Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen teaches the distinctive visualization practices for making external offerings in Guru Puja—specifically, how small physical offerings are transformed through imagination into vast, abundant displays. In this 45-minute session, he walks practitioners through setting up an altar with the traditional seven offerings (water, flowers, incense, light, and food) and the meditation practice underlying them: imagining a few drops of water as an ocean, ordinary flowers as celestial blooms, and other offerings similarly magnified. He teaches the visualization of offering goddesses emanating from the heart to present these to the Buddhas, and explains how to consecrate offerings through tantric generation from emptiness using seed letters and skull cups, so they manifest as the exalted wisdom of bliss-emptiness. Suited to those with Guru Puja experience.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 1997 10 18 AO.mp3
UUID: 56e0cf5e-1060-4a67-b82b-2b57df0729eb
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Alter Offerings (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1997-10-18
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.6 minutes
Words: ~2,606
So within the the practice of the Buddhadharma, there is the the various vehicles vehicles and there is the vehicle of the perfection and that of the mantra vehicle. And the main practice within the perfection vehicle is that of the Lamrim or the graduated path. Within the practice of the mantra vehicle. The various practices can be are all subsumed within what are called the four purification, the four the four purities. Within the the practice of Lamrim or the graduated path, All the points are subsumed in term are practiced in the context of initially freeing from oneself from the clinging to this life, then freeing from the clinging to cyclic existence in general, then freeing oneself from one’s own self interests, and and this that one goes on to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings by practicing these six perfections.
In the practice of the mantra vehicle, in terms of one’s one has an individual practice according to the deity which one is practicing. And this of this deity one arises as the deity out of the wisdom of bliss emptiness, and it is by means of this arising in in the aspect of the deity that one is able to attain attain the supreme accomplishment or the great siddhis. So the the practicing of the Dharma is is done in terms of these overall means. In detail, these means would be set out in terms of how these are to be are to be actually practiced, but overall, these are the goals of our practice. These are overview of our practices and then the methods of training and how to actually accomplish these practices.
In terms of what we’ve been explaining now, in terms of developing oneself as a deity, then how to go on to make offerings, for example, to oneself as a deity. So I think, you know, whatever is of most benefit for yourselves, that’s what we should do. So if you have something that you think would be of use to yourself, then please say that and we’ll we’ll I guess I will teach that. So within the various altars, which which type of altar? For example, it could be Vajrayoginī, it could be Vajrasattva.
What type of altar? So I think it would be useful if we explain the way of setting up the altar in accordance with Guru Puja, Lamachopa, and Vajrasattva. So within the context of Lama Chopa Guru Puja, in general, are various types of offering. There are external offerings, the inter external offerings, internal offerings, and the and the the offering the secret offerings and the offering of suchness. So in terms of external offerings, there there are various offerings that we actually arrange, such as the offerings to the of the five sense objects, and there are other offerings such as the eight auspicious symbols and the seven and the seven eight royal symbols and eight auspicious emblems.
And in terms of the inner offering, this we offer the inner offering. In terms of secret offering, it is the offering offering of ultimate bodhicitta, the offering in of emptiness. So what we’re going to demonstrate now is the way of make in accordance with the Guru Puja, the way of making the the external offerings. So it’s proceeded with four waters. So this this is the way of arranging the offerings according to Guru Puja?
Mhmm. The external offerings of Guru Puja? So first is the what is termed is termed argham. So argham? So the argham is first water is to the water which is used to cleanse the body.
Then the the second water is to cleanse the face. Then the third water is to cleanse the feet. Then the fourth water is to massage the chest. Yes. The the then the next offering, which would be the fifth offering, is the offering to the to the head or or garland of flowers.
Mhmm. And then the offering of the you offer incense, the offering of smell? Yes. And then the offering of to the eyes, which is light. So rather than the this fourth water, this fourth water, rather than massaging the heart, it’s which is simply sprinkled, sprinkling for cooling effect.
