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Torma, Gtor-ma, Tormā: 3 definitions

Introduction:

Torma means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

: Google Books: The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems

Torma (in Tibetan: gtor ma; Sanskrit: bali) � In tantric Buddhist ritual practice, one of a variety of sculpted dough images that are offered to a range of deities, from worldly gods and demons to buddha -deities, in order to secure their noninterference in or blessings for the advancement of one's aims

: Rigpa Shedra: Wiki

Torma refers to a “ritual cake�, usually hand-moulded from butter and tsampa (roasted barley flour) and coloured with dyes, which can symbolize a deity, a mandala, an offering, or even a weapon. More ‘permanent� Tormas (Tibetan: གཏོར་མ�, gtor ma; Sanskrit: Bali) can be made of clay or plasticine, to which small amounts of edible substances such as üٲ are added when they are made. Tormas are usually ornamented with kargyen, 'white ornament', which are disc-like decorations of the sun and moon, four-petalled flowers, lotus bases and dissolving-point shapes known as nada.

Kunkyen Tenpe Nyima gives a brief overview of different kinds of tormas in his General Notes on the Rituals of the Development Stage:

  1. shrine torma (rten gtor),
  2. perpetual torma (rtag gtor),
  3. sadhana torma (sgrub gtor) or offering torma (mchod gtor),
  4. mending torma,
  5. captured torma (gta' gtor),
  6. session torma (thun gtor) or daily torma (rgyun gtor).

If you want to take a more elaborate approach, visualize the shrine torma (rten gtor) as the deity and maintain the visualization for as long as you render offerings to it. The perpetual torma (rtag gtor) is kept for a specific duration of months or years. The sādhana torma, (sgrub gtor) also called the offering torma (mchod gtor), is offered and received by the deities as a gift. As a means to delight them, mending tormas serve as an offering substance symbolizing sense pleasures and enjoyments. The captured torma (gta' gtor) is kept until an activity is accomplished, after which it is to be offered. The purpose of this torma is to ensure that an activity is accomplished swiftly and without delay. The session torma (thun gtor), also called the daily torma (rgyun gtor), is given occasionally in order to enjoin certain temporary activities. A simple renunciant practitioner may also make these tormas using simply the best portions of his or her own food and drink.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (Բ) are collected indepently.

Discover the meaning of torma in the context of Tibetan Buddhism from relevant books on

Languages of India and abroad

Nepali dictionary

: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

Tormā (तोर्मा):—n. a kind of dish prepared from boiled rice or parched wheat mixed in honey;

context information

Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.

Discover the meaning of torma in the context of Nepali from relevant books on

See also (Relevant definitions)

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