Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Making Offerings with Reverence (虔心行供養)
Date: September. 22. 2014
In our daily living, we observe people, matters and objects. Everything that we see or hear is a conditioned phenomenon. As long as we can see or hear something, it has a form and appearance.
So, “In response to conditioned phenomena, our minds can create blessed karma. Through the workings of our body and mind, we make offerings out of reverence.”
When it comes to conditioned phenomena, if our mindset is joyful and wholesome, we will see everything as something good. Then we will seize the moment to do good deeds. When joy arises in our hearts, we will just do it. This is creating blessed karma. When we hear unkind words, if, with a pure heart, we can shift our perspective, we can still eliminate our afflictions and develop our wisdom. This is then an “adverse assisting condition.” Therefore, the Dharma brings understanding.
In our daily living, if we are understanding and accommodating, our minds will always be creating blessed karma. “Through the workings of our body and mind,” our body and mind creates [karma]. If we are understanding of others, even if people see the false as true or the true as false, we can bring harmony to them. Then even those who do not fully understand will still have an opportunity to resolve their issue. All this depends on our minds. As each of us engage in spiritual practice, if we can take good care of our minds, we can harmoniously deal with matters and objects. Then everything we do creates blessings. These blessings are created by our body and mind, with our demeanor, our actions and so on. These are the virtues we internally cultivate and externally practice. Through the [dignified] actions of our body, when people see us, they automatically recognize that we are spiritual practitioners whom they should not harm and whose words they should listen to.
So, even if people with ulterior motives come speak with us, they may shift back to a wholesome mindset. If our body and mind always abide in the Dharma, we can change people’s minds; this is also known as turning the Dharma-Wheel. Negative things can turn into positive things.
All of this is created by our body and mind. We need to exercise reverence and make offerings out of genuine sincerity. The offerings we make do not have to be material, they can come from our hearts, through the actions of our body and mind. This kind of offering is supreme and unsurpassed. The principles of Absolute Truth must be present in our inner training ground so we can apply them in the world at all times. That is the most unsurpassed, precious offering. Previously we discussed, “People such as these.” They are those who erect stupas, build temples and sculpt status with reverence in order to spread the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha had repeatedly encouraged this. So, for the sake of sentient beings in the era of Dharma-decay, these images were created.These people followed the Buddha’s teachings to erect stupas, build temples and sculpt statues. If they can practice giving with the same reverence and respect, they will unceasingly accumulate [blessed karma]. Through tangible forms, intangible principles can penetrate people’s minds.
During the construction [here at the Abode], many contributed their professional expertise.In this environment, many lay practitioners served wholeheartedly.
This was very natural for them.They could form aspirations, devote themselves, and also nurture their sense of reverence.
Since the 921 Earthquake, Tzu Chi has transformed many people through construction projects, especially schools.This is a good thing.People are supposed to help each other, not to mention the fact that future talent is being nurtured a sprat of the Hope Project.So, many Bodhisattva-volunteers across Taiwan dedicated themselves to this project.
Over nearly two years, may people were transformed because of the construction project.They volunteers who joined Tzu Chi that year to this day remain very diligent Bodhisattvas.Therefore, through tangible actions, people can feel the joy of the virtuous Dharma.After taking this Dharma to heart, and diligently practice them.Through this example, we should be able to understand this principle.As long as there are tangible objects, as long as people create them and the environment sustains them, in this way Bodhisattvas can transform sentient beings.The transformed help those who are transforming, who help those not yet transformed.As this cycle continues endlessly, we can “transform and liberate countless sentient beings”.
That is the passage we discussed yesterday.People such as these gradually accumulated merits and virtues.Replete with great compassion, they have realized the path to Buddhahood.They teach the Bodhisattva Way to transform and liberate countless sentient beings.
Now let us look at the next passage.“In stupas or in temples, people may make offerings with reverence to jeweled images and painted images with flowers, incense, banners or canopies”.
This [sutra] passage is very easy to understand.Everyone can understand it as soon as they read it.Whether we see a stupa or a temple, though it is a conditioned phenomenon, though it is an image, it can still inspire happiness and respect, which leads to reverence.These are all skillful means.
As for “painted images with flowers, incense,” old temples always have some kind of decorations.These banners, embroidered, painted, written on with calligraphy or so on, were used to decorate temples in the past.Of course, these were to demonstrate reverence.Flowers and incense were also used to express the respect in people’s hearts.
Thus, “flowers, incense, banners or canopies” were used to adorn the practice center, the space within the temples.All are expressions of reverence.Therefore, these are used to “make offerings with reverence”.
Since sentient beings are attached to happiness, in order to follow their wishes and liking, [He taught them] to adorn stupas, temples and precious images and reverently make offerings of flowers and incense.
Since sentient beings are attached to happiness, when they see such a dignified practice center, they feel they must be reverent and pay respect.The Buddha’s image is there, along with incense, flowers and various banners.This automatically creates the conditions for people to form this attachment to happiness.They like this environment, so from this environment, they develop a sense of reverence.This is how “sentient beings are attached to happiness”.
Thus, the Buddha “follows their wishes and liking” [and teaches them] “to adorn stupas, temples and precious images”.To go along with what sentient beings seek, with that kind of mindset, He said there needs to be stupas, temples and images.But everyone already intrinsically has Buddha-nature.
There is a magnificent Buddha in everyone’s mind.There is already a jeweled stupa and a magnificent temple in their hearts.There is a dignified spiritual training ground in everyone’s minds, so why do we need to erect stupas or build temples in the world outside?Why do we sculpt actual statues of the Buddha? Though all of us have [Buddha-nature], we still have attachments to things. We think that only someone sitting in [a temple] can teach the Dharma. We think we have to be at certain location to pay respect to the Buddha. This is because we still have attachments.
