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A Free Article from

The Shamanism Magazine You may share this article in any non-commercial way

but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere.(Please contact us via email - found on our website - if you wish to republish it in another publication)

Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality.It is based in West Wales, and has been published four times a year since 1993.

To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop - please visit :

www.SacredHoop.org/offer.htmlWe hope you enjoy reading the article. Nicholas Breeze Wood (editor)

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SH ISSUE 79 2013www.sacredhoop.org 15

Left: a Lhamoin Ladakh

performs ahealing

Below: WrathfulTibetan Buddhistprotector beings.

These are partof the retinue ofa more powerful

spirit. Many ofthese retinue

beings wereonce local

shamanic land orprotector spiritswhich Buddhism

incorporated

uddhism came to Tibet in theeighth century, mostly from India,

although with influences from China,which received Buddhism from Indiabefore it arrived in Tibet. Before thatTibet had a rich shamanic tradition,which it shared with much of CentralAsia. This pre-Buddhist tradition isgenerally known as Bön, but Buddhismquickly started to persecute these pre-Buddhist traditions, and they havechanged over the years to fit in, somodern Bön now bears littleresemblance to the historic pre-Buddhist traditions of the region.

However many of these pre-Buddhist elements are interwovenwithin modern Bön and Buddhism,especially in the oldest schools ofBuddhism known as the ‘Red Hat’sects, which were established in theearly Buddhist days of Tibet.Subsequently Buddhism was ‘cleanedup’ by later reformers who becameknown as the ‘Yellow Hat’ sects. TheDalai Lama is a member of a YellowHat sect.

Tibet was a land of spirits, and it stillis. When Buddhism arrived it broughtwith it many of the spirits and gods thathad evolved from the Indian gods ofthe Buddha’s homeland, but it also‘converted’ a great many of the originalTibetan shamanic spirits, and turnedthem Buddhist - in much the same waythat early Christianity took pagan godsand goddesses (such as Brigid) andmade them into saints.

Many of these ancient spirits weresaid to have been fought andconquered by Padmasambhava - apowerful Indian Buddhist mystic andmagician - who was reported to havetravelled all over Tibet, fighting theancient spirits and binding them withan oath to thereafter defendBuddhism. These beings are known asdharmapala (chos skyong in Tibetan)which means protectors of theBuddha’s teachings (dharma).

monastic

authorised

shamans

The LhapaTradition

of Tibet

B

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SH ISSUE 79 2013www.sacredhoop.org16

This mix of ancient shamanictraditions and spirits, and thetransformed Indian Gods broughtto Tibet, make Tibetan Buddhismunlike any other form of Buddhismin the world - and it shares so littlewith the forms of Buddhism foundin places like Southeast Asia orJapan, that some anthropologistscall it ‘Lamaism’ to distinguish itfrom the other forms of Buddhismfound across the world.

One of the most shamanicelements remaining in Tibetan

culture is the role of oracles.These are people who are takenover by spirits to bring messagesfrom the spirit world, and who givehealings. These may be nationallyimportant figures - such as theDalai Lama’s own oracle, the

Nechung (Tibetan State)Oracle - who is taken overby a mighty, nationallyknown spirit called Pehar(Dorje Drakden) [see aninterview with the current

State Oracle in SacredHoop Issue 47], or

they might be local oracles servingrural communities, who are takenover by local protector spirits or landspirits, unknown outside of a smallgeographic area.

Generally known as lhapa(male) or lhamo (female) [lhameaning spirit or god, with pa ormo added after to denote if it is aman or a woman], these areTibet’s shamans.

Being a lhapa is a seriousbusiness; there is an account of onemonastic oracle who did not respectthe protector spirit who camethrough them. The spirit took theoracle over, and in trance made himdisembowel himself and place hisown entrails on the altar as offerings.

