Lhamo La-tso,the Oracle Lake
Lhamo La-tso is in Gyaca County, Lhokha to the southeast of Lhasa, Tibet. This small oval ’Oracle Lake’, is where senior Tibetan monks go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered to be the most sacred lake in Tibet. It takes a four-hour hike from the Gelugpa Chokorgyel Monastery. It sits at an altitude of about 5,300 m, with an area of about 2 square kilometres. Lhamo La-tso is one of the holy lakes in Lhokha. Another famous sacred lake is Yamdrok.
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There is legend about this lake. Palden Lhamo, the female guardian spirit of the sacred lake, Lhamo La-tso, was said to have made a promise to the 1st Dalai Lama, Gendun Drup in one of his visions "that she would protect the reincarnation lineage of the Dalai Lamas." Then Gendun Gyatso, the 2nd Dalai Lama, formalised the system that the Regents and other monks would go to the lake to seek guidance through meditation, and they would choose the next reincarnation in this way.
The particular form of Palden Lhamo at Lhamo La-tso is Gyelmo Maksorma, "The Victorious One who Turns Back Enemies". The lake is sometimes referred to as "Pelden Lhamo Kalideva", saying that Palden Lhamo is an emanation of the goddess Kali, the shakti of the Hindu god Siva.
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Lhamo La-tso is a brilliant azure jewel set in a ring of grey mountains. The elevation and the surrounding peaks combine to give it a highly changeable climate, and the continuous passage of cloud and wind creates a constantly moving pattern on the surface of the the waters. On that surface visions appear to those who seek them in the right frame of mind."
In 1935, the Regent, Reting Rinpoche, received a clear vision of three Tibetan letters, a monastery with a jade-green and gold roof, and a house with turquoise roof tiles. The vision led directly to the discovery of Tenzin Gyatso, the present 14th Dalai Lama.
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