Question asked by eric
Hello!
I have a question on Mandala offering. It is usually adviced in practice texts, that mandala is offered to lineage gurus and to a wide assembly of deities. here is example of this
http://resources.tsemtulku.com/prayers/preliminaries/mandala-offering.html
So my question is, is it OK to make mandala offerings to only ONE specific deity, in this case buddha Amitabha. In this case, I would make mandalas to Amitabha and offer it to him and his retinue (Chenrezig and Vajrapani).
I should clarify that I am very devoted to Buddha Amitabha and wish to create causes and condition to have rebirth in pure land of Devachen.
Dear Eric,
Normally we make mandala offerings to the lama to request him to live long and teach the Dharma. But, as H.E. Tsem Rinpoche has explained, one can make mandala offerings to the Buddhas, any Buddha. I see no disadvantage in making mandala offerings to Buddha Amitabha and his retinue. This is a practice for accumulating merits and a powerful aid for achieving Buddhahood. It is one of the preliminary practices recommended for those who wish to go for higher practices.