In his multidimensional paper on the work of preeminent and world-renowned Mongolist and historian Dr. Shagdargen Bira, Dr. Lokesh Chandra quotes Goethe:

He whose vision cannot cover
History’s three thousand years
Must in outer darkness hover.

His linking of Dr. Bira and this passage from Goethe underscores a crucial reality: the Human Being requires a psychological orientation that can comprise the full accounting of his identity.  In this great accounting, the soul is confirmed and substantiated.  And robbed of historical legacy, the soul falls into peril and must be rescued by the servants of the Infinite, the visionary historians.  Those who, like Dr. Bira, have shouldered this task deserve to be honored in our daily actions, which increase in dignity and compassion as a result of the awareness that they awaken.

It is interesting to note that in Goethe’s time, history was regarded in the West as a tale that indeed could be told within the mental parameters of 3000 years.   Now, collective self-knowledge has expanded considerably.  Now, we take for granted an historical awareness that comprises a much greater span.  The majestic pan-Mongolian region reverberates with the powerful energies accumulated over a span of time which, while subject to scientific revisions, invites us to consider a history of unprecedented depth.  It is said that the Buddha Tonpa Shenrap Miwoche left his native Shambhala to share knowledge with the outside world, founding the Zhangzhung Civilization and the Bon religion, the precursor of modern Buddhism.  It is said that this took place some 18,000 years ago.  I am not sure if anyone can say with certainty the exact age of Shambhala itself, nevertheless, it persists as the region’s most formidable historical reference and recollection, as well as its most powerful “projection”.  Its historical reality confirms the living principles that will recreate an era of peace.

Shambhala was and will be.  And serious Shambhala researchers have the intuitive power to understand that their work unravels and confirms ancient realities even as it promotes an actualization of the eternal truths that are revealed in the process.  The world cries out for Shambhala.  We strive to reconnect with cosmic truths in an effort to overcome the lethal divisions that exist between us and our natural world, and even within ourselves.  We seek a clarity and a path that will lead us back to original source of wisdom. 

Human forgeries, in the form of ideologies, have been used to consolidate psychological control of populations. Those already awakening to Shambhala consciousness are increasingly able to spot these forgeries, these destructive unrealities that have been imposed on the collective consciousness by the agents of oligarchy. 

The way to conceptualize Shambhala is to imagine the ability to detect living truths behind the screens of untruths and then to reach through the screen of falsehood and take hold of the living cosmic reality.  When one makes a practice of this, the result will be Shambhala–a constantly developing state of goodwill and the alignment of fortunes.  Shambhala is the natural result of the lively adherence to cosmic truths which do not vary but are nevertheless infinitely flexible.  And so, whoever we are, we can feel the immediate empowerment to do the right thing. And so, the study of Shambhala eventually brings about its realization: a truly pro-human society!

Shambhala is the living, factual manifestation of the Divine principle of development.  Our every thought, wish, desire, instinct, breath and understanding develops.  In our inward lives, we sometimes strive toward and sometimes resist develoment.  But there is no denying that it is a fundamental force inherent in creation.  And, just as we must strive for harmony, we must indeed honor this natural principle, to expand our understanding and insight.  This is true in our inner lives, our relations with one another and in our social context.  It is nowhere untrue.  We strive to know more and live more feelingly.  In this way, we promulgate a spirit of holistic development.  In our awareness of environmental considerations, our respect for the feelings of one another and our humble wish to make the most of creation’s gifts, we cannot fail to develop in extraordinary ways.  It is a future we needn’t fear.  We must, in fact, resist the propaganda of fear as we spiritually, and in every way, prepare for the future.  Achieving balance between Earth and Sky, the Human Being progresses joyfully, energized by gratitude and the desire to contribute.