Author: Tao Qing Hsu
The Meaning of Should-Make-Offerings
The word Should-Make-Offerings means that
the completely practicing and enlightened Tathagata is full of complete virtue
and merit, and thus is full of the ability to teach, save and reform the all
beings which are included the beings in heaven, so as to liberate all beings
from sufferings of life and death. That is, Tathagata is qualified and adequate
to hold the Buddha-vocation and that is why the Tathagata is worth to be made
offerings by all beings. Therefore, it means that all beings should make
offerings to the Tathagata. This all beings include the heavenly beings and the
worldly humans.
Why it was called Should-Make-Offerings
Why it was called Should-Make-Offerings. The Buddha said. In the past, when I was in the cause rank, the good laws, solemn and majestic appearance, and the classified of precepts were practiced. The strength of the ten good roots was cultivated so as to make it increased. Thus consummately practicing and learning to attain the ultimate rank. When achieve the Nirvana, cut off and end all worries. To make the body, mouth and mind clean and untainted. Forever destroy worries. Such as to break the head-root of Tala tree, make it never sprout buds. Furthermore, due to ending the worries of greed, anger, and obsession, all the toward-going would never produce the fruition and generate. It was beyond the law of bitter fruitions of the four difficulties of birth (living), aging, illness and dying. The two seeds of confusion and suffering would never be produced. It was established the name of Should-Make-Offerings. Furthermore, make all the clothes, bedding, food and drink, soups and medicines, banners, flags, precious canopies, fragrant flowers, lamps and fruits in the world, and the highest thing in heaven and earth be offered to the Buddha. Obtain the blessing of supreme wealth and auspiciousness. It was the name of Should-Make-Offerings.
Make offerings with the heart of respect and sincerity to the Buddha.
When all beings make offerings to the
Tathagata, they should have a heart of respect and sincerity to the Buddha and
should have the voluntary will to do that, and there should not be such things
of manipulation, coercion and intimidation or the any similar bad things. If
there are some religious communities which makes you feel uncomfortable to make
offerings to anyone or to be generous to the group, you should alert that there
has been existed some problems and it must be something wrong in their inner group.
In Buddha’s teaching, there are rightful and good notions of giving and being
generous to all beings and to the Buddha. You will understand it by reading
more the translated Buddhist scripture or following this blog. In a word, that we respect the Buddha is to respect yourself.
To make offerings to the Tathagata is to make offerings to the all beings and to the self.
Eventually, in the deep teaching and meaning, to make offerings to the Tathagata is to make offerings to the all beings. At the same time, it is to make offerings to the self. That is any good repay will finally return to the self, including the invisible good things, such as healthy in mind and body, and keep harmony relationship with the family members, etc. Why? In the chapter 11 of Buddhist scripture” The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha”, I had ever explained the similar notion. The link is as followed if you are interested in understanding it: Chapter 11: Giving meals turns to victory
There is no Binary Opposition in mind for a person who has completely achieved the Buddhahood.
In the profound
teaching of Buddha, when a person has completely achieved the Buddhahood, there
is no Binary Opposition in its mind. It is because that it has been enlightened
and realized that its heart, all Buddhas’ heart and all beings’ heart are the one.
That is, their nature is the same and is the one. What is the nature? It is the
emptiness and silence. What the different is the appearance, the languages and form of their
outside. Meanwhile, what the different is the time and process of the reincarnations, and the
experience of life and death.
The Starting Point is to help all Beings to become Buddhas and the final purpose is to help us to achieve the Buddhahood.
When we practice the giving and being generous to others with the great compassionate and wisdom, we also practice to be no Binary Opposition with others. That is, we practice to realize what the nature of the self and the others is. At the same time, we practice to be the one with all Buddhas and all beings. That is, the starting point is to help all beings to become Buddhas and the final purpose is to help us to achieve the Buddhahood. This is to cultivate our great and generous mind.
When we are learning Buddha, if we don’t understand this
meaning, it would make us feel weird and feel that we are enforced to practice
the giving. In a word, this is the more profoundly teaching of Buddha.
Generally, for the beginner, the senior Master won’t tell you this point.
Furthermore, many of junior Masters and the Master of little-boarding (Hinayana)
even don’t understand this point.
In Buddhism, there is the personal cause and condition and outcome, which is rely on your own choice of a thought and your action, not rely on the manipulation from others and any ignorant people.
In Buddhism, the different master will take use of the different explanation to guide and teach you how to practice the giving. No matter what it is, you think it is reasonable, you can accept it and you do it, which is your choice. If you don’t accept it, it is also your choice. No one has the right to punish you if you choose to reject to give. If a good or upright Master teaches you to give alms, but you refuse it, it is only your personal choice of cause and effect, and it means that if you hope to become a Buddha, it is far away. That is, it needs to take you long time and your many worlds of lives to finally become a Buddha.
If someone says that if you refuse to give, you will receive the retribution of bad karma and go to hell, which you have to be alert because there is an element of manipulation involved. In Buddhism, there is the personal cause and condition and outcome, which is rely on your own choice of a thought and your action, not rely on the manipulation from others and any ignorant people. When we learn the Buddha’s teaching, that is what we have to know.
In Conclusion
Practicing the giving is the first and basic learning in Buddhism. Without this basic practicing, it is hardly for us to achieve the Buddhahood. Therefore, it is very important to understand the multiple meaning of giving in Buddhism and then to practice it actually.
