Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen provides precise instruction on setting up and consecrating altar offerings for tantric practice across three major practices: Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, and Heruka. He explains how the five vase empowerments correspond to the five Buddha families and determine the layout of your altar. Walking through specific placements of water bowls, ritual implements (vajras, conches, drums), and the mandala, he clarifies why arrangements differ between father and mother tantra. The teaching includes practical details: consecrating offerings with mantras, refreshing them daily, pouring water respectfully with two hands, properly disposing of consecrated water, and storing bowls. He emphasizes that careful attention to these ritual details reflects your commitment and strengthens your practice. Pitched at practitioners who have received or plan to receive tantric empowerments.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 1997 10 12 AO.mp3
UUID: 8310c2b7-12b4-46b7-baac-57573a64b86d
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Alter Offerings (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1997-10-12
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.4 minutes
Words: ~2,226
The scented water which is massaged through the heart is is is set out first as it, is moved the water is moved to emphasize the fact of the of the quick attainment of wisdom associated with them with heart, mind, and manjushri. Okay. Okay. So if one is in with regard to Yamāntaka, if one is practicing the self entry, first, let’s say, self initiation, one needs two vases. And and when it should have a stick not a stick, a branch, a a small tree branch in in in the opening of the vase.
And unlike we so there’s there’s the conch which is placed upon the the vase and which is and and then and then the vajra which is unlike as we did in Droma, the Tārā. There was not the conch shell. And this is symbolic the difference that is being made here is that one visualizes the celestial mansion inside that vase. So we visualize that the heart the lights radiate out from our hearts, making offerings to the, yeah, evident Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in all the directions, and the light returns, is withdrawn back into ourselves, traveling down the thread and consecrating the water in the conch on the vase. But and also the same is done you visualize that the the the central deity within the celestial mansion inside the vase that that light the Yamāntaka in in at the central deity, light radiating out from his heart and with to making offerings to the Buddhist bodhisattvas in all the directions, withdrawing the light back into his heart.
And then the water the vase from the water is then from the conch is then placed in the vase. So then then there is a recitation of mantras. And having recited the mantra mantras, then the water from the conch shell is placed in the vase itself. Okay. Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. So then what was just displayed was the the way the setup for the offerings of the self entry of the. Now is going to set up the the again, with Yamāntaka, this but the the way the offerings are set up in in the course of granting of an empowerment. So having entered into the mandala, having in had self oneself having what they call self entry.
When they say oneself enters into the mandala, then one one takes the empowerment. So so one having entered in the mandala, then one takes the empowerment from the deity. And there are four levels of empowerment. There’s the vase empowerment, the secret empowerment, the wisdom knowledge empowerment, and the word empowerment. So within with regard to this first empowerment, the vase empowerment, there are five empowerments, and these are related to the five lineages of the conquerors or the five, very small, sometimes called the five dhyana buddhas.
Therefore, because there there is this relationship there are these five empowerments in accordance with the five lineages of the conquerors, there five rows of offerings. So with regard to these five within the vase empowerment, within the sub empowerments of the five lineages of the conquerors, the first of which is the lineage conqueror of of Mejibba. Amitābha Oh. And which is called the water empowerment. So then next comes the the crown empowerment, which is associated with Ratnasambhava.
And the vajra empowerment which is associated with Akṣobhya. And then then the bell empowerment associated with Amoghasiddhi, what did I say? Amoghasiddhi. And then and finally, the fifth empowerment, which is called the name empowerment and associated with. And so these are the these are the these are associated with the five types of wisdom, and these constitute the the Baa’s empowerment.
So for each of these empowerments, it’s necessary that we make an individual offering. I think I think there’s some more bowls in in the kitchen. Offering bowls? Yeah. So in highest yoga tantra, in in consecrating the vase, there must there is the the five there are five emblems which are there are five emblems which each associate with one of the five lineage conquerors of Dhyāna Buddha’s.
So in the action vase, which the action vase in in the the emblem is a vajra. In the Heruka, the action vajra adorned with the the emblem of the curved knife. In the in the there’s the there’s two types of vases. There’s action vase and the inner vase. And in inner vase, because it’s associated with Akshaobia, there’s only a vajra.
So there’s just the emblem of the vajra as shown there. So Heruka, it’s necessary to have two vajras, one blue and one red. Because this this is symbolic of the of the male and female consorts. So the the blue vase blue vajra is symbolic of the the male consort, the female the red vase symbolic of the female consort. So in the thirteen deity practice of Yamāntaka, it’s it’s necessary to have the the blue and the red to in the symbolic of the male and female consort.
But in the solitary hero practice, there is only the blue since there’s no consort. So in accordance with the the self entry of the the offerings are set out are being set out, and the meditator is in front of the table here. Can’t record that. The meditator’s here. So and then in the center of the offerings is the in the in the case of Yamāntaka is the mandala, either a sand mandala or a painted mandala.
