Lhasang
From LabelingThoughts
Lhasang is a smoke offering and purification practice from burning juniper and is traditional in Tibet. In Shambhala, we offer lhasangs for the Shambhala Day and on other special occasions. Sometimes a lhasang marks the beginning of a large practice program such as seminary. A lhasang may also be used to recognize the sacredness of an object before it is offered to a practitioner, for example before students receive a terma text.
With a home practice, small bricks of charcoal are lit and dried juniper is added. A lhasang chant can be said additionally. For large programs, usually a fire is prepared in a firepit and entire branches of juniper are added atop the fire. Dipping the branches in a little water before adding them will increase the smoke. A longer lhasang chant may be performed, and additional offering substances like a torma and alcohol may be purified (such as using the Vajrasattva mantra) and then offered in the fire at specific points during the long lhasang chant.
The folks at Milklake Retreat Center in Middlewood, Nova Scotia dry and sell bags of juniper to the Shambhala community as an ongoing fundraiser for the retreat center. Contact them for current pricing.
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External links
- Chronicle Project stories with lhasang images, videos, and audio recordings
- Elephant journal article on lhasang
- Elephant journal article on where to find lhasang juniper
- Short lhasang chant - in the shambhala.org members area (member password required)
- The Lhasang Ceremony - a translation available from the Nalanda Translation Committee
Further reading
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Mipham, Sakyong (2000) 2000 Seminary Transcripts Book 1
- page 4
Mipham, Sakyong (2000) 2000 Seminary Transcripts Book 2
- page 144
Mipham, Sakyong (2005) Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life
- page 162
- juniper smoke ceremony
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Trungpa, Chögyam (1982) 1982 Seminary Transcripts
- page 31
