As Buddhists, we take refuge in the Three Jewels, which consists of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. After taking refuge, one has to uphold a set of refuge commitments, part of which is to offer the first portion of whatever we eat and drink to the Three Jewels, while remembering their kindness.
This generates an active awareness of the benefits derived from taking refuge with the Three Jewels and also generates the necessary merits that will enable us to change our worldview towards the Dharma. Food offering is an offering of sustenance and thus, one creates the causes towards receiving spiritual and material sustenance in the future. When we make food offerings with the highest motivation, we create the causes for our practice to be sustained by our realizations. When we make daily food offerings to Dorje Shugden, we are also creating the affinity with Dorje Shugden to receive his swift assistance when we need him in times of crisis.
One does not need to take refuge in the Three Jewels in order to propitiate Dorje Shugden. We do not need to have received refuge vows and commitments in order to make an offering to Dorje Shugden. Anybody who is sincere can make an offering to him. However, the refuge commitments create the necessary merits that will make it easier for Dorje Shugden to protect us especially when we keep our commitments well.
When offering food to Dorje Shugden at home, we can place the first portion of food and drink on Dorje Shugden’s shrine. The frequency of making food offerings is up to the practitioner; however it is best to cultivate the awareness to make this offering every mealtime, and consider it a sort of divine leftover thereafter. We can partake of Dorje Shugden’s leftovers as a special divine communion with him. When in a public place, one need not set aside a portion of food and drink specially for Dorje Shugden.
The food offering prayer below should be recited whenever offering food or drinks to Dorje Shugden, while visualizing the offering being multiplied infinitely.
Food Offering Prayer
OM AH HUM (3x – purify food)
GANGSHIG DRENPA TSAMGYI CHINANGI
BARCHE KUNSEL LESHEY TRINLEY NAM
TSOLDZE GYALCHEN SHUGDEN RIG-NGA TSEY
TANSUNG KORDANG CHELA CHOPARBUL
All the obstacles from within and without
Completely you dispel and make things clear & fulfil activities,
To the 5 families of Dorje Shugden,
Your great entourage & assistants I offer this.
English
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Tibetan
Dharmacrazy79
May 2, 2014
Thank you for the offering. What I truly appreciate about Buddhadharma is the clear reasoning behind every action and ritual. On the surface, some of the ceremonies may look superstitious. However, if we make effort to research, read and learn up, there is much depth in everything. Even the details in every Buddha image.
We certainly need a lot of support to sustain our Dharma practice during these degenerate time. Food offering is a simple yet profound method to enable us to create this sustainability. Additionally, observing our attachment to food, the ability to “hold back” and offer a portion to the 3 Jewels before diving into the feast can lower our attachment to food.
I love the short prayer we can chant silently before every meal.
May this conveninent method cause us to practice food offering that results in deeper shift in our habits and, with time, view towards our attachments and practice.
rossoneri
May 3, 2014
It is important form of practice before every meal in order for our ‘monkey’ mind to develop a sense of detachment even we we are every hungry but to serve others first before ourselves. And in this case what is more important than to offer to the Great King. How wonderful is that to have and be able to offer up every day. Thank you.
diamond223
May 3, 2014
Thanks to DS.com again for this meaningful articles about food offerings to DS. It makes me to understand the purpose and how important to make an offerings to the Buddha. I will remember it and put in as my daily practice. Thank you!
Andrea Keating
May 3, 2014
Appreciate your sharing of the post. It is something new for me to learn and I truly appreciate this information. I have seen monks and practitioners doing it before meals and wondered about it. Now I know the importance of food offering and would be able to practice it without taking kindness for granted. This is such an easy way to practice to create the causes towards receiving spiritual and material sustenance in the future. And if it is with highest motivation, the causes are created for our practice to be sustained by our realizations. I shall start the practice immediately without delay.
Thank you again dorjeshugden.com for sharing the article.
Chrissa
May 3, 2014
There are many benefits of food offerings.By making food offerings we will always find nourishing food and drink and gain the freedom from the suffering of poverty in future.
What a meritorious way than to offer a portion of our food to our dharma protector,Dorje Shugden to gain his blessings and protection.Thank you
bambi
May 3, 2014
Thank you very much for the explanations! It is very informative for 1 to practice as mentioned above. All these while, I have only been reciting Lama Tsongkapa’s food offering prayer which I know is also the same but I would prefer the one above. I shall start today!
I especially love this part
“Food offering is an offering of sustenance and thus, one creates the causes towards receiving spiritual and material sustenance in the future. When we make food offerings with the highest motivation, we create the causes for our practice to be sustained by our realizations.”
Angelica
May 3, 2014
Buddhism is related to our daily life. Is about how and what we do to make our life better. Everything we do is connected to dharma. This article has showed us the most frequent thing we do daily, that is about our daily meals, if we know what to do, we can make it more beneficial. Not just about solving our hunger problem.
Food offering is something that is easy to do and everybody can do it as no vows is needed. By constantly making food offering, we are continuously maintaining our connection to the three Jewels and also cut down our attachment to food. Food offering also teach us to be thankful to others and may open up our heart to care, help and benefits other thru our practice.
Dondrup shugden
May 4, 2014
Ignorance is never BLISS. I have always wondered why Christians and many other religious practitioners give thanks before they have a meal and the Buddhist do not seem too.
How ignorant, with this article, I now know that Buddhist has that ritual of offering our meals to our Giver of our sustenance.
This activity of offering appreciation and thanks to our Buddha and Protector is something easy to practise and give us a sense of great well being.
Emma
May 4, 2014
Besides creating the causes towards receiving spiritual and material sustenance in the future, food offering to the Three Jewels also create merits for longevity to the practitioner.
aurore
May 6, 2014
Thank u for this post. I was told making food offering is truly an easy way to generate merits. Hence, we should always be mindful and cultivate that action since it’s also very easy to forget. Sometimes, it’s also difficult to let go of our attachment and dig in so quickly at our favorite food! I’ve posted the offering prayer to the guru over here. Do check it out —> http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=4833.msg53008#msg53008
Johnson
May 10, 2014
Thank you DS.com for sharing the post on Food Offering Prayer.
It gave us the awareness and understanding of the importance of food offerings to the Three Jewels before every meal we took daily. The procedure is not complicated and the prayer is short and simple, but the benefit is great, creating the causes towards receiving more merits, spiritual and material sustenance in the future.
Daily food offering to Dorje Shugden also creates the affinity with Dorje Shugden to receive his speedy help in time of needs.
Rinchen
March 19, 2015
Thank you Admins of DS.com for sharing this information with all of us here. It has helped me to better understand why we make food offerings and the meaning to it as well.
The process is short and simple that helps many of us to be able to be doing this practice as well. It is great as through the food offering we are creating that affinity that we would definitely need it in the future. It is always good to create affinity before we need it. Reason being that if we only create the affinity when we need it, we may not be able to receive the help we need then. Although with that being said, Dorje Shugden is very compassionate and will always help students and disciples when in times of need.
Sherabz
December 14, 2017
We need to create very much of merits that enable us to gain realisations on the dharma. Making food offerings to Dorje Shugden is one of the ways. If we made food offering daily with pure motivation and sincerely even though we have not received refuge vows yet, we may still receive his assistance when we are in difficulties.
Nevertheless, it is necessary and more benefits if we keep our commitments well coupled with strong guru devotion, and Dorje Shugden will definitely help us swiftly to overcome the obstacles.
Thank you for sharing this importance of food offering.