The lhapas of Tibet have notfared very well since the Chineseinvasion, and although there aresome still within the country itself,many fled to Nepal, although thetradition there is in danger of passingaway. In other Himalayan Tibetancultural lands outside of Tibet proper- such as Bhutan, Ladakh, Sikkimand Mustang - where the Chineseinvasion did not happen - thetradition can still be found.

Most lhapa are lay peopleworking in the villages, although afew are ordained and work inmonasteries. They mostly work intrance, having been taken over by aspirit or spirits, and it is these spiritswho are seen to be the ones givingthe information or doing the healing.In Ladakh the word lus-gyar means‘a person in trance,’ Ius meansbody and gyar means borrowed.

They do not generally enjoy highstatus in Tibetan society - with a fewexceptions such as lhapas of highrank like the Tibetan State oracle -

as Buddhist monks and rinpochesare seen as being more spirituallypotent. Village lhapas generally workunder the guidance of their localmonastery, and they are examined bymonks when their shamanic talentsfirst manifest, to see if they are trulya fledgling lhapa or simply a personpossessed by a harmful spirit.

Monasteries maintain their controlover the lhapas because lhapas enterinto what they consider to be anuncontrolled, unprescribed Buddhisttrance state, and also because thespirits that possess them areconsidered to rank low in theBuddhist pantheon - generallybecause they are the pre-Buddhistlocal nature spirits. Village lhapasalso rank lower than monasteryoracles for the same reasons, astheir spirits rank lower than themonastic oracle spirits, and villagetrance practice is even less controlledthan that of ordained oracle monks.

TOOLS OF THE LHAPAWhen practicing, a lhapa wears aset of ‘god clothes,’ which aresimilar to those worn by monks onspecial occasions such as funerals.These clothes represent theclothes of the Buddhas and highspirits, and include a ringa (ritualcrown). This headdress is the mostimportant item of dress and it isput on last (or second to last assometimes a scarf is tied over themouth so that the spirit speakingthrough its human is not polluted.

This crown represents thecomplex Buddhist cosmology; onthe simplest level it represents thefive Buddha families, but it alsorepresents five types of spirits, thefive elements (air, water, earth, fireand space) which each Buddha

Oracles are peoplewho are taken overby spirits to br ingmessages. They maybe nationallyimportant figures,such as the TibetanState Oracle, ororacles serving ruralcommunities whoare taken over bylocal land spir its

Above: FormerTibetan StateOracle in fullregalia

Top right: AyuLhamo, a famousvillage lhamofrom Ladakh

Below:TibetanBuddhist bell(dril-bu) andthunderbolt(dorje). Thebell representsemptiness - thefemale principal,while thedorjerepresentsform -themaleprincipal

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Below: Tibetanritual dagger

(phurba)

Below: TantricCrown with

images of thefive Buddha

familes

Below: AyuLhamo performs

a healing on ayoung woman

SH ISSUE 79 2013www.sacredhoop.org 17

family are associated with, as wellas the four points of the compassand the centre, with which theyare also associated; in effect it isshorthand for a deep, multi level,incredibly rich map of creationwhich holds deep wisdom aboutthe way aspects of the universeinterrelate and are connected. In away it is very similar to the NativeAmerican medicine wheel.

Lhapas also generally wear acape and an apron, and often covertheir heads with another scarfbefore putting on the ringa crown.

The sacred items a lhapa usescan be quite extensive, depending ontheir specialisation, but they willnormally have close to hand a doublesided damaru drum, which can varyin size from a few inches to around afoot across, a Buddhist bell (dril-bu)or a Bön bell (shang), a ritual bronzethunderbolt (dorje), prayer beads(tenga), an metal extraction pipe forsucking out poison (puri) and a ritualdagger (phurba).

BECOMING A LHAPAOften the role of lhapa runs in afamily, but this is not always thecase. However, it is not uncommonfor a relative of a recentlydeceased lhapa to inherit thecalling, and this is explained as theneed of a spirit to find a newvessel to come through. But asalways, even before a close relativelhapa is recognised, they will stillhave to undergo exactly the sametesting as someone from a non-lhapa family who develops thesymptoms. Men and womenbecome village lhapas or lhamos inroughly equal numbers.

