Seeing the Dalai Lama on his throne, wearing the ceremonial yellow hat of the Gelug school, gave me a slight glimpse of how he might have appeared in Lhasa. Cabinet members sat on cushions on carpets to his left and monks from Namgyal Monastery stood at the back of the temple, chanting prayers to the sound of drums, horns and cymbals. The scent and smoke of incense filled the room. Suddenly the Medium entered with his attendants. He was elaborately attired in layers of golden brocade with red, blue, green, white and yellow patterns. He walked to his stool, which was placed in the center of the temple room facing the Dalai Lama. His attendants tightly belted an elaborate apron with colorful tassels, supporting flags and banners around his waist. They then placed a large polished steel mirror, enclosed with semi-precious stones, around his neck. The monks chanted throughout, invoking the Nechung Oracle to enter the medium. It took over twenty minutes for the medium to fully enter into a trance and for the oracle to enter the medium. At that point a towering ornate headdress was placed on his head. His face had turned red and his eyes seemed focused on something distant.
Hissing, the oracle leapt to his feet and postured with slow commanding steps, brandishing swords in both hands. Hardly able to contain his fierce energy, he moved towards the Dalai Lama, took a deep bow and made ritual offerings before getting even closer to him. They bent their heads together, the former asking questions while the latter responded. Finally, the Oracle stomped back to his stool. Cabinet members lined up, each posing questions to the Oracle. Before responding he jolted up, postured again, all the time hissing. At times the Nechung Oracle seemed to scold. At other times he seemed to instruct. A scribe furiously jotted his responses for interpretation later on. As soon as the Oracle finished, he collapsed rigidly. The headdress, which weighed around thirty pounds, was quickly removed and he was carried out to the adjacent room to recover.
