Thursday, February 11, 2010

Shambhala

I live in the small idyllic valley of Ojai (pop. 8,000) in one of the northern most parts of Southern California located about an hour north of Los Angeles, a half hour south of Santa Barbara and about 20 minutes inland from the beach. Because of it's natural beauty and location, Ojai was "cast" as the utopian village of Shangri-La in the movie Lost Horizon, based on James Hilton's 1933 novel inspired by the mythical kingdom of Shambhala.




According to many Tibetan Buddhists, Shambhala (a sanskrit word meaning "a place of peace") is the spiritual center of the world. When I am creating my designs and jewelry here in Ojai, I truly feel at peace and full of joy. I feel so blessed to have found my Shambhala!


"there is a natural source of radiance and brilliance in the world, which is the innate wakefulness of human beings. this is the basis, in myth and inspiration, of the Kingdom of Shambhala, an enlightened society of fearlessness, dignity and compassion." Furthermore, "Shambhala vision applies to people of any faith, not just people who believe in Buddhism... the Shambhala vision does not distinguish a Buddhist from a Catholic, a Protestant, a Jew, a Moslem, a Hindu. That's why we call it the Shambhala Kingdom. A Kindgom should have lots of spiritual disciplines in it."

source of quote: Angelfire

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