E.2, (Offerings as antidote to stinginess or greed) in three parts: 1. Material offerings; 2. Imaginary offerings; 3. Natural objects offerings.

My body, my wealth, my roots of virtue, 

all material offerings,

the eight auspicious objects, eight

auspicious signs, and seven royal attributes,

and all offerings of mental creation,

the billion evolvements of Mount

Meru, the four continents and sun and moon

as they appear in the primordial

creation of the billion worlds,

all wealth of devas, nagas, and human

beings, everything my mind holds onto –

this I offer to Amitabha.

In your compassion accept it for my benefit.

F.1, Material offerings:

There is a saying that "Make offerings with clean food, seal it with good intention and joy". Therefore, neither unclean food, old clothes and other inferior items can be offered; nor can unrightful objects acquired by stealing, plundering, deception, or cajoling be offered. Instead, clean food, clothing, etc. accumulated in the past or obtained through hard work recently should be offered with pure and superior intention.

If one's food is only sufficient for oneself and there is nothing left, then first set it before the Three Jewels (their representations) as an offering, and then visualize the Three Jewels granting (it to) me (as) siddhi, then one can consume it himself. We should offer the three objects of self-clinging (body, possessions, and roots of virtue). That is, offer the body that we cherish, the food, property, livestock, houses, and other possessions that are needed to nourish the body, and all the roots of virtue accumulated in the three times. This is also a practice of the mind. 

Although we cannot actually offer our own body and all the belongings now, we should visualize: I offer my body for serving Amitabha, so as to cut off the attachment that "my body is me". And then diligently carry out the work of making all sentient beings reborn in Sukhavati; in order not to be attached to our possessions at the time of death, we should offer all possessions from now on, and visualize all roots of virtue as (Samantabhadra's) offering clouds and make offerings. All material offerings, such as water, feet-washing water, flowers, incense, perfume, ghee lamps, delicacies, musical instruments, etc., should also be made according to one's own financial conditions.

The wealthy possesses wealth because they have accumulated merits in the past. They should make full use of their wealth and food to accumulate merits. Those who have no wealth have become poor because they did not accumulate merits in the past. Although they are very poor now, they still need to make offerings, including the food acquired by begging. Therefore, the weathy should not cling to their wealth, and the poor should not use their lack of means as an excuse to see offerings as paying taxes. Everyone should do their best to accumulate merits.

F.2, Imaginary offerings:

Make offerings that are not real objects but through visualization - eight auspicious substances such as the mirror, etc, eight auspicious symbols such as the parasol, seven treasures of the wheel-turning king such as the golden wheel... all the perfect wealth, material or transcendental. These offerings are difficult for others to possess except for those who have great merits such as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Therefore, if there are such pictures or statues, visualize and offer them as real offerings. Lay men and women can also (gain merit) by visualizing seven or eight grains of barley, rice, milk residue and other offerings as the eight auspicious substances, the eight auspicious symbols, and the seven treasures of the wheel-turning king.

(Next) a brief explanation about these offerings:

Eight auspicious substances: In the past, Light Holder Mother, a devi of the form realm, offered a clear mirror to the Buddha, and the Buddha blessed it to become an auspicious object. Similarly, you can also offer a clear, bright silver mirror, wishing yourself and all sentient beings realize the true meaning of the Dharma. By analogy, just as the village girl Auspicious Birth, offered curd to the Buddha, one can also offer curd, and by this wishing to have food for meditation. Just as the son of the Earth Protector Elephant offered bezoar, one can also offer bezoar, and by this wishing to eliminate afflictive emotions. Just as the grass-selling boy offered Durva grass, one can also offer Durva grass, and by this wishing to have a body free from birth, death, and aging. 

Just as the Wood Devi offered papaya, one can also offer papaya, and by this wishing to purify the twelve links of dependent origination in reverse order and attain the fruition of Nirvana. Just as Indra offered the right-coiling conch shell, one can also offer conch shell, and by this wishing to be able to produce the wonderful sound of the Dharma. Just as the Brahmin King of Star offered yellow ochre (vermilion*), one can also offer yellow ochre, and by this wishing to subdue the three realms. Just as Vajrapani offered white mustard seeds, one can also offer white mustard seeds, and by this wishing to perfect the extraordinary power. Just like this, make offerings with your mind. If you offer a clear mirror, you can have the corresponding results of good appearance, intelligence, and wisdom (and the same can be said for the others).

