Riwo Sangchö—mountain smoke offering—is an everyday Tibetan ritual, likely rooted in indigenous cultures that preceded Buddhism in Tibet and many other places. In this engaging and powerful practice, an offering of fragrant smoke is created for use in acknowledging past harm, paying karmic debts, removing obstacles to life and work, and making general offerings to enlightened beings, wrathful beings, and beings in general. It’s also a means for working with our inner ‘demons,’ including arrogance, tendencies towards ignoring and oppressing others and so on. Engaging in this practice regularly is a cause of great merit in practice and enhances pure view, meditation and action. Our version of the practice is a ‘terma,’ a ‘revealed treasure’ from Lhatsun Namkha Jigme, in the 1600s.
Join us on this day at our Dekeling dharma house, outside. You’ll learn to build a sacred fire and to offer sang incense and will receive the liturgy for the sang ceremony. A few bundles of sang incense will be available for purchase, should anyone be so inclined. A copy of the liturgy is included with the registration fee. We hold that this practice is an excellent antidote to the western cultural tendency to center ourselves in importance over other beings and to live inside a bounded view of life and relationships.
Due to the nature of the ritual, this workshop will not be streamed on Zoom. Directions to the vicarage and handouts will be provided the week before the class to those who are registered.