Nepal Buddhist Altar/Water Offering Vessels

Description

Making offerings to me now & making offerings to me in the future will produce equal merit. This is due to the blessing power of the Buddha, but ordinary beings cannot understand this. Buddha. Traditional craft passed down the centuries, precious materials & sacred images woven into a magical spell. A sacred keepsake for your spiritual journey. Native crafts help support Tibetan refugees. Reiki Tummo energy blessing added for health & happiness. In Buddhism, symbolic offerings are made to the Triple Gem, giving rise to contemplative gratitude & inspiration. Typical material offerings involve simple objects such as a lit candle or oil lamp, burning incense, flowers, food, fruit, water or tea. Contemporary Western practitioners often find the making of offerings to be occasions for gracious mindfulness. Within the traditional Buddhist framework of karma & rebirth, offerings also lead to: a better rebirth in the cycle of birth & death, progress towards release from suffering. These offerings often act as preparation for meditation. Material offerings might be imbued with the following symbology: the lighting of a candle or an oil lamp represents the light of wisdom illuminating the darkness of ignorance. the burning of incense represents the fragrant scent of morality. flowers represents the aspiration to achieve the body of the Buddha with the 32 marks of the Buddha as well as the teaching of impermanence. Alternately, a Zen verse expresses the desire for the mind's "flowers" to "bloom in the springtime of enlightenment." food, fruit, water, teas represents the nectar of Dharma & the wish to achieve it. In Northern Buddhism, sacred images have set before them: water representing hospitality, to wash the face & feet scarves offering friendship flowers, incense, lamps, perfume & food representing one's devoting all their senses to their spiritual practice.