Cosmic Modern Mandala Offering: offering “everything to the Buddha” — purify karma and accumulate merit daily

Mandala Offerings require only minutes each day and can be considered the “perfect” complete practice. We offer literally everything — the entire cosmos, even our internal mind, and body — to the Enlightened Ones. Mandala offerings, when dignified with tangible activities (as contrasted to purely visualized mandalas, which also have great benefit) combine body, speech, and mind purification:

With activities of building the mandala with gems or rice and mudras, we purify our bodies. With sound and mantra and the offering words we purify our speech.

With visualization — transforming our “mandala set” into an entire Pureland universe as an offering — we purify our mind.

With the complete activity, we offer our transformed body, speech and mind to our Gurus and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Modern life — so little merit

Modern life affords us so little time to practice accumulating of merit and purification—and so many excuses to postpone for today. Who has time for daily offerings? It’s all most of us can do to fit in ten minutes of meditation. Isn’t it better to attend the next Vajrasattva Retreat or Empowerment than to take ten minutes a day for offerings?

The other issue, in terms of modern life, is the seemingly antiquated references in the mandala ritual to continents, elephants and jewels. These are symbols — and they connote not only external cosmos and universe as an offering, but also internal cosmos of our own bodies. For this reason, Mandala can be

thought of as one of the supreme offerings. The mandala offering is actually an offering of Universes, not mythical continents, with Jambudvipa (the southern continent) representing our known perceptual universe.

All the other named “continents” and sub-continents are dimensions and universes beyond our world. [More on the “modern mandala of universes” below.]

Mandala set offerings is a practice that combines the best of meditation, mantra, purification, and offerings in one very powerful act, and many teachers, as early as the great Lama Tsongkhapa, advocate this

critical practice as a daily essential. It purifies negative karma and accumulates merit not just for ourselves, but for all beings. (Full Mandala offering method at end of this article.)

Mandala offering is a powerful method for accumulating extensive merit in a short time. The Tibetan word for mandala is kyil.kor: kyil is essence, kor is taking—taking the essence. The term means taking the essence on the base of offering a mandala, and what you get from this is merit—the cause. Therefore the

essence you take is the generation of the whole path, from guru devotion up to enlightenment, as well as the result, the unification of the dharmakaya and rupakaya. The cause is merit, the path; and the result is enlightenment. — Lama Zopa Rinpoche [1]

Modern Concepts of Mandala — External and Internal Cosmos

When we offer a mandala, as heaps of rice or gems, these are symbols representing a visualized cosmos, both external universes, and internal cosmos. In the spoken offering of the mandala, we list Mount Meru, Videha, Jambudipa, Godaniya as continents — which can strike some meditators as “quaint” by today’s standards. Only

Jampudipa is recognizable to us — this represents our entire universe as we perceive it. The rest — Mout Meru, Videya, and the others — are concepts for other dimensions and realities outside of our experience.

This is what makes the Mandala set offering so striking and profound. We visualize offering not only ourselves, or simple sensory objects to the Buddha, but a vast cosmos of known and unknown universes, times, dimensions, and realities — and our own internal mental cosmos. If done correctly, visualized in this context, the offering merit is vast.

In Tibetan Buddhism, there are many types of Mandalas, which we symbolically purify and offer to the Enlightened Ones, the Buddhas. These include

Mandala Set with rings, gems, or grains — think of this as the “everything” offering; all internal and external factors purified and offered

Body Mandala — our internal body cosmos of channels and chakras and sensory organs Pureland Mandalas and Sand Mandalas — visualizing the Purelands of the Enlightened Ones as offerings Mudra Offerings — using the hand gestures as “symbols” or “stand-ins” for the mandala.

Of these, the most emphasized practice in most Tibetan Buddhist traditions is the Mandala set. It reinforces our visualization with activities and sound, making it a complete offering of Body, Speech and Mind. It helps us recognize the vastness of all external, unseen, and internal phenomena. It helps us understand the Emptiness of all phenomena.

Many traditions coach students to undertake 100,000 of these offerings as a “foundation” practice. Most Sadhanas, of almost any Englithened Yidam, include one or multiple mandala offerings. This isn’t just “settling the stage” for our minds. This is literally about “offering the entire universe” — purified through visualization and mantra — to the Enlightened Ones. The merit is as vast as the universe we offer.

Lama Tsongkhapa — One Million Mandalas

Even the great Lama Tsongkhapa, an enlightened being, practiced daily, focusing especially on purification and increasing of merit. Manjushri, at one point, advised the famous enlightened scholar to put aside scholarly pursuits and focus on purification and offering of the mandala. It was as a result of this, we are taught, that Tsongkhapa gained the higher realizations that he is known for in sutra in the tantra.

Lama Tsongkhapa did over one million mandala offerings, but because Lama Tsongkhapa was very poor, he used a stone base and stones. He did it until the skin tore off.

Daily Mandala Accumulates Vast Merit

Accumulation of merit and purification are two foundation practices of any Vajrayana Buddhist. We accumulate merit many ways—following the precepts prime among them—but extraordinary merit is accumulated through practice of Mandala offerings.

Doing the mandala offering is a way of clearing out all these negative states of mind. Here, “mandala” means the universe and everything in it. Instead of looking at things and saying, “Oh that’s good. I want it!” we train ourselves to think, “Oh, that looks good. I’m offering it to the Triple Gem.” — Venerable Thubten Chodron [2]

In doing a mandala offering, we offer the entire world, everything, not just our earth, but every one of the billions and trillions of planets throughout all universes. We visualize we are purifying incorrect motivations and receiving great blessings from the merit field. We offer the mandala from our hearts, to open our minds.

