3 years ago
January 18 was the final day of the making of traditional and unique ritual tormas in Nechung monastery. It is widely known as butter sculptures.
With the sole ingredients of barley flour and butter, these conical sculptures were made.
These magnificent tormas will be displayed for a whole year. Used as a base for all deities and protectors’ rites performed by the monks on a daily basis.
The practice of offering torma has been transmitted from Buddha himself. through many lineages, lineage was transmitted to Ananda who then transmitted to Nanda, and Nanda to the bhikshuni Rati.
She passed it onto Several arhats received from her and then to the yogin Antavajra. Then it passed to Dharmamati, Atisha, Dromtönpa. It was transmitted to the Three Brothers by Dromtönpa.
Each color and artistic element of the different kinds of butter sculptures had deep symbolic meanings. It is important to learn and hold those meanings in mind.
Presently, butter sculpting had begun to attract international attention. Being established as a unique Tibetan art form, it is encouraging all to value and enhance their knowledge and skills in this art form.
Among various types of tormas, this torma made by the monks as a daily basis for deities and protectors’ rites is Deity tormas . Ten Tor or Deity tormas are kept on the shrine, and represent a particular deity.
These tormas vary in complexity from a very simple cone painted white for peaceful deities like Tara and Avalokiteshvara, to very complex designs for semi-wrathful deities .
Nechung monastery originally lies just below Drepung monastery, four miles west of Lhasa. Nechung originally came to Tibet with a descendant of the Indian sage Dharmapala.
During the reign of King Tri-Song Deu-Tsan in the eighth century AD,. There he was appointed protector of Samye monastery by the Indian saint and tantric master Padmasambhava. Later this monastery was re-established in exile in Dharamsala.
During morning ritual the monks of Nechung monastery performed an ablution ceremony after placing the wide-range of tormas on the altar.
Simultaneously Third preventive Hepatitis B vaccine shot for all the new monks was provided. This is sponsorship from the Department of Health of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala.
