Rinpoche is about to consecrate Pema Choling — with an offering to the Nagas, the powerful water spirits. This calls for preparation…
Rinpoche is at my Historic Parsonage for the first time! https://pema-choling.de/en/arrival/
Or rather: at Pema Choling.
Because that is the name of the Buddhist centre being established at the Historic Parsonage.
Norbu Tsering Rinpoche will be the centre’s Head Lama. He has come to consecrate his centre. (→ Link zu “Pema Choling”/Consecration)
There is no rational explanation for the fact that we — Rinpoche, the sangha, and I — ended up at the Historic Parsonage.
No one had planned to found a Buddhist meditation centre.
All we wanted was a place where we could practise Troma practice and offering rituals undisturbed.
For the Nagas.
The Nagas are powerful water spirits. They possess magical abilities. Making offerings to them is auspicious, but risky.
Rinpoche had taught us, during his visit to Berlin, how to make offerings to the Nagas.
After Rinpoche left us, I searched for a place where the sangha could practise undisturbed.
On Suriyel’s advice, I wrote to a Buddhist retreat house in the area around Berlin. I posted an ad on Ebay. In it, I asked for a plot of land within Berlin’s S-Bahn network where we could pitch a tent.
No luck.
Instead: a dream!
The next morning, a real estate listing for the place from the dream.
A Historic Parsonage in the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Perfectly suited for a Buddhist retreat house.
From the very beginning, there were signs that the dream of the parsonage might have something to do with the Nagas — the water spirits:
The pond in front of the house.
The location of the Historic Parsonage in the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Surrounded by ponds, pools, and lakes.
Naga territory.
And then there’s the parsonage’s remarkable energy! It bears an uncanny resemblance to the energy we encountered when Rinpoche performed the Naga offering with us in the garden of the Spiritual Community.
As bizarre as it sounds: there’s a fair amount of evidence that the dream which led me to the Historic Parsonage was an invitation.
An invitation from the Nagas.
That’s how I explain it to Rinpoche too: his wonderful Naga offering in the garden of the Spiritual Community in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, in September 2024, had lured the Nagas of the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Because at the beginning of the ritual text, all Nagas, near and far, are invited to the offering.
The first offering to the Nagas in centuries!
One that is special, too. Even by Tibetan Buddhist standards. Not many lamas master Naga offerings.
And Rinpoche is a high lama of extraordinary energy.
That’s why, so my theory goes, the Naga king of the parsonage decided to send me the dream. He didn’t want me — he wanted Rinpoche!
Because only Rinpoche can give the Nagas what they so urgently need.
That’s my explanation for the strange events that have unfolded since Rinpoche performed a Naga offering in the garden of the Spiritual Community.
I find the explanation completely far-fetched.
Rinpoche finds it plausible.
That’s why he will consecrate Pema Choling with a Naga offering ritual.
The Naga offering requires special tormas — offering cakes.
On Saturday morning, Rinpoche and Suriyel sit at the long table behind the pavilion, shaping water animals out of oat dough.
Also absolutely essential for the ritual: milk from a white goat!
Kindly, a sangha member had bought a carton of goat’s milk at an organic supermarket in Berlin and brought it along.
There’s a white goat printed on the carton. According to Rinpoche, that’s proof enough that the goat the milk came from has the correct colour.
Rinpoche pours the goat’s milk into a large cup, adds a generous amount of Naga powder, and stirs.
He then places the plate of oat-dough animals and the cup of goat’s milk on the altar in the pavilion.
The consecration can begin!
