GREAT Malvern station was blessed by the presence of a Tibetan master.

Chödpa Lama Ngagpa Rinpoche was given a grand welcome complete with incense sticks and ceremonial scarves when he arrived in town for a fiveday visit of spiritual rituals.

The main event of his stay took place at The Grove in Avenue Road, Malvern, on Saturday, September 22, when he conducted a healing ritual known as Chöd, which is said to be a spiritual path that cuts through obstacles, negativity and selfdelusion.

The practice of Chöd cultivates fearlessness, certainty and unrelenting compassion as well as connecting people to their deepest core.

Naomi Levine, who has been practicing Tibetan Buddhism since the 1970s, is the person behind Chödpa Lama’s visit.

She came to live in Malvern after a divination from Yogi Lama led to her buying her current home instead of a flat in Hay on Wye. She initially invited him to bless her home as part of his tour of Europe but he felt the town warranted a longer stay.

“Malvern is a spa town and very much thought of as a healing place and he picked up on that and wanted to be here,” she said.