionals, memories of their expertise are also recorded. They are often asked what they consider most important, most beautiful, or most unusual in their worlds and this information is recorded. This temple is often visited by souls before they do spiritual travel to familiarize them with other cultures that they wish to visit.

The "research on worlds" area which is part of the Temple of the Past acts to give information to the Meeting Center. At the Center, there are representatives from many worlds who speak and share ideas. There is much debate about what to do with worlds that are spiritually advanced, but have no current representatives, like earth. For a while there were several representatives, and much rivalry between them. Currently there are none.

The Temple of Spiritual Arts is rose-colored, with walls showing the sunrises and sunsets of many different worlds. There are buildings for the visual arts, music, dance, and changes from one sensory modality to another. There is no need of museum guards to protect the artwork, and visitors are encouraged to interact with the art. There is a room for transcendence where the art functions to bring souls to other worlds and a room of immanence where the art opens the individual's heart to emotion, contemplation, and thoughtfulness.

The works of art come from the Brotherhood's artists, and from the memory of visitors who remember the arts from their worlds. Music may be localized in one place, or it may fill the buildings, which resonate to the sounds. The spiritual arts in this temple focus on dramas. The music and light most effective for spiritual travel are found in another temple, the Temple of Transformation.

Sometimes when there is an influx of souls from a particular area or culture, there are special exhibitions on the arts of that region. The displays are not political - their intention is to share the spiritual and aesthetic sensibilities among individuals from different worlds.

The Temple of Archaic Spiritual Paths collects ancient religious beliefs and practices, which have lost popularity on their worlds of origin. Spiritual pathways are ladders through the heavens, and the steps are still there, even if nobody ascends them anymore. In this temple, this information is collected for people who are dissatisfied with the religious paths that they have learned, and want other options. There are experts in the Brotherhood that have tried them, and can discuss their advantages and disadvantages.

The Temple of Transformation (or "soul travel central") is where the more disciplined and difficult spiritual travel occurs. This is where there are specific instructions for spiritual travel, and moving from ego to ego, and body to body.

If a group trip is organized, the people sit in meditation, leaving their bodies meditating in rows or circles, and travel together to their new destination. In this temple, there are charts, and maps of the many worlds which are relatively close and accessible. For higher and more distant spiritual worlds, there are instructions on going from one intermediate world to another, each subtler than the next, until the traveler reaches a level of discomfort. At that point, travel should cease until the person is better prepared.

There are also descriptions of the farther worlds, and warnings of dangers if any are known. For those worlds with guardians or sentries, the guardians are described, along with proper greetings, passwords, offerings, and legitimate reasons for visiting.

One hallway that proceeds from the central great dome of light has golden floor tiles and crimson walls. It is the pathway to the Halls or Temples of Justice.

There are three meeting rooms that compose the Halls of Justice. The first has high ceilings, royal blue walls, and Persian carpets. It is furnished with large oval tables, and the room is used for mediation. When there are fights and struggles and disagreements, the parties sit around the tables to negotiate. Mediators from the Brotherhood spend time here trying to get representatives of warring factions to talk to each other. The representatives come from many different races, with different personalities and desires but they have one thing in common - they are fighting with each other. The members of Brotherhood try to be peacemakers.

The second meeting room has crimson colored walls, and is for evaluation. Here the Brotherhood has panels of judges, which review cases of karmic uncertainty, of unwillingness to accept reincarnation and responsibility for previous actions, and of special requests for delay of karma in order to accomplish some specific task. There are criminals claiming innocence, desirous souls claiming compulsion, and sneaky souls trying to get out of their obligations.

The third meeting room is for formal meetings, for treaties, for state functions, and for public tribunals. The room is dark green with ebony wood and gold fixtures. There are rows of seats for spectators, and a stage upon which commitments are made. It is also a place used to welcome new members.

The Brotherhood has been misrepresented as controlling the universe. It does not do this. However, the Halls of Judgment are the closest the Brotherhood comes to this function. They have met with beings who could accurately be described as gods and angels. The Brotherhood understands them as beings seeking help with their problems, and they do not ignore those who are weak and low-caste just as they do not grovel before those who are powerful. They welcome the company of a wide range of beings and work with them.

The universe is composed of many layers. Souls from other worlds visit through the Brotherhood's spiritual area, and the reason for their visit is often the Halls of Justice. They may wish a respected place for negotiation, or a neutral ground for investiture. The rooms are large, but can expand to become much larger. The Brotherhood has fit thousands of visitors in these rooms with the help of some visualizers who can expand their capacity.

In the Temple of Records, there is a center for the study of karma. Karma is really an enormous topic, and there are records of the deeds and actions of universes. Of course all that information is not stored locally. No matter how compressed the information, it would still take universes to store all of it. What is present at the temple is basically the card catalog, which gives the means to look up the desired information.

