Smoke Offering Practice - A True Buddha School Practice Text
Smoke Offering Practice
By His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-Sheng .
1 The Complete Guide to Smoke Offering Practice
A True Buddha School Practice Text
Ignite the fire for smoke offering. Start the practice below once the smoke comes out from the burner.
First empty the mind. Next, visualize the Root Guru appearing above your crown and radiating light on everyone present.
Chant the Root Guru Heart Mantra 7 times. Pray to the Root Guru to empower you so that the practice will be auspicious. Visualize your parents, children, relatives, friends, and enemies join you in this practice.
Wake Up Call: Clap twice, then cross hands and snap thumbs and middle fingers.
1. Recite the Purification Mantras
2. Recite the Invocation Mantra
3. Great Homage Using Visualization
6. Armor Protection
7. Recite the High King Avalokitesvara Sutra
8. Recite the Rebirth Mantra (7 times)
9. Recite the Four Immeasurable Vows: May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness; this is immeasurable loving-kindness.
May all beings be liberated from suffering and the causes of suffering; this is immeasurable compassion.
May all beings be free of suffering and always stay happy; this is immeasurable joy.
May all beings be free of grasping and aversion and practice equality; this is immeasurable equanimity. 10. Mudra and Visualization
Lotus Mudra: First form the “prayer gesture.” At the level of the chest, join the palms of both hands together with fingers meeting and pointed up.
Now open the palms so that the hands meet only in three ways: at the very base of the palms, entire thumb to entire thumb, and entire little finger to entire little finger. Spread the other fingers out straight but as widely as possible, so that the gesture represents an eight-petalled flower.
Visualization: First empty the mind.
Om, si-ba-wa, su-da, sa-er-wa, da-er-ma, si-ba-wa, su-do-hang. (3 times)
(1) Above an expanse of ocean is a stretch of clear sunny sky. A moon disc rises from the ocean into the sky. Inside the moon disc is the white Sanskrit seed syllable “seh,” emitting great white light.
Sanskrit Seh Syllable
(2) The seed syllable inside the moon disc revolves and transforms into Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
(3) Next visualize your heart emitting a brilliant blue light with the blue Sanskrit seed syllable “hum”. It transforms into a hook that hooks the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva to travel through your crown opening to descend down the central channel until reaching and resting on the heart chakra lotus. Snap your fingers once and visualize yourself become the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
11. Recite the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Heart Mantra
Visualization: Hold mala beads in front of the chest and move each bead with the thumb during chanting. Visualize the left hand transform into a vajra bell and the right hand into a vajra scepter. The mother bead or emblem transforms into the Many-Jewels Buddha’s Stupa and the four “divider beads” transform into the Four Deva Kings. The tassel transforms into a “lotus hand” while the string threading through the beads transforms into a circle of inherent white light of Vajrasattva. During mantra chanting, when a bead is moved, visualize Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva appear inside the bead and come to the forefront.
Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum (108 times)
12. Smoke Offering and Visualization
Recite: [[Om Ah Hum (21 times) Lang Yang Kang (21 times) (“Om” is to transform all the offerings to as vast as the Universe. “Ah” is to purify all the offerings. “Hum” is to empower them with dharma taste. “Lang” is fire or raising fire. “Yang” is winds which will transform into smoke. The winds will blow off the smoke. “Kang” means extending to the whole vast emptiness.) Garuda Mudra: Form the mudra (see picture below) moving in upward motion. (This represents the smoke soaring and filling up the space.)
Visualization: Visualize the incense burner’s smoke filling up the space and transforming into 5 auspicious offerings: into very auspicious clothing, foods and drinks, utilities, houses, cars, refrigerators, electronics, and all kinds of precious objects filling up the space. All these items appear before you in your visualization.
Dedicate the smoke engendered to ghosts and spirits as well as karmic enemies and creditors who afflict and hinder you. Once they receive these offerings, they will leave you.
Recite: “Om, Ah-bu-la-di, Pu-ba-yeh, Soha.” After each mantra recitation, snap thumb and middle finger once. (7 times) 13. Entering Samadhi (optional) 14. Chant the Principal Heart Mantras 15. Recite the Buddha’s Name: Namo 36 trillion 119 thousand and 500 Amitabha Buddhas. (3 times) Na-mo san-shi-liu-wan-yi yi-shi-yi-wan jiu-qian-wu-bai tong-ming-tong-hao ah-mi-tuo-fo.
16. Dedication: If Offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, please recite:
With the five amazing offerings, I sincerely render to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajra Protectors, Heavenly Beings through the smoke offering.
If Offering to Karmic Enemies, please recite:
With the five amazing offerings, I sincerely render to Incense- Eating Deva Buduga, Kinnara and retinues, Five-Knots Incense-Eating Deva and retinues, Dragon Kings and Dragon Maidens, Mountain Devas, River Devas, Ocean Devas, and all Bardo beings and suffering beings. May their desires be fulfilled. May all Bardo beings be liberated from fears and suffering. May Buddhas, of the Perfect Body, bless me to quickly attain realization. Even if the power is not acquired yet, may Buddhas bless me to be delivered, despite of all obstacles, by the merits of the cultivation. I sincerely practice the supreme dharma.
(Continue with following:) May the merits of the practice be dedicated to eradicate all hindrances. May all beings in samsara be liberated from the waves of suffering of the Four Great Elements.
May all who uphold the name of Amitabha Buddha Be born together in the Pure Land of His Western Paradise.
Repaying the Fourfold Generosity from above, And aiding those who suffer in the Three Paths below.
Upon seeing the Buddha, May I be liberated from the cycle of birth and death, And may I develop the qualities of Buddhahood, And thus free all who suffer.
I, ________ (your name), dedicate the merits of this practice to the Root Guru. May the Root Guru always be healthy, remain in Samsara, never enter Nirvana, and forever turn the Dharma Wheel. May everyone be healthy, free of hindrances, strong in cultivation, and may all circumstances become auspicious.
May all supplications be completely fulfilled.
May all hindrances be removed. Wun!
17. Recite the Hundred Syllable Mantra (3 times) 18. Great Homage Using Visualization (same as step 3) 19. Recite the Completion Mantra:
Om, bu lin. (3 times) Om Mani Padme Hum.
Dismissal: Clap twice, then cross hands and snap thumbs and middle fingers.
End of Practice: May all endeavors be auspicious. xiu-fa yuan-man, ru-yi ji-xiang.
When to practice Smoke Offering
If you want to offer to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, practice it in the morning between 5am to 9am. If you want to offer to your Karmic Enemies, practice it in the evening between 5pm to 9pm.
Smoke Offering Powder must contain the following flammable items:
1. Some sandalwood powder.
2. All purpose flour that has been pan fried without using oil. It is allowable to add a little bit of milk powder, brown rice powder, peanut powder, soya powder as well as 5 grain powder.
3. The simplest offerings are all purpose flour, oatmeal, brown rice powder, butter and milk. A little bit of milk and butter is enough. Mix well and set aside. Once they are dried, they can be burned for smoke offering.
4. Some brown and white sugar. Mix well. 5. Cut a small square piece from one red piece of fabric, one white piece of fabric, one blue piece of fabric, one green piece of fabric, and one yellow piece of fabric.
Note:
1. Use fire or incense sticks for ignition. 2. If your smoke offering burner is round in shape, make the above offering powder cake (dough) into a patty. If your burner is horizontal, shape the powder cake into an elongated form.
Smoke Offering Practice Teaching (16th Feb 2008) The Transmission of Smoke Offering Practice
[A discourse by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu, at the Lunar New Year Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guan-Yin) Ceremony at the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond, Washington on February 16, 2008.]
With reverence, we pay homage to Reverend Liao-Ming, Guru Sakya Zheng-kong, His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa, Guru Thubten Dargye, and the Triple Jewels at the shrine. Ritual Master, Shi-mu (Master Lian-hsiang), Acharya/Vajra Masters, Reverends, Dharma Instructors, Dharma Lecturers, Dharma Assistants, fellow school members, students from across the internet, and all our honored guests, auspicious greetings to all of you. (Audience applause.) First let me address what was just discussed by Mr. Sun, a guest speaker.
Actually, he did not talk much, but he did send good wishes to everyone.
Although we currently reside in the United States, our thoughts extend not just to Seattle, but also to Taiwan, as well as all beings throughout the world. In Taiwan, candidates from the Blue Party and the Green Party are currently campaigning for president. Now Mr. Sun belongs to the Blue Party. In the Seattle Chinese community, as well as in our group of fellow students, advocates for both parties exist. I have a blue colored dragon vest as well as a green colored
dragon vest; but for this reason, I am not wearing either color today. Instead, I am wearing a black and white dragon vest. (Audience applause.) Anyhow, regardless of one’s position, one should be concerned about their national birth origin as well as one’s current residence. In the future, we should do what we can to repay the communities that have nourished us. (Audience applause.) Putting the politics aside, if one is capable and qualified, we should help that person out. In the eyes of Buddhas, every person is equal. Regardless of which Party a candidate belongs to, our hope is that this person is capable and able
to manage the country well. Take Mr. Sun for example, he is the director of a business association and is managing it very well indeed. We therefore should vote for someone capable who will act in the best interest for the country. The United States is having a presidential election this year. The same principle applies here. We should try our best to fulfill our obligations to serve all beings. This is the first point I want to make.
Secondly, I would like to address what Master Lian-bao discussed earlier. He gave many examples of what he thinks “love” is dependent on. Love, actually, should not be dependent on anything. “Love” is fundamentally non-existent. He was correct in saying that one needs to transform “egotistical love” to an “expansive love.” But in reality “love” does not even exist in the “expansive” state.
In that state, you simply do everything with your best effort and in good conscience. That is that! What love is there to talk about?
