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Thursday, August 11, 2005

Offering.






Offering Food... A Buddhist Tradition
The two kinds of alms, material and spiritual, have the endowment of boundless merit. Now that they have been fulfilled in this act of charity, both self and other gain pleasure there from."Shasta Abbey"

posted by Pradoochai @ 9:45 PM  

1 Comments:

  • At 10:54 AM, Blogger Pradoochai said…

    Offering Food
    A Buddhist Tradition


    The two kinds of alms, material and spiritual, have the endowment of boundless merit. Now that they have been fulfilled in this act of charity, both self and other gain pleasure there from.

    -The Donor Verse-

    Since the time of the Buddha, the lay Sangha has offered food to the monastic Sangha. Food is a very tangible offering of generosity to sustain monks as they train. It is one of the four traditional requisites that the lay Sangha has kindly provided for monks. As Great Master Dogen says in the Chief Cook's Instructions (Tenzo-kyokun):


    Because of the sincerity of mind with which a woman offered the Buddha a bowl of milk,
    it was foretold that she would become a Pratyekabuddha in the following life.
    Because King Asoka, as his last good action, offered half a piece of fruit
    to the priests attending him on his deathbed, he was free from all suffering at the moment of death.
    From this it may be seen that small acts of charity, made in a devotional spirit,
    are beneficial not only in the present but in the future also.
    However minute may be the offerings we make to the Buddha,
    they must be given in the spirit of true religion and sincerity.
    Such deeds are the right action of all men.


    Expanding your kitchen to include the monastic Sangha can take many forms. You can offer some of the many staples that are part of a nutritional meal. You can help either cooking a meal, or some part of it, for the monastic community and this can be done as a memorial for a loved one. Given in the spirit of true religion and sincerity, these offerings are a wonderful expression of dana. We are grateful for the myriad ways you show your generosity of spirit.

    Each monastic meal begins with a formal dedication that includes the Five Thoughts

    "We must think deeply of the ways and means by which this food has come..."

    We try, through the way we live as monks, to do as little harm as possible. Fortunately, in our culture, vegetarian food is plentiful. Buddhism being the practice of the Middle Way, we steer a middle course in our diet. We are lacto-ovo vegetarians. We deeply appreciate offerings ranging from a piece of fruit to a sack of potatoes to an entire meal. It is not about the amount offered, but rather the heart from which it is given. When you do your weekly shopping, think kindly of the monks at Shasta Abbey, and possibly get a little extra something to bring to the monastery as an offering. As we cultivate a practice of generosity through steady and regular offerings we loosen the grip of "I" and "mine". This naturally brightens the hearts of all sentient beings. It is a customary practice in Buddhism to offer a meal, or perhaps a part of a meal for a relative or friend who has died, or simply out of gratitude for the practice. The first Segaki was a food offering for Mogallana's mother, the merit of which helped her put down her burden of suffering. We begin our meal with the expressed intention of the donor and offer the merit of the meal according to the intention of the donor. When monks are on retreat, it is possible to come here to cook and provide a meal for the community. The Wesak celebration meal for 2002, for over a 100 people, was prepared and offered by our lay Sangha. On New Year's Eve, we have a potluck for the retreat that combines many wonderful offerings from the Sangha.

    "We must consider our merit when accepting it..."

    Eating food that has been offered has a spiritual nourishment, besides being just another meal. We know that your offerings come out of your hard work. As monks, this gives us the opportunity to consider what it is that we are doing and appreciate the generosity that allows us to continue and deepen our practice.

    "We must protect ourselves from error by excluding greed from our minds..."

    In our practice of living from the alms bowl, we find that we don't always get everything that our mind may want, and in actuality we get everything that we need. In our tradition of Buddhism, we take great care in the way that food offerings are prepared and presented. Everything is treated with great respect and tenderness. Thus we truly enjoy our food and not over-indulge in it, using it for the real purpose of furthering our training.

    "We will eat lest we become lean and die..."

    The Buddha found that purposely starving oneself led only to more suffering. It was after he took the kind food offering of Sujatha that he was able to establish himself in a steady practice. As Great Master Dogen wrote in the Shushogi: "...your body is deeply significant. Both your life and your body deserve love and respect for it is by their agency that Truth is practiced and the Buddha's power exhibited..."

    "We accept this food so that we may be come enlightened..."

    The ancient tradition of making and receiving offerings gives opportunities for both the giver and the receiver to train in the Buddhist Way. It points directly to the interdependence and mutual gratitude of human beings. Enlightenment and everyday life being one and the same thing, what more grounded activity could we participate in than selfless generosity in giving and receiving. In helping each other in this way, we share in the activity of a Buddha.

    You can make an offering of food in a way that seems good for you.

    This may include: food offerings of various sizes, kitchen staples, a memorial meal, some part of a meal, a dessert or a treat, cooking a meal for the community, or inviting the Sangha to your house for a meal.

    Please, because of our monastic tradition, no garlic, scallions, horseradish, meat or alcohol. If you have any questions, or if you would like to arrange to offer food to the Sangha, please click here to contact the Bursar at Shasta Abbey.

    When one is identified with the food one eats,
    one is identified with the whole universe;
    when we are one with the whole universe
    we are one with the food we eat.
    This comes from the Vimalakirti Scripture.
    The whole universe and a meal are identical in quality.

    Great Master Dogen
    Meal-time Regulations

     

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