So then then the water the next to the light is another water. Mhmm. And that is the that is the water which is massaged at the heart area. So then the next offering is that of food offering. So these these objects are offered as the support for your act for for in fact your visualization or your or your imaginative process even though you’re offering only for example, on these first waters, you’re offering only a small amount of water.
In fact, imagine it as if you’re offering an ocean. And the same holds true for the offering of the flowers. We shouldn’t think it’s not sufficient just to think of that it’s only a single flower or it’s ordinary flowers, but we should think that we’re offering the flowers of Tuśita, which have a wonderful aroma, and moreover, we’re offering thousands of flowers. And and then the next that of dupe, we’re offering here incense. But this is so this is the offering of of scents.
So we should imagine offering a variety of whatever is wonderful smell, perfumes, etcetera. And then the the next offering Aloke is the offering of light and to dispel darkness. But we don’t have to only offer it in in these terms as it’s presented here. For example, when we come home in evening and we turn on the light, that we can offer that light in dispelling the darkness. So here, then the next, we’re offering a butter lamp or in this case, an action, a candle.
So what we’re offering is light. So we’re not offering a candle, we’re offering the light out of the candle. So whatever is able to give off light, it can be you could have an oil lamp or whatever, because we’re not offering substance. We’re we’re accumulating creative potential by means of offering light. So whatever makes that light is secondary to the offering of light itself.
Then the offering of it was called, which is the food offering. Quite a in the Tibetan Tibetans would quite often offer what is called a or ritual cake, but it’s not it’s it’s not mandatory. You don’t have to offer cake. So whatever the the food offering, it should be clean, and there’s certain foods which should not be offered, and one of among which is garlic. It has a it’s because of its odor, it’s improper it’s not proper to offer it.
So the various offerings should be pure. They should not they should not be have a bad smell. For example, if we were to eat garlic and then it gives our breath a bad smell, but also if you were to go to a temple, then your body would be giving off a bad odor and this would is not karmically a good thing to do. Especially true in in the lower levels of tantras such as action and performance that one is should not offer meat or onions or garlic. The Lama Chopa books.
It’s in the covered out hallway. I’ll leave you. Don’t know. All that. Sorry.
It’s hard hard to find. So on page ten, verse twenty four. Where there was this the second second line of verse twenty four where it says, float of gently forth four streams of purifying nectars. So these are these four nectar these four nectars are the first four waters in the offerings. So we should imagine that these offerings are in the nature of the exalted wisdom of bliss emptiness, that’s their nature, but in aspect, they take on the appearance of nectar.
So then the next verse is the offering of flowers as it set out in the external offerings. Beautiful flowers and trees and blossom with bouquets and garlands exquisitely arranged to fill this earth and sky. So not only are we offering these simple flower in terms of external offering, but we’re imagining that we’re offering very extensive offerings of flowers, beautiful flowers and bouquets of flowers. And where it says exquisitely arranged, fill the earth and sky, arranging the flowers in the shapes of various the eight auspicious symbols, for example, and and these these fill the sky. And then the next verse where it says the heavens billowing with blue summer clouds of lapis lazuli smoke and sweet fragrant incense.
So we’re offering varieties of fragrant smells, and these can be, for example, like sandalwood. What is it? What is the stuff that the moth crystals are made out of? Camphor. Camphor.
And that this offering and that these that’s their aspect, but in nature, the the wisdom result in wisdom of less emptiness. So then the the light offering is next and offering here we’re offering lights from a variety of sources, the sun and the moon, and the the light given off by glittering jewels. And that these lights are often are that’s their aspect is light, but in nature, they are the exalted wisdom of this emptiness and they’re being offered to the eyes of the And then the the offering then the offering of of of scented waters again. And then the offering of the line twenty verse twenty nine where it says, delicacies of gods
Delicacies of gods and men, drink and savories and feasts. So we’re offering all the possible varieties that that this world of humans, but also those of celestial beings, and there’s of varieties of flavors, and we’re offering those. And then the verse number thirty where it says music from an endless variety of various instruments blend into a symphony filling the three realms. So here is the offering of sound in the form of music and we don’t have it’s not necessary to set out a specific offering for that. Quite often you would have in front of you in front a bell or a drum symbolizing the offering of music.
