In Buddhism, symbolic offerings are made to the Triple Gem, giving rise to contemplative gratitude and inspiration. Typical material offerings involve simple objects such as a lit candle or oil lamp, burning incense, flowers, food, fruit, water or drinks.
Within the traditional Buddhist framework of karma and rebirth, offerings lead to the accumulation of merit, which leads to:
These offerings often act as preparation for meditation.
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Theravada practices
Material offerings nurture generosity (Pali:d?na) and virtue (Pali: s?la). The act further honors the Triple Gem (the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha), deepening one's commitment to the Buddha's path. For instance, traditional chants (in English and Pali) when offering lit candles (pad?pa p?j?) and incense (sugandha p?j?) to an image of the Buddha are:
Similarly, a traditional Pali incense-lighting verse speaks of the Buddha's "fragrant body and fragrant face, fragrant with infinite virtues."
By contemplating on an offering, one tangibly sees life's impermanence (Pali: anicca), one of the three characteristics of all things upon which the Buddha encouraged his disciplines to recollect. For instance, the end of a traditional chant (in English and Pali) when offering flowers (puppha p?j?) to an image of the Buddha is:
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Mahayana practices
Mahayana material offerings might be imbued with the following symbology:
- the lighting of a candle or an oil lamp represents the light of wisdom illuminating the darkness of ignorance.
- the burning of incense represents the fragrant scent of morality.
- flowers represents the aspiration to achieve the body of the Buddha with the thirty-two marks of the Buddha as well as the teaching of impermanence. Alternately, a Zen verse expresses the desire for the mind's "flowers" to "bloom in the springtime of enlightenment."
- food, fruit, water, drinks represents the nectar of Dharma and the wish to achieve it.
In Northern Buddhism, sacred images have set before them:
- water (representing hospitality, to wash the face and feet)
- scarves (Tib. kha-btags, offering friendship)
- flowers, incense, lamps, perfume and food (representing one's devoting all their senses to their spiritual practice).
Non-material offerings
In some traditions, two different types of offerings are identified:
- material or hospitality offerings (Pali: amisa-puja or sakkara-puja)
- practice offerings (Pali: patipatti-puja)
In this context, material offerings are considered external offerings of "words and deeds."
Practice offerings may be manifested by practicing:
- giving (Pali: d?na)
- moral conduct (s?la)
- meditation (sam?dhi)
- wisdom (pañña)
In the Pali Canon, the Buddha declared practice offerings as "the best way of honoring the Buddha" and as the "supreme" offering. This is primarily an internal offering for mental development (Pali: citta, bh?van? and sam?dhi).
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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