Sometimes we make offerings alone, but sometimes we make them as a big group.

One of the important ways that Buddhists can collect good karma is by making offerings to shrines with good intentions.

People offer all kinds of things to shrines in many different ways. There is no reason to feel self-conscious about doing it “wrong.”

Mental states to cultivate:

  • Happiness in making the offering
  • Confidence that acts of giving create powerful good karma
  • Gratitude to the Buddha and our teachers
  • Recollection of the qualities of the Buddha

Things people frequently offer

Small flowers can be placed in a bowl of water or in a basket

Flowers: In Sri Lanka people will often pick the flowers from trees and bushes in their yards and offer them in small baskets or place them directly on the shrine. If you have flowers that need a vase, there is usually one close by.

Water: This is often placed in a bowl or a glass. It should be filtered and drinkable. Often the bowl will be left covered with a decorative cloth.

Oil lamps: In most monasteries there will be a special place dedicated to oil lamp offerings with racks. If you can’t find this, oil lamps can be carefully placed on the shrine.

Often incense is placed in an urn at the entrance to a shrine

Incenses sticks: Often incense is placed in a sand-pot immediately outside of the hall. If you can’t find this, please ask.

Sweet drinks: These can be offered at any time. Usually there will be a special set of glasses that are used. If you can’t find them it is fine to use whatever you have, or just ask.

Food: Food should only be placed on a shrine before noon. If you have fruit to offer in the afternoon, the best thing is to make it into juice and offer it that way.

What to do with your mind as you make offerings

Glass oil-lamp-house

  • As we are preparing the things to offer we can be remembering the qualities of the Buddha. We can bring to mind any stories we remember about his great ability to tame people
  • As we are approaching the offering place we can recite the qualities of the Buddha in Pali or English or both
  • We can think thoughts of gratitude for the great help that the Buddha has given us.
  • We can be happy remembering that we are doing something very rare in the world that brings powerful good results into our lives.

The physical act of making Buddhist offerings

Slowly touching an offering to the forehead

You can do one or all of these if it seems appropriate:

The simplest way to make an offering is just to place it on a shrine and then bow. But there are other things you can do to make the occasion more memorable and give you more time to cultivate wholesome qualities.

  • Place the offering on a tray to carry it to the shrine.
  • Place a plain or decorated cloth over the offering as you carry it. After you place the offering at the shrine you can remove the cloth.
  • Walk clockwise three times around the shrine, stupa, Bodhi Tree, or statue if there is space.
  • As you are about to place the offering on the shrine, you can bring it up to your forehead and gently touch it there before placing it down.
  • If you have a friend with you they can carry a decorated umbrella over the offering as you bring it to the shrine.
  • If there are many people offering just a few things, then the people who
  •  are not carrying things can gently touch each offering with both hands before it is offered.

Gently touching an offering someone else will place on the shrine

These are just a few of the things you can do. But any way you would like to express your faith is probably just fine.

If you don’t have anything to offer

If you find yourself at a shrine with nothing to offer, don’t be sad. Here are some things you can do to collect good karma:

  • Gently touch any items that are already on the shrine with both hands making the intention that you are also offering them

    Touching offerings already placed on the shrine

  • If the flowers or other items already on the shrine are not well organized, you can arrange them in a beautiful way. We read in the Vimana Vatthu that one disciple went to heaven just for arranging items on a shrine.
  • Have a sincere intention of rejoicing in the offerings other people have made. We also read in the Vimana Vatthu how someone was born in heaven simply from rejoicing in the offerings someone else made.
  • Clean the area around the shrine, stupa, Bodhi Tree, or statue. This is very powerful good karma.
  • You can also offer your life to the Buddha if you don’t have anything else. This is kind of a big commitment, but it’s an option none the less.

After making the offerings

Afterwards we can tidy up the area and remove any withered flowers or extinguished lamps. And for the rest of our lives we can remember the offering we made as a completely wholesome act of good karma.

Some last minute things…

There are a few things we should try and avoid when we are making offerings or walking around a shrine. Whenever possible we should try to take off our shoes and uncover our heads. If we can’t it’s not a big deal. If a flower falls on the ground as we are offering it, best to throw it away. And just like if you were giving someone a bouquet of flowers you wouldn’t sniff them, we try to resist the urge to smell the flowers we are about to offer. And generally if we need to blow out a candle or oil lamp we try to wave it out with our hand or dunk the wick so we avoid actually blowing on the shrine.