Extremely Easy Practice ofWhite and Red Sur Offering

Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa

The White Sur Offering

Namo Guru!

In the morning, mix clean flour with the white substances, the sweet ones, precious material, diverse medicine and so on. In the evening, blend flour, meat, alcohol, and food of different kinds.1 If you practise principally to benefit beings in the bardo, it is very important to add samaya substances that liberate upon taste to the offering mix. That is a key point. Put these sur or burnt offerings into a fire. Sprinkle them with blessing water and say:

Refuge, Bodhichitta and the Four ImmeasurableI and all sentient beings equal to the limit of space,Take refuge in you Chenrezik,The protector who embodies all sources of refuge!

I generate the mind of enlightenment just as you did;To liberate all sentient beings pervading spaceI shall swiftly reach enlightenment!

May all sentient beings enjoy well being and joy, And be free from all suffering, May they always enjoy supreme happiness,Abiding in equanimity towards all, whether close or unrelated.

1 Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche explains that ‘in the morning’ indicates the preparation for a white sur as it is preferably done in the morning, though it is not wrong to do it in the evening. The sentence starting with ‘In the evening’ indicates the offering preparation for a red sur preferably, though not necessarily, done in the evening. When practising both together, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche tends to do it in the evening, though this can be done at any time.

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Self-VisualisationInstantaneously, I transform into Avalokiteshvara,In the form of Khasarpani2.

Blessing of the OfferingsOm Ah Hung (3 times).

From the three syllables Om Ah Hung, the burnt substancesTransform into clouds of wisdom offerings.

OfferingI offer this nectar of burnt substances To the Three Jewels who are ever undeceiving—Please grant me and all sentient beings refuge!

I offer this nectar of burnt substances To the Lama, Yidam and Khandro—Please bless me and all sentient beings!

I offer this nectar of burnt substances To the dharmapalas and the local deities—Please, clear away obstacles, and accomplish the activities!

I give this nectar of burnt substances To all sentient beings headed by my parents—May they purify the two obscurations and perfect the two accumulations!

I give this nectar of burnt substances To the sentient beings who dwell in the bardos—May the suffering due to their deluded perceptions be pacified!

2 A form of Avalokiteshvara with one face and two hands. His right hand is in the mudra of supreme generosity, and the left in the mudra of teaching the Dharma and holds a lotus blooming at the level of his left ear.

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I give this nectar of burnt substances To all karmic debtors, enemies and obstacle makers—May all debts and desire of vengeance be quelled!

Just as all the buddhas of the pastAccomplished all they envisioned thanks to generosity,Just so, through the truth of the completely pure nature of things,May all our aspirations be fulfilled!

MantrasRecite the Sambhara mantra seven times: Nama sarwa tatha gata awalokite om sambhara sambhara hung

Recite the six syllable mantra: Om mani padma hung

Recite the Kamkani mantra: Om Kam Kani Kam Kani Rotsani Rotsani Trotani Trotani Trasani Trasani Trati Hana Trati Hana Sarwa Karma Param Para Nimé Sarwa Sato Nentsa Soha

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Words of TruthThrough the power of my aspirations,The power of the Tathagata’s generosity,The power of the basic space of phenomena,I present these offerings to the noble beings,May whatever we envisionFor the benefit of all sentient beings,All positive actions in their entirety, whatever they may beAnd wherever in the universe they may take place,Be accomplished without impediment!

After you have said these ‘words of truths’, recite:

All phenomena come from causes.What the Tathagata taught is the causeThat brings cessation,And it is what the Great Mendicant was speaking about when saying:Do not commit a single unwholesome action,Cultivate a wealth of virtue,To tame this mind of ours,This is the teaching of the Buddha.

Through this merit, may all beingsComplete the accumulations of merit and wisdom,And thereby attain the rupakaya and the dharmakayaThat come from merit and wisdom.

Say this, and dedicate the merit of this act of generosity and make aspiration prayer as suitable.

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The Red Sur Offering

There is also the profound Red Sur Offering, done regularly to ransom the dead. In the evening, prepare some chemar. Add meat, blood, grains, medicine of all kinds, and burn this mixture.

Take refuge and generate bodhichitta using the prayers you wish. Then,

I visualise myself as Avalokiteshvara.

Say Om Ah Hung 3 times.

This burnt offering is endowed with the five sensory stimulantsAnd it pleases all sense faculties throughout the universe!

Recite the Sambhara mantra three times:Nama sarwa tatha gata awalokite om sambhara sambhara hung

Om! Here are the burnt offerings endowed with the five sensory stimulants,And meat, blood, grains, medicine that have been added to it.I give them to all obstacles affecting the lives and vitalityOf all of us, masters and students,Such as Yama the Lord of Death and the hordes of mamos,Jungpo demons and hosts of yakshas,Rakshasas, smell eating pretas, and so on,All arising from untamed and evil minds,Together with their retinues.Pleased and delighted, they become completely satisfied:All karmic debts are repaid,All angry and agitated minds are pacified;We are free from fears of untimely death,

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Of sickness and negative influences of all kinds.Moved by the intention to be of benefit and the wish that other may be happy,I pray that everything may become auspicious and excellent.

Recite the Six Syllable mantra.

Dedicate and do aspiration prayers suitably. In this way untimely death will be repelled and accidental obstacles pacified.

The first practice, the White Sur, comes from the Avalokiteshvara Prayer Collection which is part of the New Revelation of Chokgyur Lingpa, while the later, the Red Sur, is extracted from the Tukdrup Barché Künsel cycle.

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At the end of the Sur practice, should you wish to elaborate a little on aspiration prayers, you could say the following verses:

Ho!These virtues are phenomena whose nature is the utterly pure basic space,And they arise from the infallible interdependenceOf causes and results.Through the power of their immeasurable accumulation,May the teachings of the Buddha spread far and wide!May the sacred Dharma remain for long!May the Sangha keep the Dharma alive!May the lives of the teachers be long and firm,And may they accomplish all they envision!May we approach and accomplish the yidams,And obtain the two types of accomplishments, ordinary and supreme!May the turmoil of the mamos and dakinis be quelled,And may we fulfil the heart-aspirations of the Three Roots!May the protectors not allow the teachings to disappearAnd may all the negative karma, negative actions, and obscuration,I and all sentient beings have accumulatedIn our lives without beginning, be purified!May all negative circumstances and obstacles be pacified!May the accumulations of merit and wisdom be perfected!May the suffering of heat and cold in the hells be pacified!May the hunger and thirst of the pretas be pacified!May animals be free from their intense fear!May the gods act according to the Dharma, free from ideas of victory or loss!May the strife of the demi-gods be pacified!May human beings be liberated from the four rivers of suffering!May bardo beings recognize their situation!

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In short, may absolutely all beingsBe free from the fears of bad rebirths,And find the place of unsurpassable enlightenment!May all of us here,Have a long life, free from illness, and meet conducive circumstances,And may all their actions and activitiesBe connected with the six paramitas! May virtue always increase!May all my actions, important or insignificant,Be virtuous karma;May they be positive and initiated by wisdom,So that, moved by compassion for others, these actions give them benefit and happiness,May I hold onto these virtuous ways with concentration,And diligently apply myself to these means! Whatever happens, may I not turn away from it, And whether people are kind to me or offensive, may I have forbearance in all situations!May I act with carefulness in this way,As I live for more than hundred years!Just like Avalokiteshvara’s aspirations, May my prayers become true!

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