Offerings to the Buddha

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During the time of Gotama Buddha, devotees were privileged to offer alms to the Buddha in person. But today, the Buddha is no more with us in person. So we have to learn from the text how to offer alms in devotion to the Buddha.

First you must prepare alms food enough for one bhikkhu and place it in front of a statue of the Buddha. If there happens to be no statue nearby, you can through reverence create a mental image of the Buddha and offer alms to that image. Then you must dedicate your cetana to the Buddha in person.

After such offering, the alms food may be given to a devotee who does voluntary service in keeping the pagoda precinct clean and tidy, whether he is lay or a bhikkhu. A voluntary worker who keeps uposatha sila (eight precepts) can eat the alms food before doing any service if the noon time is drawing near.

At the time of great ceremonious charity if one wishes to offer alms food to the Sangha led by the Buddha, the same procedure should be adopted to make offering of alms food to the Buddha.

In offering robes in devotion to the Buddha, the same attitude should be maintained. Monks who give voluntary service to pagodas are entitled to attire themselves in such robes. Care should be taken that offering of flowers, incense or joss sticks, bouquets and water at the pagoda should not become a mess in front of statues and images.

Your dana must be given in tidiness and you will get good results in this life and hereafter. Your future existences will also be clean and flawless.

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