Offering Mudras – Hand Gestures

Mudras: Sacred Hand Gestures

Mudras are sacred hand gestures or positions that used to evoke a state of mind. Mudra means seal, mark or gesture. Each of these sacred hand gestures has a specific meaning.

Offering Mudras by Lama Karma Chotso

Lama Karma Chotso teaches her students how to properly do the Offering Mudras used at their weekly practice of White Mahakala and others.

Lama Karma Chotso teaches her students how to properly do the Offering Mudras used at their weekly practice of White Mahakala and others.

• Water for drinking (Argham)
• Water for bathing (Padyam)
• Flowers (Pushpe)
• Incense (Dhupe)
• Light: candlelight, butterlamps or fire (Aloke)
• Perfume (Gandhe)
• Food (Naividya)
• Music (Shapta)

In almost all Buddhist home, there is an altar with statues, thangkhas, photos and seven bowls of fresh water offered with incense.

In Buddhism an offering is not a sacrifice. Offerings should be obtainable without any difficulty in Buddhism. Water is the most plentiful substance and chosen as offering. It is pure, clean and plentiful not requiring us to hurt other beings.

The rule of offering Seven water bowls is the most basic, yet complete offering. Lamps symbolize wisdom and the illumination of the Dharma that releases us from ignorance. The seven water bowels and one lamp represent the following:

Prayer and hand gesture to performed during the offering

Recite the following prayer with gestures:

First Offering Bowl:
WATER for drinking -ARGHAM
OM ARGHAM AH HUM
Visualize many water bowls filling the skies around the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Second Offering Bowl:
WATER for bathing – PADHYAM
OM PADYAM AH HUM
Visualize many water bowls filling the skies around the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Third Offering Bowl:
FLOWERS – PUSHPE
OM PUSHPE AH HUM
Visualize some variation of flowers filling the skies around the Buddhas andBodhisattvas

Fourth Offering Bowl:
INCENSE – DHUPE
OM DHUPE AH HUM
Visualize and try to sense the smell of clouds of incense filling the skies around the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Fifth Offering Bowl:
LIGHT – ALOKHE
OM ALOKE AH HUM
Visualize endless beautiful butter lamps filling the skies around the Buddhas andBodhisattvas

Sixth Offering Bowl:
PERFUME – GENDHE
OM GHANDE AH HUM
Visualize perfume bottles or water bowls with perfumed water filling the skies aroundthe Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Seventh Offering Bowl:
CELESTIAL FOOD – NEVIDHYA
OM NAIVIDYA AH HUM
Visualize endless foods, suitable to the deities—typically vegetarian—filling the skies around the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Eighth Offering Bowl: MUSIC SHABTA
OM SHABDA AH HUM
Try to hear or imagine beautiful celestial music, singing bowls, bowls, drums.

Dedication

Please try to genuinely dedicate the merit of the offerings to the elimination of suffering and its causes for all beings and to their cause for enlightenment.

Slowly practice the gesture and when experienced do it fast as per mantra recitation.

Medicine Buddha Mudras by Lama Karma Chotso

Lama Karma Chotso teaches her students how to properly do the Medicine Buddha Mudras used at their weekly practice.

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