Offerings and the Making of Merits

[Damian.D]

Your not the one actually doing the prayers.
You don't pay for the offerings.
Its not your commitment.

Yet, you prepare the offerings daily.
You go out to source for the offerings.

Would you make some merits when the person does the prayers?

[triesa]

Yes, Damian D, I would say yes to your questions.

Whatever works involved in the process, be it set up, cleaning, sourcing, or any preparation towards a puja or a teachings given by a lama is meritorous.
I believe the key here is whatever you are doing towards any kinds of dharma activities, make a good motivation even for a simple job like cleaning the places or buying the offerings. Merits collection to propell our understanding of he dharma does not have to be only concerning with big sponsorships.

[Helena]

If it were me, I'd take it a level higher.

Since I am making the effort to make the offerings anyways, why not take it all the way and also make the prayers and offer to buy some offerings or contribute to the costs of it too.

Why stop at that just preparing or making the offerings?

Everything good will bring some measure of merits to us, or for us.

But if we are serious about our spiritual path, why stop half way or quarter of the way - why not go a little further each time?

I find that a lot of people do not make full use of the opportunities around them. They stop at what is enough or comfortable, as if it is only to meet the minimum requirement. Why do we do that if we believe that the spiritual path is of utmost importance? Why do we delay and want to take our time?

It is perhaps the most puzzling paradox that afflicts us all.

We know that the end point of suffering, is our enlightenment.
Yet we relish in taking our time and doing what is just bare minimum but not rushing forward to get there as fast as possible.

I guess this is why some people progress very quickly despite starting late. While others could stay stagnant or not progress well, even though they start much earlier.

I think the question people should ask themselves is - do they really want to be in the spiritual path and if yes, why?

[Damian.D]

Yes I understand whats being said and advised, yet I can't help it... What I hear is make offerings, make good motivation, yet what I see is taking an easy way out, getting someone else to do, and considering themselves "holy" "practicing buddhist" because their altar has offerings on it.

In this regards, its not unlike some mafia guy that makes a donation in the church to make up for all the negative karma created in their day to day existence. In some way its supposed to make up for everything that they do thats negative and they don't have to change at all.

I thought making offerings was supposed to transform our minds?

I will most definitely won't be collecting any merits with this wrong view i feel. But interested in knowing what people have to say.

I will fight my mind to set good motivation. After all it's to a Buddha, and its supposed to be on behalf of people who really need it.

[kurava]

Making offering is the direct antidote to miserliness which arises from attachment ; be it attachment to material wealth , to our time or our own comfort zone.

To those who may be not so well off or their attachment to wealth is stronger, offering of time and effort will be an easier start of their spiritual practice. I've seen volunteers of this sort slowly succeeded and become more generous with offering of material things.

Those with greater material resources and/or stronger attachment to their leisure may find monetary or material offerings a much easier practice.

There is no question as to which is a "better" practice. It's more beneficial that  we have taken the first step . With perseverance  we shall definitely experience results and our motivation will become less self centered. All 84,000 practices are good and relevant to us. As fellow practitioners, our practice is to encourage and be supportive of each other.

[Positive Change]

Apart from what has already been clearly said in this thread... we must not forget the fact that in rejoicing for the person/persons making these offerings also reaps merits. There are many ways of getting merits if out motivation is pure and we genuinely offer "ourselves". Our very actions, thoughts, words are offerings to the 3 jewels and these in my mind are the highest offerings... i.e. our transformation.

Physical offerings are wonderful but the offering of one's change for the benefit of others outweighs the truck loads of priceless gems one is able to offer! After all, arent Buddha's non attached and these offerings are merely a way of making us "let go" of our attachments to worldly means?

[dondrup]

Yet, you prepare the offerings daily.
You go out to source for the offerings.
Would you make some merits when the person does the prayers?

Yes. You will gain merits upon completion of the act of helping others to prepare the offerings.  if you did it with the bodhichitta motivation, then you will gain vast amount of merits. There are many levels to the practice of giving.  You would need to adopt the one applicable to you current level.

yet what I see is taking an easy way out, getting someone else to do, and considering themselves "holy" "practicing buddhist" because their altar has offerings on it.

There is no stopping someone who can afford to get another person to make offerings on their behalf. People who employ maids have the tendency to depend on their maids

We in fact should rejoice in their good fortunes to be able to afford this service. Rejoicing is another simple way to accumulate merits!

I thought making offerings was supposed to transform our minds?

Yes it will transform our minds if we do it with the proper motivation and without harming others.

[dsiluvu]

Yet, you prepare the offerings daily.
You go out to source for the offerings.
Would you make some merits when the person does the prayers?

