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Torma

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Torma (gtor.ma, ‘scattered (oblation)’; Skt., bali, ‘offering’). Sacrificial cake-offering in Tibetan Buddhism, made of barley flour, brightly decorated with coloured butter and shaped according to ritual requirements. It is so called because almost invariably it is scattered for eating by birds and animals after the ceremony, though occasionally it may be consumed during the ritual. Tormas may be offered to bodhisattvas, ḍākinīs, local spirits, even as bribes to satisfy demons. Tormas often play a part in empowerment (Skt., abhiṣekha; Tib., dbang.bskur) rituals, where the empowerment to perform the practice of a particular deity is given by the lama first projecting the deity into the torma, and then anointing the disciple with it.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Torma." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Torma." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Torma.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Torma." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Torma.html

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torma

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

torma (Tib., gtor-ma). Literally ‘a cast-out thing’, a torma is a sculpted offering made of coloured barley flour and butter used in tantric rituals as an offering or propitiation to various spiritual beings.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "torma." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "torma." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-torma.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "torma." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-torma.html

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