People who had skill in this area left detailed instructions for meditation, mantras, and visualizations which allow the researcher to locate the records of a person's life, and specific memories or emotions within the life. All people have karmic records. For those who possess the ability to perceive them, the records look like a comet's tail behind the person as he or she passes by.

The center of the study of karma is confidential - people should not spy on each other. It is only open to counselors and judges, who use the information to help others.

The Temple of Wisdom is the academic area, with large auditoriums for classes in meditation, karmic analysis, and comparative religion and spirituality. When great souls visit, they are asked to teach and share their wisdom. There are also more practical classes in maintaining the grounds, extended visualization, defense of the gates, and processing of visitors. There are also guest speakers with specializations in counseling, negotiation, and other valuable skills.

The ninth and final temple in the Temples of Wisdom complex is the Temple of Compassion. It is an extension of the healing area which is focused on the development of compassion towards all forms of life. Here, there is contemplation of suffering, discussion of morality, and praise of helpfulness and sacrifice of personal pleasure for the sake of others. While the healing center is run by experts, this temple is for ordinary souls, to encourage them to develop the qualities of love and forgiveness.

There is also a center of Light - the light which runs the complex. It is not electricity but perhaps some spiritual analogue. It too is used for travel but in very limited ways.

The Garden Area and Beyond
There is also an outdoor garden area on the grounds surrounding the Temples of Wisdom. At the garden gate, there are two swans, carved out of marble, their great-feathered wings lifted for flight. They represent the paramahamsas, the great souls whose light shines out like the feathers of a swan.

As one walks into the garden, the trees are made of gold and silver, with jeweled leaves and fruit. The paths are made of tiny white quartz crystals of sand, and the plants have flowers which shine with light and spread their sweet fragrances. There are hedges carved in the shapes of animals, and rest areas with mosaic floors. One mosaic represents the sun, with many colored rays. Another shows wooden ships sailing beneath a starry sky.

The garden has fountains, and in their water and spray can be seen many worlds. There are small rivulets surrounded by wild-flowers, and grassy fields in the distance with bright birds and butterflies flying above them.

Looking beyond the garden, one can see land stretching to the seashore. In the distance are great cliffs of rose and lavender, silver through the ocean mists. At their foot, where the water meets the cliffs, there are caves. Some of them are under water, and they reflect the deep blue of the water on their turquoise walls. These are meditation caves for those close to the water element.

Higher on the cliffs are caves facing the sun full of golden crystals for those closer to the fire element. Deeper into the cliff are darker caves for those who appreciate earth, with sand floors, and sandstone walls.

Atop the cliffs are gazebos for teaching, delicately arched in gold and marble, and also caves open to wind and air. These are for those that appreciate the air element. Here the cool winds take away one's sins and distractions, as the sun burns them away, and the water washes them away. The earth just has them settle or drop away.The garden is for beauty, thoughtfulness, and purification.

The Visitor's Areas
The Brotherhood accepts many visitors and has varied accommodations for them.Within the lodge, there are tapestries that depict the history of civilizations. These hang behind couches full of mandala pillows, tables of beaten brass, and decorated hookahs. These rooms are for visitors from the East so that they feel at home.

For visitors from the West, there are different sorts of decor. There are tall simple white walls, with arches and pillows. The couches are plain and white, and the floors are black and white marble. There is fruit and flowers, and a library-wall of leather-bound books. For other visitors, there are Persian rugs, and carved furniture. It is important to have familiar objects so that visitors feel comfortable.

For souls that are anxious, crazed, and in need of therapy, there are beautiful and well-kept gardens. Desperate souls can walk along the garden borders, and along rivers splashing over rocks, and find peace. Beyond the gardens, there are beautiful mountains and valleys, pearly sunrises and dramatic sunsets.

The garden walks lead into rooms where the visitors stay. The rooms are very simple, like monastic rooms, for souls must learn not to be attached to their soul-bodies. The beds are covered with rough cotton, and there are wooden floors. Books are placed on the tables that might be suitable for these visitors.

[Aunt Clair]

Dharmacakra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmacakra
The Dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pāli: Dhammacakka; Tibetan: འཀོར་ལོ། (chos kyi 'khor lo), Burmese: ဓမ္မစကြာ (IPA: [dəməseʔ tɕà]); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin: fălún), lit. "Wheel of Dharma" or "Wheel of Life" is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala symbols.

