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.
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