Observations placeholder

'(...)Then, as the man came forward, the bonpo grasped a chang, which was standing next to him, and swung it around. Strange, savage sounds filled the room with a tidal wave of vibrations that pierced my ears. The disrespectful peasant screamed and staggered back with his arms held up as though he was warding off something threatening.

'Get out', the lama repeated again.

The other bearers grabbed their friend and rushed out of the temple, greatly disturbed. Bong! Bong! continued the drum. The accompanying bonpo returned unpurturbed, sat in front of the kyilkhor, and continued the muffled singing and chanting.

What had happened?

I hadn't noticed anything, except for that extraordinary sound. I went outside and asked my bearers. The troublemaker who had disturbed the sacred ritual had lost his bravado.

 'It was a snake. I tell you', he said, nodding to the others who sat around him. 'A snake of fire came out of the chang.'

 'What? Did you really see a snake of fire?' I asked. 'Is that why you recoiled?'

'Didn't you see it?' they replied. 'It came out of the chang when the lama beat upon it.'

'You must have dreamt it,' I said. 'I didn't see anything.'

 'We didn't see the snake, but we did see flashes of light shoot out of the chang,' the other bearers interjected. In fact, they had all been witnesses to a miracle. (...)

Later David-Néel questions the bonpo that emanated the thoughtform, and the bonpo affirmed:

'That it was the power of the zoung that I cast,' declared the lama emphatically. Speaking more softly he said: 'The sound creates shapes and beings..[.]the sound inspires them.