The Golden Ground and Mount Meru

The base of a Mandala set represents the golden ground of the world or universe. The first ring placed on the base represents the iron fence and the continents. The next rings represent Mount Meru. The Mandala top symbolizes all the precious things in all the universes, our own precious virtues.

One of the Most Important Daily Practices

Mandala offerings are considered one of the most important daily practices because the act accumulates different types of merit, but ordinary and primordial wisdom merit. We practice generosity, which overcomes the stingy or greedy mind full of desires and attachments. We then give up these attachments to the

material by offering them to all beings in the universe. We visualize we are offering up the wealth of the entire universe to the Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas, the Dharma and the Sangha. Every day, this reminds us of

the importance of good conduct, generosity and merit activities. Mandala gives us the motivation to achieve our goal of Buddhahood.

It is both a purification and an offering. In making the daily offering to all beings, to the prosperity of all beings and the entire universe, we accumulate great merit. To advance in our own spiritual lives, we

need only lightly shadow the example of Lama Tsongkhapa, being diligent in our daily and weekly practice. Prostrations, mantra, meditation and mandala offerings all accumulate merit and purify negative karma. An annual retreat, while of great value, is not as potent as a simple, short, daily practice.

Three Types of Mandala Offering

We are taught there are three types of mandala offerings, which fall into the broad descriptions of external, internal and secret. External is practiced by all Buddhists, a whole-hearted and generous offering based on sutra and suitable for everyone. Internal and secret are both unique to advance tantric practice.

Mandala is symbolic in all three types of offering. Meditating on the concept of Mandala is a worthwhile activity. Mandala itself, is a form of meditation, that illustrates for us the illusory nature of reality. Merit is accumulated by the act of offering benefits to the entire universe.

Each Day a New Offering

Unlike other offerings, we offer the same mandala offerings over again each time. We begin by purifying our incorrect motivations by wiping grain over the base of the mandala. We then draw blessings towards ourselves. Each day we offer the same semi-precious gems, grains and other materials, renewed and pure each

time they are offered. This becomes a precious new offering. Important in renewing the offering is intention: the intention to make offerings, to purify negative karma, to offer merits to all beings suffering in the universe.

Mandala Universe

The mandala is a microcosmic illustration of Buddhist cosmology — more importantly, a map of our own minds. It need not be taken literally, and, in fact, helps us remember the nature of ultimate reality. It is not a physical representation of reality. Yet the symbolism is rich and worthy of hours of focused meditation. Using modern visualizations is not as valuable as trying to visualize the traditional cosmology.

At its center is Mount Meru, not a literal mountain, but the center of the entire universe. Surrounding Mount Meru are seven golden mountain chains. There are four levels of ground, four below the oceans and

four above. Above all, is the sun and moon. The highest level in the mandala is the domain of the gods in the desire realm. There are four great continents and eight subcontinents on the great ocean surrounding Mount Meru. A great iron fence surounds the ocean, which rests on golden ground.

Modern English Mandala Set Offering (East is closest to you, regardless of actual direction. This means south is to the right of the ring, West is across from you, North is to the left.)

(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,

First Ring on Base (Put the first ring on.)

(1 – Offer your gems or rice to the Middle to Mount Meru, numbers on diagram)

In the center is Mount Meru, the king of mountains,

(2 – Offer in the East (immediately in front of you))

In the east the continent Videha,

(3 – Offer in the South – to the right, see diagram)

In the south Jambudvipa,

(4 – Offer in the West – opposite you, see diagram)

In the west Godaniya,

(5 – Offer in the North, left, see diagram)

In the north Kuru.

(6 to 7 – SE and NE, see diagram 6-7 — or left and right of east)

In the east are the sub-continents Deha and Videha,

(8 to 9 – SW, SE, see diagram 8-9 — or top and bottom of South)

In the south Camara and Aparacamara,

(9 to 10 – NW, SW, see diagram)

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.

Detailed Mandala Set Offering Practice (2)

Take your mandala set on your lap. Hold the mandala base in your right hand. If you have arthritis or can’t hold the base, place it on a table.

NOTE: Do not speak the (brackets out loud — these identify where to pour the grain on the mandala). Italics are actions, not spoken.

Take some grain in your left hand and hold the mandala base. Take grain with your right hand and put it on the base. Wipe clockwise three times with your forearm, tipping the grain away from you. Visualize that you are purifying incorrect motivation.

Take grain and put it on the base again. Wipe anti-clockwise three times with your forearm, tipping the grain toward yourself. Visualize that you are receiving great blessings from the merit field to open your mind to offer the mandala from your heart.

Spread some grain over the base to symbolize the golden ground with precious jewels.

Say:

OM vajra ground AH HUM, mighty golden ground.

Place the first ring on the base. Take more grain and sprinkle it around the inside of the ring. This symbolizes blessing the iron fence that encircles the universe.

Say: OM vajra fence AH HUM, the iron fence around the edge,

In the center is Mount Meru, the king of mountains (sprinkle in area 1, centre) In the east the continent Lupapo (area 2)

East is toward you if the aim is receiving blessing power from the merit field. East is away from you if your aim is accumulating merit.

Say: In the south Dzambuling (3) In the west Balangcho (4) In the north Draminyan (5) In the east are the sub-continents Lu and Lupag (6 and 7)
In the south Ngayab and Ngayabzhan (8 and 9)
In the west Yodan and Lamchog dro (10 and 11)
In the north Draminyan and Draminyan Gyida. (12 and 13) Here are the precious mountain (14)
The wish-granting tree (15)
The wish-fulfilling cow (16)
The unploughed harvest. (17) Place the second ring on top of the grain-filled first ring. Visualize placing the eight precious objects belonging to a wheel-turning king who rules the four continents.

Say: Here are the precious wheel (18)