I fancy the thought of speaking to Master Lian-bao and informing him that I would like to switch places with him. However there are things he indulges in that I would not. The “small love,” “great love,” “old love,” and “young love” he speaks of will lead one very far away from the Buddhas. It may just lead one towards creating a baby. We all know that Master Lian-bao is over sixty years old and his new wife is in her twenties. They just had a baby. Wouldn’t you say
that this is far from the Buddhas? Nevertheless, the facial features of their child are very remarkable, and I do hope in the future he would take the renunciation vow. If he were to come before me in the future, I won’t even know how old I would be by then. I would do what I could to perform the tonsure rite for him. That would be very close to the Buddhas then. (Grand Master laughter) Now, about Shi-mu. Shi-mu earlier
wished everyone good fortune in the year of the Rat. The word “rat” in Chinese sounds like the word for “counting.” Shi-mu was wishing everyone wealth to the point that everyone would double over from fatigue “counting” their money. She also wished upon everyone the good fortune of a sound night’s sleep and the ability to awaken naturally in the morning. Yesterday Chen Chuan-fang, a student, jokingly made the following comments:
“People in this world do not practice what they say. They all say that they know money cannot be brought into this world or taken from it. Yet, they still love money till they die. Everyone knows that speculating in stocks is dangerous. Yet, they still take the risk and end up tied up like Shanghai hairy crabs. Men know well that mistresses can be home-wreckers. Yet, they continue committing one affair after the other. We are all hypocrites! And most importantly, everyone
claims that the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, Heaven, is the best place to be. Yet, no one wants to go there.” Since you cannot take money into or out of this world, it would seem sufficient to have enough for this one lifetime. Yet, people love money more than their own lives. They spend all their energy amassing more and more and are never content. It is the same thing with sex. Mr. Sun had wished his gout would improve, but he had also wished he could have more luck
with women. (Grand Master laughter) His wife must not be here today. Mr. Sun had referred to Song Xian-zheng, a student, whose past romantic interludes I am also aware of. As the Chinese saying goes, “Womanizing can lead a hero to his tomb.” Indeed, such things will lead one far away from the Buddhas.
Today I am transmitting the Smoke Offering Practice. A simple explanation of this practice does not take very long. However, if I go into detail, it may take several hours, and we will not be able to finish today’s program on time.
Spiritual practitioners have obstacles just as ordinary people do. Earlier, Mr.
Sun had wished that our wishes would come true. This Smoke Offering will help you realize your wishes. Without a proper cleansing, karmic obstacles will manifest and hinder your success. A business deal you are about to sign may suddenly fall through. A marriage may be suddenly called off. You may be a sure bet to become the next president, but for some reason, the opportunity brushes you by. Obstacles exist between you and your goals that come from the human as well
as the invisible world. The latter forces are more formidable. We are under the control of invisible forces in the Universe. Your past lives, the relationships and connections that you have forged in this lifetime, your karmic friends, enemies, and creditors -visible or invisible factors exist to bring about your present experiences. Practicing this Smoke Offering will assist in cleansing you of all these visible and invisible obstacles.
To perform this ritual, the first thing you will need is a smoke offering burner (censer). (Grand Master picks up the incense burner.) This is the smoke offering burner for individual practice. For group practice, a bigger burner may be used.
You may also use a horizontal censer, depending on what it is you are offering.
What I have here today is a smoke offering burner used in Vajrayana practice.
The lid can be uncovered for you to place the smoke offering inside. After lighting it, smoke will rise from the opening. As the smoke ascends, chant the mantras slowly, and perform the visualizations and the rest of the ritual steps.
To where does the smoke ascend? Firstly, if you are making an offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, perform this practice between 5 and 9 a.m. If you are making an offering to your karmic enemies and creditors, perform this practice between 5 and 9 p.m. This is the time requirement.
Tantric rules specify requisite items for the smoke offering. The first requisite is sandalwood incense powder. The second item is flour that has been pan-fired without oil – to this you may use some milk powder, brown rice powder, peanut powder, bean powder, or five-grain powder. The third requisite is a mixture of brown and white sugar. The fourth item is red, white, blue, green, and yellow fabric cut into small squares.
The fifth is a fire starter or incense sticks for lighting. The simplest offering can be made of flour, oats, brown rice powder, cream, and milk. You only need a tiny bit of milk and cream. After mixing these together, allow the mixture to dry, then light and burn it. With a burner like the one we have here, you can shape the offering into a round patty. For a horizontal censer, you can shape it into an elongated form.
While working to produce these smoke offerings, we should chant “Om Ah Hum.” “Om” is to transform the offerings into an infinite size filling the Universe; “Ah” is to purify the offerings; “Hum” is to enhance Dharma Taste. You also should chant “Lang Yang Kang.” “Lang” is the rising fire; “Yang” is the wind blowing away the smoke being generated; “Kang” disperses the smoke throughout the Universe. To reiterate, while preparing the offering, chant “Om Ah Hum” and
“Lang Yang Kang.” When you are making the actual offering, form the Garuda Mudra. This symbolizes the smoke soaring and flying throughout the Universe undergoing transformations. If you are making the offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, place the censer at the
shrine in front of the deities. If you are making the offering to your karmic enemies and creditors or obstructing ghosts and spirits, place the censer at the balcony where there is air ventilation. You want a well ventilated area so the smoke can circulate outside. At home, you will need open windows in your shrine room. You want the smoke to soar and occupy all empty space.
Similarly, as in our regular practice, we will perform the seven ritual steps: the Great Homage, the Mandala Offering, the Fourfold Refuge, the Armor Protection, the Hundred Syllable Mantra, the Four Immeasurable Vows, and so forth. The Four Immeasurable Vows are as follows: “May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness; this is immeasurable loving-kindness.
May all beings be liberated from suffering and the causes of suffering; this is immeasurable compassion.
May all beings be free of suffering and always stay happy; this is immeasurable joy.
May all beings be free of grasping and aversion and practice equality; this is immeasurable equanimity.” After finishing the seven steps, visualize yourself transforming into the Personal Deity for this practice. The Personal Deity of the Smoke Offering practice is the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The mantra of Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is “Om Mani Padme Hum Seh.” “Seh” is the seed syllable.
When you finish the seven preliminary steps, the smoke will already be rising up, and you can then perform both the visualization and the practice. If you are sitting in front of your shrine, do the smoke visualization in front of the Buddhas.
If you are at the balcony, practice the visualization facing the balcony.
At the start of the Smoke Offering, visualize the manifestation of the Personal Deity: the appearance of a moon disc in the Empty Space before you, the emergence of the seed syllable “Seh” and its transformation into the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. From your heart chakra, a blue colored “Hum” syllable is emitted to transform into a hook that latches onto the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva (from your crown opening) and lowers her to your heart chakra. You then transform into Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. At this moment, you are Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
To recapitulate: When you are done with the seven preliminaries, visualize the moon disc, the seed syllable “Seh” and its transformation into Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in the Empty Space. Then, visualize the seed syllable “Hum” in your heart emitting a blue light to guide and receive the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva to your crown to enter the lotus in your heart.
Gradually this Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva enlarges to the size of your body, and in a snap, you become Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
After becoming Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, you visualize emptiness. The mantra for the emptiness visualization is “Om, si-ba-wa, su-da, sa-er-wa, da-er-ma, si-ba-wa, su-do-hang.” This mantra transforms everything into emptiness. You are Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sitting in emptiness. To strengthen this identity, chant “Om Mani Padme Hum” one hundred and eight times.
While you are dwelling on the vastness of Empty Space, visualize the smoke arising from the censer and filling the vastness of this space. The smoke also transforms into very subtle and wonderful clothing, foods and drinks, tools and equipments, houses, cars, refrigerators, and electrical appliances. All articles for use appear in your visualization: food, utensils and tools, exquisite clothing, and the five kinds of subtle offerings. You may also visualize the manifestation of jewels and gems filling up this Empty Space.
At this time, offer these items engendered in the smoke to all the ghosts, spirits, karmic enemies and creditors, and other beings who have negative affinities with you; so that after accepting your offerings, you will be left without hindrances and obstructions. Your undertakings will then be successful. All your karmic creditors, whether visible or invisible, will be positively influenced by your Smoke Offering.
At this time, while visualizing these offerings, snap your fingers seven times and chant this mantra, “Om, Ah-bu-la-di, Pu-ba-yeh, So-ha.” Chant this mantra seven times accompanied by finger snapping. Chant the mantra once and snap the fingers once. “Om, Ah-bu-la-di, Pu-ba-yeh, So-ha.” Snap once. “Om, Ah-bu-la-di, Pu-ba-yeh, So-ha.” Snap once. Repeat a total of seven times.
And the dedication verse? If you are making offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, then you recite: “These five amazing offerings, I sincerely render to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajra Protectors, and Heavenly Beings through this smoke offering.” If you are making offerings to karmic enemies and creditors, then you recite: “These five amazing offerings, I sincerely render to Incense-Eating Deva Buduga, Kinnara and retinue, Five-Knots Incense-Eating Deva and retinue,
Dragon Kings and Dragon Maidens, Mountain Devas, River Devas, Ocean Devas, and all Bardo beings and suffering beings. May their desires be fulfilled. May all Bardo beings be liberated from fear and suffering. May Buddhas of the Perfect Body bless me to quickly attain realization. Even if the power is not acquired yet, may Buddhas bless me to be delivered, despite all obstacles, by the merits of cultivation. I sincerely practice the supreme dharma.” Finally, chant the Hundred Syllable Mantras three times. This remedies any
deficiencies during the practice. I have read through the liturgies of the Smoke Offering quickly as it is a rather short practice. (Audience applause.) When performing Tantric fire offerings, many practitioners find themselves called upon by fire trucks. Neighbors may become alarmed and notify the fire department since fire offerings generate quite a bit of smoke. Smoke offerings on the other hand offer a better solution and are suitable for individual as well as group practice.
How did this Smoke Offering transmission come about? On my last trip to Taiwan, I visited the Hua-lian Local Chapter and the East Ocean Local Chapter.
At the East Ocean Local Chapter, I was asked to teach this practice, because it is one that can be performed by all students. Fire offerings are more difficult to conduct because their set-up requires more items than smoke offerings and they run the risk of alarming the fire department. This is the reason behind the transmission of the Smoke Offering Practice.
During the offering of smoke, form the Garuda Mudra. The Principal Deity of this practice is the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The liturgy is very simple, but you must make sure that you have all the requisite items. The five colored cloths for example, enable all your karmic enemies and creditors to receive all the beautiful clothing you are offering. For this clothing to be beautiful and elegant, you must have all five colored fabrics. Do not forget the incense -sandalwood incense. Included in the smoke offerings is the five-grained powder.
And why are white sugar and brown sugar required? They allow your creditors a taste of sweetness so that their hatred and enmities will be released.
Why are you failing in your career and your marriage? Why is your reputation suffering? Why is your business failing? These things happen because you have obstructions in both the visible and invisible worlds.
After performing the Smoke Offering, you will satisfy your karmic enemies in the way of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. As for transportation, let me teach you this. You can make a mini Ferrari, quite an expensive car, out of paper and place this in the censer. And houses? Visualize them as clearly as possible. And visualize the five colored cloths weaving themselves into beautiful clothing. As for food, visualize a variety of scrumptious foods appearing within the smoke offering.
Conduct the smoke offering practice to the Buddhas between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. and to the ghosts and spirits between 5p.m. and 9 p.m. In either case, the censer must be placed in a well ventilated area so the smoke can slowly disperse while you engage in the liturgical steps of the Great Homage, the Mandala Offering, the Fourfold Refuge, the Four Immeasurable Vows, the Armor Protection, and so forth.
