Offering Serkym: the how-to guide

[beggar]

by the way, something to add, which I think it also quite important to note.

You can also do serkym offerings on behalf of other people. This can work in several ways:

- If someone you know is in trouble, in danger or very ill and if they are unable to do the practice themselves, you can offer serkym and do prayers on their behalf. By your own samaya and merit, this can have some effect for them.

- In some cases, a person may be trying to connect to and practice Dharma but there are many difficult situations for them that make it difficult - they have many worldly commitments, obstacles etc. Or things just conspire to make it hard for them to even come to the center. We can offer serkym on behalf of these people, that their obstacles can be cleared so they can come to Dharma more easily.

- this is slightly similar to the point above. We can even do serkym offerings and prayers to the protector on behalf of people who we do not even know; i.e. future people who may be coming into our spiritual community and circle soon. We do serkym "ahead of time" in dedication to them, to quicken their progress and their coming to the Dharma.

[harrynephew]

Hullo Beggar,

Interesting point number 3! I think it is a good idea for people to do Serkyem offerings on others' behalf. That's bodhichitta and no other blessings transcends that!

Also to note, I found this by chance in HE Lama Zopa Rinpoche's commentary to Sur offerings that HH Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang had a special brew of tea which he offers to the Lord Protector. I include the text below:

"Use clean flour mixed with men-chey (sman phye). Men-chey can be obtained from the Tibetan Medical Center, Dharamsala or other Tibetan pharmacy or from a Tibetan doctor. I think it is a mixture of “sang-druk” (bsangs drug), an incense made of six different shrubs. It is also used for black tea
offerings. One can also use tantric nectar pills. When His Holiness Song Rinpoche offered tea to the merit field, to protectors, or to worldly gods, he used a mixture of men-chey and black tea."

Sang-druk or Samdrup Chenma is a mixture of 6 medicinal herbs which represents the 6 medicines for the internal organs. Traditionally, these herbs were grounded into powder and mixed with incense powder to fill in statues as offering of precious herbs. Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang used these medicines coupled with black tea as offering to the Protector.

I have some of these herbs and have been making tea offerings to Dorje Shugden daily for this website to grow. I've learnt something today, I'm gonna make Serkyem offerings for the people who come in the future to have a stable mind and be able to serve the holy Dharma through Dorje Shugden.

Happy Serkyem-ing!

[Tenzin K]

Thanks beggar for the information and guidance.
It's very useful and especially for people that are very new with such offering.

You have guide us to do Serkym offering in a few ways. It's great for us to do it daily to create a connection with Lord Shugden. We do not just look for friend when we are in trouble only but create & maintain the relationship daily and long term. Later we will introduce this great 'friend' (Lord Shugden practice) to more people as this 'friend' one of the best friend that we will count on and able to help us to eternity.

[bambi]

Thank you very much for the clear explanations! It is very useful because I can also send them to my friends who wants to know more. I usually offer beer to Dorje Shugden when I do my prayers because to my knowledge, it is good to offer the best I can.  I have done it on behalf of my friends who have health and wealth problems and it really works.
The information posted would be really great for beginners as well! Maybe you can put this post on the front page of this forum in the information post column and label it as 'FOR BEGINNERS'.

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Many thanks to Harry Nephew and beggar for the very informative articles on serkym offering. It not only guide us on the benefit of doing serkym offering but also gave many suggestions  on the types of beverages for offering. My favorite part is that we can even do a very short version if we are in an emergency situation. How kind and compassionate the Buddhas are. There are not just a fixed rule to make a serkym offering but so many ways which we can find most suitable to our condition. Can we also do serkym offerings as thanksgiving for prayers answered?

[vajra power]

A Serkyem Vase.

