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Lama Zopa Rinpoche circumambulating the stupa at O.Sel.Ling, Spain, May 2019. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave teachings on how to make offerings and circumambulate holy objects at the sacred stupa at Boudhanath, Nepal, during the pandemic and in a letter to students in Russia who make holy objects. We are pleased to make these teachings available in the booklet form in Create Skies of Merit by Making Offerings and Circumambulating Stupas.
This 32-page booklet explains the benefits of making offerings to and circumambulating stupas as well as how to think when making offerings and how to collect extensive merit.
Rinpoche emphasizes the importance of, first, offering to all sentient beings based on the example of making a flower offering:
“First, we make charity of this flower to every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal—think of just the ants: scientists say there are about 13,000 different types of ants.”
Rinpoche then teaches the importance of making an offering on behalf of all sentient beings:
“When we offer on behalf of all sentient beings, it includes your father, mother, brother, sister, any friends, your enemy, anyone, including whoever has died. Doing puja for those who’ve been born in the lower realms can liberate them; they can get a higher rebirth and meet the Dharma—they get so much benefit.”
When we think this way, all sentient beings collect merit, whether they are our friends, enemies, or strangers.
Rinpoche also explains how the practice of circumambulating stupas with body, speech, and mind are done. We do not circumambulate stupas just for our own sake, but we go around the holy objects to benefit all sentient beings.
When it comes to the action of speech while doing circumambulation, Rinpoche advises not to waste time gossiping while circumambulating the holy object, but instead recite different mantras and prayers. Circumambulating with our mind means that we do it with devotion to our guru and compassion to all sentient beings as well as do visualizations that the light purifies all sentient beings.
Whenever we have an opportunity to circumambulate holy objects, it is wonderful to apply these simple yet powerful pith instructions by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in order to collect extensive merit.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche shopping for flower offerings, Boudhanath, Nepal, July 2021. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
Additional Audio and PDF Resources
This practice was composed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to create the most extensive merit possible when making any kind of offering. This is one of Rinpoche’s heart practices for the accumulation of merit.
Rinpoche gave this advice on how to collect “the most unbelievable merit” when making offerings, originally in relation to offerings to the Boudha Stupa located in Kathmandu, Nepal.
This booklet explains the benefits of offering flowers to holy objects as well as describes how to do flower offerings including the recitation of the flower offering mantra which makes flower offerings vast, transforming them into ten million or more flower offerings.
Clouds of Offerings Mantra – MP3 Download
This audio contains recitation of Clouds of Offering Mantra by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. This mantra is not only for blessing, it also has the power to multiply the offerings. There are numberless buddhas and by reciting this mantra each buddha receives skies of offerings.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche created this offering card as a welcoming and explanatory sign for anyone visiting the gardens of his house in Aptos, California, USA. Rinpoche has said that anyone can use this where there are many flower and water bowl offerings.
Padmasambhava’s Instruction on Offerings to Stupas
King Trisong Detsen requested Guru Rinpoche to give a teaching on the benefits of prostrating to, circumambulating, making offerings, and offering service to stupas. Padmasambhava gave a detailed explanation of the particular benefits and results of different types of offerings, such as the set of offerings and offerings included in the long mandala offering.
Download Create Skies of Merit by Making Offerings and Circumambulating Stupas for your own practice: https://shop.fpmt.org/stupa-offering-circumambulation-pdf.html
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