Eight auspicious symbols: Brahma and others offer these to the Buddha, and the Buddha himself also has various marks of perfection (represented by them), such as a head like a parasol, which is accomplished by the powers of various merits and wisdom. In order to accumulate merits for ourselves and all sentient beings, we can visualize the images of the eight auspicious symbols to make imaginary offerings. The specific visualization is as follows: Offer a white parasol with a golden handle, fluttering silks, and jewel adornments at the top to the head of Amitabha Buddha, by this wish to relieve the torridity of afflictive emotions for ourselves and all sentient beings. 

Offer a soft and slender goldfish with jade-like (Turquoise) fins to the Buddha's eyes, by this wish to accomplish the wisdom eye. Offer a bright and fragrant thousand-petal lotus to the Buddha's tongue, by this wish that like a crisp lotus clear of water drops, although living in samsara, it is not contaminated by the faults of samsara and will have a lotus-like tongue with no false speech, life after life.

Offer an auspicious right-coiling Dharma conch, which represents bodhisattvas who are reborn for the benefit of others, to the Buddha's teeth, by this wish to have forty shimmering white teeth to enjoy the supreme flavors, and produce the wonderful sound of the holy Dharma through the conch-like teeth. Offer a treasure vase filled with the nectar of immortality and adorned with a wish-fulfilling tree at its mouth, to the Buddha's neck, by this wish to have one's mind continuum permeated with the Dharma like a vase filled with essential nectar, and to fulfil the wishes of the sentient beings to be liberated. 

Offer the precious auspicious knot of the rainbow light nature to the Buddha's wisdom, by this wish to attain in one's mind continuum the Buddha's wisdom that is without beginning and end, immeasurable, and unfathomable. Offer the priceless, waving victory silk banner, formed of heavenly materials, a representation that the Dharma will never cease to exist, to the Buddha's body, by this wish to defeat all arguments from detractors of the Dharma and gain a Buddha body three times the size of an ordinary person.

Offer the Dharma wheel, which represents the complete severing from the net of afflictions of the three realms, to the Buddha's feet, by this wish to subdue all non-Buddhist heretics and tame the mind continuum of the sentient beings to be liberated by turning the wheel of Dharma of the three vehicles extensively. In this way, offer the eight auspicious symbols with mental images, and wish to enjoy the auspicious and perfect happiness as vast as the sea. One should make offerings with this wish.

Seven treasures of the wheel-turning king: Golden wheel treasure: In the past, after the wheel-turning kings spoke the truth on the top floor of the palace, by the power of his merits, the golden wheel descended from the eastern sky to the king. With this, the king could travel anywhere as he wished, and the other wheel treasures followed him while the golden wheel treasure guided him. Divine pearl treasure: Azure colored and flawless. The light it emits can illuminate an area of eighty yojanas. With this power, it can eliminate the poverty of all sentient beings in the four continents and satisfy all wishes. It has many merits such as this. Impeccable girl treasure: Her appearance is dignified, induces happiness upon seeing. It is free from all the faults of women, full of merits, and born with pleasant fragrance and touch. Minister treasure: The wealth and means is perfectly satisfactory like those of Vaisravana. If the king orders to fill the three great thousand worlds with gold, he can do it in an instant. And he has the merit of generosity. 

White Elephant Treasure: It has six gray-white teeth and a red topknot, a tall body, covered with jewel necklaces, and has the strength of a thousand ordinary elephants. It is extremely fast, as much as the son of the Earth Protector Elephant. Steed Treasure: Its body is transparent blue like the neck feathers of a peacock, which is pleasing to the eye. It has no disease, and its neighing can be heard throughout the entire Jambudvipa (the Earth). It knows what the king is thinking, so it is called a steed. It can circle the Jambudvipa three times in a day and is as fast as the wind, like a Karabakh horse king (?)(巴拉哈马王). Amy General Treasure: Hs has the quality of tenacity and perseverance, is extremely good at any crafts, and has skillful means in combat. He is accompanied by the four armies. Just by drawing a bow, all the enemy troops are frightened and deterred. He is majestic and unstoppable, like the King Vidudabha.

The above are imaginary offerings.

