I was able to experience that worldview in two workshops on Tibetan shamanism led by Larry Peters. Dr. Peters is an initiated shaman in the Tibetan tradition with over 20 years of direct experience with Tibetan/Tamang shamans. He leads experiential initiation pilgrimages to Nepal, and is a research associate for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and licensed psychotherapist.

 

Underlying the Buddhist cultures of Tibet and Nepal is the far more ancient tradition of Bön-po shamanism. The practice of shamanism continues to flourish, co-existing with Buddhism and Western medicine, and is an integral part of the social structure. Shamans are part of the health care IN NEPAL Shamans distinguish between "natural" illnesses -- those caused by natural forces, which can be successfully treated by Western medicine -- and illnesses caused by spirits, which are treated by shamans.

 

Dr. Peters is a skilled interpreter of cultural concepts that can be quite foreign to the average Westerner. By providing just enough information to grasp these concepts, he allows participants to gain first-hand experience and personal understanding by reframing initiatory rituals as shamanic journeys.

 

The first workshop I attended was an exploration of the cosmology of Tibetan shamanism. As in most shamanic traditions, there are three multi-leveled worlds in non-ordinary reality. The upper world is ruled by deities; the lower world is ruled by serpents. The middle world consists of four directions.

 

Much of the shaman's work is performed in the middle world, which is home to many spirits that cause human suffering. In shamanic journeys, we explored the lands of the middle world and learned about the three "poisons," or states of consciousness that hinder the search for truth. Indra Lok (the East) is characterized by lust, greed, and attachment; Raksas Lok (the West) by anger and revenge. Yama Lok (the South) is the home of the Lord of Death and is characterized by helplessness, despair, and victimization. In Devi Lok (the North), we met the Goddess of Compassion, and learned that loving kindness, tolerance, compassion, and mercy are the only real antidote to the three poisons.

 

One of the most powerful experiences of the workshop was a ritual called chöd, which is similar to the Buddhist practice of Tong-Len. The Tamang people believe that ghosts are major causes of illness and suffering. Ghosts can earn karmic points by "cleaning up" messes they have caused, thereby winning their release from this world. The act of performing chöd also provides healing for the community, the planet, and the one performing the ritual. The fascinating paradox of chöd is that the shaman must sacrifice his/her own body, using it to absorb the energies of suffering and then offer it for the ghosts to feast upon. As they feast upon (and transform) the poisons of the world, the ghosts grow lighter and eventually float away from their earthbound existence.

 

The prospect of intentionally taking poisons into my body and then allowing myself to be devoured by ghosts -- even if it was "only" my spirit body in a shamanic journey -- was pretty daunting at first. I considered using an alternative method, which was to collect the negative energy and make it into a cake for the ghosts to feast upon. Once in the journey, however, the first method felt right. The experience proved to be powerfully transforming, a healing for the community, the spirits, and for myself. According to Dr. Peters, chöd is the highest initiation for a shaman, and is done many times, especially at the New Year, when it cleans the planet. Some shamanic practitioners in Anchorage are beginning to use chöd to heal the community and the planet.

 

Tamang shamans are initiated by a spirit called the Ban Jhakri, or "Forest Shaman," and his wife. We made several journeys to meet them, and they became important teachers for us. As an interesting sidenote, Ban Jhakri is also the Nepali word for the smallest type of yeti, so it appears that yetis do exist, at least in the spirit world.

 

The second workshop focused on advanced healing and psychopomp work. "Psychopomp" means leader of souls, and refers to a shaman who, like the boy in The 6th Sense, assists the spirits of the dead who need to move on.

 

We learned a major healing ritual known as Karga Puja, which is based on an astrological system in which the spirits of the planets are believed to affect human lives by causing illness and bad luck. Karga Puja is used to bring a person back into right relationship with both the planets and with the human community. In this ritual, the shaman transfers the person's illness into an effigy by means of a rainbow-colored string. When the transfer is complete, the string is cut, thereby preventing the illness from returning to the person. The effigy is offered in place of the person as a sacrifice to appease the planets. The workshops ended in a public ceremony, during which we performed Karga Puja for volunteers from among those attending.

 

These workshops were powerful transformative experiences for the other participants and myself. Through the many initiatory journeys, I experienced significant personal healing of very old wounds, and a deepening of my own practice of shamanism. I returned to my daily life with a transformed worldview and a commitment to expanding the practice of compassion in all aspects of my life.

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Originally Published in Alaska Wellness Magazine, 2000