8 Auspicious Offerings - Music for offerings { Final part}

Today is the final part of the eight auspicious offerings, and we make these offerings to the Buddhas, enlightened beings in many practices, such as the Vajrasattva Practice, Guru Yoga and other profound Vajrayana practices.

It’s important that we must know the purpose and symbolism of offerings one realizes that the importance lies in the attitude with which one makes the offering to the enlightened objects of the refuge and the sources of all inspiration.

Offering is an occasion for the accumulation of inexhaustible merit. The more sincerely offerings are made; one will find themselves surrounded by an abundance of what has been offered.

8) Music for offerings ( Wisdom )

Last offering will be the musical instruments. The Tibetan’s white conch shell. It's widely known as the sound of the heavenly melodies. In Vajrayana tradition, we offerings religious music to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the enlightened beings during the ritual and other prayer practices.

“Dung-Dkar” literally means “white conch” in Tibetan language, because most of the trumpet made of white conch shell. Most Tibetan Dung-Dkar trumpet was made of conch shell; sometimes you can see some natural inclusions in the conch shell. 

Most of the Dung-Dkar trumpet is heavily decorated with ornate patterns in metals, such as silver, bronze or tin. Some beautiful stones will add on it, such as ruby, sapphire and so on. 

Dung-Dkar trumpet has a bright bead; someone even was inserted with beautiful turquoise and coral. When you blow through the mouthpiece on one end, the sound will be created, and it sounds like a trumpet, companioning music sheds long ago, it seems takes you to somewhere beyond the highest Himalaya peak.

There are different types of instruments, cymbals, bells, guitars, lutes, all are for offerings. Their nature is wisdom, which makes an offering to the ears of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings. 

Sound represents wisdom because wisdom is a special power of the mind which penetrates phenomena. Compassion is achieved through great wisdom; interdependence of all phenomena is realized through great wisdom.

Throughout recorded history, the Dung-Dkar has been used as a religious musical instrument, Tibetan people believe that it can invoke spirits or banish evil which is said to represent good energy. The Buddhas, enlightened beings they do not requiring these kind of offerings. 

We make these offering is for accumulation of merits and wisdoms, enlightenment, Buddha hood, is achieved through these great qualities - accumulation and purifications. As we knew the Buddhas had limitless of qualities which were attained through these two mentioned qualities

All phenomena have the nature of interdependence, causes and conditions, but sound is rather easy to understand. If you play a guitar, what does the sound depend on? It does not come just from the piece of wood, the string, not from the fingers, so where does it come from? Actually it comes from all these things; none is sufficient to produce the sound. That nature is called illusion.

We can hear the sound, but it has no independent existence. We should see all sound are having the nature, it just comes and goes like an echo. The realization is wisdom, and through that realization we can attain super mundane quality. 

May the wisdom, that quality of the super mundane, arise within the minds of all sentient beings and free them from all confusion and ignorance. May them achieve enlightenment. In one’s future lives one will be born with beautiful voice and always hear pleasant sound, especially the sound of Dharma.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

May the precious Bodhichitta arise

Where it has not arisen

And where it has arisen may it not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

Thank you for reading and may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world. 

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