A Guide to
Shrine Offerings

The success of our meditation depends upon our making six preparations. Just as we need to prepare carefully for an examination or a dinner party if it is to be a success, so we need to prepare carefully for meditation if we are to experience good results.

– Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, The New Eight Steps to Happiness

Making Water Offerings to the Buddhas

Three Sets of Seven bowls are made daily in front of Je Tsongkhapa, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Dorje Shugden. In general, we make offerings to Buddha not because Buddha needs something from us, but because of the opening and enriching effect offering has on our heart. While physically pouring the water with great care and respect, mentally we imagine we offer much more than water.


In some Asian countries it used to be customary for hosts to offer these things to their guests whenever they entered the house. In the same spirit we can offer anything we find beautiful or welcoming. When we offer water to Buddha we should regard it as pure nectar because that is how it is perceived by Buddha.

The practice of offering is a very important preparation since it creates a vast amount of merit (good fortune) and makes our mind very strong.

Steps:
1.  Prayers & Prostrations

2.  Tea for Geshe-la
3.  Water Offerings

4.  Protector Offerings
5.  Dedication

1. Prayers & Prostrations

Recite the following prayers while making three prostrations:

Going for Refuge

I and all sentient beings, until we achieve enlightenment,
Go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. (3x)

Generating Bodhichitta

Through the virtues I collect by giving and other perfections,
May I become a Buddha for the benefit of all. (3x)

2. Tea for Venerable Geshe-la

When making offerings we prepare fresh tea for Geshe-la. His tea is under the sink in the ritual prep room. Venerable Geshe-la once said he liked lapsang souchong, but any delightful tea made with love would please him. He does not take milk.

3. Water Offerings

– Empty the existing water from the offering bowls (right to left) into a container.
– Empty the bucket outside along side door as an offering to the hungry spirits.
– Dry each bowl and place them upright in a straight row.
– Fill a jug with pure water, imagining the water is nectar possessing three qualities:

1. Medicine nectar – that functions to dispel sickness;
2. Life nectar – that functions to prevent death: and
3. Wisdom nectar – that functions to pacity delusions.

Then believing you are making offerings on behalf of all mother living beings, continuously recite one of the following mantras while filing each of the offering bowls (left to right).

OM NAMO BHAGAWATE BENZA SARA PRAMA DANE, TATHAGATAYA, ARHATE SAMYAK SAM BUDDHAYA, TAYATHA, OM BENZE BENZE MALA BENZE, MAHA TENDZA BENZE, MAHA BIYA BENZE, MAHA BODHICHITTA BENZE, MAHA BODHI MÃNDO PASAM TRAMANA BENZE, SARWA KARMA AWARANA BISHO DHANA BENZE SOHA

Or

OM AH HUM

4. Offerings to Protector Dorje Shugden

Traditionally five food offerings are made to the Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden, each day: alcohol, tea, cakes, milk and curd. We also offer the Serkyum, which means “golden nectar”. This is usually in the form of tea and is the taller offering to the far left.


To prepare the offerings, gather the following items:
   Alcohol (in fridge – marked offerings) extra in cabinet opposite fridge
   Tea (in ritual prep room – cupboard below sink)
   Teapot (in ritual prep room)
   Cake/Cookies (in kitchen fridge – shelf marked offerings)
   Milk (in kitchen fridge – shelf marked offerings)
   Curd/yoghurt (in kitchen fridge – shelf marked offerings)


   Fill each glass about a finger width from the top
   To ensure the tea isn’t so hot that it breaks the glassware, fill the two tea offerings about 1/3 of the way with cool water (golden drink and tea)
   Place items in front of Dorje Shugden in this order: Serkyam containing the golden drink – far left, and the five food offerings: alcohol, tea, cakes, milk and curd

5. Dedications

Regarding the statues as the synthesis of all Buddhas of the three times and ten directions – conclude by reciting the following prayer while concentrating on its meaning:

Prayer of Seven Limbs

With my body, speech, and mind, humbly I prostrate,
And make offerings both set out and imagined.
I confess my wrong deeds from all time.
And rejoice in the virtues of all.
Please stay until samsara ceases,
And turn the Wheel of Dharma for us.
I dedicate all virtues to great enlightenment.

Benefits of Water Offerings

When we offer water to Buddha we should regard it as pure nectar because that is how it is perceived by Buddha. If we offer water to represent the seven offering substances, and if the water we offer has eight good qualities, we experience eight special benefits:

1.  Offering cool water causes us to develop pure moral discipline.
2.  Offering delicious water ensures that we shall always find delicious food and drink in future lives.
3.  Offering light water causes us to experience the bliss of physical suppleness.
4.  Offering soft water makes our mind calm and gentle.
5.  Offering clear water makes our mind clear and alert.
6.  Offering sweet-smelling water brings easy and powerful purification of negative karma.
7.  Offering water good for digestion will reduce illness.
8.  Offering water that soothes the throat makes our speech beautiful and powerful.


Meaning of Water Offerings

Flowers
Temporarily, we create the cause to have a pleasant appearance in future lives, free from sickness, aging, and other bodily ailments; and to see everything around us in a pleasant aspect.

Incense
By offering incense we create the cause always to experience pleasant smells and never to be reborn in unpleasant places. We also create the cause to keep pure moral discipline and attain pure concentration.

Light
Principally, offering light is a powerful method for destroying the darkness of ignorance and increasing our wisdom.

Perfume
When we offer perfume we create the cause to attain pure moral discipline, to become free from samsaric rebirths and to attain the form body of a Buddha.

Food
The benefits of offering food are that in the future we will always find nourishing food and drink, gain freedom from the suffering of poverty, be sustained by the food of concentration and obtain the enjoyments of the Buddhas.

Music
By offering music we create the cause to hear only pleasant sounds in the future, especially the sound of Dharma; and never to hear unpleasant sounds such as bad news. It is also a cause of attaining the speech of a Buddha.

Additional Offerings

Additional gifts are prepared and offered on the shrine each month as a request to the Buddhas to bless our minds. You can offer flowers, chocolates, gifts, and anything beautiful! The jewel offerings on our shrine represent light offerings.

Torma Offerings

Tormas

A torma offering is a special offering of cake made in order to gain spiritual attainments. We can offer normal cakes, or if we want them to last longer we can make special cakes in symbolic forms. The tormas on the shrine at KMC Fort Lauderdale will be made of marzipan. We make special torma offerings for other special ritual prayers.

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