The purpose of chanting the Four Immeasurable Vows is to offer them (referring to the ghosts and spirits) happiness and the mitigation of suffering, so that your offering will be accepted joyously. You endeavor to offer and bring them satisfaction. This is “loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.” The most important step is to visualize yourself as the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva before making the offering. Although the censer may be small, visualize it to be as vast as the Universe. When the smoke arises, it is transformed into the best kind of offerings, jewels, treasures, and diamonds filling up all of the Empty Space. At this time, form the Garuda Mudra.
Listed here are two different mantras. The first is Tibetan mantra: “Om, Ah-bu-la-di, Pu-ba-yeh, Soha.” The second one is Chinese mantra: “Om, Ah-bu-la-di, Pu-la-yeh, Soha.” The mantras come from two different sources. I cannot say only one of them is correct. You may chant either one of them.
There is the snapping of the fingers seven times. “Seven” symbolizes completion and wholeness. All karmic enemies and creditors are wholly satisfied. Let me now talk about the occurrences at the Transmission of the Kalachakra True Vajrakila Practice in Malaysia. I feel that I had misspoken one sentence during the ceremony. Because of our concerns regarding global warming, I had raised the Kalachakra True Vajrakila and said, “Due to global warming, let’s request Kalachakra to pull the Sun and the Earth slightly apart from each other.”
As a result, we are now having some troubles. Master Chang-ren of the Hong Kong Lotus Light Charity said that mainland China recently experienced the greatest blizzard in fifty years. The United States is also having heavy snow storms in many regions.
Let me say this, leaders and representatives from close to a hundred countries convened in Bali to discuss solutions to global warming. They gathered together to sunbathe, read, sip some coffee, and have some fun. And after many days of meetings and spending a lot of money, the end result was these five words, “Can’t come to a consensus.” I simply picked up the Vajrakila and said, “May the Sun distance itself a tad away from the Earth! Not too much or the oceans will freeze over!” As a result, there has been all this snow this year.
There are many benefits to performing the Smoke Offering. I myself have also conducted the Smoke Offering and although I encountered many obstacles, they were resolved and everything is fine. Wouldn’t you say that I have been dealt with many setbacks? Many! Yet everything is fine now. Why? It’s the Smoke Offering! Through this practice, your problems will be resolved. Also, solutions will come to you rather ingeniously. An obstacle may be right before you blocking your path, but like 007’s car, you will fly over it. If your car falls into the sea, it will become a submarine. When you are cornered, you will transform into a swirl of smoke and escape. Nobody will find you. The Smoke Offering can engender this kind of power.
How long does it take to apply for a green card nowadays? It took me eleven days! Many years ago, my lawyer, Mr. Henry, had told me that the shortest wait would be three to four months. I got mine in eleven days. After practicing the Smoke Offering, the Garuda carried my application to the Immigration Department. My file was actually at the bottom of the pile, but it flew up and rested itself at the top of the pile. The immigration officer was about to write down a new
number on the next application. OK, fine. It was done. Then, in a daze, he hurriedly mailed the approval letter that same night, feeling that it was of utmost importance. It was mailed back to me through regular mail. I got my green card eleven days after sending the application off. (Audience applause.) When Lawyer Henry heard this, he said, “I doubt it.” I brought the approval and the green card to show him. When he saw it, he almost fell off from his chair. It had never happened before. There were many miracles.
When I went for my citizenship interview, Master Lian-huo assisted me.
Invisible beings also helped me. The immigration officer asked me who the President of the United State was. How could I not know that? Even a three year old knew that it was Bush. (Grand Master laughter.) At that time it was Bush senior, not Bush junior. Since I did not know English, I actually answered, “Bu Xi.”
The officer corrected me and said, “George Bush.” Then he asked, “What is the capital city of the United States?” I also knew the answer is Washington D.C.. Right? We have a local chapter in that city. They have been struggling for a very long time to build a Lei Zang Temple there. I was not dumb enough to say “Fei-li-da-fei-ya” (Philadelphia). He asked me some especially easy questions since he knew that I didn’t know much English.
Finally he asked me to write a sentence, and I wrote “I like America.” (Grand Master laughter.) I have been practicing this one sentence for three months. How could I be stumped? You see, I got my citizenship right away.
The trouble is, every time I return from an overseas trip, I have trouble understanding the immigration officer’s English. As one might expect, the answers to their questions are, “I went to Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia....” Sometimes they may ask me if I have brought in ten thousand US dollars. This I
can understand, because it is about money. I responded, “No! No!” They ask, “You have fruits?” “No! No!” “You have a gun?” “No! No! You have but not me.” (Grand Master laughter) I can only communicate with them in these simple English sentences. Consequently, each time the immigration officer would say to me, “welcome back” and stamp my form (for approval to United States entry).
It is true that I am a college graduate, but during my college years I disliked memorizing English vocabulary. I preferred studying math because it was not so much about rote memory. That is why I know limited English words. Shi-mu knows many English words. After arriving at United States, I started watching TV to learn English and would then go to the bars.
One time a bar tender asked me, “Are you marred?” “I am married,” I told him. “No good,” he replied. (Grand Master laughter) Now when my car breaks down, I drive it to the repair shop and tell them, “My car is no good.” “Where no good?” “I don’t know. You check everything. Change oil and check everything.”
“You don’t know?” “Check everything and change oil.” That is all I could say. He would then help me check everything. I know how to drive. I know how to make hotel reservations. When I go to the airport, I would say, “I want the seat number and what time the airplane fly? And what gate? What time? And my seat number.” As long as I know how to obtain information for these three matters, I can fly aboard to anywhere.
When I go to restaurants, although I cannot read English, I would say, “This one, this one, this one.” I could say, “Soup. What kind of soup? What kind the soup of day? I want this soup.” Then I would order the main course, beef, fish, or duck. Just one of these few selections.
If I were to order soup, I would not order salad. If I were to not order soup, I would order Caesar salad. “What kind of dressing?” “Range (Ranch).” Each time the waiter asks me about eggs, I would say “over easy.” (Grand Master laughter) “Beef cook?” I would say, “medium-well.” Shi-mu says that I need to purse my lips further so that others can understand me. “Medium well.” (Grand Master purses his lips and laughs) “What kind of toast? White toast?” “Wood (Wheat).”
Shi-mu says that “wood” is more nutritious than white. There is also “hash brown.” This is how I memorize words in English. I render the term into some sensible Chinese to help me memorize it. So “hash brown” becomes “Ba Brown Hai-si” (doing Brown some harm) in Chinese, and then I reverse it to make it Hai-si Brown (hash brown). (Grand Master laughter) When one can say these words for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, one can survive in United States!
Also, every night, when it is bedtime, I could say, “I want sleeping.” How come I remember the word “sleeping” so well? Because this was how I rendered it into Chinese, “si-zai-ping-ze-li (die inside the bottle).” (Grand Master laughter) This is my American life. This is the method I use to help myself learn English.
When Shi-mu said “banana,” she saw that my notation next to the word was “bai-nai-nai (white bosom).” I have to think of “bai-nai-nai” before I can recall banana.
And pineapple? Pineapple becomes “pa-lau-po (henpecked).” Frankly, I have never been afraid of Shi-mu. I am now telling all students that Grand Master is the only one in the world who is not “pineapple.” I always say this in public. What happens at home afterwards is a different matter.
So the “love” that Master Lian-bao talked about earlier does not exist. In the absolute sense, love is non-existent. We can only act in accordance with our conscience. This is what a practitioner does. Sun Yat-sun spoke of universal love, Jesus spoke of universal love, but I do not speak about universal love. I simply talk about using our best conscience to benefit other beings.
Conduct the Smoke Offering and all your obstacles will be resolved. I have had many obstacles resolved. Every single karmic enemy or creditor coming before me accepts my offerings and departs. This is a very important practice. By making offerings to all ghosts and spirits and all karmic enemies and creditors, all obstacles in our path will recede and vanish. The Eight Supernatural Beings of Devas and Nagas will descend to protect and support you. I hope that after conducting this practice, every one of you will eliminate all obstacles and succeed in cultivation. Whether you are a home practitioner, a monk or a nun, if you have any supplications, do this Smoke Offering.
I also invite the communities in Seattle, if there are any wishes from us, to let us know, and we will try our best to fulfill these wishes. And the Chinatown here, as long as they make their wishes known to us, we will do our best to do something about it. (Audience applause.) The important point here is, as a spiritual practitioner, to first help all karmic enemies and creditors recede so that you will achieve success in your spiritual practice. It is my blessing to everyone that all be auspicious. May auspiciousness be with you in daytime, night time, and all hours of the day. May there be Great Auspiciousness at all times.
Om Mani Padme Hum. (Audience applause.)
Smoke Offering Practice Teaching (17th Feb 2008) Smoke Offering Practice, Five Sublime Offerings of Food, Clothes, Residence, Means of Travel, and Happiness
[A discourse by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu after the Yamantaka Homa at the Rainbow Villa in Redmond, Washington on February 17, 2008.] -Translated by Lian -hu a Zhi-wei -Edited by Jaso n Y u -Proofread by Imel da Tan Homage to Reverend Liao Ming, Vajra Guru Sakya Zheng-kong, His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, and Vajra Guru Thubten Dargye. Homage to the homa’s Principle Deity Yamantaka. Homage to the Triple Jewels of the shrine mandala.
Master Lian-xiang, every Acharya/Vajra Master, Reverend, Senior Reverend, Dharma Instructor, Dharma Assistant, fellow school members, along with all the honored guests. May everything be auspicious for everyone.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin Bodhisattva) and Yamantaka had descended respectively into the shrines at Seattle Lei Zang Temple’s Avalokitesvara Ceremony yesterday and Rainbow Villa’s Yamantaka Homa today. Hence, both ceremonies were very extraordinary. Today, many of the honored guests from yesterday’s Avalokitesvara ceremony along with new guests have joined us at the Rainbow Villa. Let us welcome all the honored guests.
Perhaps I was overly excited after finishing my talk yesterday because this senior citizen had a hard time falling asleep. Tossing and turning in bed, I kept thinking, why can’t I fall asleep? I thought about it for a while and it came to me. It was because Vajra Master Lian-bao said to me, "Old people sit in the back." I felt really uncomfortable being called old. (Grandmaster laughed) Of course, Grandmaster was born with two very short legs. Being malnourished, I just
never grew very tall. There is nothing that can be done about that. So today, I am intentionally wearing a taller hat and it made me feel taller as I was leaving my residence. I wanted to tell Acharya/Vajra Master Lian-bao, "Don’t feel that you are very young just because you have a new baby boy. You are about the same age as me!" I feel that recently Acharya/Vajra Master Lian-bao has been in a very good mood, very joyful, and very happy. I was thinking, can a person be considered a young man just because he has had a new baby
boy? This old-timer just can’t take this lying down. I really wanted to show him up. But, tossing and turning in bed for a long time, I thought that Vajra Master Lian-xiang is still around, so forget it. I’ll let him win this one! Of course, this is a joke. But I urged Acharya/Vajra Master Lian-bao, please don’t always have this big grin on your face. This happiness of your is a private joy. Yet, you keep grinning at us, and it’s affecting us emotionally.