Yes. You will gain merits upon completion of the act of helping others to prepare the offerings.  if you did it with the bodhichitta motivation, then you will gain vast amount of merits. There are many levels to the practice of giving.  You would need to adopt the one applicable to you current level.

yet what I see is taking an easy way out, getting someone else to do, and considering themselves "holy" "practicing buddhist" because their altar has offerings on it.

There is no stopping someone who can afford to get another person to make offerings on their behalf. People who employ maids have the tendency to depend on their maids

We in fact should rejoice in their good fortunes to be able to afford this service. Rejoicing is another simple way to accumulate merits!

I thought making offerings was supposed to transform our minds?

Yes it will transform our minds if we do it with the proper motivation and without harming others.

Yes I guess from our side we should not judge. Because at the end of the day, the person who can afford the maid is also giving the maid a chance to collect some merits. Whatever their motivation is, that is between them and the Buddhas and their karma. Only that will tell...

Yes I agree that motivation is really the key. If our motivation is not good and we are simply using the maid out of our pure laziness or pride, then in time you will see that person degenerating. But if it is because you are busy with work, you've got tons to do and simply just don't have the time, not that you are relaxing, holidaying off some beach in Acapulco, then sure... why not?

I have a question: I've heard some people say that you can't really dedicate merits to someone... is this true? If someone dedicates merits to another, does the other person really gets it? How much of it do they get?

 

[Positive Change]

Yet, you prepare the offerings daily.
You go out to source for the offerings.
Would you make some merits when the person does the prayers?

Yes. You will gain merits upon completion of the act of helping others to prepare the offerings.  if you did it with the bodhichitta motivation, then you will gain vast amount of merits. There are many levels to the practice of giving.  You would need to adopt the one applicable to you current level.

yet what I see is taking an easy way out, getting someone else to do, and considering themselves "holy" "practicing buddhist" because their altar has offerings on it.

There is no stopping someone who can afford to get another person to make offerings on their behalf. People who employ maids have the tendency to depend on their maids

We in fact should rejoice in their good fortunes to be able to afford this service. Rejoicing is another simple way to accumulate merits!

I thought making offerings was supposed to transform our minds?

Yes it will transform our minds if we do it with the proper motivation and without harming others.

Yes I guess from our side we should not judge. Because at the end of the day, the person who can afford the maid is also giving the maid a chance to collect some merits. Whatever their motivation is, that is between them and the Buddhas and their karma. Only that will tell...

Yes I agree that motivation is really the key. If our motivation is not good and we are simply using the maid out of our pure laziness or pride, then in time you will see that person degenerating. But if it is because you are busy with work, you've got tons to do and simply just don't have the time, not that you are relaxing, holidaying off some beach in Acapulco, then sure... why not?

I have a question: I've heard some people say that you can't really dedicate merits to someone... is this true? If someone dedicates merits to another, does the other person really gets it? How much of it do they get?

I agree with the above. I too have a housekeeper which comes in to clean and she does the offerings on my altar. She does it very well and I am happy for the merits that she receives from it. She is not of my faith but she understands the benefits of making offerings and she loves doing it. I don't see anything wrong with that as it gives her an opportunity to gain merits and she helps me as I am busy at work. Often I am off early in the mornings and back in the wee hours of the night.

With regards to dedicating merits.... surely one can. I do... I often dedicate merits at the end of my day to my loved ones and also to the ones that have tested my resolve and patience throughout the day. Whether or not the person actually receives the merits, it is good to realise we need to give in order to receive. Well, at least that is how I go about it!

[WoselTenzin]

According to Pabhongka Rinpoche in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, unless we do the offerings ourselves we will not accumulate any merits.  An excerpt  from the book says as follows:-

" You must put the offerings out yourself.  If you make your pupils or your servant arrange the offerings, you will not receive any merits"

This is from the point of view of the person engaging someone else to do the offering on his/her behalf.

For the person engaged to do the offerings, I would imagine that with the rights motivation coupled with the physical actions in the process of making offering, merits would definitely be accumulated.  The extent of merit would depend on the quality of the person's motivation, the lowest would be to obtain things for this life to the highest Bodhicitta motivation, the thought of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, 

[Helena]

According to Pabhongka Rinpoche in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, unless we do the offerings ourselves we will not accumulate any merits.  An excerpt  from the book says as follows:-

" You must put the offerings out yourself.  If you make your pupils or your servant arrange the offerings, you will not receive any merits"

This is from the point of view of the person engaging someone else to do the offering on his/her behalf.