So, the Buddha adapted to our preferences, [knowing] the many ways we are inclined to seek. This is why we have these images, so we can reverently make offerings with incense and flowers. Next, we will discuss,
“They could cause others to make music with drums, horns, or conches, pan-pipes, flutes, lutes or bamboo lyres, guitars, cymbals or brass gongs”.
We previously discussed structures we can see. Now we will discuss what we hear, the beautiful music that brings pleasure. When we are paying respect to the Buddha, we use a small handheld bell, a large bowl-like bell and wooden fish block. Their sounds guide us; when the handheld bell starts, we make certain movements. Then with the sounding of the bowl-like bell, our rhythm and movements can be in harmony. We also follow the sound of the wooden fish block to recite in unison. This is very rhythmic. We may hear or see these instruments during Dharma-assemblies. The round instrument is called a brass gong. There is also the gentle sounding Chinese lute. These can all be used as accompaniments. There may also be end-blown or transverse flutes.
Sometimes when we hear the elegant sounds from these instruments, we are filled with an sense of spiritual refinement. People may play “drums, horns or conches”. In Tibet, they use very long horns which sound very much like copper Chinese oboes. From the top [of mountains], they sound the horns. Then everyone at the bottom can hear them. In Tibet, they use the long horns every day to gather people.The sound tells them, now is the time to pay respect to the Buddha. So, “they could cause others to make music”. These are various musical instruments. Drums can be used [to gather people] from afar. The mountain top is very far away. In order to gather everyone together in the Buddha’s era, people used “wooden mallets”. They used them to strike wooden boards. Then, to gather everyone together, people later used drums. Upon hearing the sound of the drums, people knew it was time to gather together. Conches and flutes are blown. Zithers are plucked. Having a sense of utmost reverence while accompanying recitation of the sutra with music is also a form of offering.
With wholehearted reverence, they bowed and prostrated. They sang hymns and made music with pan-pipes, flutes and lutes. With palms together they paid their respects. These are all offerings.
We can be wholeheartedly reverent. This can be inspired by tangible objects such as stupas, temples and Buddha-images, or the sounds we can hear and so on. All this has to do with our minds. Our minds can allow us to give rise to reverence. When we begin to recite sutra at a Dharma-assembly, the melody of the chanting tells us when to prostrate. This is like prostrating to the Preface of the Lotus Sutra. We know when to prostrate by following the sound. There is rhythm to the way we bow to pay respect.
In particular, when we sing hymns, we must sing them loudly. I constantly remind everyone that as we prostrate, we must keep chanting loudly. Not only can we make offerings with our body, we can also make offerings with our speech, offering of sound. When people are very depressed, we can share good teachings with them in a pleasant tone. This is another kind of sound, as well as a way [to help people].
People listen when we chant sutras. If our chanting is beautiful and harmonious, people’s minds will give rise to respect and their chaotic minds will naturally calm down. Thus, when we chant sutras, we cannot just listen to others with scattered minds. Then we cannot chant in harmony. If we cannot chant in harmony with others, the Dharma will never enter our hearts. When the ancients studied, they memorized and recited the text. When they knew it by heart, everything that left their mouth was Dharma. So, this is how we can learn sutras. If we just sit there and read the words while others are reciting them, will our minds actually be focused on the words? No one else can tell.
If we recite them, we are looking at the words as we say them and our body follows the rhythm and prostrates. Then the Threefold Karma of our body, speech and mind will be in harmony. This is the best offering we can make. This is what we need to do every day. How should we share the Dharma? Sometimes, teachings are teachings are directed at people while chant are directed into the invisible realm, toward all of the ghosts and spirits. Do not think that since our eyes cannot see them, [they do not exist].
Actually, the eight classes of Dharma-protectors are all around us. Are we putting effort into our study? Do we clearly articulate every word of the sutras? We can also share the Dharma with those in the invisible realm. Thus, the sutra recitation during our morning and evening practice must be harmonious and in unison. It must sound like our minds are one. If we cannot chant in unison, that may cause our minds to lose focus. When we chant in unison, we are focused. So, be focusing on chanting, we are also showing our respect
So, flutes and zithers are music instruments. We can play them to sound out pleasant melodies. This is like the Dharma as Water musical adaptation. We must carious kinds of music to accompany the verses. Thus each verse is clearly presented and can resonate with ordinary people. The verses and lyrics are also very inspiring. On top of this there is the sign language. See, these are all ways for the Buddha-Dharma to be passed on.
The sutras also teach us this, so we can use many various methods. When we use musical instruments to accompany. People’s voices, and put our palms together to pay respect, these are all ways of making offerings.
Everyone, making offerings should come from a mind of utmost reverence. If there is no reverence in our minds, it does not matter how much we bow with our body.
Thus, reverence requires a convergence of three things. While our body is paying respect, our mind must be reverent and our voice must be in harmony with others. Thus our Threefold karma are in unison. This is beneficial Dharma.
In summary, when we learn the Buddha’s Way we create external imagines and conditioned phenomena with our minds. What we create depends on whether we want to create blessed karma and make offerings with a reverent mind, or act with a scattered mind. All of this depended on our minds.
Therefore, our minds direct what our body and mind create. When we are focused, we automatically express genuine sincerity that moves people. Since we can move other people, we can move all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This is all due to our offerings of reverence.
Everyone, when we make offerings of reverence, we use external appearances to evoke the genuine reverence in our minds. Every kind of religion has these representations and images. These external appearances can be used to manifest our [internal] reverence. Thus, we must all always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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