ШЕРАБhow to make tormas en
BDW 1 «Пять домов: Новый старт»
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How to Make Tormas
for a Retreat
What is a Torma?
A Torma is a special cake offering made of special substances that you offer to an
Enlightened Being and to other spirits. These Tormas will go on your altar and at
protection markers for the length of the retreat.
Making tormas on the night that you start your retreat is ideal. They will take 4-5 hours
to prepare while you let go of thoughts of the outside world. Keep your mind focused
on your intention to make beautiful holy offerings for holy beings. This is a rare
moment to spend time making something for someone else, and that has no apparent
function. So use the time as it was intended, and transition into your retreat elegantly,
full of gratitude and awe for the Beings who’ll receive your offerings and then take care
of you.
The type of tormas you make will be determined by the type of retreat that you are
doing. The following instructions are for a General Retreat, or a Je Tsongkapa Retreat,
Ghanden lha gyama. For other types of retreats please contact your teacher for the
related instructions.
As you gather equipment and shop for ingredients, please do so sweetly and with
bodhichitta in your heart. Remember that you are on a mission to please Holy Ones,
so do so with kindness and joy every step of the way.
Equipment you will need
Large mixing bowl
A blender or food processor to crumble bread is optional; crumbling by hand
takes longer, but is quiet and does not require electricity
Paint brush to paint tormas with ghee
2 Bottle caps in two sizes (about 3/4” & ½”) and
1 Straw for the smallest size, to cut disk ornaments for Tormas
3 large plates:
1 for the Je Tsongkapa offering with three Tormas
1 for the Spyintor (pronounced Chitor) for the boundary marker
1 for the Gektor with six Tormas to protect from obstacles
1 small plate for Tormalettes
3 balls of cotton for lamp wicks
Toothpicks for applying ornaments to Tormas, and to use with cotton
as wicks for lamps
Torma Ingredients
4 loaves of Bread (keep the bags to use during preparation)
4 cups of Milk
12 TBS Honey
8 oz Ghee (you can buy at most grocery stores, or make it at home)
1 package of sliced white cheese for the ornaments
1 small bowl of milk on the side
A few drops of Dutsi, a special nectar which you can get from your teacher
Tormalettes
Step 1: Make Ghee
1. Melt 1 pound of unsalted butter in a pot on low heat for about 45 minutes,
or until the milk solids begin to settle to the bottom.
2. Remove the foam from the top.
3. Let it cool.
4. Pour through a strainer lined with a clean paper towel or muslin cloth to
filter out any solids. Don’t pour in the milk solids at the bottom.
Step 2: Make the Torma dough
1. Gather everything you will need on a large flat work area.
2. Clean every surface and tool you will be using. Wash your hands.
3. Set your intention: go for refuge and remember bodhichitta. You are making
special cakes for Buddhas and the spirits who will support you in your
retreat. Keep this in your heart and mind throughout the whole process.
Reciting mantras is another good way to keep your mind in a proper place.
4. Remove and set aside the crusts from one loaf of bread. Blend or tear the
slices into small crumbs, like a coarse meal. If using a blender, blend a
maximum of 4 slices at a time to avoid clogging the blender.
5. Put the crumbs into the plastic loaf bag without compressing them, and
loosely tie so the crumbs don’t dry out.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 for each loaf.
7. Now put the contents of one bag into a large mixing bowl. Add 1-2
tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of ghee, a few drops of dutsi and
a little milk. Add the liquids slowly and watch your texture.
* If there is too much ghee this may cause cracking, so add more crumbs.
* If it is too wet, it will not hold its shape, so add more crumbs
* If it is too dry it will also crack, so add more milk.
8. Mix thoroughly, then knead as you would bread on a flat surface for 5-10
minutes or until surface is smooth and texture is pliable yet firm. It
shouldn’t be sticky.
9. Once you have finished kneading the first batch, split it into halves, roll each
half into a ball, return them to the plastic bag and again loosely tie.
10. Repeat steps (7) through (9) for two more bags.
11. For the last bag, before splitting into halves, break off an amount about
the size of an orange, then split the remaining dough into halves, roll
all three pieces into balls and return to the plastic bag. This third ball
will be for the small Tormas (Tormalettes).
Step 3: They’re taking shape!
Take seven balls of dough, one at a time, Pinch off four equal portions from the Shape each pinched-off portion into
and roll and mold to create cone-like bottom of one of the larger cones, the a triangular petal. Curve
shapes with slightly rounded tops. Make Je Tsongkapa Offering. Pinch off three them slightly and attach mid-way
five larger cones and two smaller cones. when making each of the three around the Torma. Press and
For the smaller cones use the smaller Gektor Offerings for the obstacle blend the edges onto the cone
halves of dough you made in the bag marker. Reshape the bottoms. with milk, then paint with ghee.
with the orange-sized ball of dough. Put four on the Je Tsongkapa
Offering and three on each of the
three Gektor Offerings.
For Tormalettes, divide the orange-sized
ball of dough into portions equal to the
number of days you will be in retreat. Paint all sides with ghee. Next make ornaments. Use the
Create tiny three-sided triangular Place on small plate, cover bottle caps and straw to cut about
Tormalettes with a triangular base. and store in the fridge. nine sets of three disks from
the white cheese. These disks will
be pinned onto each of the Tormas.
This offering represents (pronounced Chitor)
Je Tsongkapa and his two disciples. This large Torma with no
Arrange the large Torma and two petals and with two
Cut off 1/3 of a tooth pick. Use the smaller Tormas on a large plate ornaments is a boundary
short pointed tip to attach the cheese and place it on your altar. marker. Place it on
disks, large disk on the bottom, onto the Each day add a tormalette to a large plate outside.
Torma. The smallest disk will cover the the front through the duration
exposed edge of the tooth pick. of your retreat.
Separate another ball of dough Take a tooth pick and snap off a 2/3 section. With a cotton ball,
into three equal parts. Shape pull it, stretching it gently and roll it around the tooth pick
them to look like a goblet. starting from the cut edge. Wrap tightly leaving extra cotton
trailing up on top like smoke. Insert into the goblet and paint
with ghee, filling the goblet and also coating the wick.
Make three lamps, one for each Gektor offering.
From another ball take a portion of Arrange the nine pieces you’ve
dough about 3” in diameter. Separate Squeeze each cylinder, leaving made like this on a plate that you’ll
into three equal parts. Roll each ridge imprints in the cylinder. Then put outside. The offering represents
portion between your hands to create press the top and bottom with your protection from obstacles you may
three cylinders about 4” long. thumb. The final shape should look experience during your retreat.
like the image above.