The untrained lhapa will be aperson who experiences a violentloss of control, which in Westernculture we would call an episodeof mental illness. In local termshowever, this means that theperson is ‘weak’ and a spirit cantake them over easily.

A diagnosis will be made, eitherby an established lhapa ora monk, and if thediagnosis is that theaffected person is really afledgling lhapa, (rather thansomeone who is mentallyill), this diagnosis mustthen be ratified by a highranking monk or rinpochebefore it can be accepted.

As mental illness is considered tobe spirit-caused anyway, it isessential for the monastery todetermine which spirit is invading. If

it is a hostile and harmful spirit it willbe driven out in exorcisms, but if it isan appropriate spirit for a lhapa, theywill be encouraged to learn to controlthe spirit and use it for the benefit ofthe local community.

However because themonasteries generally disapprove ofthese low local spirits, a validationfrom a monastery also invites some- at best unspoken - disapproval,and some fledgling lhapas try to getrid of the invading spirit throughexorcism and give up anypossible lhapa career.

But those who pursuethe calling train with anestablished lhapa who acts as theirteacher, the teachings often givenin exchange for substantial sumsof money. The teacher will teachceremonies, healing techniques,how to maintain the shrine to theirspirits and other practical matters,and the teacher-pupil bond is oftenvery close and life-long.

Training is also closelyconnected with the local monastery,and in particular with a localrinpoche or high ranking lama, whowill suggest sacred places to visiton pilgrimage, and Buddhistpractices to develop the fledglinglhapas spiritual muscle.

Being a lhapa is most often apart-time occupation, a lhapa willcontinue to be a farmer or whatevertrade they had before they receivedtheir calling.

AN ENTRANCING CEREMONYDuring the diagnosis of a lhapa,sometimes established lhapas andmonks will together perform aceremony which culminates in thecreation of a new oracle. This isoften a kind of ‘last hope’ceremony, when thefledgling lhapa issuffering greatlyunder

theeffect

of the spirits andoften reluctantly agrees to

incorporate them harmoniously,and so become a lhapa to endtheir suffering.

In this ceremony, aroom is prepared and analtar built and ritual arrowsare placed in pots of barley.Ritual arrows feature quite a lot inboth Buddhist ritual and non-Buddhist magic in Tibet.

The established lhapa thencalls their spirits to come intothem, and goes into trance.The fledgling lhapa then entersthe room and sits opposite theestablished lhapa.

A plate of barley dough torma(offering cakes), which had beenritually made by the monks, is thenthrown. The throwing of torma isoften a part of exorcisms - theblessed torma are thrown atinvading spirits. After this thepossessed, established lhapa

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Below: Pouringstrong black teainto a serkyemas an offering tothe wrathfulprotector spirits

SH ISSUE 79 2013www.sacredhoop.org18

starts to sing ritual songsencouraging the fledgling lhapa tobecome fully possessed by thespirit. The song instructs them topick up all the items of a lhapa -which are laid out before them -

“If you are a true spirit,take your lhapa’s clothes.

If you are a true spirit,cover your mouth with a scarf.

If you are a true spirit,take up this drum and bell.”

The song mentions every articleof the ritual dress and equipment,and as the fledgling becomes fullypossessed, a second song is sungwhich asks the invading spirit tocome fully into their midst andspeak through the fledgling lhapa

“Please, don't stayat the top of the mountain, come here to the people.come fully into this person

and speak to us.”

Then sometimes monks begin toplay a game of ritual dice, while thespirit possessing the conductinglhapa sings a song from an ancientepic tale about King Gesar, a first-shaman figure who travelledthrough the worlds of gods, spiritsand humans at the dawn of humantime. Lhapas often make claims ofkinship with Gesar, and someconstruct detailed genealogies thatreach right back to him.

