Bon Soul Retrieval Ritual

With Tempa Dukte Lama and Geshe Chhembel Gurung

Saturday, March 28, 10am-4:30pm EST.
Offered online – please see below for details

Join us for the powerful ancient Bon ritual of soul retrieval that is rarely offered in the West. This ritual is for anyone looking to restore, heal and nurture the strength and vibrancy of the soul and life force.

Due to COVID-19 we are unable to offer the Soul Retrieval in person at Olmo Ling temple. Tempa Lama and Geshe Chhembel will be doing the ritual privately while closely including everyone into the prayers. Soul Retrieval is traditionally also practiced in this way – dedicating the practice to someone in need who is not present at the monastery. Participants can follow the ritual live via Zoom and join the two lamas for the recitation of the Tse Drup longevity mantra, which is an essential part of the ritual. We will send registered participants the mantra beforehand, and we will also either send an outline of the ritual or Tempa Lama will explain it at the start. During the ritual, the lamas will bless small turquoise stones symbolizing the soul. Registered participants will receive a turquoise stone in the mail after the ritual – we just ran out of soul stones on 3/26 afternoon, so new registrations unfortunately won’t be able to receive a stone..

You will not need a Zoom account to follow the ritual via Zoom – you only need to install Zoom on your computer (it is free) and then click the link which we will email you after you register.

The soul is the pure strength of the internal elements. Its primary function is to support and nurture the connection between our life force and lifespan. The second function is that it strengthens and nurtures the relationship between the physical body and the mind. The soul abides in the mind, and the mind abides in the body. When the soul is weakened, this affects the relationship between our life force and life span and the relationship between the physical body and the mind. When the soul and the life force are weakened or disturbed, we as individuals become vulnerable toward physical, mental, and emotional misfortunes. In some cases, untimely death or major disturbances in different aspects of our life situation can occur. Thus, the Awakened One Tonpa Shenrab taught and implemented a powerful Bon ritual called bLa bsLu ‘Chi bsLu. This ritual has the power to retrieve and heal our soul and life force through ritual and the power of meditative absorption, prayers, mantras, and visualization. Since the time of its teaching, this precious ritual has flourished and has been practiced for thousands of years until now, benefiting countless beings.

Sponsoring the prayers for this ritual

We offer the opportunity for anyone to sponsor part of the ritual prayers for the healing, strengthening and wellbeing of their family and friends. Sponsoring the preparatory prayers for the ritual is a powerful way to support the ritual and partake in its great merit and benefit. For many thousands of years, laypeople have supported lamas and monks to help them offer special prayers that in turn benefit many beings. You can donate securely online here or by sending a check marked “Soul Retrieval” to Olmo Ling, 1101 Greenfield Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.

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Tempa Dukte Lama is an ordained lama of the Tibetan Bon tradition. He is the founder and spiritual director of Olmo Ling Bon Center and Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, and co-founder of Humla Fund. He is an artist and poet and has authored five books. He is deeply dedicated to making the Bon teachings available in the West. Tempa Lama studied at Menri Monastery, India, under the close guidance of the late H.H. 33rd Menri Trizin, the worldwide spiritual head of the Bon tradition until 2017. Tempa Lama has lived in the US since 2000 and teaches internationally, helping people bring a practice of healing and happiness into their lives.

Geshe Chhembel Gurung Chhembel Gurung holds a Geshe degree from Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. After completing his Geshe degree he was appointed as Tsa Dzen Lopon (special teacher) of the Bon Dialectic School at Triten Norbutse. He also served as president and as treasurer of the Dialectic School for one year. Geshe Chhembel resides at Triten Norbutse Monastery and teaches regularly in the US.

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Registration

Ritual costs: $45 (Olmo Ling members), $50 (non-members); $65 (Olmo Ling couple members), $75 (couple non-members). The couple rate applies to couples of all genders and can also be used for other family members (e.g. parent and adult child). Children under 18 attend for free. No one is turned away for lack of funds; please do not hesitate to contact us at bon@olmoling.org for a scholarship.