But just imagining that you were offering whatever is pleasant in sound and to avoid offering anything which might be unpleasant in sound. So at the time of making the offerings, one should imagine that you are radiating out from your heart beautiful offering goddesses, and that do the actual presenting of the various substances. And then having offered these substances to the Buddhas, the Buddhas experience bliss, having and are pleased, and then the the offering goddesses are then withdrawn back into one’s own heart. And this this would hold true of all of the various offerings. For example, the same way of proceeding when you’re offering flowers that emanating immeasurable offering goddesses from your heart, you know, numberless, and that they make make offerings.
And as as to the extent of one’s imagination, that to that same degree, you accumulate creative potential. So as many as you can imagine, the goddesses making offerings that which it should be done. So the No. So then the the the various the offering in the next line, it says the the the offering of the sense the substances of the sense, all these symbols of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. So these are the symbols of these various sense objects.
And for form, you could in the actual offering, you could offer a mirror. So so immaterially you could you could you were as if offering a mirror, but the mirror is able to reflect all that is beautiful in the world. So though symbolically you’re offering materially you’re offering a mirror, symbolically you’re offering all that is beautiful in the world, which is which is being reflected in this mirror. Mhmm. Then the offering of sound, and you can offer the sound of the of a of it’s something similar to a lute.
For example, stringed instrument called So then the offering of fragrance, which in in India, it said that the the supreme of fragrances was that of sandalwood, but but any the thought of offering anything which is very fragrant such as sandalwood. So then then there’s the offering of objects of touch. And with with regard to objects of touch, there are external objects and internal objects of touch. In terms of external, we could we offer clothes. And then the internal objects of touch would be the fully qualified consort and the bliss which is induced by that and such types of offerings which bring about bliss.
So it’s those are all the various offerings, but it’s not necessary that these offerings be free from ordinariness. So it’s necessary to that that the that the objects of offering not appear as ordinary offerings. And therefore, we necessary that the offerings be consecrated. And this involves a process of clearing and purifying. So at the place where the offering So firstly, for example, if it were going to be done in terms of the practice of Yamāntaka, one would instantaneously generate oneself as Yamāntaka and that at the place where the offerings are to be visualized that one would, upon recitation of the dispersing hindrance mantra, one would eliminate any obstacles to the actual blessings of the offering by that means.
And then at that place, then out of emptiness, the would arise the skull cups, which are which are the actual wisdom of non-dual bliss-emptiness. So then so then at the place where the offerings are to be made, are to be visualized, then from there there with out of emptiness arise a row of ahs, the letter ah, and then these ahs transform into skull vast skull cups. Within the skull cup, which is in the nature of exalted wisdom, non-dual bliss-emptiness, are the letters whom? So the whom is the of the exalted wisdom of non dual emptiness and bliss, or simply say the letter which is the nature of non dual wisdom and bliss. And this whom, which is in each of the skull cup, transforms into the various varieties of of offerings, the various waters, the flowers, incense, etcetera.
They have that aspect of these various offerings. So But in nature, they are actually this The exalted wisdom of non-dual emptiness. And then we go on to make the offerings, present these various offerings. In this way, we we accumulate both creative potential and wisdom. So this is the way the offerings are made in accordance with Lama Chopa Guru Puja, and now if we were to explain in terms of Vajrasattva.
So with regard there are a variety of Vajrasattvas that are associated with various practices. There’s a Vajrasattva associated with Heruka as is depicted in his painting. There’s the that which is associated with Yamāntaka. Yamāntaka and Guhyasamāja though but their offering the way in which their offerings are set out are the same. So in but the Vajrasattva that we generally practice involves what is called a front generation as opposed to a self generation.
So the the Vajrasattva that we normally or usually practice is a front generation as opposed to a self generation. So it would be excellent if when we do practice the Vajrasattva, if you were to make these offerings, if not actual physical offerings, at least to mentally make these offerings. And if we were to actually do the retreat of Vajrasattva, then we we have to it’s it’s necessary that we act