The previous Gadong Oracle was never a true Oracle

[Harold Musetescu]

The Gadong Oracle position is listed as the second highest position within the rankings of Official State Oracles of Tibet. The Nechung is first and the Lamo Tsangpa is the third highest position.

The Gadong Oracle is possessed in trance by the Dharmapala "Shinjachen" who guards the "Southern Gate" in the Pehar mandala.

The previous Gadong Oracle, Tenzin Wangdak was officially enthroned by the Dalai Lama in 1986 and he passed away in 2015. His was a family lineage of Oracles passed down from father to son.

For 19 years he held this position but he had only one problem and that he never "Spoke" while in trance. That's right "Shinjachen" was never able to speak through this Dalai Lama chosen "Oracle".
Tenzin Wangdak even admits this in the DVD, "Oracles, Reflection of Self". You can find in on youtube. Go to the 29:30 minute marker and you can see him stated that "Shinjachen" has never spoken through him while he was in a so called trance.

H.E. Tsem Rinpoche did a youtube video titled "Taking Trances" which he went into great detail about the selection,training and testing for Oracles. The final testing is done by a qualified Lama who tests the candidate while in "Trance". He is tested to see if the deity he is taking trance of is a true deity or a demon.
It is only after passing all the requirements of retreats and formal testing that the person is given an official certificate signed and sealed by the Lama.

It appears that the previous Gadong Oracle would have failed every test if a proper testing procedure had been done. How could the Dalai Lama have chosen Tenzin Wangdak and official enthroned him as the second highest State Oracle of Tibet? Tenzin Wangdak had stated that "Shinjachen" never spoke thorough him once.
So how and why did the Dalai Lama chose this man?

What does this say about the Dalai Lama? Is this another example of the Dalai Lama making another official mistake in judgement?

[Vajraprotector]

It is mysterious, whether Tenzin Wangdak is the real oracle, but the deity/ Dharmapala refuse to speak, or Tenzin Wangdak never really did take trance of Shinjachen.

Interestingly, he was appointed an Assistant Secretary with the Private Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1980 before retiring from active administrative services in February 1986. He THEN became the medium of Gadhong state oracle on July 25, 1987, a position he held until his demise on Monday. As the Gadong oracle lineage, unlike the Nechung oracles who are monks, is passed from father to son, so far we see no sign that there will be another Gadong oracle. Indeed, CTA should really mourn for the loss of another State Oracle.

As for Lamo Tsangpa oracle, the late Tsewang Namgyal arrived in India in 1986 with his family and since then had assumed his rightful role as a medium of Lamo Tsangpa. The deity had a very close relationship with the Tibetan government during the time of the Third and Fifth Dalai Lama. During the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama when the Gaden Phodrang was first established, Lamo Tsangpa deity was accepted as one of the official oracles. The long lineage of Panchen Lama also regarded the Lamo Tsangpa as their protector deity. Looks like another loss for this oracle with a long history and lineage.

Since many also doubt that the current Nechung oracle is taking trance of the real deity, looks like there is only one authentic option with long lineage and history left: Dorje Shugden oracle. But then, there is a ban and CTA should not associate with Dorje Shugden worshipper, let alone the deity. Maybe CTA will resort to more minor deities?

Also, the *prophecy that Dorje Shugden will succeed Pehar/ Nechung as the Chief Dharmapala of Tibet, does that mean CTA will eventually accept Dorje Shugden? I think with the degenerating situation in Dharmashala, we cannot assume that the CTA will be upholding Tibetan Buddhism.


**René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz gives a clear description of Nechung Gompa (temple) in his book, Oracles and Demons of Tibet:

    “The southern gate (no. 1 on the diagram) is held closed in accordance with an old tradition that the chokyong Dorje Shugden is waiting at this entrance for the day to come on which he will be allowed to enter the monastery, to succeed Pehar as the chief dharmapala of Tibet…”

    - (Pg. 445, Oracles and Demons of Tibet: The Cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Deities)