The Idea of a Way Out

In the last episode, The Man From Talahassee, Ben tells Locke that the submarine isn't actually a way off the island, but that it's important for the people that have been recruited to think that there's a way off the island if they need it. He's basically saying that given enough time, people won't want to leave the island and the fact that there's no way off it won't matter to them.

In the novel Lost Horizon, when the westerners first arrive in Shangri-La, they are assured that they will be able to leave within a couple of weeks when porters arrive. After a period of time it's revealed that not only do the porters come only once every couple of years, but when the porters finally arrive, they'll take no people with them. There never was a way out of Shangri-La in the first place. When asked why they were lied to, they are told that it was initially important just for their peace of mind to think there was a way out if they needed it. But sure enough, by the time this is pointed out to them, all of the westerners (except one) want to stay in Shangri-La anyways.

The Road to Shambala

On last night's episode "Tricia Tanaka is Dead," in that great moment when Hurley pops the clutch in the VW, the 8-track kicks on and is playing the song "Shambala" by Three Dog Night. Not only was this a great choice in music for the scene, but there's a great connection to be made here.

The song is about the mythical kingdom of Shambhala, which appears in several Buddhist texts, possibly dating further back than the 10th century. Shambala is a mystical kingdom that lies somewhere within or beyond the Himalayas, and is believed to be a society where all of the inhabitants are enlightened. Shambhala is a sanskrit word meaning "place of peace/tranquilty/happiness".

In one of the ancient texts in which Shangri-La is described, The Kalachakra Tantra, it prophesizes that when the world declines into war and greed and all is lost, a king will emerge from Shambhala and usher in a new golden age around the world.

All sounds familiar, doesn't it? In fact, the word Shambhala looks and sounds a lot like Shangri-la. This is no coincidence. These ancient myths were an inspiration for James Hilton when he wrote the book "Lost Horizon." Before Hilton wrote the book, he visited the Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan where the inhabitants lived long and healthy lives into old age. It is said that Hilton combined his own travels with the teaching of Shambhala to create Shangri-La.