Pitri Paksha - Sept 15-28

[Xienkula1]

On this lunar fortnight there is an opportunity to clear ancestral karma each morning .

The benefits include freeing your ancestors and yourself from destructive karmic patterns, share lifeforce with your ancestors in the form of offerings of breath, water, black sesame seed, and whatever it was each one of them loved or had a physical craving for is offered. If your parents are not dead, do not offer, to all departed ancestors offer, moving through grandparents, great grand parents (on both sides of your grand parents) on mother and father's side 7 generations back, making offerings of gratitude, devotion, and love.

Edited September 16, 2008 by Xienkula1

[.broken.]

Thank you for sharing this

 

How should one make an offering and what should one offer those to generations who are unknown to ourselves?

 

Your humbly,

James

[三江源]

[Xienkula1]

[Xienkula1]

Hi Cat and Broken,

 

Well Cat you could certainly offer hagis. The important thing is offer things your ancestors liked, and if it is inconvenient to do it physically, you can also offer it mentally. The objective is to please your ancestors and to interface your own consciousness with the remnants of theirs in order to acheive a state of blessing and release from karmic debt (rnanubandhana see Prakruti, Svoboda)

 

Traditionally it is black sesame and water offered in tarpana, swami rama has a good page on tarpana and other webpages give further details, although it's been said that it's best to receive this from a spiritual teacher, but doing it with an altruistic intention and with great respect, even if you don't have formal initiation this time round, can never hurt. Traditionally it was the son who performed this ritual, but we all know the benefits aren't just for men. The tarpana may consist of 4 segments, offering to the devas, and all the ganas (classes of the multitudes, nagas, apsaras, devas, ghandarvas, even seems some asuras )etc, then the rishis, the ancient vedic seers, finally to one's pitris, deceased relatives, then closing prayers to Shiva(see: http://www.swamiram.com/articles/pitripaksh.php). You start on your grandparents then (if parents aren't dead), and you back 7 generations from your birth, to your ancestors, if you don't know all their names you say the ones you know usually starting with your dad's parents, then going to your mom's parents, and then work your way back to each couple that generated them. Here's an example of an ancestral seven-generational offering sequence. It's important to go deeper than reciting it like a mental litany, although that will have some affect, it is much better to emotionally register each ancestor that you propitiate, really connect to them like you were hugging your mom:

 

Om my Grandfather's name strpyantam svadha and offer a spoon of water with sesame seeds between the digits of your ring and little finger over a blade of thick grass like hay, or if you can get it durva or kusha grass which in the ground, facing south:

 

1. Father side- Grandfather NAME, Grandmother NAME,

Mother side - Grandfather NAME, Grandmother NAME

 

2. Father side - NAME' Father), NAME' Mother, NAME's

Father, NAME's Mother

 

Mother side- Grandfather's NAME's Father, Grandfather's NAME's Mother, grandma NAME's father, grandma

NAME's Mother

 

3. Father side - NAME' father's father, NAME's father's mother, NAME'

mother's Mother, NAME' mother's father, NAME's Father's Father, NAME's father's mother, NAME's Mother's

Mother, NAME's mother's

father.

 

Mother side- NAME's Father's father, NAME's father's mother, NAME's

Mother's mother, NAME's mother's father, NAME's father's father, NAME's mother's mother, NAME's

mother's father.

 

4.Father side - NAME' father's father father, NAME's father's father's

mother, NAME's mother's mother's mother, NAME's mother's mother's father,

NAME's Father's father's father, NAME's father's father's mother, NAME's mother's mother's mother, NAME's

mother's mother's father.

 

Mother side- NAME's father's father's father, NAME's father's father's mother,

NAME's mother's mother's mother, NAME Carlisle's mother's mother's father, NAME's father's father's father,

NAME's father's father's mother, NAME's mother's mother's mother, NAME's mother's mother's father.

 

 

See the idea? Well go back another two generations and you've done seven generations. Now, if you have every name of every ancestor 7 generations back, so much the better, if not you could use the above approach and just say my grandmas name's mom's mom..etc., whereever your knowledge stops. Yes it is difficult to connect to ancestors without pictures: I reccomend an altar, with pictures of your ancestors with as many as you can find. Then you can offer them whatever they liked be it tobbacco, alchohol, favorite foods, whatever it was they enjoyed, and when you make the offering (it is often reccomended in the morning in the hindu tradition, but in the west we have the tradition of All Soul's night, so if you are inspired to make offerings at night, follow your feeling, if you want to do both morning and evening, so much the better. If you don't know what they would have liked tune into them and allow your heart to feel what they would appreciate.

If you can bathe at least twice, even better thrice(traditional). On the final day, sept 28 you can make offerings into a fire of the rice balls with your prayers, even a list of all the ancestors, along with the gifts you are sending them (mentally, or written on a sheet of paper, or physically if you prefer.)

 

Best wishes with your practice and Peace.

 

Xi.

 

P.S. prayer is also powerful, you can write your own if inspired or do ho'oponopono.

Edited September 18, 2008 by Xienkula1

[rain]

thanks Xienkula, I can already feel strong cleansing and harmonising sitting here reading now, embracing, praying and offering mentally.. I will bring this into my meditation in the days to come. Maybe even make a silent place for contemplation, gather some symbols, incense and offer water and whatever their hearts seem to desire when tuned. Is there a preferred place in the house you would recommend or a heavenly direction I should face?

My sister in law does this every day. She offers flowers and fruit and incence too.

