Fire offering ceremony in Tibet

July,28 2016 BY Master Catherine Jigme 0 COMMENTS

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Fire offering ceremony in Tibet is a unique ceremony in the Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. It is one of the sacrificial rituals for worshiping divinities in which people will burn the tributes, crops, tree branches and incantation tallies to pray for peace and harmony.

On last Sunday (Jan. 8), Tibet held the 600-year-old fire offering ceremony in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism monasteries represented by the Sera Monastery. People went with family members to pay homage early in the morning to the Sera Monastery and waited calmly to get into the Tantric Buddhism courtyard for the religious ritual.

Sometimes, the ceremony is also used in a funeral considered as a good way to subdue the demons and monsters for the soul of the dead in its transgression to the afterlife. The family members write down the name of the person passing away on a piece of paper and hand it over to a lama, along with the utensils and photos of the deceased; then the lama throws all those things into the fire and chants sutras.

The fire offering ceremony is not held frequently, but is prepared very carefully for important religious events in the tantric Buddhism courtyards of monasteries. The ceremony host should be the eminent monk in the tantric Buddhism.

In 1989, the fire offering ceremony was organized for the commencement of the restoration construction project of the Potala Palace.

It is said that there are five offering rituals in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism: pasting incense to the body, offering flowers, burning incense, sacrificing food, and lighting lamps. The spiritual meaning of fire offering can be summarized as "burn a big fire to end all sufferings so that the soul could transcend the endless hardship in this life".

The fire offering ceremony is believed to be able to accumulate similar meritorious virtue as doing charity does. Thus, on Jan 8, people wearing all kinds of costumes from various parts in Tibet gathered in the Sera Monastery to pray amid the resounding sutra chanting for best wishes.

For tourists, the chance to witness a fire offering ceremony is very slim. But there is another interesting religious activity held in the Sera Monastery. That is Buddhist Scripture Debating held by monks at the courtyard of the monastery. The debating is usually held in the afternoon, so it is best to visit the Sera monastery after lunch.

About the Author - Master Catherine Jigme

With exceptional passion and outstanding leadership, Mrs. Catherine has dedicated herself to Tibet inbound tourism and China tour for 15 years. As one of the handful females who see great potential of Chinese inbound tourism, Catherine has made great contribution to promoting Tibet tourism and enhancing the employment of Tibetans and prosperity of local Tibetan community.

Over the years, she travelled overseas with Tibet Tourism Bureau many times to promote Tibet tourism. Currently, Catherine works as the marketing director of Tibet Vista, an opinion leader behind the whole team of Tibet Vista.

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