F.3, Natural objects offerings:

Natural objects refers to the hundred kotis of four continents of the Three Great Thousand Worlds, which were gradually formed by the collective karma of the sentient beings when the world was first formed. Each of these four continents has a hundred kotis of Mount Sumeru, the sun, the moon, etc., as well as five natural offering objects representing the five offerings. The five natural offerings refer to the sun and moon lamp light (lamp) in the east, the sandalwood fragrance (fragrance) in the south, the snow mountain torma (torma) in the west, the clear sweet spring (water) in the north, the golden flowers (flower) all over the ground below, and the music of gray-white nagas above. In addition, we should take with our minds all the objects of pleasure of the heavens above, the objects of pleasure of the palace of nagas below, and the objects of pleasure of the human world on earth, and offer them to the protector Amitabha and his retinues. And think: Although you do not have the clingings (attachment) for taking the offerings, for the benefit of me and all other sentient beings to ultimately attain Buddhahood and temporarily be reborn in the Sukhavati, I pray that you will accept them with great compassion and enjoy them with joy. 

If we have the ability to visualize and offer in this way, then the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will definitely have the ability to enjoy them, as it is said in the tantras: "Adorn the three thousand worlds, all the ksetras, with wonderful desirable objects, and offer them to the perfect Buddha." All these natural offerings resulted from the collective karma of sentient beings, so there is no attachment to them as yours or mine, and anyone can offer them. From the perspective of the offerings themselves, they are also the play of worldly dependent origination, so it is particularly important to know that these are only names and do not have inherent existence. As the Dharani of Jewel Light Sutra says: "Knowing definitively to whom we offer is like space, whoever offers without causation and attachment, that is the most superior offering, and will attain immeasurable wisdom beyond conceptual thinking." Therefore, for offering as a way of practice for ultimate reality, clinging to inherent existence (of the three aspects of offerings) is a fault. As the Collection Sutra* says: "Just like consuming food mixed with poison, the Buddha said virtuous acts performed with a clinging mind is also the same." However, it is completely acceptable for lay people to make offerings with faith and respect.

Therefore, when we even just see some clear spring water, beautiful gardens, beautiful clothes and items on ourselves and others, and all other pleasant things, we should offer them to Amitabha with our mind and say: "May ourselves and other sentient beings be reborn in Sukhavati." Doing so can conveniently perfect our merit. When people come to seek the Dharma, they should not come empty-handed. Although the Dharma and the guru do not need money and food, this will exhaust their own merits. At the time of death, even if your property and possessions are as much as Mount Sumeru, you have no right to take away even a portion as tiny as a sesame seed. You have to leave the world empty-handed and without a word. Now that we are free and at ease, no matter how poor we are, we will definitely have a handful of barley or rice. Even if we pick a few bundles of flowers from the roadside and hold them in our hands (to offer to the Dharma teacher), there will be great benefits.

Now among us, there is this phenomenon: whether it is to remove bad karma or to practice good deeds such as offerings, we are timid about great undertakings, and are not satisfied with small matters, thinking that they are inconsequential and disdain doing them. In this case, how can we dispel wrong and do good? The White Lotus of Compassion Sutra says: "If the Buddha is visualized and one throws a flower into the air, with the wisdom of the Tathagata, the good roots of virtue gained are difficult for me to measure and explain." 

The Lotus Sutra also says: "If a person with a distracted mind, offers even a flower, to the painting (of a Buddha), gradually he will see Amitabha." Therefore, the accumulation of the root of all good things in this and the next life - merit of virtue is extremely important. Especially, when offerings are made during large-scale Dewachen Retreat, there are huge variables (the merits increases exponentially) because there are vajrayana rituals, and there are many eminent, accomplished monks among the assembly, and the practice is complete with preliminary, main, and concluding practices. So one should make offerings diligently.

If a wealthy person does not make offerings and give generously, he will be like a hungry ghost guarding a treasure, a poisonous snake with a jewel on its head, or an old dog (an old dog guarding his bones), which will not benefit himself or others. These property and possessions are also (by nature) shared with enemies and thieves, or become the cause of disputes. As is said in the Vinaya Pitaka: "If a bird carries a piece of meat, other birds see it and follow it, so one should know the fault of objects of desire, and walk alone like the horn of a rhinoceros." In this way, it will be plundered by the strong, stolen by the low and base, or destroyed by spirits and depletion ghosts*. All the wealth accumulated by the inferior (lower class) is spent on quarrels and lawsuits; the wealth accumulated by the middling class is completely consumed by entertaining relatives and friends; the wealth accumulated by the noble (higher class) is completely used for the Dharma (offering and giving). 