The Dharmachakra symbol is represented as a chariot wheel (Sanskrit cakram) with eight or more spokes. It is one of the oldest known Buddhist symbols found in Indian art, appearing with the first surviving post-Harappan Indian iconography in the time of the Buddhist king Aśoka. The Dharmacakra has been used by all Buddhist nations as a symbol ever since. In its simplest form, the Dharmachakra is recognized globally as a symbol for Buddhism.
Symbolism
A simplified version of the Dharmacakra.In Buddhism—according to the Pali Canon, Vinayapitaka, Khandhaka, Mahavagga, Dhammacakkappavattanasutta—number of spokes of the Dharmacakra represent various meanings:

* 8 spokes representing the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya magga).
* 12 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppāda) or the twelve permutations of the four noble truths.
* 24 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination and the Twelve Laws of Dependent Termination (Paticcasamuppāda).
* 31 spokes representing 31 realms of existence (11 realms of desire, 16 realms of form and 4 realms of formlessness).

In Buddhism, Parts of the Dharmacakra also representing:Its overall shape is that of a circle (cakra), representing the perfection of the dharma teaching.The hub stands for discipline, which is the essential core of meditation practice.The rim, which holds the spokes, refers to mindfulness or samādhi which holds everything together.The corresponding mudrā, or symbolic hand gesture, is known as the Dharmacakra Mudrā.The Dharmachakra is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism.

The dharma wheel can refer to the dissemination of the dharma teaching from country to country. In this sense the dharma wheel began rolling in India, carried on to Central Asia, and then arrived in South East Asia and East Asia.

Multiple turnings of the Wheel~Gankyil
Main article: Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma

Mahayana schools classify Buddhist teachings in turns of a sequential scheme of development. These phases are called "turnings" of the Dharmacakra (Sanskrit: dharmacakra-pravartana).

All Buddhists agree that the original turning of the wheel occurred when the Buddha taught the five ascetics who became his first disciples at the Deer Park in Sarnath. In memory of this, the Dharmacakra is sometimes represented with a deer on each side.

In Theravāda Buddhism, this was the only "turning of the wheel", and later developments of the Buddhist doctrine which do not appear in the Pali Canon or the Agamas are not accepted as teachings of the historical Buddha.

Other schools of Buddhism, such as the Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna distinguish later "turnings". Specific accounts of them vary. In one, the first turning of the Dharmacakra is Gautama Buddha's original teaching, in particular the Four Noble Truths which describes the mechanics of attachment, desire, suffering, and liberation via the Eightfold Path; the second turning is the teaching of the Perfection of Wisdom sutra, a foundational text of Mahayana Buddhism; and the third is the teaching of the Mahavairocana Sutra, a foundational text of Tantric Buddhism.

In another scheme, the second turning of the Dharmacakra is the Abhidharma, the third is the Mahāyāna Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, and the fourth includes both the Yogacara sutras and Tathāgatagarbha sutras.

[Aunt Clair]

www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Shambhala
&
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shambhala

In Tibetan Buddhism, Shambhala (Tibetan: bde byung, pron. 'De-jung') meaning "Source of happiness," is a mythical kingdom or hidden place somewhere beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas. The kingdom is mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Kalachakra Tantra.The Bön scriptures also speak of a closely-related land called 'Olmolungring'.
http://www.tibetan-museum-society.org/java/arts-culture-Bon-Tradition.jsp

The concept of Shambhala plays an important role in Tibetan religious teachings, and has particular relevance in Tibetan mythology about the future. The Kalachakra Tantra states that a great army will arise out of the Shambhala kingdom to restore the earth at a future time. This militant vision has been interpreted both metaphorically and literally. For the literalists, Shambhala is a real place and various ideas about its location have been propounded: it is often placed in central Asia, north or west of Tibet. Ancient Zhang Zhung culture, which pre-dates Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet, identifies Shambhala with the Sutlej Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Mongolians identify Shambala with certain valleys of southern Siberia.

The 14th Dalai Lama has given many Kalachakra initiation ceremonies, which are intrinsically related to the Shambhala concept.

Shambhala is a Sanskrit term meaning "place of peace/tranquility/happiness." Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have taught the Kalachakra tantra on request of King Suchandra of Shambhala; the teachings are also said to be preserved there. Shambhala is believed to be a society where all the inhabitants are enlightened, actually a Buddhist "Pure Land," centered by a capital city called Kalapa. An alternative view associates Shambhala with the real empire of Sriwijaya where Buddhist master Atisha studied under Dharmakirti from whom he received the Kalachakra initiation.

Shambhala is ruled over by a line of Kings known as Kulika, or Kalki Kings (Tib. Rigden), who uphold the integrity of the Kalachakra tantra. Tibetan Buddhism prophesizes that when the world declines into war and greed, and all is lost, the twenty-fifth Kalki king will emerge from Shambhala with a huge army to vanquish "Dark Forces" and usher in a worldwide Golden Age. Using calculations from the Kalachakra Tantra, scholars such as Alex Berzin put this date at 2424 C.E.