For the person engaged to do the offerings, I would imagine that with the rights motivation coupled with the physical actions in the process of making offering, merits would definitely be accumulated.  The extent of merit would depend on the quality of the person's motivation, the lowest would be to obtain things for this life to the highest Bodhicitta motivation, the thought of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, 

Thanks for sharing this, WT.

I can see the logic of this statement.
As with Karma and everything else in Buddhism, it is about empowering the self or the individual to do something for themselves - even to change their destiny so-to-speak.
I guess, when we seriously think about it, if we truly want to gain merits, we should do the acts itself that will grant us the merits.
In the same vein, if we want to purify our karma, we have to do the acts, prayers and pujas to purify and not someone else doing it for us.

I believe our motivation to do anything sets the stage, and our dedication after the act seals the deed.

[Rihanna]

Dear Triesa, one can make merits by intangible methods too. Lama Gangchen once said " the 'cheapest'  way to make merits is to truly rejoice in others good work and success"!

Yes, Damian D, I would say yes to your questions.

Whatever works involved in the process, be it set up, cleaning, sourcing, or any preparation towards a puja or a teachings given by a lama is meritorous.
I believe the key here is whatever you are doing towards any kinds of dharma activities, make a good motivation even for a simple job like cleaning the places or buying the offerings. Merits collection to propell our understanding of he dharma does not have to be only concerning with big sponsorships.

[iloveds]

i believe its all got to do with motivation as has been mentioned above.

How can it be that the Dalai Lama or even Trijang Rinpoche for that matter will put the offerings out themselves or they won't get the merits. Doesn't make sense does it.

And as Rihanna just mentioned if we can gain merits by rejoicing the we had better start rejoicing at everything that is virtuous as its the easiest way to create merits.

For the person who is just arranging the offerings of someone else. If the motivation is there i believe its the same as if they had offered themselves. If we with care attention to detail and even moreso with sincere prayers, doesn't it make sense that their will be merits gained?

Which do you think is better?

a/ visualise a stone as a huge diamond and offer it up...

OR?/?

b/ you can afford to make offerings grand but choose to make cheap offerings to save money.

[Positive Change]

According to Pabhongka Rinpoche in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, unless we do the offerings ourselves we will not accumulate any merits.  An excerpt  from the book says as follows:-

" You must put the offerings out yourself.  If you make your pupils or your servant arrange the offerings, you will not receive any merits"

This is from the point of view of the person engaging someone else to do the offering on his/her behalf.

For the person engaged to do the offerings, I would imagine that with the rights motivation coupled with the physical actions in the process of making offering, merits would definitely be accumulated.  The extent of merit would depend on the quality of the person's motivation, the lowest would be to obtain things for this life to the highest Bodhicitta motivation, the thought of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, 

Thanks for sharing this, WT.

I can see the logic of this statement.
As with Karma and everything else in Buddhism, it is about empowering the self or the individual to do something for themselves - even to change their destiny so-to-speak.
I guess, when we seriously think about it, if we truly want to gain merits, we should do the acts itself that will grant us the merits.
In the same vein, if we want to purify our karma, we have to do the acts, prayers and pujas to purify and not someone else doing it for us.

I believe our motivation to do anything sets the stage, and our dedication after the act seals the deed.

Of course it would be ideal if we could make the offerings ourselves physically... however surely if we rejoice and "sponsor" the offerings merits are accumulated too! I think the key is the motivation behind it:

1. Are we making someone else prepare the offerings because we are lazy and it is easier to just buy the offerings and have someone else lay it out? OR are we making sure offerings are being made well and because we do not have the time, we have someone help us with it in order for that person to also gain merits in the physical work?

2. Do we choose "inferior" offerings even though we can afford it purely because we think it is a waste to "offer" expensive offerings because we do not consume it ourselves? OR do we give the best that we can afford even though it may not be expensive or extensive so long as it is from the heart and done with the best intent?

There is no absolute way as there are two sides to the coin. Hence to say one does not accumulate merits because one does not physically lay out the offerings, in mind is incorrect! It does not make sense!

[WoselTenzin]

i believe its all got to do with motivation as has been mentioned above.

How can it be that the Dalai Lama or even Trijang Rinpoche for that matter will put the offerings out themselves or they won't get the merits. Doesn't make sense does it.

Well I think the Dalai Lama or Trijang Rinpoche do not need the merits because they have already accomplished the highest goal and have enough merits for themselves. 

They are now in samsara in human form to help those of us who lack the merits. Their "problem" is not them not having enough merits but the beings they are trying to transform is having problem transforming because they do not have enough merits.

If they do make offerings, it is to show us a good example and to dedicate the merits for the beings they have the affinity with so that they can transform and be protected.  The High Lamas also let their students do their offerings so that their students can collect merit.

Make sense?