Speaking of exuberant smiles, Chuan-fang Chen told a funny joke. Three people died, and when they were taken to the funeral home, people noticed the happy expression on these three dead people’s faces -- they were all smiling.
The people in the funeral home thought that this was very strange, and asked what happened to the first dead person. Why was he so happy when he died? It turns out that when he was getting old, he went to Mainland China to start a new business, and married a very young wife. On his wedding night, he was way too excited that he died, so that’s why he has a big smile on his face. What’s the story with the second dead person? It turned out he had won a lottery jackpot.
He felt like he was floating on air and he lost all sense of direction. He was still thrilled when he walked into the middle of the road where he was run over by a car, so that’s why he has a big smile on his face. What happened to the third dead guy? The third dead person was struck by lightning. He was mountain climbing and suddenly there were flashes of light. He thought someone was taking a picture of him, so he smiled as he was struck by lightning. That’s why he has a big smile on his face. Chuan-fang Chen told me this joke.
Yamantaka Practice has Three Levels of Accomplishments and Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment Today we conducted the Yamantaka homa ceremony. Yamantaka is an incredibly great Dharma Protector, and is also Grandmaster’s root Dharma Protector. Yamantaka has nine heads, representing the nine levels of Vajrayana cultivation. His front face is black and is in the form of a buffalo with two horns.
One horn represents the Generation Stage while the other horn represents the Completion Stage. He has thirty-four arms and hands, which all form the Tarjani (Karana) Mudra. Add his body, speech, and mind to the thirty-four arms, and you have thirty-seven. Overall, these are called the Three Great Accomplishments and Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment. He also has sixteen legs symbolizing the sixteen states of emptiness.
Yamantaka is the wrathful manifestation of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Long ago in Tibet, a holy saint revived himself as the Lord of Death, Yama, after he was murdered. Unleashing his wrath, he took the lives of many Tibetan people and threatened to kill off the rest. To subdue Yama, Manjushri Bodhisattva formed an emanation in the image of Yama, only infinitely fiercer and more mighty. This emanation is Yamantaka, who subdued Yama. If you practice the Yamantaka sadhana, the merits would be enormous, because the Lord of Death, Yama, was
conquered by Yamantaka and became his subordinate. Therefore, if you were to practice his sadhana, you can gain mastery over your natural life and death, and extend your life expectancy.
It’s a shame that several acharyas/vajra masters have already passed away rather young. Originally, when I conducted the Kalachakra ceremony for the first time in Hong Kong, I saw that the color of an attending vajra master was poor because there wasn’t much light emitting from his body. I asked him, "Do you know Yamantaka’s mantra?" and he couldn’t answer. He had never received the Yamantaka empowerment nor did he know Yamantaka’s mantra. If he had devotedly chanted Yamantaka’s mantra, the Lord of Death would not be able to take him away, even to this day, so this is a shame.
Sometimes Grandmaster will tell everyone that although you haven’t cultivated a particular practice, you should still chant the heart mantra of that deity. So even if you don’t cultivate the Yamantaka Sadhana, you can still chant his mantra, and it can generate many merits and benefits. For example, not all Tibetans practice Vajrayana, but they still chant Om Mani Padme Hum, or the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s mantra.
Amitabha Buddha, Amitayus Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Yamantaka, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva -- they are all related. Amitabha Buddha transformed into Amitayus Buddha. His attendants are Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva; Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva also manifested as White Tara as well as Green Tara. On the other hand, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva can manifest as Red Tara. Amitabha Buddha and Manjushri Bodhisattva are also related. Manjushri Bodhisattva manifested as Yamantaka. So if you achieved yogic union in cultivating any one of their sadhanas, you could undoubtedly go to Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Grandmaster Got a Perfect Score on His Road Test Yesterday when I was teaching the Smoke Offering Practice, I went over it very quickly, and it was over just like that. The main points were all mentioned.
We don’t know if today’s honored guests are from the Pan Blue or the Pan Green camp (the two opposing sides in Taiwanese politics -- the 2008 Taiwanese Presidential election was only about five weeks away at the time of the talk). I am going to share a joke that was told to me by Chuan-fang Chen. It is a political joke, and it goes like this: “The President of a country took part in the festivities on Children’s Day. One of the events involved splashing water, like Thailand’s water festival. You sing a song while splashing water, and everyone is happy. To be close to his people, the President joined
in the fun with the children to splash water. After the water was splashed on the President, the President angrily exclaimed, "How could you splash this on me?" The Presidential aides tried to smooth the matter over by telling the President that splashing water is part of this event, and that this is how you join in the fun with the people. The President informed them that the children were using hot water!”
This was the joke that Chuang-fang Chen told me. I don’t know if this President was a man or woman or which country’s president is in the joke, so it has nothing to do with me. If you have any questions, go ask Chuan-fang Chen.
This simplified Smoke Offering practice is very good. Before this ceremony, I was at the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple for a week giving divination and guidance. My heart was saddened when I saw that many students who came for guidance were severely ill.
I thought to myself, why are sentient beings’ karma for illnesses so severe?
Why is there no remedy to free them of these diseases? Some people’s illnesses are just like the saying, "You are what you eat."
I know I don’t speak very good English. On the subject of speaking English, I often think back to my early days in America. Do you know how I passed the road test to get my driver’s license? Do you know how I took the test? The road test administrator told me what he wanted me to do several times during the road test, but I just couldn’t understand what he said. I tried to come up with a solution, so I told him, "My name is Sheng-yen Lu. I’m just new coming," so he would know that I was new to the country. "I speak English just a little. Please, you say slow." Speaking slowly, he understood that sentence.
But no matter how hard he tried to tell me what to do, I still couldn’t understand him, so I told him, "I write down the pictures." The first picture that I drew was "10 Miles Stop." The second picture was "Change lane." The third picture was "parallel parking." The fourth picture was "parking in reverse." The fifth picture was "parking on a hill." For that picture, I drew a slanted car and that was my parking on a hill. I drew them all. "I write down the picture, you see?
What kind you like? You tell me."
The road test administrator was very happy and said ok! He must have thought to himself "Today I’ve actually met someone who needs diagrams to pass a road test." After that I started my driving test. He pointed at the first picture "10 Miles Stop," and then I knew to come to a stop after driving ten miles.
Then he showed me the second picture, "Change lane" and so I signaled for a lane change and did a shoulder check. He said it was well done. Then it was parallel parking. Parallel parking took me a long time to learn. I drove my car
parallel to the first car, then reversed in half way, turning the steering wheel until it couldn’t turn any further, and slowly slid in. Parallel parking. He said "Good."
Then, I had to perform reverse parking with 90-degree turn. For parking on a hill, I also parked with same method. Then, I had to turn the wheels to brace the curb and pull the hand brake to prevent the car from rolling backward.
I got a perfect score. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas helped inspiring me with the idea of drawing pictures. By doing this, I passed my driving test. Later, I also passed my green card and then my citizenship test. It was just like this, very easy.
Cultivate the Smoke Offering Practice, Enabling Success and Good Health Let’s discuss the Smoke Offering. What is the advantage of Smoke Offering? I’ve found that people not only have tangible hindrances, but they also have formless hindrances as well. All forms are illusory. Shakyamuni Buddha had taught that, "All appearances are delusion." The real obstructions are karmic hindrances you’ve
accumulated over your countless previous past reincarnated lives. They are your past karmic creditors (all the people and living beings that you have offended, harmed, persecuted, injured, or killed in your numerous previous lives). If they are currently reincarnated as gods or ghosts, they will look for you. Even though you may be healthy, you need to be careful with what you eat and drink, and you have to exercise -- this is common knowledge.
However, if these formless past creditors find you, they will cause you to get sick or have cancer. It is not that if you watch what you eat, you won’t get cancer. If you are depressed, you can also get cancer. If you are moping around all day with all these anxieties and worries, your body’s immune system will be weakened and you can develop cancer. Thus your state of mind will affect your body. The formless still can influence that which has form. So, this Smoke Offering is a very important practice.
You body will get sick. When you are sick, you should perform the Smoke Offering, but you should also perform this practice when you are not sick. Those who can do a fire offering (homa) should do a fire offering. Those who can do feast offering (called tsok in Tibetan) should do feast offering. If you can do water offering, then do water offering. These are all types of offering practices.
However, this Smoke Offering practice is specially for making offering to past [[[karmic]]] creditors, gods and ghosts. The offerings items are just some incense sticks, some powders of five grains, fabrics of five colors, white and red sugars, and some milk powder. Mix them together into powder cake and allow to air-dry. When these items are dried and ready, you can use them for smoke offering.
Why would this offering make gods and ghosts happy? There are a couple of reasons. When you chant the mantra, "OM AH HUM," this means that first you had transformed these small amount of offerings into abundant offerings.
The OM syllable will transform the small offering into a great abundance to fill up the entire Universe. This “Om” is the Universe. “Ah” is purity. This “Ah” syllable purifies the offering. “Hum” transforms them into dharma flavor. The fabrics become very fine clothing, the powders of five grains become very delicious food, the incense powders become very sublime perfume,
and the sugar transforms bitterness into happiness, turning bitterness into sweetness. In Taiwan, we have a saying, eat something sweet, and have a new baby boy next year. This is an endearing way of wishing you to achieve your goal successfully, to turn a bad situation into a good one. The milk is to pacify all misfortunes. The color of milk is white and pure. It pacifies all misfortunes.
So, when you chant "Om Ah Hum" and "Lang Yang Kang," although the amount of Smoke Offering is small, these mantras transform into the offering into great abundance. By performing this practice, all the illnesses, bad karmas, god and ghosts, those spirits, which came to harm you, they will all receive your offerings and accept your offering. It is hard to bite the hand that feeds you, that’s what this means. Of course, this is not a bribe -- we performed these offerings sincerely. The offering’s goal is to request the karmic creditors not to harm you.
They originally came to seek reparations, but they will leave you now because you performed this offering. Thus, you business will flourish, your restaurant will be jam-packed, your supervisors will give you raises, you will be healthy, and you will be in a good mood. Those who hate you will adore you, and you will gain their respect. You were originally sick, and now you will gradually get better. If you weren’t sick, you will be healthier. This is the benefit of performing the Smoke Offering Practice.