Okay. Okay. So amongst the the three deities of the thirteen deity, Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, and Heruka, the offerings would be set out in a similar manner just as they are here. So this is the this with what was just said, I should have specified that this is the abbreviated way in which the offerings are to be made in accordance with those three deities. If they were abbreviated, that is said, minimally, these offerings are to be made, but because of the different numbers of deities in each one in each of them, if they were if the offerings were made in a very expanded fashion, there would there would then be a difference according to the number of deities.
But this is the minimal or the abbreviated way of making offering. So but we haven’t talked about the difference in the way in which the vases are consecrated amongst these. Okay. So this So the still within the mantaka, and this is the offering of the vase? That’s the inner offering?
So then when having a bowl of rice, which are imagined to be flowers, when you’re making offerings of flowers, destroying the rice? So this is the way in which the the ritual implements are set up for father tantra, for example, of Yamāntaka and Guhyasamāja. Digital. And could you use the module? So that’s for So three waters for?
So the previous one was only for Yamāntaka, and this this set up where it’s set up presently is the offerings of Guhyasamāja. Yeah. Okay. So and then from other tantras such as Heruka, then the the implements are are shifted in position as shown here. So the difference why is there this the in this case, the damaru, the drum, being shifted in position between father and mother tantra?
In father tantra, is an emphasis on the right. And then in the mother tantra there is an emphasis on the left. Okay. Oh, yeah. So shall we stop there?
So there’s not great deal to be explained in terms of the way that’s set up. As far as the number of bowls, they can have as many or as few as you wish. And then they should be positioned not too far apart. This if they’re too far apart, then you will be this distances you from your Lama. And if when you’re pouring the water, if the water were to spill out, this is a breach of of of ethics?
It means it’s like you will not you will not observe your ethics well? So and, again, with having placed the offerings upon your altar, then it’s necessary to immediately to bless them or consecrate them with the syllables of. And it also the the same would hold true if you were just offering flowers. It’s necessary that they be consecrated immediately. So with nothing, it’s best to to replenish the offerings every day, not to leave them over over days period.
So and then the the water should be disposed of in a in a in a proper manner, not to it’s they could be poured, like, poured on on flowers or a garden or something like that. So the the you know, having consecrated the the water, then it’s to be thought of as as nectar and therefore it should be disposed of in in a in a proper manner not to be just thrown out. And and nor should the the bowls be allowed to to dry to dry up, the water to be dried up, if this would be a downfall? So and and again, the whole this treating the consecrated offerings in a respectful manner also applies to when we have a tsok, when we have a puja. When, for example, we consecrate the food it should likewise not be having been consecrated it should be treated in a respectful manner, not to be thrown about and, you know, had had not to be treated in a disrespectful manner.
Bet you can just dispose of it in a clean place. Yeah. Yeah. Could Geshu say something about stacking bowls? You know, like when you put them out during the morning and then dismantle And then it so at at the end of the day, when you’ve emptied the bowls, then you can simply turn them upside down on your altar.
So having cleaned having having wiped them well with the cloth and then setting them it doesn’t have to be set out in each of the places. They can be stacked up like that. On the left to when you’re looking at it, on on your left or on your right? Do you mean they’re stacked up? Yes.
To your left. You mean where the stack should be placed? Doesn’t make any difference. So wipe wiping the bowls clean and then stacking them with their opening stacking them downward, one on top of another, and wherever you want. It doesn’t make any difference where you place them.
Yeah. Yeah. If you say in regards to your womb, you’re pulling from the right to the left from the point, do you need to empty them So beginning so the water is offered from left to right and since from your left to right, but you’re offering it to the to the the image in front of oneself so that that is to to that to their to their right. But it’s to your left that you’re offering in front of you. And hold the hold the container of water with two hands, which is a sign of respect.
And then in emptying the bowls, Geshe la said that he hasn’t seen any particular order hasn’t seen a text where it sets out any particular order of which direction they should be emptied. When you film the first follower and then you’re topping up with the others, when you put the bowl down, do you put that bowl down in two hands? The the the the the So you have you’re you’re holding the stackables in one hand, so you could you could only place it with one hand. Holding the stackables in one hand. So this is how it’d be done.
So as Geshe la was demonstrating, so one stack stackables is held in the left hand, and with the other hand, they’re placed. So in the future teaching, Geshe-la will teach the way of making offerings in terms of the practice of Ajiradini. So if you know the difference, between the methods of making offering if you know the difference between the methods of making offering between Vajrayoginī and Yamāntaka, then when Rinpoche in the future when Rinpoche gives an empowerment of those deities, then you will be able to practice them well. So having attained this human life, we should try to ensure that it’s meaningful and try to implement the the teachings of the Buddha. And within these teachings are the teachings of the profound teachings of secret mantra.
And so even though we might not be able to practice tantra in an expansive fashion, we should at least try to implant some kind of latencies in our minds to make our to ensure that our life is meaningful. So we can you know, you many of you have received empowerments already, that you can receive empowerments in the near future, that you and to practice these, you you are all healthy and young, that you have and all the conducive conditions whereby to practice. So trying to practice the best that you can. One should first receive an authentic empowerment and then observe the commitments of that empowerment well. Having done this, then it’s possible that in this very life in this very life one can achieve.