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Seven Kinds of Offerings!
pvx rp YMv lY

Deshapriya Dissanayake

There are seven kinds of offering which can be practised by even those who are not wealthy. The first is the physical offering. This is to offer service by ones labour. The highest type of this offering is to offer ones own life as is shown in the story at the bottem.

op{lp p{p Rxf n rx[Y{ Y  pvx rpYK lY J. Sp rv{pp |Y {|xp Yyp pxx. Sp Yypp ~xK YpY[ |vx ~{xY {|xp rpx vx. vv pvx rj YMvx UDblv Yvx pK YpY[v lx rv {p Rly Wx v rp Y{p Ylplyxp rw {x.

The Second is the spiritual offering. This is to offer a compassionate heart to others. The third is the offering of eyes. This is to offer a warm glance to others which will give them tranquility. (Calm and quiet state) The fourth is the offering of Countenance. (give support or approval) This is to offer a soft countenance with smile to others. The fifth is the oral offering. This is to offer kind and warm words to others. The sixth is the seat offering. This is to offer ones seat to others. The seventh is the offering of shelter. This is to let others spend the night at ones home. These kinds of offfering can be practised by anyone in everyday life.

n{ {M[x px pK RolY pxx. Sp Yypp Rpxp Un~ Yyj v ~{u{x rpvx. lp{ px pK, RY} pxx. Sp Yypp R~ zapx {l Rpp Yy pl xv Yyvx. A v[p Wv rn[zxpf  ~p~zz Rl{x. ~N { px pK l{l YpYf ~x[x Yvx. YpY {l ~p{Y rvp {{ n Wv rl[x Sf Y Y. r~{ px {Y px. Sp Yypp v vY  Yyj tl {np lrvx. x{ px R~p pxx. Sp Yypp l{l YpYf lvp {  ~p R~p rn vx. l{ px {p npvx. yxY [l vf lv {~ ~{j ztvl {p npv. K p {M[ lv Bpv YpYf lv nY lx  v r[j Y { J.

* Once there was a prince named Sattva. One day he and his two elder brothers went to a forest to play. There they saw a famished tigress. (suffer from extreme hunger) which was evidently tempted to devour her own seven cubs to satisfy her hunger.

WY YzY ~ll{ pK YvyxY {~x Y x. pY X  X[ {vz ~xyp nnp {pplyxf [x {p Yx xv ~q x. W X{pf  Y~[ppp rl { Y npY Y [ppf ztj Rly rlY} {|xpv U lv Y~[ ~~qvf U[v rf{p lnp [y Yy [vf vp tzp ~x x.

The elder brothers ran away in fear but Sattva climbed up a cliff and threw himself over it to the tigress in order to save the lives of the baby tigers.

{vz ~xy x rp {. Wl ~ll{ Yvyx [zryxYf p[, Y rf{p[ l Jv ~q Xv Y np {l rpp x.

Prince Sattva did this charitable act, Spontaneously (happening from natural impulse not caused or suggested by somebody) but within his mind he was thinking ; This body is changing and impermanent; I have loved this body with no thought of throwing it away, but now I make it an offering to this tigress so that I may gain Enlightenment This thought of the prince Sattva shows the true determination to gain Enlightenment.

~ll{ pK Yvyx K ~t~np ~lx{ Y Y[{l tzvY  SzzvY ~ pN, X[v ~p v~ R}gp Yy [.
K |yx Rlx, {p~ {p ~x. v K ~yyf Rnyx Y ~Yy nvp Rn~p pN. Al M{jx R{to Yy [vf  {p r~ p K |yx vv Y np {l rn ~ll{ pK Yvy[ A ~zzp rw {pp {p ~{ r~ R Yy [pp R}gp |Yxv x.
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T` Yzrx tzpp