Blessing the Offerings
Making vegetarian offerings to the Sangha also brings merit and positive karma, which blesses our ancestors, not only ourselves, according to tradition. Illustration by Buddha Weekly.
Vajra Wisdom and Buddha Weekly
9/1/20241 min read
Blessing the Offerings
The main teaching is to make offerings to the Sangha and the Buddha. They must be vegetarian.
Another way to help Hungry Ghosts, from other Sutras is offering purified food and other offerings directly to the Hungy Ghosts in the month they are close to our world — the seventh lunar month. (August 4th – September 2nd in 2024 with actual Ghost Festival Day on the 15th or full moon on August 18)
It is important to bless the offering with the Hungry Ghost mantra that makes the offering available to the suffering Pretas, as recommended by Lama Zopa Rinpoche[1]:
OM JÑANA AVALOKITE SAMANTA SPHARANA RASMI BHAVA SAMAYA MAHAAMANI DURU DURU HRIDAYA JALANI SVAHA