Torma Offering Prayers to Dorje Shugden Torma Offering Prayers to Dorje Shugden
Tormas are food offerings in the form of ritual cakes. The offering of tormas generates the merits to not only receive the resources we... Torma Offering Prayers to Dorje Shugden

A common prayer in many pujas including the kangso or fulfilment ritual of Dorje Shugden is the torma offering. The offering of tormas generates the merits to not only receive the resources we need for our successful spiritual practice but it also helps to plant seeds in our mindstream to gain higher attainments, especially those related to Tantra. Therefore this offering plays a pivotal role within many pujas to various deities.

Common to all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, tormas are food offerings in the form of ritual cakes. Traditionally made from tsampa (roasted barley flour) or oats, they include yogurt, milk and butter (known as the three whites, dkar gsum) and honey, sugar and jaggery (known as the three sweets, mngar gsum).

Tormas may also require other ingredients depending on which deity they are to be offered to and the specific ritual being performed. For example during a wealth puja (g.yang sgrub), precious stones and substances are added to the torma. When Dorje Shugden takes trance in an oracle, the torma offered as part of the tsok includes dried fruits and nuts.

Traditional torma offerings in the monastery

Traditional torma offerings in the monastery

Tormas are not only offered to the enlightened beings, but in some cases can also be offered to the local land deities to please them. However in any case, the ingredients used for the tormas should be of the best quality according to our means as a sign of our sincerity in making the offerings.

Tormas come in various shapes and sizes according to their purpose but are more often than not in conical form. Tormas can also be painted in different colours depending on which ritual they are being made for, most commonly white or red. Some pujas even require the tormas not to be painted at all.

His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche often recounts His Holiness Kyabje Zong Rinpoche explaining that the whole process of offering a torma, from its ingredients to its form has very important significance. For example the shape of the torma, colour and intricate decorations such as the flower shapes all have significant Tantric meaning. The torma represents attainments gained from meditation upon the winds, channels and drops within Tantric practice. Offering these representations generates the causes to gain these attainments. Therefore tormas differ according to the practice, as each practice uses the winds, channels and drops in different ways to gain attainments.

Traditional torma offerings in Kechara's puja house

Traditional torma offerings in Kechara’s puja house

H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche has also mentioned that it would not be practical for the laity to offer traditional tormas, due to the time and effort involved in making sure that they are made correctly. Instead he suggested it would be fine to offer things that we like to eat, for example biscuits and cookies. We should make these offerings to the best of our ability and circumstance, as sincerity, trust and faith in Dorje Shugden will definitely bear results.

For regular practitioners who are not trained in the art of making tormas according to the traditional prescriptions, the tormas can be biscuits, cakes or cookies placed on a plate, bowl or cup which can be discarded in a clean place at the end of the puja. If you live in an area where this may not be possible, such as in an apartment, it is permissible to eat the tormas after the puja. If you don’t want to eat the tormas, you can wrap them up in paper and then discard them in the garbage.

H.E. Tsem Rinpoche encourages his students to represent tormas with a glass bottle that is filled with biscuits. The tormas are offered in glass bottles simply to prevent insects from getting into them. Or course, if you are travelling, in a hotel or other circumstance where it is not practical to make the torma offerings, you can still continue with your practice without any of the offerings, just the recitations and visualisations.

Torma offerings in jars

Torma offerings in jars

Torma Offering Preparations

If you wish to make torma offerings to Dorje Shugden, you can prepare the following which are placed on the altar:

  • One large jar filled with biscuits: these are the torma offerings to Lama Tsongkhapa or your Yidam
  • One large jar filled with biscuits: these are the torma offerings to Dorje Shugden)
  • One smaller jar filled with biscuits: these are the torma offerings to Dorje Shugden’s entourage)

Before we begin offering the torma, we would have already visualised Dorje Shugden and entourage in front of us as per the preceding prayers. The torma offering prayer then begins with the recitation of ‘OM AH HUM‘ three times in order to consecrate the offerings. Next, while reciting the first part of the prayer, we visualise that on the tongues of Dorje Shugden and his entourage is the seed syllable ‘HUM‘, which are transformed into single-pronged vajras, red in colour. These have rays of light emitting from them which extend to touch the tormas themselves. The light rays are described as straw-like because they are hollow on the inside.

Then, as the torma offering mantras are recited the “essence” of the tormas are drawn up through the rays of light and are partaken of by the deities. The first mantra ‘OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA…‘ is the mantra of offering the torma to Dorje Shugden. The second manta ‘OM AKARO MUKHAM…‘ is the mantra of offering the torma to Dorje Shugden’s entourage.

After completing the mantra recitations, we then recite the sensory offering verses which can be accompanied by the corresponding mudras (hand gestures). Next is a short prayer to Dorje Shugden and entourage to fulfil certain requests for the practitioner. These are made in order to remove obstacles facing the practitioner and create conducive conditions for spiritual practice. Such requests include, protecting the Buddhadharma, raising the status of the Three Jewels and extending the life of the Guru so that they can benefit more beings.

Last of all, one recites the sensory and inner offering verses. Those who have not received the appropriate Tantric initiations should just recite the inner offering mantra while those who have initiation should offer the actual inner offering at this point. The final part of the torma offering prayer is a short praise to Dorje Shugden and entourage.


Torma Offering Prayer

The offering of tormas creates the merit to receive the resources we need for spiritual practice. It also plants the seeds to gain higher attainments, particularly tantric attainments.

OM AH HUM (3x, to consecrate offerings)

HUMs on the tongues of the great king of Dharmapalas, Dorje Shugden’s fierce five families and entourage are generated as red single-pronged vajras with straws of light by which they draw up the entire essence of the torma and partake.

OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA BENDZA BEGAWAN
RUDRA PANTSA KULA SAPARIWARA SARVA BIGNEN
SHATRUM IDAM BALINGTA KA KA KAHI KAHI
(3x)

(Offer to the principle deity. Then to the entourage:)

OM AKARO MUKHAM SARVA DHARMANAM
ARYA NUTPANNA TWADA
NAMA SARVA TATHAGATA AWALOKITE
OM SAMBARA SAMBARA HUM
(3x)

OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA BENDZA BEGAWAN
RUDRA PANTSA KULA SAPARIWARA
ARGHAM PADYAM PUPE DHUPE
ALOKE GHANDE NEWIDE SHAPTA PRATICCHA HUM SOHA

OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA BENDZA BEGAWAN
RUDRA PANTSA KULA SAPARIWARA OM AH HUM

(The dispatching on mission following the torma:)

HUM!
O Protector of Lord Manjushri Tsongkhapa’s teachings,
Fierce five families of Dorje Shugden and entourage:
Having accepted this torma of red flesh and blood,
Protect the teachings of Buddha in general and especially the great king of the Dharma, Lord Manjushri Tsongkhapa’s Sutra and Tantra teachings!
Raise the status of the Triple Gem!
Protect the Sangha community!
Extend the life of the Guru!
For us, the practitioners, master, disciples, sponsors, sponsored and entourage,
Please act to dispel conditions adverse to Dharma practice,
To establish all conducive conditions,
And, with fierce punishments, to reduce all harmful, malicious enemies and obstructors with degenerate samaya instantly to ashes!

OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA BENDZA BEGAWAN
RUDRA PANTSA KULA SAPARIWARA
DRA GEG AMUKA MARAYA PHET!

Sensory Offerings
OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA BENDZA BEGAWAN
RUDRA PANTSA KULA SAPARIWARA
ARGHAM PADYAM PUPE DHUPE
ALOKE GHANDE NEWIDE SHAPTA PRATICHAYE SOHA!

Inner Offering
OM DHARMAPALA MAHA RADZA BENDZA BEGAWAN
RUDRA PANTSA KULA SAPARIWARA OM AH HUM!

Praise
By just recollecting you for an instant,
Outer and inner obstructions are dispelled.
O powerful five families of Gyalchen Shugden,
Bestower of the four activities,
To the Dharmapala and his entourage I bow down.

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  • Frederick Law

    Posted on June 7, 2016 #1 Author

    Tormas is a form of Tibetan Ritual cakes used to offered to Buddhas and sometimes local deities to appease them. Torma broken into two parts, which literally means, “Tor” -throwing out our negativity, purifying negative conditions, and severing attachement that lead to sufferings. While “Ma” means radiating love and and sympathy to those sufferings.

    Tormas are made from roasted flour, honey, milk, butter and yogurt. Tormas are hand made where the ingredients is mixed together and kneaded by either hand or using mixture. Each Torma ingredient must be of high quality and should not be lax, because we are offerings to the Buddha’s, offerings of tormas allowed us to generate tremendous merits, which not only come in the form of resources,but also plant seed in our mindstream for successful spiritual practice.

    Hence in Kechara Puja House, the shapes, sizes, ingredients, colouring, and especially motivation while making the torma is utmost important, because the tormas made is offered to the specific Buddha’s and also protector, requesting their Enlighten activity to remove obstacles for the benefactors, as well to generate tremendous merits for them to receive conducive conditions which can help them to overcome their immediate obstacles, be it health, financial, relationship, or even spirit disturbance.

    Reply

  • Stella Cheang

    Posted on August 25, 2016 #2 Author

    There is significant meaning in everything we do, practice and offer throughout our spiritual journey. Torma offering is a prime example that nothing is unimportant and we must do it to the best of our ability, wholeheartedly. This is because Torma offering not only help us to generate the merits to receive the resources we need for our spiritual practice, it also helps to plant seeds in our mind stream to gain higher attainments, like Tantra practices. Therefore the making of Torma offerings require skills, patience and effort. It is very fortunate to have His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche teaching us plus recounting teaching from Zong Rinpoche on the importance and process of Torma offering, so that everyone here can benefit from this tradition.

    Reply

  • Fong

    Posted on October 18, 2016 #3 Author

    Tormas represent more than food. It holds significant tantric meaning and aspiration to higher practices. It also represents attainments gained from meditation upon the winds, channels and drops within Tantric practice.

    And one can follow Zong Rinpoche’s teaching in that one need not make tormas the traditional way, one can use biscuits or oats in glass jars to represent the tormas. Zong Rinpoche was very kind to teach this way of offering tormas as it is very convenient for modern people to offer torma even though there is no one to teach them how to make the tormas.

    Thank you, admin for sharing this piece of information with us all.

    Reply

  • Alice Tay

    Posted on October 11, 2017 #4 Author

    Making torma offering in daily sadhana and puja generates the merits to receive the resources we need in spiritual practice and also helps to plant seeds in our mindstream to gain higher attainments, especially for higher tantric practice. As such, we should make the best offerings that within our affordability considerations, sincerity and strong faith in Dorje Shugden.
    Thank you for sharing this meaningful article.

    Reply

  • Sol

    Posted on March 13, 2024 #5 Author

    If we are reciting the torma offering text every day do we need to empty and refill the jars daily? In the “Advice to a Yamantaka initiate” video Rinpoche said that we can add one cookie to the jar everyday. Does this mean that we should start out with an empty jar?

    Reply