The Shield of Shambala

The exotic demons and realms of Tibetan Buddhism come to life in this epic tale. The story goes beyond simple fantasy by putting humanity’s quest for spiritual enlightenment at its core and incorporating rich elements of Tibetan religious culture. The reader is introduced to a fascinating assortment of characters as the story unfolds. Gesar Despa, a young professor of Asian art history, is struck by a debilitating disease and cast into the Buddhist realm of Asura where he is recruited as a warrior of Shambala. In that sacred land, the myths of Tibetan Buddhism are manifest in flesh and spirit. There, he learns that the path to spiritual freedom is threatened by a group of rebellious demon guardians of Shambala who have allied with the master of the Hell realm. For millennia, Shambala was protected by a shield of metaphysical power created by the Eight Wisdom Bodhisattvas and defended by a group of men and women warriors whose defenseless bodies sleep the in the Human realm. On the eve of an epic battle, Gesar encounters the woman of his “dreams”, the beautiful dakini captain, Ane, whose comatose body is hunted in the Human realm by a demonic assassin. Caught between realms, he struggles to save Ane and Shambala with the aid of a Navajo doctor, a Tibetan Lama, and a group of mysterious Buddhist monks.