Dharma Talk by Living Buddha Lian Sheng on 24/6/93
(page 246-248 Achievement of Rainbow Light Body volume six)
Apart from food and utensils , we may use flower, incense, light, tea, fruit, pearls, seven treasure, houses, and even antiques to make offering.
A disciple asked me whether he could offer the paintings and antiques he saw in a museum to Buddha/Bodhisattva. My answer was : "Any thing visible can be offered." He then asked how should the offering be made. By the time, he returns to his sacred shrine, he may have forgotten how the paintings and the antiques look. In short, he asked a very good question: "How do we make an instant offering ?"
There is such an instant offering ritual in Tantrayana. First we must close our eyes, then we do the necessary visualization. If the offering is made to the Buddhas/Bodhisattvas in
After which, we must visualize all the items we want to offer vividly, before we multiply them to fill the space in front of us. This is how an instant offering is made.
Seeing something I like very much, I can visualize my sacred shrine rising and sitting on my head. Then I multiply the item I am offering into millions . This is how I make an instant offering to the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva at home. I also chant the offering mantra and empower the item I offer. By so doing, I would have accumulated a lot of virtue.
When visiting the Museum of the
Even when you are traveling aboard - whether you are in
To tell the truth, whenever I visit supermarkets such as OFL, Safeway, Carry's market, I always multiply all the items on display, then I invoke all the Buddhas/Bodhisattvas to receive my offering. This is known as a "universal offering".
Although you don't have to pay for the items you offer from the supermarket, and there is no way you can pay for the valuable paintings from the Museum anyway, as long as you have sincere intention to make the offering, your instant offering will accumulate merit and you will be rewarded later on.
Tantric cultivation is marvelous. Apart from making offering at our sacred shrine, we may make instant offering anytime, anywhere to accumulate merit.
