Yoga of Eating Food According to Mahayana Sutra

There are three main activities:

(1) make offerings to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha,

(2) make charity to senti ent beings, and

(3) practice eating yoga with a mind of bodhichitta.

Making Offerings

Recite:

OM AH HUM

three times to consecrate the food or beverage and visualize it as blissful wisdom nectar inside a vast jewelled vessel.

OM AH HUM

(3x)

To present the offerings in a more extensive way, continue with the following mantra and prayers. Otherwise, simply recite the Off ering Prayer to the Three Jewels on p. 16.

Offering Cloud Mantra

Multiplies the offerings so they become numberless.

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA / OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICHITTA VAJRE / MAHA BODHI MÄNDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA

(3x)

KÖN CHHOG SUM GYI DEN PA DANG

By the power of truth of the Three Rare Sublime Ones,

SANG GYÄ DANG JANG CHHUB SEM PA THAM CHÄ KYI JIN GYI LAB DANG

The blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas,

TSHOG NYI YONG SU DZOG PÄI NGA THANG CHHEN PO DANG

The great wealth of the completed two collections,

CHHÖ KYI YING NAM PAR DAG CHING SAM GYI MI KHYAB PÄI TOB KYI

And the sphere of phenomena being pure and inconceivable;

CHHOG CHU NA ZHUG PÄI SANG GYÄ DANG JANG CHHUB SEM PA THAM CHÄ DANG PHAG PA JAM PÄL DANG KUN TU ZANG PO LA SOG PÄI NAM PAR CHHÖ PÄI TRIN GYI PHUNG PO SAM GYI MI KHYAB PA ZÄ MI SHE PA NAM KHA GANG WAR GYUR

May these piles of clouds of offerings arising through transformation by the bodhisattvas Arya Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and so forth – unimaginable and inexhaustible, equaling the sky – arise and, in the eyes of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, be received.

Think that numberless buddhas receive numberless offerings and generate great bliss. Then, with hands in the mudra of prostration, do the following off ering practice with three steps for each group of offerings: visualize prostrating, making offerings, and generate great bliss in the guru’s holy mind.

Extensive Offerings I prostrate and make offerings to all direct and indirect gurus in the Lama Chöpa merit field, I prostrate and make offerings to all the buddhas of the ten directions,

23 I prostrate and make offerings to all the statues, stupas, scriptures, and thangkas throughout all worlds. All these are in essence my root guru – they are empty from their own side. I prostrate, make offerings, and the guru’s holy mind experiences great bliss.

TÖN PA LA ME SANG GYÄ RIN PO CHHE

To the supreme teacher, the precious Buddha,

KYOB PA LA ME DAM CHHÖ RIN PO CHHE

To the supreme refuge, the precious Dharma,

DREN PA LA ME GE DÜN RIN PO CHHE

To the supreme guides, the precious Sangha,

To the Triple Gem, the objects of refuge, I make offering

Making Charity to Sentient Beings Make charity of the food to the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, suras and asuras and to the intermediate state beings. Think that they are fully sati sfi ed and generate the complete path to enlightenment in their mind. Every one of them becomes

enlightened in the aspect of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. For the sentient beings in one’s own body Dedicate every spoonful of food and mouthful of drink to all senti ent beings, including the 21,000 beings living in your body.9 In this way, you make a connection with all senti ent beings and when they become

human in future lives, you can reveal the Dharma to them and lead them to enlightenment. This way, eating is done with a bodhichitt a motivati on, thereby becoming a cause for achieving enlightenment.

Eating yoga Eat the food by seeing oneself as a servant and other senti ent beings as the master, and eat in order to be able to serve them. Dedicate every spoonful and mouthful as described above.

Meditation on emptiness

I, the action of offering, making charity, performing the yoga of eating; as well as Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and senti ent beings – all those for whom I am doing all these practices; all these are merely labeled by mind. They exist in mere name, merely labeled by mind. I does not exist from its own side; it is

empty. All these actions do not exist from their own side; they are empty. All the members of the merit fi eld, they exist but they do not exist from their own side; they are empty. Senti ent beings exist but they don’t exist from their own side; they are empty.

This way, the very important foundations of Buddha dharma – bodhichitta, which is based on renunciation, and right view – method and wisdom, are done. Then use any of the dedication prayers that begin on p.31.