Blast from my past when I watched Lost on Thursday! One of my favorite bands when I was in high school was Three Dog Night. I learned how to play many of their songs on my guitar. One of my favorite songs--but one I never learned to play because I just couldn't sing it "right"--was "Shambala." And what song was prominent on last night's episode? That very song!
The idea behind this episode was that you have to have hope and you have to believe you can change your luck -- or your fate or destiny. Hurley is one of my favorite characters on the show. He is the sensitive fat guy who win a million dollars or more playing a series of numbers he believes now are cursed: 4 8 15 16 23 and 42. These numbers won him a lot of money but have brought nothing but misery since. Death seems to surround him and bad things happen to people he cares for.
Can he ever escape this miserable fate? Maybe ... he finds an abandoned VW van (well, it has a Dharma symbol on it so it obviously belonged to the Others at one time) and convinces a couple of the guys to help him try and get it started. One is Charlie, who is living under the sword of Damocles ever since his death was predicted by the island's new prophet. Well, I won't get into the whole plot line here except to say that maybe you can change your fate by the choices you make. We'll see.
It's interesting that the writers chose "Shambala". It came out in 1970 or 71, I think, and that would have been long before the character Hurley was even born. So I think it was picked because of the location and the meaning behind it.
From Wikipedia:
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala (also spelled Shambala or Shamballa) is a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas. ...Shambhala (Tib. bde 'byung) is a Sanskrit term meaning "place of peace/tranquility/happiness". ...the idea of Shambhala is said to have an "outer," "inner,' and "alternative" meaning. The outer meaning understands Shambhala to exist as a physical place, although only individuals with the appropriate karma can reach it and experience it as such. ...
There are various ideas about where this society is located, but it is often placed in central Asia, north or west of Tibet. The inner and alternative meanings refer to more subtle understandings of what Shambhala represents in terms of one's own body and mind (inner), and the meditation practice (alternative). ...
There are several groups of "Others" on Lost Island, at least one of which was or is connected to the Dharma Initiative. It was founded by a group of scientists, if I remember correctly, who wanted to form a better society -- a form of Shambhala. This song could be their theme song at the very least.
But it could also apply to the Losties in another way. They all led troubled lives. Here, on this Island, they can have their own Shambhala. They all can start over again and leave their pasts behind. These lyrics from the song are meaningful to the Losties:
That island, monster and all, really isn't a bad place to be compared to some of the lives these folks have led.