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Handbook of Tibetan Buddhis#133 9/1/10 11:34 AM Page 21

The Eight Auspicious Substances 21

THE CURDS OR YOGURT
(Skt. dadhi; Tib. zho)

Curds have always been regarded as a pure
and nourishing dietary supplement in India.
In the Ayurvedic medical tradition curds are
highly esteemed as a digestive stimulant, and
are traditionally prescribed as a remedy for
diarrhea and emaciation. Curds made from
The yogurt.
colostrum, the first milk that a cow gives
after delivering a calf, are considered espe-
cially regenerative. The pure white nature of held at great monasteries such as Sera and
curds symbolizes spiritual nourishment and Drepung, where the monks would be served
the abandonment of all negative actions. curds at the end of their hundred-day sum-
The ‘three white substances’, milk, curds, mer retreat.
and ghee, which are derived from the sacred The ‘three whites’ of milk, curds, and
cow are viewed as the concentrated essence ghee, form three of the ‘five nectars’ ob-
of plants, and are widely employed as puri- tained from the sacred cow, with the other
fying ingredients in many tantric rituals. two being urine and dung. For ritual pur-
As one of the eight auspicious sub- poses the cow’s urine and dung are collected
stances, curds symbolize the forty-nine- in vessels before they touch the ground, and
mouthful meal of milk-rice, which the are then mixed with the three white sub-
fasting Buddha received from the cowherd stances in a bronze bowl. This mixture is
girl, Sujata. This meal provided the fasting then boiled. When cool the upper scum and
Buddha with the strength to attain enlight- lower sediment of this viscous liquid are dis-
enment under the bodhi-tree, and to recog- carded, leaving only the middle section,
nize with clarity the truth of the ‘middle which is then spread and dried in the sun.
way’. For this reason white curds or ‘nectar’ The dried powder is then blended with saf-
are often represented within the blue alms- fron and made into small pills. In Tibet these
bowl of the Buddha. pills (Tib. ril-bu) are employed in ritual
As a cool, heavy, creamy, smooth, and practices, together with consecrated medici-
soft substance, curds personify the phleg- nal pills, known as dutsi (Tib. bdud-rtsi).
matic (kapha) humor or constitution of the The sacred cow, from which the five nectars
water element. Because of this the eating of are obtained, should be pregnant, of a
curds was not medically advised during the golden or orange color, and endowed with
hot Indian summer and rainy season. The intestinal stones or bezoars, from which the
Indian monsoon, which occurs during the precious medicine gorochana is obtained.
months of July and August, was tradition-
ally a period in which the Buddhist sangha
would undergo a seasonal meditation re- THE DURVA GRASS
treat. Curds were ritually consumed as the (Skt. durva; Tib. rtsva dur-ba)
first celebratory meal after this rainy season
retreat ended. In Tibet this tradition found Durva, durba, or darbha grass is a common
continuity in the Zhoton or ‘curd festival’, grass with a variety of names. In the West it