Drawing on Tibetan and Sanskrit texts, interviews with lamas in Nepal and India, and his own travels to the Himalayas, Edwin Bernbaum gives a detailed account of this fascinating legend, examining its basis in religion and history and its connections to the archetypal myths that have influenced both Eastern and Western cultures. As he explores the myth of Shambhala, showing how it symbolizes an inner, spiritual journey to enlightenment, Bernbaum leads the reader through the actual terrain of the Himalayas, the mist-filled valleys and snow-covered peaks that have helped to inspire the idea of a mysterious sanctuary hidden in the remote mountains of Central Asia.
The Way to Shambhala, A Search for the mythical kingdom beyond the Himalayas; Edward Bernbaum; Shambhala Publications, 316 pp., $16.95
Edwin Bernbaum, Ph.D., is a lecturer, author, mountaineer, and scholar of comparative religion and mythology. He is the author of the award-winning book Sacred Mountains of the World. He holds a doctorate in Asian Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, where he is a research associate, and is director of the Sacred Mountains Program at the Mountain Institute, a nonprofit organization working in the Himalayas, the Andes, and the United States to preserve mountain environments and strengthen mountain cultures.
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