Although offering is the first practice in the Six Perfections (offering, discpline, tolerance, diligence, meditation, wisdom), it is not easy. Actually, all six practices in the Six Perfections are difficult tasks. None of them is easy. That is why it is called the Bodhisattva Path. Had it been easy, it would not have been called the Bodhisattva Path. The importance of the act of offering is mentioned in many of the Buddhist sutras. But there are few who understand the true meaning of offering, and few could reap the true benefits from the act of offering.
The first thought that came to mind in the act of offering is important. There are many people who start calculating the possible returns from their act of offering, before they start taking actions. This is against the spirit of offering. “Will my offering be worth it? How much should I give?” When you start calculating the possible returns in your mind, you have already missed the point. In the Diamond Sutra, it talks about the Three Wheels of Emptiness: There is no one offering, no one receiving and nothing being offered. Since there is no one offering, no one receiving and nothing being offered, what is there to be calculative about - “How much will I get in return when I offer this?” There are people who give for fame and status, for something in return, or for recognition by others; they have actually missed the point.
There are many forms of offering besides the monetary offering. Monetary offering is quick and easy. But there is also the offering of the Dharma - sharing the teachings of the Buddha with others who have never heard them. When we bring others into the teachings of the Buddha, it is an act of offering of the Dharma. There is also the offering of fearlessness, including sacrificing one’s life for the sake of others. These are crucial points of offering.
Most of you would have heard this story. During the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, there was a rich man who donated very generously, in millions of dollars. He also offered many lamps to the Buddha. But there was also an old woman who was very poor, who sold away her only possession – her hair – for a tiny lamp in return, as offering to the Buddha. There were many lamps being offered to the Buddha in an assembly where the Buddha gave his teachings. Suddenly, the wind blew very strongly, blowing out all the lamps except one. The smallest lamp offered by the poorest woman was the only one that remained brightly lit - because she offered all she had to the Buddha.
So, the size of offering is immaterial. If you have 10 million dollars and you offered only one million dollars, it will not earn you a big merit in return. For it is only 10% of your wealth. If you have only one dollar and you offer this one dollar completely, at the expense of your next meal, and with the expected outcome of your starvation, you will earn a merit that is far greater than that of the rich man. The rich man gave away his one million dollars but he still had 9 million dollars in his bank account. This old woman earned herself tremendous merits from offering all she had to a Buddha and planted a seed of enlightenment in her being.
The most genuine interest to give is one without a second consideration - it is about giving away everything in one’s possession without hesitations. An act of offering done with the most genuine interest will gain one inconceivable amount of merits. But most people are calculative when they do their act of offering – “How much do I have in my bank now? How much money do I have in my possession? I only need to give a little…” When you are being so calculative, you will earn yourselves little merits. So, the act of offering is not an easy task. But I hope that you will ponder the true spirit of offering.
