Hello, offerings are generally divided into eight offerings from left to right (water, water, flowers, incense, lamps, incense, torma, music)

The eight in front of the Buddha Making offerings is part of Buddhist practice, and the offerings seen in some temples are made in the traditional way. These offerings are not just part of the ritual, but an extension of the vow to serve all sentient beings. Offerings are the antidote to attachment and greed. Offering has a material meaning, that is, a person gives all his valuable items. Or, some people may give all their belongings symbolically, imagining that all sentient beings will benefit from this, and all their hardships will be compensated, completing the perfection of giving. Generally speaking, the offerings on the Buddhist altar are grouped into groups of seven and placed in seven containers. Each offering has its own special meaning: "Water" Offering (1) - Drinking Water The first offering is drinking water. The merit of water supply is to eliminate the thirst of all living beings, especially those in the realm of hungry ghosts, which can relieve the pain of thirst. Water supply also has the purpose of making all sentient beings receive the compassion of Buddhism, and ultimately be refreshed physically and mentally. "Water" Offering (2) - Bathing Water Drinking water and bathing water are used as offerings, not because the Buddha is thirsty or in need of cleansing, but because offering water to the object of refuge can help us accumulate merit and achieve our own purity. Our bodies have many flaws and are fragile, and the purpose of making offerings is to remove the obstacles we encounter in practicing Dharma, practicing meditation, and understanding the Dharma. When supplying water, the cups should be wiped clean, first pour a little water into the first cup, and then filter it one by one. Then arrange them neatly at intervals as wide as a grain of rice. Pour water in order from right to left. It should not be too full, but should be kept at the height of a grain of rice. Pay special attention to the five faults of water supply. Only by staying away can you obtain the five merits. The five faults are explained as follows: 1. When the water does not fill the vessel, the merits in the mind are also "dissatisfied". 2. If the water is full and overflows, the karma will also have its own faults caused by "fullness and overflow". 3. There is no distance between cups. This may cause you to encounter bad friends. But if on the contrary, when the distance between the cups is too wide, there is a danger of being far away from the guru and good teachers. 4. A row of crooked cups indicates that there have been faults in this life, the next life, and physical and mental irregularities. 5. When water overflowed onto the table, or when there was water in the rice, or when there was rice in the water, in this life, my eyes were not bright and often shed tears, and there was eye mucus. Therefore, we must stay away from the five faults in order to obtain the five merits in turn. It is said that after the Buddha Vipasshi entered Nirvana, some bhikkhus came to the city to beg for alms. Many donors offered rich food, but a poor couple had nothing, so they offered a bowl of water as an offering, and a very respectful and pure heart arose in their hearts. Support it. Later, during their lifetime, they rose to the thirty-third level... Due to the great merits of water supply, this poor couple accumulated a lot of good and pure merits, and were reborn as nobles in every generation with beautiful bodies. During the time of Buddha Sakyamuni, he was reincarnated as a son in a wealthy family in Gion Jingshe. He became a child of the golden family and was named "Golden God". He could fulfill the wishes of all living beings, whether it was food, clothing, jewels, or jade. Later, The Golden God received the bhikkhu ordination in front of the Buddha and attained the status of Arhat. "Flower" Offering The third offering is flowers, so as to decorate the siddha's surroundings. Although the offering of flowers is not necessary for the perfect Buddha realm, it is beneficial to the offerer. Let us also have the will to enable all sentient beings to find a noble abode and ultimately possess the perfect appearances and qualities like those of the siddhas. How to accumulate merit and merit by offering flowers? Once upon a time, when Lord Kanakamuni Buddha was incarnation in the world, many bhikkhus were begging for alms in the city, and the wealthy people provided food for them. However, a poor man had nothing, but he had great faith in the bhikkhus and respectfully picked the food on the grass. Various flowers of different colors can be worshiped and offered with a very pure and pious heart. He was later reborn as the son of a wealthy family in the Gion Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, with a majestic and beautiful appearance. When he was born, flowers rained down from the sky, and he was named the "Flower God". This "Flower God" later grew up, received the bhikkhu ordination in front of the Buddha, and attained the status of Arhat. It can be seen that when offering flowers, the most important thing is to have a pious and pure heart and aspire that all living beings can achieve the ultimate fruition of Buddha. Even small flowers will have extremely vast merits and benefits due to their broad intentions. Offering of "incense" Offering incense is not because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas need to use it to remove the smell from their bodies. Rather, offering incense can eliminate the generation of unpleasant and unhealthy odors. The accumulated merits can eventually achieve the completion of profound and wonderful aromas in practice. It is said that those who complete the practice are surrounded by sweet and fragrant aromas. As for the offering of "incense", what about it? According to the source of the material, it can be divided into purely natural incense and synthetic incense; natural incense such as sandalwood, agarwood, cypress leaves, camphor wood, sweet pine, angelica, rice husk, azalea, etc. Synthetic incense such as: 1·Red and white sandalwood 2. Five Wonderful Offerings 3. Musk 4. Kapok and other clean materials are combined to make sleeping incense; synthetic incense can be made into natural incense for offerings. It all depends on each person's ability. The most important thing is "motivation". Natural incense must be very clean, while synthetic incense is a finished product. The key is to remain pious in your heart, put the incense into the furnace, light a fire and burn the incense as an offering. First, generate bodhicitta for the boundless void mother-like sentient beings to achieve the Buddhahood. This is the forward movement. Mind; when doing the right thing, think about the emptiness of the three-wheel body. It is very important to dedicate the knot after making offerings. In the same way that Manjushri Samantabhadra benefits sentient beings, I also dedicate the same way. The merits of making offerings are not immediately dedicated. Once troubles arise, the merits will disappear, so dedicating them is very important. "Lamp" Offering The fifth offering is lamps and candles. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas use their wisdom eyes to observe clearly and do not need candles to illuminate them.