The first two types of people waste (their property) meaninglessly. If they use it for the Dharma, it is like a merchant lending money at high interest or sowing seeds in a fertile field. As a result, the benefits in this and the next life will increase a hundredfold and will not be exhausted. Not only that, but property also incur the pain of accumulating it initially, the pain of guarding it in the middle stage, and the pain of destruction by impermanence in the end, just like a flood in summer. As the "The Sutra of Individual Liberation" says: "Wealth is like flowing water." Although some people have inexhaustible wealth in a certain life due to their good karma accumulated in the past, if they do not (use this wealth) for offerings and give, then they will have nothing in the future. The good karma accumulated will be exhausted in the current life. As Shantideva said, "Pain of accumulating, protecting, and exhaustion, we should know that wealth will bring disaster, people who are greedy and lax, will never be able to escape suffering." Therefore, we should make offerings and give alms after thinking that property is the root of suffering and has no real meaning.

Today, (the weakth of) the kings of Tibet cannot compare to (the weakth of) the wealthy great patrons of India in the past. This is due to their meager merits and the fact that they are living in a degenerate age with bad conditions getting worse day by day. They are also stingy and do not understand karma cause and effect, which leads to the failure to accumulate temporary merits. People who have a little wealth and food are fettered by stinginess. They neither consume it nor are willing to make offerings and give. They are like a toothless old dog guarding a dried out bone. In the past, when Atisha first came to Tibet, he said, "In your country Tibet, there is not even one person who enjoys the karmic reward of offering a handful of barley. It is like a world of hungry ghosts." It is indeed so. Just as the metaphor of "a tiny seed produces a big fruit, and a small amount of seeds produces many fruits", offering even a grain of rice to a  preeminent object of offering (the field of merit) will bring vast and numerous karmic rewards. Therefore, those who are now recognized as wealthy people in our Tibetan area can hardly have the rewards of offering a bowl of barley in the past.

In the past, the wheel-turning King "My Milk" (Murdhagata 我乳)(?), had great merit and the authority to rule the four continents on equal footing with Indra, the King of Heaven. This was also the result of offering seven peas to the Tathagata "Merit Protector"* in the past.

Another example: In the past, there was a patron named Lo* in the city of Songxi(?) (松西). His merit was so great that an empty storehouse would be filled if he just looked at it. He, his wife, son, daughter-in-law, servant, and maid would have what they wanted just by thinking of it. A little bit of food would multiple hundreds and thousands times upon reaching their hands, etc. These six people with incomparable merit later heard the Dharma in front of the Buddha and attained liberation. So, what virtuous deeds did they do to become like this? In the past, in the territory of Sarnath, during the reign of Brahmadatta, there was a famine that lasted for twelve years. At that time, a patron's storehouse was completely empty. When cleaning the storehouse, he collected a tiny amount of grain, a Tibetan liter, and then cooked rice. At this time, a Pratyekabuddha bhikkhu came to his house (to beg for alms). The patron thought: It is be of no avail to eat the small amount of rice I have now. I will eventually starve to death. It is better to offer my share to the bhikkhu. Then he told his wife about his idea, and his wife agreed. He also told his son, daughter-in-law,  servant, and maid, and they all agreed. So he gathered all the rice and offered it to the bhikkhu. Because the bhikkhu was an arhat, he performed miracles to evoke great faith and aspiration in them. With this merit, the empty warehouse was instantly filled with treasures, and the famine in the whole country was ended. From then on, the six of them were reborn in a wealthy family in all the lives. And they never even heard the sound of beggars or famine. And finally they became people with such great merits during the time of Buddha Sakyamuni.

So, with pure intention, even if you offer insignificant items, you will gain great benefits. Just as the saying goes, "tiny flowers are also offerings." After thinking about this, when one sees those who have wealth but are still seeking greedily everywhere, they are just like what is said in the Satipatthana Sutra*: "Those who are attached to the pleasures of the senses, are like drinking salt water and never get enough." Even if all the wealth and objects of pleasure of the Three Great Thousand Worlds belong to him alone, he will not be satisfied. Just like the metaphor of "people go crazy with wealth, animals go crazy with grass." Before the desire within is satisfied, he will never stop accumulating wealth. This is really "without wealth is not poverty, with wealth is!"

