The Tormu and the Ants | A Folk Tale from Sikkim

Once upon a time, there was a Lama by the name Ghumchen Tenzing Takpu. The Lama worshiped the Tormu, a divine symbol made out of butter and boiled rice. He spent most of his time worshiping the Tormu. As a result, he acquired great spiritual merit.

One day, while he was in the temple, an ant living in the nearby jungle noticed the Tormu made of butter and rice. Ghumchen, the Lama, spotted the ant eating the butter. The incensed Lama thought of killing the ant. However, as a follower of the Buddha, he realized that it wasn’t right to harbor such thoughts and even felt ashamed of getting angry. To get rid of such violent thoughts, he picked the ant and left it outside the temple.

The ant disappeared into the jungle, but came back with another three ants. The ants sneaked into the temple and devoured the butter. Once again, Ghumchen carefully carried the ants and left them outside the temple.

The four ants got to the woods and returned to the temple with millions of ants. Tashi Golay, the ant leader, asked Ghumchen how he got the guts to kick those tiny ants out of the temple. ‘You’ve brought disgrace upon the holy robes!,’ it said.

Lama Ghumchen replied that the four ants had eaten the butter on the Tormu. Tashi Golay argued that the ants were simply curious about the Tormu and were gazing at it. ‘It was your fault. You must have forgotten to put butter on the Tormu. Instead of admitting to your wrongdoing, you’re blaming these harmless ants!’

The Lama calmly replied that he had just picked the ants and left them outside the temple, adding that he never killed or harmed them.

The army of ants charged at Lama Ghumchen and started biting him. In sharp pain, the Lama prayed to God to save him. His prayers were answered as his body turned into a burning torch. Fearing for their lives, the ants began jumping down and rushed back into the woods.