[vajra power]

I have a question here which I hope someone will be able to answer. Before reciting Protector’s Mantra we reside this verse – Tib: rang yi-dam…  Eng: “I have the clarity of the Yidam. Before me are the five lineages of Dorje shugden , the great king of Dharma Protectors. At their heart are the sun cushions upon each of which there is HUM surrounded by the mantra garland in its appropriate colour. Light rays radiate from the seed-letter at my heart and touch these. As a result their minds automatically engage in the pacifying, increasing, controlling, and wrathful action that I desire, accomplishing them without obstruction.”
OM VAJRA WIKI WITRANA SOHA
Now my question here is what the appropriate colors for the each syllable of mantra. And is the seed letter AH?
Thank you.

[harrynephew]

I think this is a wonderful educational posting on how we can actually do this offering and derive benefits from it. We should always be diligent in our practices and moreso when we are learning something so traditional and efficacious such as this Serkyem offering.

As mentioned, highly attained Lamas such as HH Kyabje Zong Dorje Chang does this every night without fail before he sleeps shows us who Dorje Shugden is and what he can provide if we lead our lives with a Bodhi Mind. Having said that, Dorje Shugden of course does grant us our daily needs by purifying the obstacles which hinders our practice in any way, shape or form.

Hence, it is highly recommended for us to engage in his practice daily!

[dsiluvu]

Thank you very much Beggar for these clear explanations on the serkym offering.
I understand that hot drink like hot boiling tea "represents a kind of swiftness, as we urge the Protector to accomplish our wishes and requests quickly." (dixit)
But what does the alcoholic drink represent? If it does...
Thank you.

Ya, I'd like to know why certain people uses beer as their serkym offering. Isn't it that one of the precepts is no intoxication? So if we offer alcohol as serkym, are we not breaking the precepts? Especially we are offering to a Buddha.

And Thank you Mana for the concise explanation on Serkym offering.

Normally, you do not offer alcohol to Buddhas, but to protectors.

But a Dharmapala is an emanation of a Buddha right? So when offering an alcoholic drink to a protector like our King, is it not like offering to a Buddha too? My take on this is that the Buddhas are beyond our perceptions of right and wrong, beyond our delusions and most of all not conditioned to our attachments. When we make offerings, we tend to make offerings of the best or the rarest and hence I hear alcohol being not so readily available especially back then, makes it the perfect offering.

Agreed on this point, but I would not offer alcohol to peaceful type of Buddha like Buddha Shakyamuni.
But I can offer alcohol to wrathful type of deities like Mahakala, Vaishravana, Palden Lhamo etc.

I've heard many masters/teachers say that the alcohol also represent our delusions and heavy negative karma.. just like when we set up for protector puja, we have the 5 nectars/substances which is alcohol, tea, milk, yoghurt and tsampa/oats... these 5 nectar represent something which I am uncertain of? However nothing in Vajrayana is random, there must be a reason for it. However, yes we usually offer alcohol to wrathful Buddhas (not just protectors)... as I know in tantra, during Tsog you actually do offer meat & alcohol to the yidams (self-initiated) and you actually take a little of it.

Offering alcohol for Serkym represent wrathfulness/swift means is needed/requested. And offering milk usually denotes peaceful means. This is what I gather.

[spikyeddie]

I have a question regarding serkym offering in the short sadhana.

In verse 10:
Vow-breakers’ heart-blood purified like gold,
This drink of fully boiling serkyem,
I offer to Namka Bardzin and entourage
Accepting, accomplish the yogi’s intended purpose!

My understanding based on the text is to pour the golden drink at line 3 as well.

What about the last 2 verses?
Being thus honored and exhorted,
Unslacking in four activities,
Through the six times, always protect us
Like a father caring for his son!

Hosts of fierce attendants, remember
Your sworn oaths before Lord Dulzin and
Swiftly now, perform unslackingly
Each and every action I request!

Should I empty the drink starting from "Being thus honored and exhorted", or should I pour in line 3 of the verses as well, or should I empty the drink before the last 2 verses?

Thank you.