Offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (gong yang zhu fo pusa)

Gong Yang( 供养) means offering. The offering (to Buddhas and Bodhisattva) can be things like : food, flowers, jewels, water and fruits. As mentioned in the previous report; “Sharing & Caring”

( page 26)

All the material’s offering are a kind of symbolic with the purpose to educate us.

Buddha is an excellent teacher.

He used various types of teaching aids to help us to understand Dhamma better.

Offering of:

flowers: cultivate good cause.

Water : cultivate equality,

fruits : cultivate good effect,

Buddhism is an education of life, Dhamma teaches us excellent living skills. Live well and be happy.

Talk about offering, All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas actually don’t need our flowers, fruits and water! The actual offering that Buddha wanted to see is the

result of our practice.

Inspect ourselves after the Dhamma practice, are we improving

our morality, more compassionate, more caring, more tolerable, less selfish, less in greed, hatred and ignorance.

The upgrading of our morality is the real offering to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Dhamma teaches us to upgrade ourselves each day.

We must be wise to understand the real meaning of Buddha’s message

(Dhamma/Sutras).

Don’t think that we donate a big amount of money to a particular monastery or master we will be rewarded with merit. Without sincere moral practices, this kind of offering will not carry merit.

Offering of material help for those who are really in need is the real offering. By doing so, you fulfilled other people’s basic materials’ need.

Offering of educational help (Dhamma Talk, counselling, encouragement, guidance) to ease other people depression and mental suffering is a kind of offering.

Buddha said, Dhamma Teaching

(education) is the highest offering.

This is because you guide a person to end the suffering for good.

Materials help will temporary help him to overcome the present problem but Dhamma education will help him to end the suffering for good (practice and gain enlightenment).

We must be wise in anything we hear or we learn. Don’t be extreme, always take the middle path.

Don’t think that materials offering is not the real offering then we should stop doing it.

Of course we should continue material offering but with a better understanding why we do it, right?

In this way, we will feel more meaningful every time we do it. This will help to upgrade ourselves spiritually.

The longer we practice, the wiser we are.

This is the purpose of Buddhist Dhamma Teaching.