Butter lamp

Butter lamps or butterlamps (Tibetan: དཀར་མེ་, Wylie: dkar me; simplified Chinese: 酥油灯; traditional Chinese: 酥油燈; pinyin: sūyóu dēng) are a common feature of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout the Himalayas.

The lamps traditionally burn clarified yak butter, but now often use vegetable oil or vanaspati ghee.

For safety, butter lamps are sometimes restricted to a separate courtyard enclosure with a stone floor.

Conceptually, they convert prosaic substance into illumination, a transformation akin to the search for enlightenment.

Esoterically, they recall the heat of the tummo yoga energy of the Six Yogas of Naropa, an important text for Kagyu, Gelug, and Sakya schools of tantric Buddhism.