Thubten Ngödrub

Thubten Ngödrub (born July 13, 1957 in Pagri ( Tibet )) has been the State Oracle of the current 14th Dalai Lama Tendzin Gyatsho and Vice Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile since 1987 .

Life

As a two-year-old, Ngödrub and his parents fled to India from his native Pagri after the Tibet uprising in 1959 . His parents were involved in road construction. Ngodup's talents were noticed early on. In 1969 he came to Dharmshala , the seat of the Tibetan government in exile in India. He was sent to Nechung Monastery there and became a monk in 1971. As a young man, Ngodup fell into a trance . After the death of Lobsang Jigmé in 1984, who had been the 13th State Oracle, Ngodup was named 14th State Oracle on September 4, 1987.

Ngödrub lives in a building across from Nechung Monastery. The respective Dalai Lama comes into contact with Dorje Dragden, a Tibetan protective deity, through the oracle. About the consequences of a trance, Ngödrub said: "My heart beats faster after waking up (...)" "But I can't remember anything afterwards." The trances take place irregularly, but always on the Tibetan New Year.

Procedure of an oracle consultation

“ Whenever the Dalai Lama has a question, Thubten Ngödrup puts on his 40 kilo ritual robe. Incense is lit and helpers put a mighty crown on his head. Then the oracle dances to horn and cymbal music until it falls into a trance and mumbles sentences that can only be understood by trained ears. The Dalai Lama firmly believes in the prophecies. In retrospect he found that 'the oracle was still right,' he once said. "

Works

Nechung, l'oracle du dalaï-lama , autobiography with Françoise Bottereau-Gardey and Laurent Deshayes. Presses de la Renaissance. Paris 2009, ISBN 978-2-7509-0487-6

Web links

Nechung - The State Oracle of Tibet ( Memento from August 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), article from the website of the Tibetan government-in-exile

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Erich Follath : The power of powerlessness . In: Der Spiegel . No. 29 , 2007, p. 80 ( online ).
↑ Stéphane Allix: Le Netchung Kuten: le médium du Dalaï lama . (PDF) Originally in: Nouvelles Clés 2007 (French)
^ Tilman Müller: The two faces of the Dalai Lama - The gentle Tibetan and his undemocratic regime In: Stern , No. 32/2009

personal data
SURNAME	Ngödrub, Thubten
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Ngödup, Thupten
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Tibetan State Oracle
DATE OF BIRTH	July 13, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH	Pagri

[Spiegel.2007-29.80-1] Erich Follath : The power of powerlessness . In: Der Spiegel . No. 29 , 2007, p. 80 ( online ).

[2] Stéphane Allix: Le Netchung Kuten: le médium du Dalaï lama . (PDF) Originally in: Nouvelles Clés 2007 (French)

[3] Tilman Müller: The two faces of the Dalai Lama - The gentle Tibetan and his undemocratic regime In: Stern , No. 32/2009