8 Auspicious Offerings Part 1

It was the traditional Buddhist way of offering to the Buddha and his monks in ancient time in India. Frequently the Indian will be offering the cleaned water for drinking and washing , flowers, incense, lamps or table lamps, perfume or fragrant  and music.

Since then it became a practice and later famously been acknowledged as the auspicious of the symbol of giving offerings of the Buddha as part of  precious teaching , and the eight auspicious offering is done daily at the Tibetan shrine to articulate gratitude and respect for the Buddha.

The subject here today is an explanation of the significance of the eight offerings. We make these offerings to the enlightened beings in many practices - in the Vajrasattva practice, Guru Yoga, and a lot of other practices. We have been doing this for a long time for our daily eight offering at the alter, so it would be useful if we studies a little in-depth what that practice signifies.

The enlightened beings do not requiring or need these offering. We make offerings to accumulate great merit and wisdom. Enlightenment, Buddhahood, is achieved through the two great qualities - accumulation and purification. 

The Buddha has limitless qualities, which were gained through the great accumulations and purification. Our offerings are a simple way to accumulate both merit and wisdom. 

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.

Making the offerings is not just a limited cultural thing, but it is something important and meaningful. The making of offerings is an antidote to the pattern of attachment and greed. There is a material aspect to offerings, where a person offers from his or her possessions something particularly valued. 

Someone may symbolically offer the totality of their possessions with the thought of bringing about benefit for all sentient beings, that the material deprivation of all beings may be remedied and their perfection of generosity take place. In general, offerings on a shrine are in a set of eight, in eight bowls, and there are specific meanings for each of the eight offerings.

These are the eight auspicious offering as follow:-

1. Water for drinking (Auspiciousness)
2. Water for washing (Purification)
3. Flowers (Generosity)
4. Incense (Discipline, Moral Ethnics) 
5. Lamp (Patience)
6. Fragrance (Perseverance)
7. Food (Samadhi)
8. Music (Wisdom)

First offerings to be continued in part 2

( total are in 9 parts )

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Dedication of merits May those who read and sharing of this blog's information be peaceful and joyful. May the Buddha Dharma be flourished and the merits will be dedicated to the sentient beings.