Is it really dark in a dark retreat?
What is not the radiance of the mind?
It says in the book Radiant Aspiration that butterlamps are ‘offerings which can awaken us to the radiance of our own natural condition’
How is this possible?
James will be explaining how on the 18th March and if you’ve read the book beforehand then that explanation will land on soil which has been prepared…so that which is sown takes root more easily and the roots go deeper…
So if you’re coming to this teaching but haven’t yet got the book there’s still time …and if funds are too tight do please use the book fund (top of that page) for some help, it’s what it’s there for.
The other item to become familiar with… so that the symbolism in the text makes more sense… is of course….a butterlamp : )
These can range from antique and very expensive, through more or less reasonably priced and traditionally shaped, or as simple and economical as the one above.
I lit that at 5.30pm it’s now 10.00 pm and still burning brightly…
The bowl was a gift…but a small glass tea light holder or little glass jar or small tin would work just as well.
I would always use a metal tray or heat proof dish underneath. Although little heat is given out… a glass container just might crack… drips from refuelling make a mess…and anyway oil has an ability to creep everywhere!
If you don’t have enough fuel and need to get the flame higher up the container you can add some water to raise the oil level. A little water in the bottom may also help prevent cracking or smoky burning as the wick burns down.
I made my wicks from twisted cotton wool pulled from a face pad…happy to let you know how… otherwise see Youtube for that …and other ideas. You can stabilise the base of the wick with sand… salt…rice…
James explained that, to make the wick for traditional butterlamps, cotton wool would be wrapped around a splicing of bamboo, then poked into the hole at the bottom of the lamp. Then the wick would be soaked in oil before lighting.
I’ve had mine for nearly twenty years but didn’t know this and so have used a floating wick in a little glass bowl placed inside instead… to avoid the oil leaking out through the hole! Ah well……it worked : )
Tonight, trying it out as designed, it was a bit late for finding a bamboo splicing. So I tried using just a long twisted cotton wool wick and twisting that into the hole in the base. It’s worked ok so far but clearly the bamboo slicing would help keep the wick central and upright…
The fuel in the little lamp above is a good quality olive oil which burns with a clean bright white light. Traditionally the fuel used would be ghee – unsalted butter gently boiled for about twenty minutes, until the milk solids separate and settle to the bottom of the pan, and then strained. I used that in the traditional lamp below, and as you can see it also burns clean and bright.
May the full potential of our offerings be realised…