The Smoke Offering practice can also to be used to make offering to the Buddhas. The Smoke Offering for Buddhas can be performed between 5 AM to 9 AM. Offering to gods and ghosts is done between 5 PM to 9 PM.
I have also already explained about the incense burner. For rectangular incense burner, the offering powder cake (dough) should be made into an elongated shape. If you roll your offering into a round shape, then use the type of round type burner that I used for the practice yesterday. Kindle the offerings like this. After you kindle the offering, you can start a group Smoke Offering as well.
You can even use alms bowls, the alms bowls of monks and nuns, as the incense burner (offering container and burner). Or you can also use the Buddhist ching bell as the incense burner. As I have already explained earlier, the things you have to prepare are some incense powders, five grains powders, fabrics of five colors, brown and white sugar, some milk powder. Mix them together into a powder cake, and bake them dry. When these offerings are completely dry and combustible, use an incense stick to kindle it. Then, you can start the practice.
The Golden Winged Garuda Mudra Signifies the Smoke is Soaring in the Air Yesterday, I explained that this Smoke Offering practice has to be performed at an area where air can circulate. Students from Singapore have said that their residences don’t have balconies. Then, you should open your windows and perform the practice facing toward the windows.
I mentioned the principle deity of yesterday’s ceremony was the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s mantra is "Om Mani Padme Hum Seh." This syllable "Seh" doesn’t sound good in English. It sounds like you are cussing at someone "shit on you." That is not good. In reality, this "Seh" is a mantra syllable in Vajrayana.
What good is this "Seh"? It is a mantra! It is Amitabha Buddha and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s seed syllable. Starting from a moon disc, a "Seh" syllable transforms into Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. You need to know the Merging of the Self and Deity contemplation. Of course, before hand, you should perform the Great Homage, Great Offering, the Four-fold Refuge, the Armor Protection, and chant the Hundred-Syllable Mantra. You may also chant the High King Sutra. After you performed all these rituals, you can start to practice the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara practice.
Cultivate until you merge yourself with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Merging of the Self and Deity contemplation with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva).
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has many mudras. One mudra has a thumb on the inside and a thumb on the outside, This is another one of Avalokitesvara’s mudras. Avalokitesvara also has the lotus flower mudra, some are partially blossomed, fully blossomed, and there is also a closed lotus flower mudra.
These are all Avalokitesvara’s mudras. There is also the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara mudra. Your hands join like this, or open like this. These signify many arms. This is the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara mudra.
Avalokitesvara has many mudras, you may use any one of them. When you merge as one with Avalokitesvara during the practice, then you can start performing the Smoke Offering practice. So, you can add on the Smoke Offering practice to the Principle Deity practice.
Now, you can start this Smoke Offering. After kindling the fire and the smoke starts to rise, you have to visualize your container. Chant the Emptiness Visualization Mantra , "Om si-ba-wa su-da sa-er-wa da-er-ma si-ba-wa su-duo hang." This is the Emptiness Visualization mantra. It represents the entire empty space of the universe. You should visualize your Smoke Offering becoming a great offering, as endless as the infinite empty space. Then, visualize the emerging smoke transforming into the five sublime offerings, all the
things that gods and ghosts would favor such as the seven jewels and the eight treasures. You need to visualize them. Visualize the mansions that gods and ghosts would love. It doesn’t matter how big it may be, you need to visualize them. Visualize cars like Ferrari sport cars filling the infinite empty space.
Visualize the best food, some greens vegetable, these are less expensive. You can also visualize abalone and shark fins! Just visualize the most expensive food, swiftlet nest, and lobsters, etc. Let them eat the best food. I heard that one vajra master has this expression on his face that he only eats abalone and shark fins. It is as if everywhere he goes, school members must give him offerings of abalone and shark fins. It is always on his face, like that is the only thing he would eat. So, everyone just call him abalone-and-shark-fin vajra master.
For these five sublime offerings, offer them with the very best. Next time, when you make offerings to an acharya/vajra master, you can just use this practice to make the offering! Use this Smoke Offering to transform [the smoke] into the five sublime offerings of food, clothing, residence, means of travel, and joy. This offering includes them all, including even the offering of joy.
Then, form the great Golden-Winged Garuda Mudra. The garuda represents smoke because the garuda can soar into the sky. This mudra is very easy to remember because it resembles flying! The smoke is soaring like the garuda, flying to all corners of the Universe, and to all of gods and ghosts who will receiving your offering.
When you have completed the act of offering, you have to chant a mantra, this is the completion of offering mantra. "Om Ah-bu-la-di Pu-ba-ye Soha" -- chant one time and snap your fingers once. Repeat this seven times. Chanting the mantra and snapping your fingers seven times represent perfect completion.
Why do you need to snap your fingers? If there are gods and ghosts who are sleeping when you are making the offering, you will wake them up when you snap your fingers. The snapping of fingers symbolizes that you want to make an offering to them.
The Dedication of the Smoke Offering Practice Can Be Simple and Easy to Understand
With regard to the dedication, many people expressed the concern that they can’t remember the dedication recited by Grandmaster! Then, I will just recite it slowly again. Everybody listen carefully: "Making this five sublime offering to Gandharva King “Buduga”, Kinnara Kings and his retinue Five hair-knots Gandharva Kings and his retinue Naga Kings and its retinue Gods of mountain, water, and the seas, Especially all those beings who lost their previous bodies
and are not yet reborn Currently passing through the bardo state All those who reside in suffering and sorrow Wishing to obtain sublime wondrous offerings Those of you in the bardo state must awaken There is liberation from this fear and suffering Emulate the Buddha and attain his perfect emanation form Vow to swiftly realize the Buddha’s enlightenment Even if you do not have the power to do so now Nor the ability to be reborn in a good realm Vow to practice and follow the highest true dharma Vow to use this blessing power Eliminate all your previous hindrances The four great sufferings are like crashing waves Vow to rescue all sentient beings in the Saha world."
Trying to recite this entire dedication is a bit troublesome. We could say this dedication in plain language, and I am good at speaking in plain language.
You could say:
“This smoke offering is an offering to all gods and ghosts.
Making offering to all my past karmic creditors and enemies, Making offering to all my creditors, both with and without form, Enable them to gain fulfillment and happiness.
Hoping my karmic creditors will leave me alone Go far away I hope all my karmic creditor’s cultivation will be successful.
I hope all their sorrows turn into happiness.
Then I can have peace and good fortune.
Enjoy good health and cultivate diligently.
This doesn’t have to be complicated as though are speaking in a foreign tongue. In actuality, the long dedication and this plain language version is praying for the same thing. "Pray my offerings to all gods and ghosts, offering to all the karmic creditors and angry past associates. Please don’t keep collecting on old debts! I am repaying you all of it now, so I can live in peace and good health, and diligently cultivate. I hope you follow my example and learn Buddha-dharma, chant Buddha’s name and achieve accomplishment. I will be able to be reborn in the Pure Land. You all can also be reborn in the Pure Land as well.
It can be like this example. This is even simpler. You know that this is the offering to all karmic creditors and all gods and ghosts. Dharma Practice Halls Exist Between Heaven and the Earth Yesterday, I mentioned Xian-zheng Song. He is an accomplished cultivator. He is planning to build the Three Wheel Lei Zang Temple in Dallas. He is not seeking donations. He owns the land himself and plans to use his own means to build his own Lei Zang Temple. I named this temple Three Wheel Lei Zang Temple.
Don’t take these “three wheel” as the three wheels of a tricycle. The term “three wheel” signifies the three turnings of the dharma wheel by the Buddha, and hence it is named Three Wheel. He is a great sponsor of Buddhism.
Originally, he was cultivating at Seattle. He left and continued to cultivate privately. You see his accomplishment is pretty good. So, I hope True Buddha students don’t put all their energy into building temples. We should build temples because it allows fellow cultivators to join together for group cultivation, and for good merits. However, these temples (dharma practice halls) exist between the Heaven and Earth, and do not belong to anybody.
Grandmaster has said that although I am officially the abbot of Taiwan Lei Zang temple, that is really a honorary title. Vajra Master Lian-zhe is its acting abbot. All the executive, personnel, and financial decisions are made by the administrative staff at the Taiwan Lei Zang Temple. I don’t deal with any of these matters. On financial terms, the assets of Taiwan Lei Zang Temple such as temple property and the building structure should be worth around $100 Million Taiwan Dollars (approximately $3.13 million USD).
If I were really a greedy person, one hundred million dollars is great!
Everyone knows that Chuan-fang Chen has said, "Money, it doesn’t come with you and you can’t take it with you. But, everyone still loves it."
If Grandmaster really loves money, I should go back to Taiwan Lei Zang Temple declaring that I am the abbot of temple, so the acting abbot and the assistant abbots can all take a break. All of this is mine! I should go look at all the big gold foiled plated temple columns, I should have such a joy in my heart that I need to hug them all. Those columns are too big to put your arms around.
They are seven stories tall! The bodhisattva statues are seven stories tall as well.
I should be ecstatic. I should be extremely happy. Look at the Amitabha Buddha statue, the more you look at it, the more dignified it is. I really should take it home with me. However, I can’t budge it, nor can I move it.
Although everything is legally under my name, it really belongs to this great earth. Can a person live longer than how long a Lei Zang Temple can last? If you out last the Lei Zang Temple, then eat it as cake. However, your life span will not out last Lei Zang Temple! It really belongs to the great earth, you have to have an open mind about material possessions.
Chuan-fang Chen said that she is really carefree these day. She doesn’t desire anything now. She asked me, "Grandmaster, based on your observation, how is my cultivation progressing lately?" I took a look and said, "Oh! Your joke telling ability is getting better and better. I discovered that all four big moms have very good level of cultivation and are progressing very well. One of them has already merged with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. One of them can go to the Pure Land.
Another one of them can go to heaven. Another one of the moms will become a president. All their cultivations have progressed and their accomplishments are all very good."
Understand the Key of Vajrayana Practice, Cultivate Practice to Achieve Accomplishment
Cultivating the Smoke Offering practice can aid efforts in worldly enterprises or letting go of mundane pursuit to become enlightened. You should know that this practice is basically a resource accumulation practice. Smoke Offering is a resource accumulation practice and a very good practice, especially for personal cultivation. I will now give a general overview of Vajrayana practices. Those of you who understand, you’ll understand. If you don’t, then you
don’t. Vajrayana practice - at the brow point (or ajna chakra) there is a "Han" seed syllable (note: this is Sanskrit that is pronounced like the Chinese word “Han”) and four fingers width below the navel chakra there is a half "Ah" seed syllable. After being blown by the wind or qi, the Inner Fire (Tibetan: tummo) will be generated. There is a blue "Hum" seed syllable in your heart. This "Hum" seed syllable will transform into your principle deity. After the principle deity has been bathed in both the Inner Fire and drops in succession, it will become your "illusory body."
