Butter lamp offerings

[pummy369]

I am listening to Rinpoche's beautiful video on Butter lamp offerings.  My question is this.  How do I go about doing butter lamp offerings when I am not in a city that has a butter lamp house with so many butter lamps.  My own Dharma centre does do light offerings on special occaisions but it's not ok just to do such a thing as your own practice in that centre.  So...how can I possibly do it?  How can I do it in my own home for example?  And if so, how...when I am limited to space and the number of lamps to light at anyone time.  Do I light them and then put them out again so I can re-offer them?

Also, is using tea-lights the same thing... cos butter lamps is not something that we have here.  Is the butter lamps just the Tibetan cultural version of tea-light?

I seriously need to start making some merit.  I listen to all of this Dharma and although my mind jumps on it and it is all so easy for me to understand in that moment of hearing it - very quickly I forget.  Such a shame.  Watching this video helped me to understand why that is.

[ysng101]

     I use  small little round LED  lights which uses rechargeable batteries.   http://dotit.osram.info/index.php?lang=en&country=com# 

     Since I live in an appartment,  and my buddha statues is in a bookshelf  I cannot use butterlamps for fear of it being a fire hazard.   With good intentions while offering light I hope the buddha's won't mind.

[wmw111]

We don't re-offer the candles again .

Any kind of light can be offered , they use butter lamps there because its affordable I suppose. Even frangrant candles can be offered its according to one's means I suppose.

I once offered a big Candle( jumbo lotus candle) during Wesak day , after that I understood a lot more dharma stuff than before .

[pummy369]

Thanks guys.  Really though, I am more wondering about light offerings as a pre-liminary practice - 100,000.

1/  How can an ordinarly person in Western Society do this practice?  It is the practical aspects of the practice that I am referring to here.

I love the idea of the light offering dispelling the darkness and giving light to the Dharma.  I always thought of it like shining a light on the Buddhas so that me and the rest of the world can see them and they will never be forgotton.  Also I think of shining a light on the Dharma so I can read it, cos I can't read it in the dark and neither can anyone else. 

Now, I would like to do more light offerings but I don't know how to do it in a big scale practical and safe way.  Hmmm...that's got me thinking.

2/  How long must I leave it alight before it's ok to put it out (fire danger) and if I can't re-offer the candles, what do I do with the half burnt candles?

Thanks.

[wmw111]

Hi ,
a) I know Beng Kooi one of His Eminence's Liaisons he takes orders for Butter Lamp offering to be done in Nepal . Would you like to get his contact?

b) Half burnt ones can be recycled to make other candles .  Err , I know of a story of a monk who was so poor he had only one bowl to eat , drink and make water offering on . So he'd wait a few moments after offering the water , then pour out and offer again .

Cheers

[sky81]

The benefits of offering butter lamps are many. Since we are offering light, candles can be used as well. We can make the offering daily on our own personal altar in our home.

1. One obtains bright, beautiful and good eyes.

2. One has proper understanding and views.

3. One will easily obtain the ‘heavenly eye’, and can see distant and subtle phenomenons.

4. One does not break precepts.

5. One’s wisdom is perfect, and will attain to nirvana. One will obtain the wisdom that discriminates between what is to be virtuous and non-virtuous.

6. One’s performance of virtue will not be hindered by difficulties or obstacles.

7. One is often able to see Buddhas and becomes the eye for all sentient beings.

8. One can take rebirth as a wheel-turning lord king, king in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, or king in the Brahma Heaven.

9. At the point of death, one will recall virtuous dharma without forgetting and all those positive deeds done while living will appear in the mind; one will have joy in the mind and recall the Buddha; the body and mind will be pure without any worries or suffering at point of death.

10. Both eyes and four limbs will always be free from defects.

11. One will be healthy and the vocal cords will be soft and flexible and one’s voice will be charming and beautiful.

12. One’s mind will be clear and bright with intelligence, not affected by stupidity.

13. One’s life will be stable and peaceful and all necessities will be sufficient, one’s mind will be free from fears.

14. One’s wealth will increase and body and mind will be free and liberated.

15. One’s body will be healthy and strong, filled with vitality.

16. One will not have verbal feuds, clashes or quarrels with others. One can travel (the world)without any worries and without creating any kleshas or disturbing emotions or give rise to ignorance.

17. One will not do anything out of a hazy and confused mind. One will not be easily misled by external factors.

18. One will not take rebirth in a dark and gloomy place.

19. One will possess great merits

20. One will not run into any mishaps while travelling or walking like stepping on unclean substances, be free from fear of dogs or wolves and their barks or howls, one will not fall and hurt oneself and not drop into pits and lose one’s life.
In Avatamsaka sutra it says, “Offering Lamps can dispel all darknesses.”
In the Treasury of Bodhisattvas Sutra, it says, “Offering 10,000 bright lamps to confess and extinguish hosts of negative karma and defilements.”
In Cakrasamvara Tantra it says, “If you wish for sublime realizations, offer hundreds of lights.” Cakrasamvara Tara includes Vajra Yogini.
In the Sutra of Giving, it says, “Those who offer lamps, will possess the pure heavenly eyes and clear wisdom in the future.”

Extracted from a post by Uwe Meyer on Facebook

http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/butterlamps.html

[wmw111]

I presume he extracted from the Lamrim.  Good thank you for sharing the innumerable benefits of offering light!

[Sarah]

Wow there are so many benefits for offering Butterlamp to the Buddhas! Amazing!

While I was reading Rinpoche's blog, I found this article that is really good! In the video, Rinpoche explained about the preliminary practice and there are many other offerings we can give to the Buddha that will be beneficial for us!

http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/cosmic-tantra.html (here's the link)

The video is really mind boggling! But very informative and educational.

[ethanhoo]

I think LED or other lights that use electricity is ok, especially if you live in a small room and not practical to burn candles for safety reason. I'm using paraffin oil lamp in my room now. On most of the days, it's unbearably hot in my room when I lit the lamp.

[wmw111]

A candle offering is a candle that can burn for up to 8 hours. That is considered one candle offering : )

[Sarah]

A candle offering is a candle that can burn for up to 8 hours. That is considered one candle offering : )

Is there any modern equivalent of candle offering that we can use? I mean, Ethan does have a point... can we light electronic lights for 8 hours and consider that as one light offering? if not why?

[wmw111]

Now I thought about it prompted by Sarah's question yes why not? It is still light and the symbolism of destroying darkness.

[ethanhoo]

Decorate the altar like Christmas tree. hahaha.