Bodhi Association New Zealand

In the Seven-Branch Offerings and Mandala Offerings sections, Patrul Rinpoche’s The Words of My Perfect Teacher introduces clearly the proper way of making offerings. For instance, it says that one should use clean and perfectly pure offerings, without being ensnared by stinginess, hypocrisy, or ostentation. Also, whatever form of offering one makes, if one makes it beautiful and pleasing, even if it is just in the way it is set out, reflecting the respect that one shows to the buddhas and bodhisattvas, they will bring a vast amount of merit.

Not a single thing appears
That does not arise from causes and conditions.
When spring's glow lights up the land,
Flowers bloom in vibrant competition.

Very few people can devote their whole life to the wellbeing of others and the majority of people are exhausted by their selfish pursuit. For this reason, they cannot possess a healthy body or a peaceful mind but are frequently tortured by various pains and distresses. If we have inflicted harms on others for our own benefit, there’s no doubts that as karmic retribution we will have to undertake the unbearable suffering in this or future life. On the other hand, if we are enjoying health, beauty, richness and freedom this life, it is the fully ripened effect of our virtuous deeds in benefiting others in many of our past lives.

It is quite important for each of us to make connections to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, either by making his statue, printing his sutra, reciting his name, or by any other virtuous deeds. With such connection, we gain the hope to be transformed and liberated by him in the future.

Sometimes people are unable to pull themselves out of a painful situation. At such time, we need to try all our best to help alleviate their pain. Sometimes we may think their situation is not that miserable, but for them it could be extremely distressing. Therefore, we should not neglect their feeling but rather try whatever we can to help them.

If you really want to enter the Dharma that is as vast as the ocean, you need to have faith in it, and you also need wisdom to master its deep meaning. As a result, with both faith and wisdom, you will be able to attain liberation from samsara and also benefit sentient beings accordingly.

Many people pay homage to a buddha statue whenever they go to a monastery, believing he is the one who could liberate sentient beings. Yet toward people around them, they would simply think of them as they are: This is a brahman, that is a lay practitioner or just a monastic. They seldom think that these ordinary beings to whom they have little respect for could be the manifestations of buddhas and bodhisattvas. However, the Buddha told us that if he appeared only in the form of a buddha, it would be impossible for him to bring all sentient beings to liberation, so he must manifest in various forms.