Offering Serkym: the how-to guide

[beggar]

For our new friends:

There is always a lot of talk about making serkym offerings but some of you may be wondering what this actually means and how to make the offerings. So, a condensed guide:

What is a serkym offering?

"Serkym" literally means "Golden Drink" and is an offering of any type of liquid that we like - traditionally, liquids like tea, beer or milk were offered as these were precious substances. Today, we can offer anything that is precious and which we like (i.e. we offer up our attachments). It could be tea (any type of tea), milk, any type of alcohol or even any type of soft drink!

What does it mean to make a serkym offering?
When we make any offering to the Buddhas, it collects a lot of of merit for us, to clear the way for us to accomplish the things we wish and to invite the necessary conditions and resources.

The way the offering is done, liquid overflows from one vessel to another (see below) - this represents the overflowing abundance of things to come to us, visualised as all our wishes coming true.

It is believed that it is good to offer strong drinks or hot drinks, such as hot boiling tea. The heat represents a kind of swiftness, as we urge the Protector to accomplish our wishes and requests quickly.


How can we make serkym offerings?

Traditionally, a serkym offering set is made up of two parts -
i. a jug of offering liquid (whatever you have chosen)
ii. a serkym set - this comprises a larger bowl or vessel with a smaller vessel / cup / glass / container inside.

We leave the smaller vessel downturned up until the moment we begin our serkym offering. Or, you can turn over the smaller vessel, and pour a little of the drink in, so that it is not empty. This is because it is considered inauspicious to leave an upturned glass empty, as if we are offering nothing to the Buddhas.   

Then, at the point of reciting the serkym verses, you can offer the serkym in one of two ways:
1. Offer / pour a little of the drink into the smaller vessel as you are reciting the verses. You will see that in the verses, there are two lines like this:
"Offering you nectar that bestows bliss,
Spontaneously grant our every wish!"

As you recite these lines, you pour a little of the drink into the smaller vessel.

Continue to do this until all the drink is poured out from the jug into the serkym set. It is normal and expected that liquid will overflow from the smaller vessel into the larger one.

2. Pour our all the liquid all at once, before reciting the verses. This is recommended for beginners, before you get used to reciting the verses and pouring simultaneously. You can use this method until you are more comfortable with the recitation, then begin to incorporate the serkym offering / pouring at the same time.


What do the verses mean?
Each of the verses in the serkym offerings, represents an offering that we make to each of the different beings, including the Yidam deities, Dorje Shugden and his emanations, and all the different beings within Dorje Shugden's entourage. 

As we make the offerings, we request them for their assistance to accomplish quickly whatever we request.


An even more condensed version for emergencies
There may be incidences where it's not possible for you to do the whole prayer and set up a serkym set; also very urgent cases where there s no time to recite everything.

Then, just recite the prayers follows;
- Refuge
- Migtsema mantra (at least 3 times)
- Invocation prayer to DS ("Before myself as yidam deity....")
- Serkym offering (you can recite only the verse to Dorje Shugden:
"Transcendent supreme dharmapala,
Dorje Shugden, strict and swift of power
Offering you nectar that bestows bliss,
Spontaneously grant our every wish!"
- DS mantra, as many times as possible
- dedication prayers

Instead of making the full serkym offerings, you can simply offer any drink that you have available, such as a cup of tea, a bottle of drink or whatever you can afford and arrange at the time.

(You can download a copy of Dorje Shugden's prayers, including the serkym offering verses here:
http://dorjeshugden.com/wp/?page_id=57)

Good luck!

If you have any questions, do scribble them here. I'd be happy to help!

[hope rainbow]

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.

[DharmaDefender]

Thanks beggar for the explanation... quick Q: how do you offer a drink? As in a cup of tea, bottle of drink, etc... what do you do when you offer just a cup, without the pouring? Do you visualise the pouring?

[Losang_Tenpa]

The serkym is chanted with a very beautiful tune here at Shar Gaden. Out of all of the various chants and rhythms, it is by far my favorite. 

