Shambhala Caravanserai

The pillar of Ashoka, the first Dharma King Buddhist political thought is very closely related to the idea of Shambhala. With roots in the writings of Ashoka and Nagarjuna, it had influences throughout central Asia and East Asia until very recent times; and even today Nagarjuna's writings are being explored today by the followers of … Continue reading Shambhala Politics for our world

Caravanserais- what could elicit greater romance- an island of safety in an endless sea. Caravanserais were refuges for travelling merchants, placed at standardized 25 km to 30 km (15-20 miles) distances, where traders could safely house their wares; feed their pack animals; find food and lodging; exchange ideas and culture; and in central areas they … Continue reading Caravanserais and Cosmopolitanism

The ancient Silk Road was the shape of trade of much of the world for much of history, but it hasn’t been in recent centuries. Colonialism changed that. Starting in the 1400s Europeans started looking for ways to get around the Silk Road middlemen (mostly the Islamic world) who had been bringing them goods they … Continue reading The coming multi-polar world and the Silk Road order as a model

When you and I in the West were taught history, we were taught that all the important stuff started with the Greeks. Before that we learned about the Fertile Crescent and how urbanization and agriculture started there. Maybe we learned something about ancient Egypt and that some other civilizations existed, but they were foreign and … Continue reading Central Asia is where history’s at

There is an ancient myth in Central Asia, and one that is now known by the many cultures who have come into contact with it, the myth of Shambhala. You may know of it by the name Shangri-La; the Russian old believers knew of it as Belovoyde; the Hindus as Aryavartha (The Land of the … Continue reading The Myth of Shambhala

Garab Dorje- the central Asian revealer of non-dualism In the last post I mentioned how Silk Road views tended toward non-dualism and Tantric types of teachings. It’s worth a minute to make a little side-trip to elaborate a little bit on one of the most important basic concepts of this approach, the concept of Non-Dualism.  … Continue reading Non-Dualism on the Silk Road

I discussed briefly the view of history and the way of looking at the world that I’m calling the Silk Road vision. That’s part of what I would call the external aspect of the silk road view. There is a more internal aspect of this vision, the spiritual vision of the silk road world. Throughout … Continue reading The inner Silk Road view

When I talk about a Silk Road view of the world what do I mean? It’s a trade route, how can it be a world view? Well, first of all, we must begin with the silk road view of history. A traditional view of history, at least in the West, is a Eurocentric one. The … Continue reading The Silk Road view of the world

Why am I writing this blog? I have to admit to a chronic fascination with the Silk Road- not just the idea of the trade routes (which is amazing on its own) but mostly with the cultural exchange that occurred along these ancient pathways between civilizations. The silk road was not just a conduit for … Continue reading Why am I writing this blog?