One of these Kalki Kings, named Rigdan Tagpa (c. 159 B.C.E.), allegedly ruled over a kingdom of 300,510 followers of the Mlechha (Yavana or "western") religion, some of whom worshiped the sun. He is said to have expelled all the heretics from his dominions but later, after hearing their petitions, allowed them to return. For their benefit, and the benefit of all living beings, he explained the Kalachakra teachings. In 59 B.C.E., he abdicated his throne to his son, Puṇdaŕika, and died soon afterwards, entering the Sambhoga-káya of Buddhahood.

Kalachakra Teachings
As with many concepts in the Kalachakra Tantra, the idea of Shambhala is said to have an "outer," "inner,' and "alternative" meaning. The outer meaning understands Shambhala to exist as a physical place, although only individuals with the appropriate karma can reach it and experience it as such. The inner and alternative meanings refer to more subtle understandings of what Shambhala represents in terms of one's own body and mind (inner), and the meditation practice (alternative). These two types of symbolic explanations are generally passed on orally from teacher to student.

In modern times, Chögyam Trungpa, founder of Shambhala International, taught that Shambhala kingdom is seen as enlightened society that people of all faiths can aspire to and actually realize. The path to this is provocatively described as the practice of warriorship—meeting fear and transcending aggression, and of "secular sacredness"—joining the wisdom of the past and one's own culture with the present in nowness.

Trungpa's Shambhala teachings have inspired numerous educational, artistic, and spiritual institutions, including Naropa University, Shambhala Training, Shambhala Sun, Miksang photography, The Shambhala School, Shambhala Buddhism, Shambhala Prison Community, Peacemaker Institute and many others.

Western fascination
The Western fascination with Shambhala has often been based upon fragmented accounts of the Kalachakra tradition, or outright fabrications. Tibet was largely closed to outsiders until very recently, and so what information was available about the tradition of Shambhala was haphazard at best.

The first information that reached western civilization about Shambhala came from the Portuguese Catholic missionaries João Cabral and Estêvão Cacella who had heard about Shambala (which they transcribed as "Xembala"), and thought it was another name for Cathay or China. In 1627, they headed to Tashilhunpo, the seat of the Panchen Lama and, discovering their mistake, returned to India.

The Hungarian scholar Sàndor Körösi Csoma, writing in 1833, provided the first geographic account of "a fabulous country in the north...situated between 45' and 50' north latitude."

During the nineteenth century, Theosophical Society founder Helena P. Blavatsky alluded to the Shambhala myth, giving it currency for Western occult enthusiasts. Later esoteric writers further emphasized and elaborated on the concept of a hidden land inhabited by a hidden mystic brotherhood whose members labor for the good of humanity.

The mystic Nicholas Roerich and the Soviet agent Yakov Blumkin led two Tibetan expeditions to discover Shambhala, in 1926 and 1928. Apparently inspired by Theosophical lore, Heinrich Himmler and Rudolf Hess sent German expeditions to Tibet in 1930, 1934-35, and 1938-39.

The myths of Shambhala were part of the inspiration for the story of Shangri-La told in the popular novel Lost Horizon published in 1933, possibly influenced by the accounts of Nicholas Roerich published under the title Shambhala three years earlier.

Western esoteric traditions
Madame Blavatsky, who claimed to be in contact with a Great White Lodge of Himalayan Adepts, mentions Shambhala in several places without giving it especially great emphasis. (The Mahatmas, we are told, are also active around Shigatse and Luxor.) Blavatsky's Shambhala, like the headquarters of the Great White Lodge, is a physical location on our earth, albeit one which can only be penetrated by a worthy aspirant.

Later esoteric writers like Alice Bailey (the Arcane School) and the Agni Yoga of Nicholas and Helena Roerich do emphasize Shambhala. Bailey transformed it into a kind of extradimensional or spiritual reality on the etheric plane, a gigantic castle in which the governing deity of Earth, Sanat Kumara, is said to dwell. The Roerichs see its existence as both spiritual and physical.

Related "hidden land" speculations surrounding the underground kingdom of Agartha led some early twentieth-century occultists (especially those associated with Nazi or Neo-Nazi occultism) to view Shambhala as a source of negative manipulation by an evil (or amoral) conspiracy. Nevertheless, the predominant theme is one of light and hope, as evidenced by James Redfield's and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche's respective books by that name.

The myth has been appropriated in a variety of modern comic books including The Shadow, Prometheus, 2000 C.E., Gargoyles #6, and Warlord.

Julie by Crip
	Powered by SMF 1.1.16 | SMF © 2011, Simple Machines TinyPortal v0.9.8 © Bloc