Nechung - The State Oracle of Tibet

Like many ancient civilizations of the world, the phenomenon of oracles remains an important part of the Tibetan way of life. Tibetans rely on oracles for various reasons. The purpose of the oracle is not just to foretell the future. Oracles are called upon as protectors and sometimes used as healers. The oracle is the spirit which enters the person or medium known as the Kuten, which literally means, "the physical basis."

The principal Kuten is the Nechung Kuten. Through him manifests Dorje Drak-den (Nechung), the principal protector divinity of the Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama.

I had the unique opportunity to interview The Nechung Kuten the day before he was to go into trance and take on the spirit of Dorje Drak-den. The Kuten, a thirty year old monk, said that when he was 12 years old he began to hear voices that frightened him. An older monk took him aside and let him know that he had a special talent. Now at thirty he had learned to control his trance states to the point that he became the Nechung Kuten.