[Xienkula1]

thanks Xienkula, I can already feel strong cleansing and harmonising sitting here reading now, embracing, praying and offering mentally.. I will bring this into my meditation in the days to come. Maybe even make a silent place for contemplation, gather some symbols, incense and offer water and whatever their hearts seem to desire when tuned. Is there a preferred place in the house you would recommend or a heavenly direction I should face?

My sister in law does this every day. She offers flowers and fruit and incence too.

 

dear rain, Im so grateful for the privelege to share with you. This is a good idea, and fruit, flowers, incense, and black sesame if you can find them (symbolises purifying karma, and also offering a seed is recognising that you are their tree, and they are your seed, and their seeds you carry.

 

 

 

What do you mean by heavenly direction?

Edited September 19, 2008 by Xienkula1

[.broken.]

A shame you removed the song you hear. It was a beauty to read. May they sing your praises for some time to come

 

(I imagine rain means North, South, East or West...)

 

Yours humbly,

James

[rain]

 

What do you mean by heavenly direction?

-

 

 

yes James, thank you. thank you both.

 

in my lanuage there is no different words like sky or heaven,

 

i only have the word "himmel" and it means both.

 

so I was thinking like feng shui..the place most suited for prayer perhaps?

Edited September 19, 2008 by rain

[Gerard]

Thanks for bringing this up. Perfect time to recite the Great Compassion Mantra, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. This page offers concise instructions which I felt would be good to reflect in TaoBums:

 

 

1. Light incense and place beside shrine;

 

2. Prostrate 3 times to Kwan Yin;

 

3. Offer one (or more) glass (es) of water which Kwan Yin will bless;

 

4. Invite Kwan Yin to come to you and appear;

 

5. Bring the palms of your hands together in the prayer-mudra;

 

6. Invite all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to come and be present.

 

7. Recite the following chant:

 

Lu Shian dza zo,

Fa Je Mung Shin,

Dzu Fo Haj Whey Shi Yao Wen,

Swey Tsu Dje Shang Yun,

Tsong Yi Fong Yin,

Dzu Fo Shien Chuan Song.

Na Mo Shian Yun Gai Pu Sa Mo Ko Sa. (3 times)

 

8. Recite the following lines to purify your speech and apologize for the pronunciation errors made by you during this practice:

 

An Sho Li Sho Lie, Mo Ho Sho Li, Sho Sho Li, Sa Po Ho (So Ha).

 

9. Recite the Kwan Yin Great Compassion Mantra 3, 5, 7, 21, 49 or 108 times.

 

10. Recite the short mantra 10 times:

 

Na Mo Kwan Yin Boddhisattva.

 

11. Finally, drink the water blessed by Kwan Yin. This water now has healing powers.

 

12. Dedicate this practice of the Kwan Yin Great compassion Mantra to the benefit and enlightenment of all beings.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyIIObFyK4I...feature=related (in Sanskrit)

(in Chinese)

 

 

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

 

 

May all sentient beings be free from suffering and its causes.

[Xienkula1]

Rain,

 

Heavenly direction feng shui, we will have to hear from someone from China who is familiar with ancestor worship there, or maybe Korea too. I m more aquainted with Vaastu, and in this case the Vaastu is South, the direction of Lord Yama, Death himself, so you could face the southern wall or corner of your home and put the altar there facing south if possible with the articles.

 

 

Drukgchod,

 

Chenrezig is excellent to bring all of our ancestors into compassion. When you see the hum transform into a lotus and the mantra circulates OM Mani Padme Hum, you manifest as him then the light carries to parents, grandparents, into them all incarnating as Chenrezig, all reciting his mantra in unison. In fact, any practice you have received that you do at this time and dedicate to your ancestors can benefit them greatly, but you chenrezig is especially appropriate, we and our ancestors could all use some more compassion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok Broken I have returned it, may they sing to you, speak to you, uplift you to heaven:

 

 

 

In that place where the sun inside

the heart meets the sky

In the way we bless you

fold our arms around you

My God, My Grace

Pray to thee Divine

All of my life

You are my Grace

You sing, I sway

All of my life

I feel your Grace

You are my guide

pulling my tide

lift the veil from my face

so I follow in thy stride

and I won't be denied

bowing so low with grace

tears wash your feet

can't keep the love the inside

Edited September 19, 2008 by Xienkula1

[.broken.]

Ok Broken I have returned it, may they sing to you, speak to you, uplift you to heaven:

 

In that place where the sun inside

the heart meets the sky

In the way we bless you

fold our arms around you

My God, My Grace

Pray to thee Divine

All of my life

You are my Grace

You sing, I sway

All of my life

I feel your Grace

You are my guide

pulling my tide

lift the veil from my face

so I follow in thy stride

and I won't be denied

bowing so low with grace

tears wash your feet

can't keep the love the inside

 

Truly, truly beautiful. Thank you so much! Poetry is of the Divine, and this poem speaks volumes.

 

May kindness follow you always,

James

[Xienkula1]

It is the last day of pitri paksha today, and we offered the 3 pindas into the fire and we sang and offered into the fire for our ancestors on Shraddha. Navaratri is just around the corner.

Much is being cleared and released. Especially today offer Gayatri. The inner light, sending up to the light.

AUM!!! SVADHA!!!!!

[rain]

Thank you for reminding us. I prayed and sendt my gratitude and blessing to those who have walked before me,

and burned incense in front of the fire today. I am soon to visit my mothers grave for the first time and I know it is going to be very special. am looking forward to kneel and communicate.