This is a work in progress
Most of this page is from a chapter,
Tibetan Furniture
Torgams and Yangams and Their Ritual Use by
Geshe Lobzang Tsetan with Kathleen Kernell
Torgams and Yangams and Their Ritual Use by
Geshe Lobzang Tsetan with Kathleen Kernell
in the book,
Wooden Wonders Tibetan Furniture in Secular and Religious Life
Edited by David Kamansky
5 types of prayer room furniture or temple furniture. Most basic is a Tenchog (chagam or tengam) which is a storage cabinet for shrine objects (statues not being used)and supplies such as butter lamps and incense. The front of the cabinet would be painted with either offering devis, the eight auspicious symbols or perhaps very simply with flowers. The top would be used as a sort of alter or if it is a house of means or temple there would probably be another type of furniture called a Chosom resting on the top of the tenchog. The chosom is a small cabinet that has a divided interior. The separate spaces would hold different rupas or statues and if it were large enough, religious texts. The center space would be the biggest and would hold the central, most important statue/text. Often these chosoms will have a choseng or multi-cubed pattern around the front face of the cabinet. Choseng is a pattern that you find around temple entrances. It serves as a visual signal that the building or peice of furniture serves religious purposes primarily.
These peices of furniture help define the sense of higher and lower shrine objects. So, for instance, a sacred text would be regarded more highly than would the incense. The chosom indicates the more venerated shrine objects. On top of the tenchog would be the outer offerings such as saffron water, butter lamps, incense and the like. If the household did not have a chosom, there would be a smaller table below the tenchog which would hold the offering substances called a sochog or chogtse. These can be highly ornamented or of a much simpler style.
Three types of temple furniture so far:
These peices of furniture help define the sense of higher and lower shrine objects. So, for instance, a sacred text would be regarded more highly than would the incense. The chosom indicates the more venerated shrine objects. On top of the tenchog would be the outer offerings such as saffron water, butter lamps, incense and the like. If the household did not have a chosom, there would be a smaller table below the tenchog which would hold the offering substances called a sochog or chogtse. These can be highly ornamented or of a much simpler style.
Three types of temple furniture so far:
1) The main one is the tenchog used both as storage and and as a platform for shrine objects.
2) The choshom rests on top of the tenchog, usually has spaces that are divided to hold various statues and texts.
3) The third type of furniture, the chogtse or sochog, is a small table that would be in front of the tenchog. It would hold offerings. Sometimes called butter lamp offering tables.
The fourth type of tibetan temple furniture is called a torgam. A torgam is a cabinet that houses offering cakes to Tibetan deities. The torgam is built with the intention of protecting the offerings – primarily from mice.
The offerings in a torgam are for dharma protectors – deities that protect the dharma and dharma practioners. Often these torgam are decorated with symbols associated with the dharma protectors. The imagery is likely to be intense, vivid and wrathful. This has to do with the actions and the modus operandi of the protectors. They are said to act very decisively and without second thoughts, completely committed. Their actions can be severe if the situation calls for it. Perhaps the image will be of a face with flames for eyebrows and fangs in his mouth. Skulls, dead bodies and other memento mori are common motifs for these cabinets.
Yangams are the fifth type of Tibetan temple furniture. Yangam or ‘fortunate box’ store other types of offering such as gold, silver, copper, crystal, silk, brocades, bits of lamas’ clothing, grains, etc. Because the substances that it holds are precious, yangams are not often that big. Geshe Lobzang Tsetan mentions a typical size being 8 x 11 inches. Often the yangams are decorated with a god related to wealth such as White Mahakala or Kubera. Kubera is also known as Vaisravana or Jambhala. He often holds a mongoose that disgorges jewels. The mongoose is the enemy of the snake which represents greed. The jewels obviously represent wealth and richness. Both white mahakala and Namse are said to repel negative forces and attract positive ones.
For westerners with our traditions of vows of poverty, the idea of combining wealth or richness with religion can often bring a sour taste or at least a head scratching reaction. But in Buddhist thought, richness is seen as a condition that is sought after so that one might be able to practice the dharma, whereas poverty is a condition that often impedes one’s practice. In addition, richness and generosity are qualities that the practitioner tries to cultivate. It is the sense of being able to always give, to have such a feeling of resources that one doesn’t get stuck in thinking of what one doesn’t have, rather one feels continuously rich and wealthy, on all levels. Perhaps the pinnacle of this is in Vajrayana Buddhism where the practitioner is not only said to be of the same nature as a buddha but the practitioner actually visualizes himself as an enlightened being. One assumes Buddhahood and that is the path towards it. Pretty outrageous really.
The fourth type of tibetan temple furniture is called a torgam. A torgam is a cabinet that houses offering cakes to Tibetan deities. The torgam is built with the intention of protecting the offerings – primarily from mice.
The offerings in a torgam are for dharma protectors – deities that protect the dharma and dharma practioners. Often these torgam are decorated with symbols associated with the dharma protectors. The imagery is likely to be intense, vivid and wrathful. This has to do with the actions and the modus operandi of the protectors. They are said to act very decisively and without second thoughts, completely committed. Their actions can be severe if the situation calls for it. Perhaps the image will be of a face with flames for eyebrows and fangs in his mouth. Skulls, dead bodies and other memento mori are common motifs for these cabinets.
Yangams are the fifth type of Tibetan temple furniture. Yangam or ‘fortunate box’ store other types of offering such as gold, silver, copper, crystal, silk, brocades, bits of lamas’ clothing, grains, etc. Because the substances that it holds are precious, yangams are not often that big. Geshe Lobzang Tsetan mentions a typical size being 8 x 11 inches. Often the yangams are decorated with a god related to wealth such as White Mahakala or Kubera. Kubera is also known as Vaisravana or Jambhala. He often holds a mongoose that disgorges jewels. The mongoose is the enemy of the snake which represents greed. The jewels obviously represent wealth and richness. Both white mahakala and Namse are said to repel negative forces and attract positive ones.
For westerners with our traditions of vows of poverty, the idea of combining wealth or richness with religion can often bring a sour taste or at least a head scratching reaction. But in Buddhist thought, richness is seen as a condition that is sought after so that one might be able to practice the dharma, whereas poverty is a condition that often impedes one’s practice. In addition, richness and generosity are qualities that the practitioner tries to cultivate. It is the sense of being able to always give, to have such a feeling of resources that one doesn’t get stuck in thinking of what one doesn’t have, rather one feels continuously rich and wealthy, on all levels. Perhaps the pinnacle of this is in Vajrayana Buddhism where the practitioner is not only said to be of the same nature as a buddha but the practitioner actually visualizes himself as an enlightened being. One assumes Buddhahood and that is the path towards it. Pretty outrageous really.