What is the heart of Asia? What is its pulse, its juicy marrow, its fears and its deeply held beliefs? What does it take to understand this part of the world that seems so alien to us here in the West? Moreover, how much truth do you really want to know? These issues are addressed in this travel diary of the renowned visionary artist and humanitarian, Nicholas Roerich.

Many people are under the misconception that Roerich confined his sojourns to Tibet. At a glance, the map on the inside-cover of this book shows the extent of his travels through northern and central Asia. Roerich recounts his journeys crossing thirty-five mountain passes, to more than fifty monasteries in dozens of countries, languages, and subcultures.

The first half of the book describes his encounters with these different cultures, the characters he met and the trials and tribulations he faced along the way. Included are dramatic episodes of his being confined whilst awaiting travel documents to be processed even though his men were starving and freezing to death. He also battles snow blindness, mountain floods, and altitude sickness, so severe that pack animals experienced nosebleeds.

One remarkable account is his visit to the Hemis monastery reputed to be the burial place of the Biblical Jesus Christ, locally known as Issa. Here he is shown scrolls by the monks of this monastery and told they are written by Issa’s own hand. Roerich made his own translation of parts of these Issa manuscripts.

Above all, Roerich has recorded his journey through Central Asia and Tibet in terms of spirit. Though he describes Asia’s vast beauty and natural spectacle, what makes Roerich’s writing come to life is his perception of the subtler manifestations of people of different countries, giving insight into their thoughts, hopes, and beliefs.

Heart of Asia is a record of legends of a larger reality and of the mysterious facets of Shambhala, to which the second half of the book is entirely devoted. It lays bare the light and the dark philosophies associated with this central concept of Asia.

In all the lands he traversed there are prophecies and holy writings about a hidden city, given many different names, be it Shambhala, Kalapa, or Belovodye from which will emerge an eastern messianic leader for the coming new age riding upon a beautiful white horse.

Though the central concept of a saviour remains, the activities of this Asian savour can vary greatly in time and ferocity from culture to culture. Roerich highlights how violent the many Tibetan Buddhist prophecies of the coming of the Buddhist Maitreya are as compared with other Asian prophecies of this Avatar of the new era.

He gives literal and comparative translations of these prophecies:

• “…beings shall perish mercilessly before the righteous force of this ruler…”

• “…Sacred Shambhala is pictured amidst swords and spears and impenetrable armour...”

• “…All the warriors shall march under the banners of the Maitreya…”

• “… All who accept him shall rejoice and all who reject him shall tremble…”

• “… The banner of the Maitreya shall flow like blood over the lands of the new world.”

He also highlights some controversial Buddhist Maitreya prophecies:

• The Maitreya is coming “...to purge Lhasa of its nefarious elements…,” not the rest of the world.

• That the new era had begun in 1924 when the Pachen (Tahsi) Lama fled Tibet to avoid being killed by the then Dalai Lama (see also the book Shambhala by Roerich) – who in that same year tortured the chief minister of the Pachen Lama, the Sachen Lama, to death.

• Another date for this new era to begin was 12 years after these events being 1936.

• That the Maitreya will be a reincarnation of the Pachen (Tahsi) Lama who shall be reincarnated in the land of the Peilings (Westerners) to destroy the age old errors and misconceptions of the Tibetans as it will be of no value to try and correct errors and misconceptions of the Westerners.

For all of these reasons, beauty, culture, prophecy, and history in retrospect, after 80 years, it is still compelling reading.

– Reviewed by Rev. Dr. S. D’Montford in New Dawn No. 94