The purpose of offering lamps is to allow the offerer to practice visualizing that the ignorance of all sentient beings has been cleared. The purpose of offering lamps is also to allow knowledge and experience to be clearly expressed among all living beings, just as they are naturally revealed in the pure hearts of Buddhas and enlightened beings. Materials such as lamp oil, whether butter, ghee, or vegetable oil, must be very clean. Regardless of whether the offering cup is made of different materials: gold, silver, copper, iron, pottery, glass, etc., one's own ability is the focus of consideration, and the wick of the lamp must be exceptionally clean, with the root straight and stable, indicating the purity of the precepts. The middle part is thick, indicating good concentration. The tip of the tip is easy to light, indicating wisdom. Light the oil lamp, offer it with a pure mind and recite the lamp offering prayer: Om Ah Hum! 1. The lamp cup is as beautiful and solemn as a treasure. 2. Fill the cup with pure and fragrant ghee. 3. The soft lamp core is as long and straight as a sky rope. 4. Break through the darkness and make offerings to the light. 5. The three treasures and three roots of Master Hu. 6. The boundless destination is offered by the saints in the sea. 7. The eye of wisdom has neither darkness nor brightness. 8. We, all sentient beings, are boundless and boundless. 9. The two obstacles of darkness and ignorance are completely eliminated. 10. I wish to obtain the special and pure eyes of wisdom. Chant this chant and concentrate on thinking about the Buddha’s pure land arising like the bright light of the sun. After offering the lamp with a pure and pious heart, and dedicating the merits to all sentient beings, the lamp offering prayer is the French language blessed by Dunsur Rinpoche, the Nyingmapa Great Rock Tibetan. The merits of offering lamps are so extraordinary that there is a brown cloud: "The virtues of offering lamps are infinite, but they can eliminate ignorance, have an eye of wisdom, have a broad pulse of wisdom, purify evil karma, and transcend the three realms to realize the three bodies." Applying incense (perfume) Of course, radiant and perfect achievers do not need secular perfume to experience the natural state of perfection, but we offer perfume to temporarily purify bad habits, such as greed, hatred, and ignorance. In the end, not only habits, Even the outside world has been purified and perfected. Offerings of "Food" and "Fruit" The seventh offering is food. Achievers do not need food offerings. The purpose of offering food is to temporarily eliminate the pain of hunger and bring sufficient food to all living beings. Finally, offering food can enable all living beings to experience the perfect state of meditation, "Samadhi", and enable all living beings to live according to the natural resources of meditation. Before talking about offering fruits to accumulate merit, let me tell you a little story: In the past, there was a poor mother and son in India. When the son went to farm elsewhere, the mother prepared food for him as lunch. When he was about to eat, a begging monk came. My son thought that our family had not accumulated merits in previous lives. If we did not accumulate merits in this life, we would be even poorer in the next life! So he offered food to the bhikkhu with respect and a pure heart, and made a great vow. This great wish will enable him to be reincarnated as a prince in his next life, with no worries about food and clothing. Therefore, we must also make vows to make offerings to the Three Jewels for ourselves and all sentient beings in the sky with a pure heart. Due to our pure intentions and dedication, we will not only achieve the status of a king, but also the perfect status of a Buddha! Offering of “Music” What about offering beautiful music as a way to accumulate merit? Let’s take Suzuki Music as an example. Generally, there are bells and wind-blown bells ringing in the corners of Buddhist halls, pagodas, and temples. The purpose of offering this wonderful sound to the Buddha is to praise the purity of the Buddha's body and mind, and to praise the Three Jewels by singing, and his merits are particularly great. In the past, when Buddha Sakyamuni was alive, there was a king named King Pasenadi. He and his family went to Jeta Forest. Suddenly they heard a wonderful sound. Even elephants, horses, and livestock stopped to listen along the way. King Pasenadi was very curious, wondering whose song was so charming that even the animals were so intoxicated? It turned out that it was a small monk who sang the chant. King Pasenadi asked the Buddha: "What is the reason for this little bhikkhu to have such a wonderful ability to sing?" The Buddha said: because he once offered a golden bell on the stupa of Kassapa Buddha. He also made a great vow to be pure, so for five hundred kalpas, he was able to sing beautiful sounds and intoxicate all living beings. Therefore, we make offerings to the three pure things in the Buddhist hall - pure intentions, pure righteous conduct, and pure dedication. No matter whether the wind blows the small bell, the big trumpet, the whistle, the flute, the postscript... After making offerings, we may be like a little bhikkhu. Generally, it has the wonderful achievements of the sixty branches of Buddha's sound. Why do the eight offerings of water, flowers, incense, lamps, paints, fruits, and music are made in front of the Buddha? This is a custom originating from India. When a guest comes to a home, he first invites a waiter to drink water, then washes his feet, then hangs a flower around his neck, diffuses the whole body with incense, and then turns on the lamp. Is the body fragrant? Come and give food to the guests. After everything is ready, play the piano for the guests to enjoy. We make eight offerings to the Buddha, but in fact the Three Jewels do not need these offerings. All of this is done so that sentient beings can accumulate merits and make eight offerings, and the key to making offerings is to move forward with a broad intention, to think about the emptiness of the three-wheel body, and to perform the three pure pursuits of universal and divergent pursuits. The venerable Khenchen Rinpoche came to preach the Dharma last time and mentioned the mantras and French words again and again: the perfect Buddha nature inherent in everyone should not be found externally, but should be cultivated in everyone's heart! Only by observing your own mind from time to time and accumulating merit and merit can you see the true nature of your mind and recognize the precious Mani Pearl in your heart. The most valuable thing is to make offerings with pure motives and not to show off and compare in vain.