The song tells a part of the epicwhere Gesar plays dice with a dwarf.Gesar has learned that his wife hasbeen captured by the enemy whoare invading his country. Rushing

home to rescue her he meets thedwarf and they play dice; the songdescribes the game. Gesar startsbadly and loses everything -kingdom, wife and horse; then hisguardian spirit tells him to gamblehis ribs and Gesar wins the throw.The dwarf is so terrified at thethought of losing his ribs that hepromises great help to Gesar. Thegame in the ceremony is playeduntil Gesar wins.

Next, two special offerings aregiven to the spirits. One is a smallblack doll representing a girl, andthe other is a small white dollrepresenting a boy. These type ofofferings, called lud, are oftensubstitutes for a sick person, andare given to the spirits causingillness as a kind of ransom duringhealing ceremonies.

The fledgling lhapa is thenasked to speak and declarethemselves and their intention.

The spirit possessing theestablished lhapa then challenges itand asks if the spirit possessingthe fledgling lhapa is willing to betaught by them - yes or no!

If they say “no” or say nothingat all, they are banished from thefledgling lhapa and the reasons forthe failure and any remediesneeded are given by the officiatinglhapas possessing spirit.

If the fledgling lhapa’s spirit says“yes” they are told that they musthelp all living beings and follow theadvice of the high lamas.

Then the officiating establishedlhapa’s spirit sings more songs,challenging the fledgling lhapa’s

spirit to answer questionsabout the spirit world andthe spirits who live in it.This is where the ritualarrows are used, as theyrepresent these differentspirits, and are used todemonstrate that thefledgling lhapa’s spiritknows the correctcosmology.

Eventually the last arrow- a black one - is picked upby the fledgling lhapa andbroken. This broken arrow,representing evil, is thenthrown outside to a chorusof “tha gyallo” (victory tothe gods). Then furtherquestions and instruction isgiven and eventually boththe officiating lhapa and thefledgling lhapa bless allthose present and comeout of trance. After the

trance, consecrated dough tormaofferings are given to every house inthe village and special offerings towrathful spirits called ‘golden drinks'(black tea or barley beer poured intoa special offering vessel called aserkyem until it overflows) are made.

THE LHAPA CAREER PATHVillage lhapas generally remainsuspect, not only to the monasticauthorities but also often to thelocal people. But if they serve thelocal people well, then over timetheir reputations get better.

Their reputation also dependsupon close links with the localmonastery, which not only provide apublic validation of their authenticity,but also gives a deeper training inBuddhism. Some lhapas will spendhalf their days in meditation andprayer, and go on long pilgrimageseach year. Some, if they can affordit, also give donations or gifts totheir local monasteries.

With this steady focus on theirreputations, over time, they areseen less and less as anincarnation of demonic low spirits,who might even be enemies of theBuddhas, and instead increasinglybecome seen as incarnations ofthe higher spirits.

Well respected lhapas can alsoacquire more spirits who can beginto use them as vessels as moreBuddhist teachings are learned. Ifthese are not merely local landspirits, but instead are monasteryspirits, known to defend Buddhismand be essential parts of Buddhistteaching, the lhapas statusincreases considerably.

Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism,has often had a troublesomerelationship with shamanism. InMongolia, where it eventuallyspread, it experienced much conflictwith the local shamans, although itnever managed to subjugate themas fully as it did in Tibet.

Many ancient shamanic spiritsare now hidden within Buddhism,incorporated into it and the samespirits are still worked with byshamans in Mongolia and up intoSouthern Siberia - sometimes witha mix of both Buddhist andshamanic elements in the ritual,with even both Buddhist lamas andshamans taking part in them.

Although heavily controlled byBuddhism, it would seem - as inChristianised Europe - the ancientspirits will have their voice, andnothing can stop them.