Motivation When Making Offerings

It is important that one knows the purpose and symbolism of these offerings, and that whether one is able to offer one single bowl or many, one realizes that the importance lies in the attitude with which one makes the offering to the enlightened objects of the refuge, the sources of all inspiration. Offering is an occasion for the accumulation of inexhaustible merit. One offers what one can. The more sincerely offerings are made, the more one will find themselves surrounded by an abundance of what has been offered.

Making the seven offerings is not just a limited cultural thing, relating only to a tradition or cultural ritual. If that were all it signified, then it would be a waste of time to discuss it in a teaching session. But it is something that is universally important and meaningful.

Upon examination you might find that you are making offerings for other than the reasons already mentioned. Maybe it is an exotic thing to do, or you do it because someone else is doing it, or from a sense of jealousy or competition, but these are not the correct attitudes. Instead of bringing about the accumulation of meritorious qualities, such ideas could bring the opposite, sowing much negativity for the future.

There is a story about a Kadampa monk who was used to making simple offerings. One day his benefactors were coming to visit so he woke early and made a very elaborate and detailed offering. When it was done he looked at the offering which he had so painstakingly prepared, observing that it looked very fine. But while sitting there looking at it he asked himself, “Why did I make such elaborate offerings on this day of all days, when on other days my offerings are very simple?”

He realized that it was just because his patrons were coming that he had done this. So he grabbed a handful of ashes from his fireplace and threw it on the offerings, creating a great mess on the shrine. He sat filled with remorse at his ugly attitude and could not help but cry. When his patrons appeared he sat in tears with his shrine and robes covered with dirt, looking forlorn. The patrons inquired if a thief had come and robbed him, and he said that worse than an ordinary thief, a much more serious thief had come–the thief of negative attitude robbed him of the possibility of profound accumulation of meritorious qualities.

The point is that one can easily fall into such traps of negative attitude, and it is critical to ask yourself why you are involved in doing the things that you do, what is your motivation. One makes offerings not for any mundane reason, but one surrenders everything to be able to experience perfect liberation and so that one may be able to liberate other beings as well as oneself.

Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche gave this explanation of the seven shrine offerings that appears on this page during the Amitabha Seminar of July 1981.

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