Noting a “special karma,” the Nechung Oracle, Kuten-la, the official State Oracle of Tibet and spiritual advisor to the Dalai Lama, said his Nov. 19 visit to the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) wasn’t a random circumstance.
With the assistance of a translator, the Oracle told an audience of more than 120 that while strangers today, they were sharing the same space because they have a bond from a previous lifetime. He explained that in Buddhism, knowing who you are today requires reflecting on previous lifetimes.
Speaking during a public reception in his honor, the Oracle said he was honored to speak at WVSOM, where students learn to reduce suffering and show compassion and kindness. He called the reception “a special gathering in a special place.”
The Oracle said it’s important to consider the well-being of the body and mind but also the soul and spirit.
During the reception, the Oracle shared a prayer with the audience and conducted individual blessings, with most of those present lining up for a personal moment.
WVSOM President James W. Nemitz, Ph.D., in a live video message, welcomed the Oracle to campus. Dawn Roberts, Ed.D., associate dean for multicultural and student affairs, and Katherine Calloway, D.O., regional assistant dean for the South Central Region of WVSOM’s Statewide Campus, coordinated the reception.
The current Nechung Oracle is the Venerable Thupten Ngodup, who has been the medium of the Oracle since 1987. The Nechung Kuten-la was accompanied by Tenzin Rinchen, his personal assistant; Ganpat Purevdirj and Bayara Purevragchaa, both monks from the Nechung Monastery; Tenzin Chogyal, who organized the Oracle’s tour of the U.S.; and Tenzin Thomson, who served as the translator at WVSOM.
Kuten-la visited members of Congress during a stop in Washington, D.C., the weekend before the WVSOM reception.
Talking of world events, the Oracle told the WVSOM audience that human beings fall into three groups: those with faith and spirituality, atheists and those who don’t care about spirituality; and those who are anti-religion.
The Oracle was forced to flee Tibet for India in 1966 following the invasion of Tibet by the communist Chinese. Part of his mission in the U.S. is to represent the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
The Oracle’s stop in Lewisburg was the result of Calloway’s visit in 2024 to India. In April, Calloway and four others — Megan Kelley and Sarah McQueen, WVSOM Class of 2025 medical students; Caroline LaFleur, M.D., of Medical Diplomats International; and Calloway’s 15-year-old daughter, Grace — visited Dehradun, Uttarakhand and Dharamshala, India, and met with the Dalai Lama.