1. How I Offer Food: The Motivation

Numberless times they have been our mothers, different mothers numberless times from beginningless rebirths. Every sentient being, not only human beings, all sentient beings, even human beings, at different times, when we were born as humans. So it is a very close, a very close family; then mother, then father, then if you extend this then brother, sister, and friend, many times everybody has been these. (Lama Zopa Rinpoche)

LZR

Lama Zopa Rinpoche Offering Tea (Photo: Bill Kane, Choe Khor Sum Ling, Bangalore, 2016)

Introduction

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is well known for the extensive visualizations, offering prayers, and dedications he does before eating and drinking. In fact the actual eating and drinking seem of little importance to Rinpoche, whereas what is important to him is to use the food and drink he is about to consume as an opportunity to create the most extensive merit possible. In this teaching Rinpoche begins with an extensive motivation based on the three principal aspects of the path. The actual visualization and prayers of the food offering practice are based on how Rinpoche himself does them, although apparently condensed, given that Rinpoche says, “Personally I do like this, just to say a little bit.”