Lusang: Sang for the Lu

Today we are pleased to offer a new booklet, Lusang: Sang for the Lu, a short but powerful ritual for purifying and pacifying the Lu (klu) or Nagas, water spirits, and asking them for assistance, healing and prosperity.  

The Lu can be rather cantankerous so it is important to appease them and atone for any disturbances we may have inadvertently caused them through offering sang (bsang). However, not every day is a good day for this, and it is crucial to make sure you perform this ritual on an auspicious day. Therefore, as well as translating the text itself (kindly given us by Geshe Mönlam Wangyal), we have also published the Tibetan original and translated a table of auspicious days and negative days for Lu rituals (kindly provided by Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin) according to the tradition of Lubön Yeshen Nyingpo (Klu bon Ye gshen snying po), the author of this ritual text.  

Of the Nine Ways of Bön, rituals for the Lu, or Nagas, are included in the First Way of Cause, Chyashen Thegpa (phya gshen rheg pa), in the third of the four subdivisions, the first section on To (gto)rituals, Jungwa Thrukpai Yoto (‘byung ba ‘khrugs pa’i yo gto). Here is a brief explanation, given by Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, on the importance of offerings to the Lu, which include Lusang (klu bsang) and Lutor (klu gtor):

Sometimes the elements disturb each other. When we use rituals, we don’t just use the elements themselves such as water, fire and so on. For a being who dwells there, fire is like the earth, you see, it supports the life of that being so he spends all his life there. There is the Owner of the Element, and the beings who dwell in it. When for instance the beings or Owners fight, are unhappy, make mistakes or have misfortunes, they can cause trouble in water, fire, earth, or air.

It is easy for humans to cause disturbances for any being which relies on an element; you will certainly disturb them. The beings who lord over the elements are not peaceful themselves, the beings who rely on those elements cause disturbances, too, and we humans disturb them as well. For example, if humans divert the water of a river flows to a dry place, then the all the beings of the dry land will be disturbed. The Owners of the Elements are not very peaceful so they make problems and then those who rely on the elements are not happy and fight, so this causes more trouble.

To make them more peaceful, we have special Naga-pujas or Pujas for the Earth Gods, Tree Gods, Divinities of the air etc. These rituals are not for the elements themselves; they don’t work in that way. Rather we think that they benefit the spirits who dwell there. We give them gifts, medicine, offerings – anything they need. That is To. We don’t make offerings to directly to the water or fire or whatever per se. Quite often people ask us what we are doing when we perform these fire or water rituals, but the practices are not directed towards the elements themselves. This is from the first subdivision of To, which contains many rituals, such as the Naga-puja for example. Nagas officially rely on water so we don’t offer to the water itself but rather to the Nagas who live there. We offer them medicine, help, benefits and cure them through water because that is where they live. It is similar for the Earth Gods, the Air Gods and so on.

Taken from: Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, Trscr. & Ed. Carol Ermakova & Dmitry Ermakov. Nine Ways of Bön: A Compilation of Teachings in France: Volume I, Bön of Cause, pp. 10-11.

This booklet does not contain any explanations and, as is always the case with this kind of practice materials, it is restricted to those who received in person (not on-line) teachings and explanations on this particular text from a qualified Bönpo lama.  

It is our hope and wish that through the publication of the Tibetan-English text of this ritual practice, the Lu will be appeased, and all beings will live in harmony.

To order the booklet please send us a message from Contact us ⋆ Foundation for the Preservation of Yungdrung Bön with the booklet title and details of where, when and from whom you received the face to face (not on-line) transmission and explanations for this text.

Details

Publication Date: 4 Nov 2024

Language: Tibetan-English

Author: Lubön Yeshen Nyingpo

Translated by: Dmitry Ermakov

Edited by: Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin & Carol Ermakova

Cover design: Dmitry Ermakov

Cover thangka: Geshe Mönlam Wangyal

Pages: 16

Binding: Paperback Saddle Stitch

Interior Color: Black & White

Dimensions: A5 (5.83 x 8.27 in / 148 x 210 mm)

Price: £5.52 GBP (excl. VAT & P&P)