Materials: Natural ghee. The ghee mothers are all blessed by Guru Rinpoche.

Size: 3.9 liters per bottle (Special offer, no discounts)

Description:

[Zangbala Premium Ghee] is refined from 100% pure edible vegetable oil. It is smokeless, non-toxic, and harmless, suitable for lighting lamps. The oil is stable and has been tested to withstand freezing for 36 hours at 10°C.

The Role of Ghee in Buddhist Ritual

Ghee, also known as clarified butter or ghee, is the purified milk fat obtained by removing the water and milk solids from butter. In Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana Buddhism), ghee plays an important symbolic and practical role. It is not only used as an offering but also symbolizes wisdom, purity, and enlightenment, and is often used in various rituals to dispel darkness and ignorance.

- **Making and Offering Butter Lamps**: This is the most common use of ghee in Buddhist rituals. Marme lamps are ghee-fueled lamps. When lit, they represent the light of wisdom, illuminating ignorance and darkness. Offering marme lamps is more than just a tribute to the flame; it symbolizes one's personal aspiration for enlightenment and a prayer for liberation from samsara for all sentient beings. In Tibetan Buddhist temples, marme lamps are often used during daily prayers, festivals (such as Losar, the Tibetan New Year), and special ceremonies. For example, offering 108 lamps symbolizes overcoming the 108 defilements. This tradition, originating from early Tibetan Buddhism, symbolizes the illumination of wisdom and the dissipation of darkness.

- **Butter Sculpture Making**: In Tibetan Buddhism, ghee is often mixed with tsampa (roasted barley flour) to create elaborate butter sculptures or offerings (such as torma). These sculptures are used in sacred rituals, ceremonies, or as decorations for Buddhist statues, symbolizing purity and devotion. This tradition, dating back to early Tibetan Buddhism, is often used during temple festivals and represents the union of art and spirituality.

**Symbolism**: Buddhist texts consider ghee to be the highest form of enlightenment and a pure substance. It represents the philosophy that the universal cannot grasp the individual and symbolizes the essence of the Padma Sutra. In offerings, ghee is used to ward off evil spirits or as a symbol of nourishment, embodying Buddhist concepts of compassion and wisdom. While ghee is more commonly used in fire sacrifices (yagnas) in Hinduism, in Buddhism it more closely symbolizes the awakening of inner light.

Overall, ghee is not only a practical ingredient in Buddhist rituals but also a spiritual symbol, helping believers achieve inner awakening through external offerings.

Origins of Ghee

Ghee has ancient Indian origins dating back to the Vedic period (approximately 1500-500 BC), when it was revered as "food for the gods." Initially used in Hindu fire rituals, temple offerings, and everyday cooking, it symbolized purity, abundance, and divine blessings. As Buddhism spread from India to Tibet and other regions, the use of ghee became integrated into Tibetan Buddhist culture, becoming particularly widespread in the highlands due to its easy preservation. Ghee also appears in Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist texts, becoming an essential element of South and Southeast Asian culture. In Ayurvedic medicine, ghee is considered a golden elixir, used for healing and nourishment.

Ghee Making Process

The ghee making process is essentially the process of clarifying butter, removing water, milk solids, and impurities, leaving behind pure milk fat. The following are the general steps (based on home or traditional methods; commercial production may use mechanized variations):

1. **Ingredient Preparation**: Start with cow's or buffalo milk. Boil the milk, cool it, and allow the cream to rise to the surface. Collect the cream, or use unsalted butter as a starting material.

2. **Heating and Separating**: Place the cream in a pot and heat over low heat. Once the cream melts and begins to boil, it will separate into three layers: a foamy top layer (milk solids), a clarified cream in the middle, and a sediment at the bottom. Continue heating for approximately 15-30 minutes, until the water evaporates and the milk solids turn golden and settle.

3. **Filter and Cool**: After removing from the heat, filter to remove solid residue, leaving a golden, clear liquid. Allow to cool and solidify to create ghee. No colorants or preservatives are added during this process.

Commercial methods include the direct cream process (clarified directly from the cream), the creamery cream process, or the continuous process, which uses a centrifuge to accelerate separation. Ghee is heat-resistant and non-perishable, making it suitable for long-term storage.

Ghee Ingredients

Ghee is primarily composed of pure milk fat (approximately 99-99.5%), derived from cow's or buffalo's milk. Other trace components include:

- **Fatty Acids**: Saturated fatty acids (such as palmitic acid and stearic acid) predominate, along with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which provide energy and nutrient absorption.

- **Vitamins**: Rich in fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A (for vision and immunity), D (for bone health), E (for antioxidants), and K (for blood clotting).

- **Minerals**: Small amounts of calcium and phosphorus, depending on the milk source. **Other**: Lactose and casein-free (suitable for lactose intolerant individuals), but may contain trace amounts of cholesterol. The source of milk (e.g., cow, sheep, buffalo) can affect the fatty acid profile and flavor.

Ghee is high in calories (approximately 900 kcal per 100 g), but is considered beneficial for digestion and mental function in Ayurveda.

The 10 benefits of offering lights :

1.      One becomes like the light of the world.

2.      One achieves clairvoyance of the pure eye as a human.

3.      One achieves the Deva’s eve.

4.      One receives the wisdom to discriminate virtue from non- virtue.

5.      One is able to eliminate the concept of inherent existence.

6.      One receives the illumination of wisdom.

7.      One is reborn as a human or deva.

8.      One receives great enjoyment wealth.

9.      One quickly becomes liberated.

10.  One quickly attains enlightenment.