If you can cultivate in your dream, you can become proficient with the Dream Yoga. You will be able to cultivate in your dreams. Join into union with the clear light and you become the Clear Light. Then, seal off the eight openings, leaving only one opening open. Strive to push out your consciousness and heart’s prana using the wind. This is Phowa (Consciousness Transference). After you exit your body, you will see your principle deity. If you merge with
your principle deity as one, this is "parakaya pravesha." I just covered, Inner Fire, Illusory Body, Dream Yoga, Clear Light, Phowa, and bardo body. If you understand what I just said, if you have the illusory body, you can use your illusory body and go directly to the Buddha Pure Land using your own power. Directly become the Buddha using your illusory body -- this is called achieving Buddhahood in the present body.
If you did not attain the illusory, you have to visualize your principle deity to be seated on your head, your central channel linked to the principle deity’s central channel. You move the wind that you have cultivated upward. Push your consciousness into the consciousness of the principle deity. Push your consciousness into the principle deity’s central channel and become one with the principle deity. When the principle deity goes to the Pure Land, you enter the Pure Land.
If you cannot attain the illusory body and cannot merge with the principle deity, you will only have the bardo body. Then you have to learn the Phowa practice (Consciousness Transference practice) quickly. You must remember to recite mantra, visualize your principle deity appearing, and merge into your principle deity; then, you use Phowa. If you want to be a president, a future president, then you must learn visualization. Use your visualization to find the woman who will be the mother of a future president. After you have found her, your bardo body must enter into her womb. This is call parakaya pravesha. After you enter her womb and assume the vessel, you will be born to this mother of the future president, and then you are destined to become a future president. This is called parakaya pravesha.
Most normal people’s bardo bodies don’t have enough power, and thus they cannot decide their own fate. They can only attach themselves onto a butterfly.
They attach their bardo bodies onto the butterfly flying by and fly to their relatives’ shoulders. The relatives should not kill these butterflies because maybe the spirits of their grandfathers or grandmothers are attached on the wings of these butterflies. Sometime, the bardo body of the dead will attach themselves on other insects. When you are performing a deliverance rite, sometimes an insect that you haven’t seen before will suddenly climb onto your offering table.
While I was performing a deliverance rite once, a bug showed up and was crawling in the room. The deceased person’s relatives saw the bug and were going to kill it. I told them, "Hold off. It’s your brother!" Their brother’s bardo body attached itself onto the insect and came back to see them. This is a form of parakaya pravesha. But, this kind of taking possession of a vessel is the lowest form. They can only attach themselves onto an insect or butterfly. They can’t attach themselves onto a bird and fly back to see their families. They will leave after seeing you. Don’t harm it.
Advanced vajrayana practitioners know this kind of practice. Some people want to be born into Bill Gates’ family. Then, as soon as you die, your bardo body must find his wife and enter into her womb to become their child. When you are reborn, you would be Bill Gates’s son and then you would be born rich.
To do this, you must have sufficient cultivation, and then you can control your own destiny. If you want to be reborn in the Pure Land, you are reborn in the Pure Land. If you want to become a Buddha, you become a Buddha. If you want to reincarnate to become a president, you reincarnate and become a president. If you want to reincarnate into a rich family, then reincarnate into a rich family. You can go wherever you want to go - this is an achievement of Vajrayana cultivation.
In a moment, I will be giving the Yamantaka empowerment. I will ask one of the True Buddha Foundation vajra masters to write down the sadhana for the Smoke Offering practice. After I approve it, everyone can follow this sadhana to practice. I think everyone already knows the basics. We have cultivated the
principle deity practice for so long now! You are only adding on a Smoke Offering. For the mantra that you will chant seven times in this practice. Let’s chant "Om Ah-bu-la-di Pu-ba-ye Soha," Don’t chant "Om Ah-Bu-La-Di Bu-La-Ya Soha." Just chant "Om Ah-bu-la-di Pu-ba-ye Soha" and write up a standard Smoke Offering procedure. That way everyone will perform the same practice.
You can also continue to chant the High King Sutra.
I will give out the Yamantaka empowerment shortly. Although you may not cultivate the Yamantaka practice, you still can chant the Yamantaka mantra. This will enhance your longevity. Those of you who attended today are fortunate.
As long as you know the Yamantaka mantra and often devotedly recite it, you will be free from many illnesses and live a long life.
Smoke Offering Practice Teaching (15th Mar 2008) Miraculous Results of Smoke Offering
[A discourse by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng at Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple, Redmond, Washington, after Saturday Group Practice on March 15th 2008.] -Translated by Janny Chow Edited by Christine Chan
With reverence, we pay homage to Reverend Liao-ming, Guru Sakya Zheng-kong, Guru Thubten Dargye, His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa, and the Triple Jewels at the shrine.
Ritual Master (Master Lian-man), Shi-mu, masters, dharma instructors, lamas, fellow students, and students from across the internet, greetings to all of you.
Earlier, Lama Lian-bai sang two songs for us. Master Lian-man, in addition to his discourse on singing, also spoke of the first dharma teaching trip he had made with me. During that trip to Europe, as soon as he was picked up from the airport, he was brought immediately to a venue to give a talk. Since he had not had a chance to rest, he was tired and afterwards had no idea what he had talked about. Additionally, Master Lian-man is Cantonese, so his Mandarin was hard for people to understand.
Wu Nian and Wu Zhu
Lama Lian-bai sang two songs. The first song was about reminiscing, and the second song was about helping sentient beings --- what the lyrics “Amitabha in the World” refer to.
Let’s first talk about the subject of reminiscing or “thinking.” Each one of us has thoughts. Thoughts about the past, present, and future, as well as thoughts one may not have wanted to think about, emerge out of the blue. Every human being lives amidst thoughts unless the brain is no longer functional and one can no longer think.
A comatose patient with any sign of brain activity has thoughts. Only one whose brain activity has completely gone has no thought. Alternatively, if you happened to be walking in a dark alley and someone came up behind you and
whacked your skull with a wooden stick or steel hammer causing you to fell and lose consciousness, at such a moment, you are also without thought!
Let’s ask the master (referring to Master Lian-han) who has previously discussed the idea of “No Thought” to stand up. Here he is. (audience applause). During one exchange with me, he wrote down two words “wu nian” (No Thought).
That was all he wrote. I told him that what he wrote was right. But later I chased after him to say, “That statement should come with a qualifier. That is, one can have many thoughts, but when none impacts you, that is No Thought.” When the Buddha talked about the state of No Thought, he was not talking about being brain dead. Neither was he talking about being knocked unconscious. True No Thought refers to a state where there are billions of thoughts arising, yet these thoughts have no impact on your inherent pure Buddha Mind. This is then true No Thought.
Master Lian-han has also written these two words, “wu zhu” (Not Abiding Anywhere). Again I chased after him to tell him, “Not abiding anywhere does not mean you are going to roam the streets.” In Taiwan we call the homeless “people who regard the streets as their friends.” This is not what “wu zhu” means. “Wu zhu” means that whatever circumstance you are in, it has no impact on your pure Buddha Mind.
We have all heard the Buddhist phrases “wu nian, wu zhu, wu xiang” (No Thought, No Abiding, No Image) and make references to them. But, it is useless to mention these phrases without actualizing them. In “wu nian,” not one thought has any impact on your pure Buddha Mind. In “wu zhu,” not one circumstance has any impact on your Buddha Mind.
When one is dealt many defeats or faces many stressors, one becomes depressed. This is a sickness sentient beings fall prey to. Lama Lian-bai sang a song about “thinking” and this is exactly what I would like to address today --- cultivating the state of “No Thought.” Having thoughts is natural, and as long as these thoughts do not pollute your pure Buddha Nature, you are free.
Successful Responses from Smoke Offerings Secondly, Master Lian-han spoke about helping sentient beings in the world. This is not an easy task. The Buddha has employed many expedient methods to help people of this world. Many expedient methods also exist in Tantrayana, like the Smoke Offering I transmitted recently. Many people have had positive responses from doing this practice that result in reinforcement of one’s faith. With stronger faith, you will engage in your practice more earnestly.
When Ms Organic, our translator at the temple, practiced her first Smoke Offering to bring enjoyment to all her karmic enemies, creditors, and friends, she had a
good response. She had a vision and found that many people have descended upon her living room, wearing beautiful clothes and enjoying gourmet foods.
They drove expensive cars and then returned to luxurious homes. It was like there was a huge party going on.
In Taiwan, another student, Hsu Hung-chun, whom Lama Lian-zhi is very familiar with, also had a positive response from the Smoke Offering practice.
When I was living in seclusion in Taiwan, if I had even the slightest physical ailment, dharma brother Hsu Hung-chun, who owns a pharmacy and is knowledgeable about many medicines, would bring me remedies. This time Hsu Hung-chun, his wife, and his child came to Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple to receive the Smoke Offering Empowerment personally from me. When he returned to Taiwan, he immediately started the practice and on the day he conducted his first Smoke Offering practice at the pharmacy, business tripled.
When he took a day off from doing the practice, business would return to normal.
Business owners must be happy to hear this and look forward to performing the Smoke Offering to bring in more business.
In fact, every time dharma brother Hsu does the Smoke Offering, many invisible beings are helping him. These beings are wishing to repay this pharmacist who has given them such good offerings. When an individual walks past the pharmacy, whether or not he may have been ill, he may suddenly find his throat scratchy and want to enter to purchase some cough medicine. Or, a sudden draft may make a pedestrian feel like he is coming down with a cold or feel as if he had
sprained a limb so that he will go inside to get cold medicine, pain pills, or ointment. Or someone walking by may suddenly remember that he needed to refill his medicine cabinet. So, every time dharma brother Hsu practices the Smoke Offering, his business improves by three times. So, although the steps may be simple, this Smoke Offering Practice is indeed no simple matter! (Grand Master laughter.) When you receive responses from doing the practice, your faith will be reinforced.
