Sutrayana Buddhism does not clearly mention about the Eight Offerings (drinking water, cleansing water, flower, incense, lamp, perfume, food and joy). Sutrayana practitioners only practice the offering of fruits, flower, a cup of water or tea.
Vajrayana Buddhism originated from India and inherited the practice of Eight Offerings, or the offering of eight items. There is a difference between the Eight Inner Offerings and the Eight Outer Offerings. The Eight Outer Offerings are offered to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, whereas the Eight Inner Offerings are offered to one’s innate Buddha Nature. It was also documented in the Sutras that there are mudras (hand gestures) for presenting the Eight Offerings; those transmitted by the True Buddha School are more complex and richer in style.
Offering has its significance. There is also the offering of music, like the blowing of conch shell which represents the propagation of the Buddha Dharma. There is meaning in every type of offering. Vajrayana Buddhism places more emphasis on the Eight Offerings, and encourages the practice of offering.
There are other methods of offering in Vajrayana Buddhism, like the Fire Puja. We usually just burn three sticks of incense during our session as a form of offering. But the amount of incense offered in a Fire Puja ranges from a few hundreds to a few thousand sticks in one session. While it takes others a much longer time to reach that number, a Vajrayanist could do it through a single session.
Vajrayana Buddhism believes in making big offering, offering them to the spiritual beings, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the protectors etc., seeking their blessing and increasing one’s own merit. When you have accumulated great merits, you will enjoy a smoother path to enlightenment. Otherwise, you will face many obstacles in your cultivation, such as being bogged down by the busy schedule of work, being troubled by many problems in life, facing many obstacles, being disturbed by spiritual beings etc, all such challenges will make it very tough for your cultivation.
Vajrayana Buddhism encourages the practice of Puja, the more the merrier. Puja can help us accumulate great merits in the shortest time, making it easier for us to walk the path to enlightenment by reducing the amount of obstacles. There are many challenges in the practice of Vajrayana Buddhism, and there are many practitioners who failed the tests and give up on their cultivation. So, the purpose of offering and Puja is meant to increase one’s merit, to smoothen one’s path to enlightenment.
The ultimate path to enlightenment is one comprising both the practice of wisdom and the accumulation of merit. So, the accumulation of merit is crucial in one’s cultivation. The act of offering will make our path easier and smoother. The numerous challenges can cause a practitioner to give up on his cultivation. So, the act of offering is the first practice in the Six Perfections (offering, discipline, tolerance, diligence, meditation, wisdom) and it is indeed very crucial.
