In Lam Rim practice, we undertake six preliminaries prior to contemplation. The third of these is obtaining offerings honestly and arranging them beautifully.
In Asian countries, one traditionally welcomes esteemed visitors by showering them with gifts. Most usually these include: flowers, perfume, incense, light, food, water, music and dance. Buddhist religious offerings fit into a similar framework. Now, one might argue that because the mind of a Buddha is omnipresent, pervading the whole of space and time, then the Enlightened Ones are never actually apart from us. So it follows that They cannot really come to visit. This might lead some to claim it is it pointless to invite Them. Nevertheless, for us to call specifically upon Their attention amounts to essentially the same thing. So for this reason it is suitable that we greet Them in a welcoming manner.
And yes, it’s also true that the Enlightened Ones are complete unto Themselves and have no need whatsoever for gifts of any kind from ordinary beings such as us. But if we are truly intent on working to develop something approaching Their excellent qualities in our own mindstreams, then it is unquestionably needful that we first develop utmost respect for the true measure of Their supreme attainment. And since the simple practice of making offerings doubtless helps us to mature along these lines, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are ever prepared to accept whatever small tokens we might adoringly present to Them. It is the heartfelt sincerity of our attitude when giving that imparts to these small acts a most profound significance. So whenever we are able to exhibit deep feelings of honest warm regard for the peerless value of the Holy Dharma which Those Thus Gone embody, this does indeed please Them. They rejoice with us for our spiritual progress. It is rather like when small children bring home a dandelion bouquet to their mom. She is always delighted, no matter that it’s only just a bunch of weeds. Their intent is heartfelt, and this is all that really counts.
As to the details of how best to make religious offerings, the instructions of different traditions vary widely. In some the symbolism is highly ritualized, with fixed (and sometimes secret) meanings attached to every smallest part. Not so in Lam Rim. Here the only stipulation is that each item be obtained without any hint of subterfuge. Offerings are made pure by scrupulously avoiding even the slightest ruse in acquiring them beforehand. It is the thought of giving freely and with a good heart from our own limited store which is paramount. For example:
Water: A simple offering, seemingly without much value. But if we are able to visualize a mere cup of water as ambrosia, wishing heartfully that it were so, then this is quite the same as if it actually were. The measure of our sincerity lay in whether we would truly part with something so fine if we should ever come into possession it. Try hard to feel that this is so. In the evening when we remove it, we oughtn’t just pour it down the drain like common waste. We should regard it as having been blessed. We may then offer it to our favorite pet or house plant. We might even scatter it outdoors imagining it to help purify and benefit the ecosystem. Almost any symbolically generous use that comes to mind will surely be just as appropriate.
Light: In ancient days this used to be much more of a luxury. But even then one didn’t scrimp on fuel when it meant keeping an honored guest in the dark. We’d surely have considered it an obligation. The source of light is not so very important. That choice is an individual one. So whether we employ candles, butter or oil lamps does not matter. All that tradition requires of us is the giving of pure, steady light. Even so, most practitioners still consider light to be best offered when it is provided as something extra, arranged as an adornment. Just flicking on the wall switch for the overhead room lamp might be rather hard to imagine as a proper sort of gift.
In this light (pun intended), the personal effort of arranging things beautifully is very much an important element of Lam Rim practice. So maybe we’d feel better about setting out a pair of brightly colored, pure beeswax candles in polished brass holders with gilt-rimmed crystal drip trays and top them off with fancy candle-followers at the wick. If this helps us to set our motivation, then it is well. But it is not the true measure of our sincerity. How do we ourselves feel about it? That’s the key. For some it may be enough merely to visualize their offering as imaginary light, steady and bright, pictured clearly with the mind’s eye. It is an individual decision.
Flowers: It is best if these are set out and carefully arranged by the hand of he or she who offers them. They should not be left to wilt or otherwise lose their appeal while still on the altar. When we notice signs of this, we just remove them. Personally, I like to offer mini carnations. These are petite enough for any size altar, come in a wide variety of colors, and retain their beauty for a week or more when trimmed to size with a sharp knife under running tap-water and placed immediately in a vase. That may sound like a bit of an ordeal, but it does make them last quite a bit longer and will save you many trips to the florist over the course of a year. I had once tried offering roses, but these would wilt far too quickly. Or as above...if we haven’t any flowers at all, then we may just visualize some. Picture roses if you like -- but leave out the thorns.
Incense: It is best to offer whichever kind we ourselves find most pleasant. Someone else might burn rare aloeswood resin at $250 a box. But if you found it too cloying, then for you it would not be suitable. And if the smoke offends, then maybe aromatic oils or something similar might be more agreeably fragrant. If nothing we have tried seems quite suitable, then at least let us recall to memory some very pleasant natural sent and offer the thought of that, picturing it as a buoyant mist rising up to fill the whole of space for the enjoyment of all.
Food: Not meat usually. But otherwise, as long as it will not spoil and we feel good about offering it, then it’s probably okay. Many offer rice. But I myself don’t much care for plain rice. So instead, I offer a small luxury of my own preference. Cashews. I buy them in bulk and pick out the best ones, setting them one by one in a small brass cup. Later, when removing an offering (well before it has had time to loose its appeal) we should regard it as having been blessed, just like with the water. We may then consume or share it as we please.
Other items: In general, we may offer anything clean and beautiful as a token of respect. In addition, we may offer any of our wholesome enjoyments, or even the memory of them. For instance: a beautiful sunset, the view from a mountain, a song (with wholesome lyrics!) which we are hearing for the first time. There is really no limit. Just pause for the moment and think to offer this experience to the Buddhas. They will accept, no question.
And finally, anything appropriate which we can conjure up by visualization may likewise be presented as an offering. Just picture it, and feel that it is so. We may even enhance the appeal of mundane offerings by imagining them to be luminous, resplendent with coruscating rays of brilliant color. We may also endow them with sound. Imagine that they ring forth with glorious, celestial music. Follow through with the other senses. You get the idea.
Better yet, we should offer ourselves. Practicing virtue and abstaining from non-virtue during the times between sitting. Then when next we sit, we can joyously recall each success to memory and offer that. We may similarly offer the promise of further sustained effort. That is perhaps, the most fitting offering of all.