[Galen]

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.

[DharmaDefender]

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.

One of the precepts is no intoxication but from what Ive gathered on the Internet, it seems Buddhas dont get drunk even when you offer alcohol to them. If they drink alcohol and get drunk, it means theyre just like any one of us and vulnerable to the same obscurations and negative habituations... and we know that they are not, otherwise theres no such thing as an enlightened state.

Im afraid I dont know much more than that, especially why we offer alcohol. I always thought we always offer the strongest drinks to them, as a reminder to ourselves of their enlightened state and the qualities we are aspiring to have.

[lightning]

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.

[Positive Change]

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.

[Big Uncle]

Beer is one of the more well-known alcoholic beverages in Tibet. I don't think it is the rarity that makes it an offering but the fact that it is a traditional intoxicant makes it a suitable offering. I think Samsara is a bigger intoxicant and so we offer beer as a symbolic gesture of offering our attachments to Samsara. In the process, we create the karmic causes to be release from Samsara. This is a wrathful Tantric offering and traditionally offered to Dharma Protectors, which could be enlightened or otherwise.

[lightning]

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.

[beggar]

Thanks beggar for the explanation... quick Q: how do you offer a drink? As in a cup of tea, bottle of drink, etc... what do you do when you offer just a cup, without the pouring? Do you visualise the pouring?

Hey!
haha you can visualise the pouring, I suppose. What is most important is that you just visualise that you are offering the drink to the Protector, that he accepts your offering happily and that your wishes are accomplished.

If you're not familiar with the process of pouring yet, if you're a beginner,  you can also visualise in this way by pouring out all the drink all at once in the beginning, before you recite the verses. Once it is all poured out, you just think that you have offered all this precious drink to the Protector and make your wishes to him.

[beggar]

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.

In general, alcohol is considered a precious substance, something of a high value, so it is something precious and very good that we can offer to the Protectors (i.e. a Buddha). This could therefore apply to other precious items - we can offer any drink that we personally like or find very precious. Some people offer beer, others offer wine or liquor. You could even offer soft drinks, milks, yoghurt etc if you find that pleasing.

Also, alcohol is considered another "wrathful" substance, something very strong. In tantric Buddhist practices, we offer alcohol to Buddhas as they are of an enlightened mind that cannot be disturbed or affected in any way by alcohol or any other intoxicants / substances. In offering this, it is to create the cause that we can also attain this same state of mind, to abide in a state of total control and not be disturbed or negatively affected in any way by alcohol. Instead, the energy is transformed into quick, decisive, enlightened and positive action that helps others or relieves others sufferings.

[triesa]

Serkym offering is very powerful and swift in helping one to clear obstacles.I heard that Kyabje Zong Rinpoche did his serkym offering every night without fail just before he slept.

After the serkym offering, one is not supposed to dispose the liquid in the washroom but in the kitchen sink. it is also advisable to keep a separate set of cloth for cleaning all these ritual items.

[Gypsy]

Also, alcohol is considered another "wrathful" substance, something very strong. In tantric Buddhist practices, we offer alcohol to Buddhas as they are of an enlightened mind that cannot be disturbed or affected in any way by alcohol or any other intoxicants / substances. In offering this, it is to create the cause that we can also attain this same state of mind, to abide in a state of total control and not be disturbed or negatively affected in any way by alcohol. Instead, the energy is transformed into quick, decisive, enlightened and positive action that helps others or relieves others sufferings.
[/quote]

Thanks Beggar for the info of Serkym offering. Before reading this, i did not know that by offering hot boiling black tea or other hot liquid is a symbolism of asking quick result..because stupid me always sort of make cold the hot tea before i offer to protector..how silly huh?! And i've learnt by offering alcohol to the protector, it's also to create the cause to be attained the same state of Buddha's mind...really thanks for providing such important information about offering serkym to the protector. I really think this website is soooooo beneficial, i've learnt a lot from here by reading the posts.

[michaela]

Thank you Beggar for this post on how to make Serkym offering to DS