Mon, 09 Jun 2008
Consecrating Tormas
Khenpo Choephel gave a teaching on tormas during the Spring Retreat in Fredericj. Tormas are thos nifty little cones of dough that are used as offerings during empowerments and tantric sadhanas. Before tormas are offered, they are consecrated by reciting the syllable "om ah hung" three times. Khenpo explained the significance of this:
Recitation of "om" eliminates problems with the materials used in the torma. "Ah" makes the offering vast. And "hung" transforms the taste of the torma into amrita. "Om ah hung" is the essence of the Buddha's body, speech, and mind, so it is very beneficial. The first recitation eliminates negativities. The second round transforms the torma and the vessel. The third round makes the offering vast in extent. In the first round "om" purifies the faults of the vessel, "ah" purifies the fault of the food, and "hung" purifies the faults of the water. During the second round "om" transforms the vessel into precious objects, "ah" transforms the food into food of a hundred tastes, and "hung" transforms the water into amrita. In the third round, "om" makes the vessel vast in extent, "ah" makes the food as vast as Mount Meru, and "hung" makes the water as vast as the ocean. This is the ninefold benefit of the three rounds.
