A Man's World? Polyandry in Shangri-La

I lost my polyginity in Portland! Australian

One queen with many kings?

Tibet Travel (Tibet Vista) [Guide Jamyang was traveling on the Lost Horizon and] found the lost Shangri-La (Tibetan Shambhala, Western Paradise Lost), and their secret to happiness seems to be polyandry (multiple husbands for each woman).

POLYANDRY (Ancient Greek πολύ, polú, "many" + ἀνήρ, anḗr, "man") is a form of polygamy in which a female takes two or more husbands at the same time.

Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives" participants of each gender, then it can be called polygamy [1], group or conjoint marriage [2].

• 

  Anything he can do, I...

  Let's not forget the beautiful practice of polyamory for those who can overcome the venoms of envy and jealousy.

In its broadest use, polyandry refers to sexual relations with multiple males within or without marriage.

Of the 1,231 societies listed in the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas,

• 186 were found to be monogamous,
• 453 had occasional polygyny,
• 588 had more frequent polygyny, and
• 4 had polyandry [3].

Polyandry is more frequent (less rare) than this figure suggests because it considered only those examples found in the Himalayan Buddhist mountain region (8 societies).

Feminine female power!

More recent studies have found at least 4 other societies practicing polyandry [4]. Fraternal polyandry is practiced among Tibetans in Nepal and parts of China, in which two or more brothers are married to the same female (wife), with that wife having equal sexual access to them [5, 6].

It is associated with partible paternity, the cultural belief that a child can have more than one [legal] father [4].

Several ethnic groups practicing polyandry in India identify their customs with their descent from the female Draupadi, a central character of the Mahabharata (revered in Hinduism) who was married to five brothers, although local practices may not be fraternal themselves.

One husband, one wife? - How bad is a good marriage? Be honest, completely honest

Adam's Eve was his "rescuer."

WHY? Polyandry is believed to be more likely in societies with scarce environmental resources. It is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival [6, 7]. It is a rare form of marriage that exists among elite and peasant families [8].

For example, polyandry in the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan mountains is related to the scarcity of land. The marriage of all brothers in a family to the same wife allows family land to remain in the same family's hads undivided.

If every brother married separately and had children, family land would be split into unsustainably small plots.

In contrast, very poor persons who do not own land are less likely to practice polyandry in Buddhist India's Ladakh and Zanskar [6].

In Europe, the splitting up of land was prevented through the social practice of impartible inheritance. With most siblings disinherited, many of them became celibate monks and priests [9]. Buddhism seems to have had a better solution, though the vast majority of male and female Tibetan Buddhists at one time or other became Vajrayana monastics at least for some part of their lives. More

• Happy International Day of Education
• Antisexualism
• Tibetan tour guide Jamyang, Tibet Travel (Tibet Vista); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Travel: Lost Horizon to Shangri-La (video)

David Adams (Timeline: World History Docs); Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly

Pakistan: The Road to Shangri-La

Lost Horizon the book, 1933

This is a utopian mystery documentary about a lost horizon. Legend tells of a utopian Buddhist kingdom hidden among the towering mountains of inner Asia [Central Asia] -- a paradise on Earth yet a place apart, a place of spiritual contentment and long life, a place that’s become known in the West as "Shangri-La."

For centuries, romantics, adventurers, and the devout risked their lives searching for this mythical heaven on Earth [rarely suspecting that it was underneath their feet in our Hollow Earth and its many levels spoken of in the Vedas since before that advent of the historical Buddha].

Lost Horizon the movie, 1937

Many perished in the quest. Those who returned told of a journey through hostile lands, of crossing treacherous mountain passes and desert gorges, in their search for a valley where people live for hundreds of years.

To this day its whereabouts remains a mystery. Host David Adams goes in search of "Shangri-La" -- as described in the famous Western novel Lost Horizon -- in the icy valleys of the Himalayan and Karakoram Mountains in Far North Pakistan, which was part of India until Partition in 1947.

• Content licensed from David Adams Films. Any queries, please contact: realstories@littledotstudios.com

Travel far to Distant Horizons (video)

Distant-Horizons.com; Crystal Quintero, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

ABOUT: Since 1985 Distant Horizons has organized cultural programs to Cuba, Iran , and other destinations in [Buddhist] Asia, Africa, and the Middle East [Northern Africa].

The focus of each trip is to allow the traveler the chance to breathe the culture and traditions of the country.

Small group size, best hotels, superb local guides, and incredible first-hand knowledge of trips all allow Distant Horizons to offer comfortable and intimate tours to the world's best destinations. More

CUSTOMIZED TRAVEL: In addition to offering listed tours, Distant Horizons is very experienced at organizing customized itineraries for individuals, small groups, and special-interest groups.

By designing a unique program, one can create an itinerary and travel at a personal pace.

This allows flexibility for including vegetarian meals wanted and staying at preferred hotels. Decide when to be with a local guide and when to use a personal driver. More

• Phone: (800) 333-1240 or (562) 983-8828
• Fax: (562) 983-8833 
• Email: info@distant-horizons.com
• Distant Horizons (info@distant-horizons.com)
• 350 Elm Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802

Inspect Egypt's pyramids up close

Hubcap "Everything we've been taught about ancient history is a lie"

 

As  in the Days of Noah, there was a global high-tech society and the presence of the  "Fallen Ones." Magnificent structures were built in the antediluvian (pre-flood) period.  The idea that they were built by the Ancient Egyptians is a lie, a joke. They already existed when the pharaohs decided to use them as tombs. Many attempts to recreate them by  the Ancient Egyptians resulted in tiny, crumbling mud piles. See Part 2. More

China's "Shangri-La" is a real dream

A street in China's officially recognized Shangri-La (Chicago Tribune/Ashley Colby).

SHANGRI-LA, China -- If you've ever dreamed of finding Shangri-La -- that mythical mountain paradise made famous in James Hilton's novel The Lost Horizon -- it's time to wake up. These days, the elusive Shangri-La isn't that hard to find. It's in China's Yunnan province.

• Buddhism (Chicago Tribune)

It might not be exactly what you had in mind, however. When I arrived in Shangri-La, it was cold and raining, and there was a cow eyeing me as it lapped up water from a bucket in the Old Town, a patchwork of wooden houses on narrow streets. Not exactly the shining pathways and endless enlightenment I imagined, but I had just gotten there.

Shangri-La, with a population of more than 100,000, is nestled in a valley near the edge of the Tibetan Plateau in far south-central China, about 1,000 miles northwest of Hong Kong. In the far distance are glimpses of Himalayan snow-capped peaks hiding behind much lower mountains that hug the city.

In the late 1990s, with the expanding Chinese middle class thirsty to spend tourist yuan, several Chinese provinces started claiming they were the true Shangri-La. The government saw an opportunity and proposed that each place prove through empirical research that its physical characteristics match those in the novel. Several years later, Zhongdian County in Yunnan province was granted the title.

People come to get a glimpse of Tibetan Buddhist culture. Getting into Tibet can be difficult for tourists. Shangri-La, however, lies just outside the formal Tibet Autonomous Region but well within the plateau where Tibetans reside. More>>