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Offering the Mandala

The placement of objects and the text to recite

(East is toward you.)

(Rub your wrist 3x clockwise and then 3x counterclockwise while reciting:)

OM vajra ground AH HUM, mighty golden ground.
OM vajra fence AH HUM, the iron fence around the edge,

(Put first ring on.)

(middle) In the center is Mount Meru, the king of mountains,
(E) in the east the continent Videha,
(S) in the south Jambudvipa,
(W) in the west Godaniya,
(N) in the north Kuru.

(SE, NE) In the east are the sub-continents Deha and Videha,
(SW, SE) in the south Camara and Aparacamara,
(NW, SW) in the west Shatha and Uttaramantrina,
(NE, NW) in the north Kurava and Kaurava.

(E) Here are the precious mountain,
(S) the wish-granting tree,
(W) the wish-fulfilling cow,
(N) the unploughed harvest.

(E) Here are the precious wheel,
(S) the precious jewel,
(W) the precious queen,
(N) the precious minister,
(SE) the precious elephant,
(SW) the precious horse,
(NW) the precious general,
(NE) the great treasure vase.
(Place the second ring.)

(Put second ring on.)

(E) Here are the goddess of beauty,
(S) the goddess of garlands,
(W) the goddess of song,
(N) the goddess of dance,
(SE) the goddess of flowers,
(SW) the goddess of incense,
(NW) the goddess of light,
(NE) the goddess of perfume.

(Put the third ring on.)

(S) Here are the sun,
(N) moon,
(E) precious parasol,
(W) and victory banner.
(middle) In the center are the marvelous riches of gods and humans, with nothing missing, pure and delightful.

(Place the mandala’s top-piece.)

I offer these as a Buddha field to my glorious, holy, kind root guru, the lineage gurus, to the great Je Tsongkhapa, the Buddha who is the King of Sages, Vajradhara, and the entire assembly of deities. Please accept these with compassion for the sake of migrating beings. Having accepted them, please bestow on me and on the mother sentient beings abiding as far as the limits of space your inspiration with loving compassion.

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.