" One should have great sincerity when making an offering. The purpose of making offering is to cut down your attachment of self. It is to assist you to let go of what you have and what you cannot let go. Usually one will offer the best they have and this may not necessarily be money. Some people may offer their material goods while some people may offer their time to help in meditation centres for the benefit of others.
Some people asked why we should make offerings. It is a form of respect for your teacher. Just as one have to put a container beneath a tap to fill it with water (instead of above a tap), one will also have to be humble and do things to please their teacher as a form of respect to their teacher. The teacher actually does not need your offerings but he needs the sincerity.
An enlightened meditation master will create chances for people to do merits. There is a story of an old abbot instructed his disciples to look out for a man who will visit a temple one day. When the man was found, he said he is too poor and has nothing to offer but a massage for the abbot. So the abbot let the man rub some salt on his leg during a massage. In fact, the abbot wants to let the man do massage so the man can gain some merits. His disciples later found out that there was a bleeding wound on his leg and the abbot has been bearing with the pain when the man rubbed salt on his wound. Such is the compassion of an enlightened master!"
More information available at:
1) Master Jin Bodhi Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/jinbodhiworld/
2) Official Bodhi Meditation Website
http://puti.org
http://putihome.org
Graphics and formatting: Ada
Jerome is a Buddhist practitioner that has learnt from Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan traditions and is still learning! He first learnt meditation and Dharma from Theravadan monks and practitioners in the lineage of the Arahant Venerable Amatha Gavesi Maha Thero from Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist temple in Singapore. Then, he completed a Diploma in Buddhism from the Buddhist and Pali College in 2016. He also learnt from Zen Master Wu Jue Miao Tian (85th Zen Patriach) from the LingJi lineage in Taiwan in 2014 - 2015. Subsequently, he learnt from Garchen Rinpoche from the Drigar Thubten Dargye Ling tradition (Tibetan) and attended annual Om Mani Padme Hum and Om Ami Dewa Hrih retreats from 2015 till date. Currently, he is a disciple of Master Jin Bodhi (Mahayana) from Bodhi Meditation in Singapore and is an active volunteer there. Master Jin Bodhi is his main Dharma teacher. Jerome feels that Buddhism is not a religion but is a practical way to reduce our life's problems. The essence of Buddhism is not in the books or sutras but in the way we apply it into our lives. Having understood some aspects of Buddha's teaching, he wants to give back to the society and hopes to share his insights with everyone who has the affinity with him.
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