This past weekend, Yeru Bön Center was fortunate enough to host Geshe Nyima Kunchap, who performed the Ocean of Milk Ceremony. He also gave the teaching transmission for practitioners in attendance to perform this ceremony.

This was an amazing ritual that called in the King of Lu, Tsugna Rinchen, to come and balance the five elements within both nature and ourselves.

The weekend actually began for some on Friday, when Geshela began making the mandala in the Petelers’ courtyard.

Then on Saturday, the ceremony began indoors. We did the initial purifications, then called in Tsugna Rinchen from his lake dwelling in Tibet. Afterward we broke for lunch then went up to Yeru Bön Center for the teaching portion. Several of us were surprised to learn the ceremony was also a teaching with a transmission! It was a very interesting teaching out of a well-known Bön text called “Lubum,” which roughly translates to Lu Volume.

On Sunday, we finished the ceremony by giving offerings to Tsugna Rinchen and his retinue, asking for his empowerments and blessings, and finally dismissing the Lu. We then finished the teachings on practical aspects of performing the Ocean of Milk ceremony, such as the necessity of becoming inseparable from Ludrop Yeshe Nyigpo, the Buddha of the Lu, during the meditation. It was an interesting, fun and powerfully spiritual weekend with a good turnout.

Before Geshe Nyima Kunchap left Minneapolis, I had the opportunity to interview him for the second episode of Böncast. You can listen to it over at doortobon.org. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Geshe Nyima Kunchap, thank you so much for the wonderful ceremony and teaching. We hope you come back soon.

In this thangka, on top is Ludrop Yeshe Nyigpo, the Buddha of the Lu, and underneath is Tsugna Rinchen, King of the Lu.