It can be seen that people having as many riches as the king of mountains are still not satisfied, and they have to run around for the benefit the size of a sesame seed. In the end, they haven't even consume their own food and drink and die for their wealth. Once upon a time, during the autumn harvest season, a man was walking with a load of peas on his back. On the way, he put the load of peas under a tree and went to pee. At this time, a monkey came down from the tree and grabbed a handful of peas. While climbing back up the tree, a pea fell to the ground. The old monkey threw down the handful of peas and went to find that pea. It happened that the man came back and threw a big stone (which hit the monkey), and the old monkey died. A deva there said, "Giving up a handful of beans, for the sake of a single bean, and going through all kinds of suffering, this monkey is really stupid!"

Some rich people store up good things and use inferior things for themselves. There is such an example: In ancient times, a hunter shot an elephant with a poisoned arrow, and the elephant also killed him. Both died. Soon, five hundred bandits came here and saw the elephant's body. Because it was during a famine, they immediately divided the work, half of them cooked the elephant meat, and the other half went to fetch water. The bandits still had a small amount of stolen goods to be divided, so some of those who cooked the meat had a sinister idea: Let's eat as much elephant meat as possible, then put poison in the remaining meat. Those who fetch water will die after eating it, so that we can have all the loot. After some discussion, they did so. The people who carried water also had the same evil thoughts. First, they drank the water to their heart's content, and then put poison in the remaining water and carried it back. As a result, all the people died. At this time, a hungry old fox also came here by karmic causes and conditions. Seeing all the corpses, a strong greed arose and it took all the corpses for itself. Because the nature of a miser is to store the good and use the inferior. The old fox thought: I now have a lot of food, which should be eaten gradually. Thinking of this, it first prepared to eat the hard bows, so it put the sheath in its mouth and pulled it. As a result, the bowstring broke, the bow sheath pierced into its palate, and the old fox died. A deva there said: "Accumulation is acceptable, but it should not be done excessively. Look at the stupid fox, who died under the bow because of greed."

Similarly, some wealthy people are fettered by stinginess. Their chests are already filled with gold, silver, valuables, and fine silks; their storehouses are already filled with tea, butter, meat, and barley; their hillsides and grasslands are full of horses, cattle, and sheep. But they still want to accumulate (more property), always worrying that their accumulated property will run out. They also wear tattered clothes, showing a poor appearance. They eat coarse meals with tsampa in water, and live a miserable life. Once these people encounter adverse conditions and die suddenly, or are killed by enemies and robbers because of their property, they will become like the old fox. After thinking about this, we must make offerings and give alms. And use our property and means reasonably. As the sages in olden times said, "Working hard as much as king of mountains, is not comparable to accumulating a twinkling star of merits in the sky."

In the current age, there is such a saying in the wealthy people, "We accumulated these properties through our own ability and hard work." But this is not the case. It is just that he mistook the tiny karmic rewards he accumulated in the past for the results of temporary hard work in the current life as the cause of ending up in this situation. If wealth can be accumulated simply through hard work without relying on the slightest merit, then why can we see everywhere today: some people, despite being diligent their entire lives, suffer hardships all their lives. They are rich this year but penniless next year. Although they toiled and worked diligently during their lifetime, when they die there is not enough possessions for a single smoke ritual. Others collect devotee and deceased offerings, engage in business and farming, as well as steal, plunder, and fraud, including hiring themselves out to get wages (doing everything possible to obtain property), collecting and accumulating wealth as diligently as if they were "extracting blood from stones, sucking marrow from birds", yet they can barely make a living and have nothing left.

And some people do not need to make effort to collect offerings from devotees and the deceased's, nor do they have to make profits through business or accumulate wealth through hunting or stealing, etc. All their wealth is acquired without any work. They do not need to seek wealth when they do not have it, and they will not lose their wealth while they have it. In fact, this is all about experiencing the merits accumulated in the past. From such events, we can realize whether we need the merits accumulated in the past. For example, if we want to have a good harvest of grains, we must sow the seeds. If we just work hard in a barren field, we will get nothing in the end.