Search for Shangri-La leads explorers to a philosophical discovery

Shangri-La to be created

According to a prophecy in the sutra, about 2,500 years after the Nirvana of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, the world is destined to enter the Age of Kali, or self-destruction, a time when shortsighted human greed results in vicious cycles of war, poverty and environmental destruction.

Ultimately, the last king of Shambhala dispatches warriors to rid the world of the forces of greed, anger and ignorance, establishing the order of Shambahla on earth.

"Shambhala is basically a balanced and sustainable world that shows respect for nature and for others," Brahm says. "By projecting positive intention to change the circumstances around us, we create Shambhala. It begins with each individual's intention and in the end, it will be our collective intention as individuals that will make a difference."

Though having failed to find the physical place of Shangri-La or Shambhala, it seems that Brahm learned something unexpected on his expeditions, something more meaningful perhaps: that paradise is not some mythical place that does not exist, but Shambhala-like future can be created by humanity through change of perceptions and its actions.