More Responses from Smoke Offering – Healing and Litigation Dismissal Dharma brother Lianhua Wentao is a student in China who used to be in the business of manufacturing fireworks. Most of the fireworks people light on the fourth of July are made in China, and he used to have a very good business exporting his products to the United States. Now, due to the many accidents caused by fireworks, many states have banned their sales. After the resulting decline in
business, he switched to selling calling cards. He also came to Redmond recently to receive the Smoke Offering Empowerment directly from me. Upon arriving home, he started conducting the Smoke Offering practice and soon after, he saw a karmic enemy standing next to him, receiving the offering from him, and leaving. (audience applause) At the same time, he saw several spiders crawl out of the top of his head and many strange looking creatures
exiting his body through his hair follicles. Suddenly, the illnesses and pains that used to afflict him were gone. And his business? At this point, we do not yet know its long term outcome. Nevertheless, he felt he had received positive responses from doing this practice.
Another student from the South Pacific, Lianhua Dongchu, had also come to Redmond to receive the Smoke Offering Empowerment. He had been involved in a lawsuit and lost his business. Due to a breach in contract with a large financial group, he was sued, lost his business, and sentenced to imprisonment.
When he arrived home, he immediately carried out the Smoke Offering Practice.
After conducting only one session of the Smoke Offering, that large financial group, on its own initiative, decided to have the lawsuit dismissed. After the second session of the practice, his prison term was lifted and, instead, he only had to pay a minor monetary penalty. He had broken several agreements in his contract and had been sued for each of them. His life would have been over.
After the third session of the Smoke Offering, some partners from his former company regrouped and asked him to be their director. Although he no longer had any money, the partners were willing to put up money unconditionally and offer him the position. All these in just three sessions of the Smoke Offering. So, this Smoke Offering Practice is not a “simple” practice to be taken lightly. It is simply efficacious! The Smoke Offering Helps One Find Employment We know many people are having a hard time finding jobs in the Seattle area and in the United States. Everyone worries about the interview process.
Here is a joke I may have told before. A man wanted to apply for a job as a hotel security guard. When the manager asked him if he had any experience, he replied that he of course had experience. He then took a look to his right and to his left, and saw a drunkard walking unsteadily towards him. Without saying a word, he ran toward the man, picked him up, tossed him on the ground and, with a kick, sent the man out the door. The
applicant then turned to the manager and said, “Look, with all my experience, you should definitely hire me. I would like to meet with your director.” The manager then replied, “Well, that would be quite difficult, since the director was just kicked out the door.” (audience laughter.) What is the moral of this story? Had this applicant conducted the Smoke Offering before going for his interview, he would not have chanced upon the director and kicked him out! This practice may turn a seemingly unfortunate chance encounter into a serendipitous chain of events.
So, here in Seattle, whether you are looking for a job or looking for an employee --- the former likely more difficult --- how will you make this happen? You now have a good solution --- doing the Smoke Offering Practice. After conducting this practice, when you go in for your interview, many invisible beings will follow and help you. When the boss sees you, even if you are walking with a
limp, you will remind him of his ex-girlfriend doing the Tango and he will find you appealing. In fact, many of the ladies at our temple here are quite past their prime, but if you all perform the Smoke Offering before an interview, when the interviewer sees you, he will find that you remind him of his mother. Although your face may be swollen with a double chin, there is no way he will not hire you.
Therefore, there are many benefits to doing the Smoke Offering, an expedient practice. From this practice you will strengthen your faith and your resolve to reach Enlightenment. Remember, every one of us starts out on the path of the Buddhadharma with so-called expedient methods pertaining to the mundane world. Nowadays, many temples, monks and nuns are helping sentient beings by employing expedient or skillful means. It is not possible to start off right away with the sacred methods. Use the worldly practices first to increase faith, then teach the next level of sacred Buddhadharma.
From Mundane to Transcendental In Taiwan there are several large Buddhist organizations, and they all use expedient means to help sentient beings. Initially, some employed tourism to attract people, building large and magnificent temples with beautiful Buddhist statues, scenic sites, and landscapes. Tour buses came one after another, bringing people in for tours and they purchased tickets for the vegetarian meals and also made donations. What started as tourism became a large Buddhist organization. Today, temples must also employ this kind of expedient means to bring more people into contact with Buddhism.
Another expedient means is through free medical clinics. Some of my students are doctors, and they can form a medical group offering free medical services in rural areas. They can then also share a little about Buddhism and attract these people to the temples to listen to the dharma teaching. What may start out as a small clinic may develop into a large hospital. This is another skillful means. It is important to know how to run a business when managing a temple to keep your organization running.
Therefore, there are both personal as well as public aspects to our practices. In the times of Shakyamuni Buddha, a practitioner focused primarily on personal cultivation. After listening to the Buddha’s teaching, every one returned to his own cave to meditate and bring out his Buddha Mind. Today, when you come to do
cultivation here at the Ling Shen Ching Tze, I will also tell you to go home and read Buddhist sutras, hold a retreat at home, and meditate. To practice the Tantrayana pathway, you should engage in daily sadhana practice and chant mantras and the names of the Buddhas. If you find your home too noisy, you can find a temple far away in the mountains to do retreat, or come to the Rainbow Temple to do a retreat. This falls into the category of personal sacred pursuit.
Temples, however, need to take an entrepreneurial approach to spreading the Buddhadharma. I have in the past emphasized personal cultivation. As for public events, I advised you merely to go on Saturdays to the Lei Zang Temples or local chapters for group cultivations. And I have found that it is quite difficult this way to further expand your temple congregation and disseminate the Buddhadharma to others. We must catch up with the trend.
Let us take a look at some of these large Taiwan organizations and how they built themselves from the ground up. One started with tourism, one with a medical clinic, one by providing education, another through the media, and another through charity. When your followers increase in numbers and strengthen their faith, you can then teach them the next step of personal sacred pursuit of the Buddhadharma. I think such an approach will be
helpful for our school. So start with education and build a school. Start with medicine and form a free clinic in rural communities. Start with charity, and you must first serve the villages and towns surrounding you. You cannot become totally disengaged and isolated from your communities. You cannot do that.
Get Involved in Your Community Therefore, you must get the Lei Zang Temples involved with your communities and cities and offer services to them. This way, people will come to your temple and you can help them. It is not right to hold the attitude that “I am a sacred practitioner and won’t interact with worldly people.” All the successful religious organizations started with worldly endeavors that then progressed to offering personal sacred pursuits. This is what Buddhadharma should be, the integration of mundane business enterprise with the sacred Buddhist pursuits.
Here I would like to appeal to everyone --- all of the temples and local chapters must strike roots into their communities, understand the needs and sufferings of the locals and offer help with expedient means. After individuals take refuge in Buddhism, teach them the sacred practices. Everyone, Ritual Master, and all fellow students, does what I have just said makes sense? (audience applause.) Of course, we are not limiting ourselves to just hospitals, universities, TV stations, or temple tourism. We have to be mindful at the same time of the ultimate goal of attaining the sacred. If you are only proselytizing through television or other media, running a school, a clinic, or a charity organization with expedient means and fail to teach people the sacred Buddhadharma, this is wrong. There must be the union of “expedient means” and “wisdom.” Compassion and wisdom, the mundane and transcendental, must be integrated.
The Buddhadharma is both mundane and transcendental and we have to get people to develop their faith and succeed in their spiritual accomplishment. This is the union of the “generation stages” and “completion stages.” There is no separation between Cyclic Existence and Nirvana. This is the “Essence of Union.” While my Personal Deity is in the Western Realm of Ultimate Bliss, I am sitting here today at the
teaching dais to preach, and this is a demonstration of “expedient means.” My travels around the world lecturing are merely displays of “expedient means.” The achievement of True Perfection abides in the state of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Do you understand this explanation? (audience applause.)
Actually, we have not done enough in the realm of mundane endeavors. From now on, we should strike a balance in the development of both mundane and transcendental accomplishments. Remember, they are both important.
Smoke Offering Q&A (Part I)
Source: Grand Master’s Saturday teaching in the Seattle Temple on Feb 23, 2008
Translator: Alice Yang Editors: Imelda Tan & Janny Chow Q1: Can students receive the Smoke Offering Empowerment remotely?
A: Yes, please write to Seattle True Buddha Tantric Quarter, and beseech Grand Master for remote empowerment. True Buddha Foundation 17102 NE 40th Ct., Redmond, WA 98052 USA
Q2. Can students who have received the Homa Empowerment perform the Smoke Offering?
A: During the Spring Blessing Ceremony on Feb 16, 2008, Grand Master had personally transmitted the Smoke Offering and explained that it was a separate empowerment from the Homa Empowerment.
Q3. When practicing the Smoke Offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, can students place the incense (smoke) burner on the balcony?
A: Yes, as long as it is placed in well ventilated area.
Q4. Can the same burner be used for both Smoke Offering to Karmic Enemies and to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?
A: Yes.
Q5. Should I set up “Dharma Boundary” while cultivating the Smoke Offering?
A: Performing the Armor Protection is equivalent to setting the Dharma Boundary.
Q6. Besides placing the burner near windows or on the balcony, can the Smoke Offering be cultivated in an open area? Do I need to setup Dharma Boundary?
A: Smoke Offering can be cultivated in an open area. The Armor Protection is equivalent to Dharma Boundary setup. (You may also sprinkle some Great Compassionate Dharani Water to purify the surrounding open area where you are doing the practice.)
Q7. Must the smoke offering dough be made into a patty or an elongated shape?
A: Not necessary. As long as you mix all of the ingredients as instructed by Grand Master and burn them to generate smoke will be sufficient.
Q8. Should the offerings in the Smoke Offering be consumed all at once?
Can it be used again the second time? How do we deal with the leftover offering ashes?
A: Yes, the offerings must be consumed all at once. It cannot be re-used.
The remaining ashes can be buried in clean ground like grass.
Q9. What should students do if the smoke stops in the middle of the Smoke Offering?
A: The key of the Smoke Offering is to generate continuing smoke. If the smoke stops, then put more incense sticks to re-ignite it.
Q10. What should students do if there are mistakes in the Smoke Offering, such as insufficient visualization power, unclear visualization, or distracted thoughts?
A: Recite the One Hundred Syllable Mantra to compensate for your deficiency or mistakes.
Q11. Is the step of Entering Samadhi required in the Smoke Offering Practice?
A: Smoke Offering Practice does not require the step of Entering Samadhi.
Students may enter the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Samadhi as desired. It is optional.
Smoke Offering Q&A (Part II)
Source: Grand Master’s teaching in the Seattle Temple published at www.tbsn.org on March 23, 2008 Translator: Imelda Tan
1. When practicing the Smoke Offering to Buddhas, place the incense burner on the shrine table. The student should be facing the shrine table when cultivating. The area must be well ventilated with good air flow.
2. When practicing the Smoke Offering to Karmic Enemies, place the incense burner on the balcony, beside an open window, or at an open area. The student should be facing the incense burner when cultivating.
3. When practicing the Smoke Offering to Buddhas as a group cultivation, you can use a bigger incense burner. If you are practicing the Smoke Offering to Karmic Enemies as a group cultivation, then each individual has to use his own personal incense burner and visualize his own Karmic Enemies.
4. You cannot practice the Smoke Offering on behalf of anyone. It is permissible under special circumstances as long as the person is your family member, lives with you under the same roof, or lives not too far from your place.
Annotations of the Smoke Offering Practice
Source: His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu’s Dharma Talk and Transmission of the Smoke Offering Practice at the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond, Washington on February 16, 2008
Author: Imelda Tan Editors: Alice Yang & Janny Chow Posted at: www.padmakumara.org/forum/ Disclaimer: This annotation is based on the author’s observation and notes taken from the February 16, 2008 video. It is not a direct translation of any written source from the True Buddha School. It is especially prepared for the English practitioners because at the time of this writing, there is no Chinese version of this article.
For the purpose of this article, the Smoke Offering Practice is referred as the “Practice”. The published Smoke Offering Written Practice Text (English and Chinese versions) is referred as the “Practice Text”.
History On February 16, 2008 when Grand Master, His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-Yen Lu, first introduced and transmitted the Smoke Offering Practice, he had stated that there are many intricate procedures and Tantric symbolic meanings behind this Practice. Due to time constraint, he had summarized the Practice to its simplicity. The subsequent publication of the Practice Text illustrates the step-by-step procedures. To
ensure that the Practice Text is concise, many of the symbolic explanations provided by Grand Master at the ceremony are omitted in the Practice Text. In this article, we wish to supplement the English Practice Text with comprehensive annotations to hopefully facilitate English students’ understanding and enhance their appreciation of the many karmic merits of practicing the Smoke Offering Practice.
It is especially prepared for the English practitioners. At the time of this writing, there is no Chinese version of this article. 1) Grand Master compassionately transmitted the teachings of Smoking Offering to help students to purify themselves, and increase their merits and fortune. It is a convenient and less elaborate alternative from the Homa Practice. Students must obtain Grand Master’s Smoke Offering Empowerment prior to practicing it.
The benefits of the True Buddha Tantric Smoke Offering Practice are: i) To assist students to resolve their personal karmic hindrances with their ghosts, spirits, karmic creditors and karmic enemies by offering 5 auspicious offerings in the form of smoke.
ii) To motivate students to gain karmic merits and blessings by frequently offering Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with 5 auspicious offerings in the form of smoke. iii) To assist students to attain materialistic success and spiritual fulfillment in life and
spiritual cultivation by accumulating karmic merits and speedily resolving their karmic hindrances. iv) To provide students with the opportunity to perform a convenient, easy and affordable Great Offering Practice, with a simple location requirement, as frequently as their hearts desire.
2) Materials for the Practice 2.1) Incense Burner
It is not necessary to purchase a separate incense burner for this Practice.
Any used incense burner would suffice as long as there is a hole at the top for the smoke to escape. A used burner should be purified first by the incense at the shrine. The size of the incense burner is determined by the quantity of the materials that you wish to burn and offer. The Practice is originally designed for individual practice. Therefore, a small incense burner is adequate for an individual’s use. However, a
bigger incense burner is recommended if you intend to conduct the Practice with a large group of people. 2.2) Shapes of the Powder Cake The powder cake (or dough) must consist of 5 main flammable ingredients mixed with a few drops of milk and butter. Mold it into a small round shape to fit into a small round incense burner. Or, mold it into a small roll to fit into an elongated incense burner. However, it is not necessary to make the offering into any shape.
3) The Detailed Procedures of the Practice (Note: Although the notes below may sound slightly different from the published Practice Text, both described methods are acceptable. True Buddha Foundation has informed us that Grand Master had reviewed, approved and blessed the Chinese Practice Text before releasing it to the public. Therefore, there is no error in the Chinese Practice Text including the subsequent translated English
Practice Text. True Buddha Foundation asserts that practitioners can selectively choose to follow the instructions noted on the Practice Text or the instructions verbally provided by Grand Master.) 3.1) Preparing the Powder Cake Repeatedly chant “Om Ah Hum” and “Lang Yang Kang” as you are making and preparing the powder cake. 3.2) Selecting a location for the Practice.
The location of where you conduct your practice depends on to whom you wish to dedicate the Smoke Offering.
If your practice is meant to be offered to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, then you would place your incense burner on the shrine table with all the windows of the room opened. You would conduct the entire practice in your shrine room.
If your practice is meant to be offered to ghosts, spirits and karmic enemies, then you would place your incense burner outside such as on the balcony. You would conduct the entire practice facing the balcony. Remember that there MUST be adequate air flow to allow the smoke to be blown by the winds.
3.3) Performing the Practice Ritual Decide whether you want to dedicate the smoke offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or to your ghosts, spirits, and karmic enemies and creditors. To dedicate it to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, you would perform the practice in the morning between 5am to 9am. To dedicate it to your ghosts, spirits and karmic enemies and creditors, you would perform the practice in the evening between 5pm to 9pm.
The Principal Deity for the Smoke Offering Practice is Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. 4) Symbolic Tantric Meanings 4.1) The flammable ingredients: Five colored fabrics – so that your karmic enemies and creditors may receive and wear their favorite colorful beautiful clothing.
White granulated sugar and brown sugar – so that your karmic enemies and creditors may consume some sweets. After having eaten some sweets, their original anger, hatreds and vengeance toward the cultivator would be dissolved. 4.2) Recitation of Th e Four Immeasurable Vows Dedicate your compassionate love and equanimity to your karmic enemies and creditors. Once their pains and sufferings diminish upon receiving your Four Immeasurable Vows, they would happily accept
your 5 auspicious great offerings, and consequently leave you alone. 4.3) Visualization of the Smoke As the smoke is rising from the incense burner, you visualize it transforming into 5 auspicious offerings. Visualize the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas, or your karmic spirits and enemies happily accepting your offerings. The visualization symbolically denotes your desire to offer the 5 auspicious offerings to them.
If you were to offer them to the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas, then they would happily accept your offerings and bless you with good fortunes or karmic merits. If you were to offer them to your ghosts, spirits, karmic enemies and creditors, then they would happily accept your offerings, dissolve their grudges against you and leave you alone.
4.4) Recitation of “Om, ah-bu-la-di, pu-ba-yeh, soha” and snap fingers 7 times The number 7 means spiritual completion and fulfillment. The symbolic meanings of mantra chanting and snapping fingers 7 times are spiritual completion and fulfillment. To spiritually fulfill the desires of all of your ghosts, spirits, karmic enemies and karmic creditors so that they may joyfully attain spiritual completion in the spirit of
the Four Immeasurable Vows. 4.5) Recitation of “Om Ah Hum. Lang Yang Kang.” “Om” is to transform the quantity of the offerings (the flammable ingredients) into abundance. “Ah” is to purify the abundance. “Hum” is to empower the abundant auspicious offerings with Dharma Taste.
Following, you would chant “Lang Yang Kang”. “Lang” refers to the smoke escaping from the incense burner’s top. “Yang” is the transformed winds. “Kang” refers to the winds dispersing the abundant offerings into the vast emptiness.
How to Ignite the Powder: A Step-by-Step Guide to Igniting Smoke Offering Incense Powder (The techniques below guarantee 100% success rate.) Author: Imelda Tan
Requirements: " Incense burner " Sm oke Offering incense powder " 5 colored fabric threads " O ne sandal wood incense stick " Sandal wood incense powder " Igniter gun
Step 1: Add 1.5 to 2 small spoonful of Smoke Offering incense powder into your burner. Gently pile and shape the powder into a small peak.
Step 2: Add a dash of sandal wood incense powder at the peak. This will ensure that the powder will burn continuously.
Step 3: Break an incense stick into 3 or 4 smaller incense sticks.
Each one should be about the slightly longer than the peak.
Step 4: Gently lay down each small stick at different corners of the peak. Place the sticks slightly above the peak to all air flow for the sticks to burn properly. Step 5: Use a spoon to gently scoop the powder from the sides to cover the incense sticks.
Step 6: Twist the 5 color fabric threads into a bundle and lay them between the incense sticks.
Step 7: Use a cigarette lighter or BBQ lighter to ignite the summit of the incense sticks. Ignite them until all of the incense sticks are lit. Shut off and remove the igniter.
Step 8: While the flame is burning on the summit, gently add dashes of sandal wood powder or smoke offering incense powder on top of the fire. This step will generate more smoke in the process. Wait and see if the smoke would still fume vigorously. If it continues, then you may leave it alone and begin your Smoke Offering Practice. If it extinguishes within a minute that means you have accidentally added too much powder and extinguished the burning incense sticks. You need to repeat step 7 and 8 to re-ignite. This is how it will appear after 20 minutes. Notice the black ashes at the top and the unburned powdered at the bottom.
Step 9: Use a spoon to gently scoop up the unburned powder from beneath and pile them on top of the black ashes. This method helps to keep the smoke fuming. Step 10: Repeat step 9 every 5 - 10 minutes until the entire Smoke Offering incense powder is used up. This is how it looks like after 45 minutes of Smoke Offering.
How to Take Refuge in Living Buddha Lian-sheng There are two ways of taking refuge in Living Buddha Lian-sheng:
1. In writing At 7:00 a.m. (your local time) of either the first or fifteenth of a lunar month, face the direction of the rising sun. With palms joined, reverently recite the Fourfold Refuge Mantra three times: “Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ye, Namo Dharma ye, Namo Sangha ye” and prostrate three times.
Send a letter to the True Buddha Foundation to request a refuge empowerment. State your name, address, age, and enclose a voluntary offering. Upon receiving your letter, the True Buddha Foundation will send a certificate, a picture of Living Buddha Lian-sheng, and a note stating the level of practice you should start with.
The address of the True Buddha Foundation is: True Buddha Foundation 17102 NE 40th Ct., Redmond, WA 98052 USA Tel: 425-885-7573 Fax: 425-883-2173
2. In person You may obtain refuge empowerment personally from Grand Master Lu or a True Buddha Master by visiting a True Buddha temple/local chapter or by attending a True Buddha ceremony.
May the merits of printing this e-book be dedicated to Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu for his well-being, and that he may continue to teach and liberate us all. May all who uphold the name of Amitabha Buddha, be reborn together in fh£ Pure Land of His Western Paradise.
Repaying the Fourfold Generosity from above and aiding those who suffer in the Three Paths below.
Upon seeing the Buddha, may I be liberated from the cycle of birth and death; and may I develop the qualities of Buddhahood and thus free all who suffer.
May the merits of printing this e-book be dedicated to everyone, that all may be healthy, free of hindrances, strong in cultivation, And that all wishes may come true.
