Ven. Shi Ruyuan's Responsive Experiences of Food Offering

Ven. Shi Ruyuan: Ever since my master taught me the method of offering food to beings of the netherworld, every morning and evening I have offered food to the beings of the dark realms on time. In meditative concentration, with a heart of compassion, I sincerely recite the mantra and single-mindedly visualize the food pervading all places. Because in samādhi the mind is very pure and undistracted, the visualization works quite well: I can clearly visualize the seven grains of rice being offered transforming into steaming hot white rice, filling all of empty space and reaching every corner—wilderness, mountains and rivers, trees, rivers, lakes and seas, front and back of houses, roadsides and grassy patches—and then in my mind there appear all kinds of beings of the netherworld as well as the golden-winged great peng birds, all eating the hot food and drink.

One afternoon I forgot to offer the bowl-washing water, and only remembered it after eight o'clock in the evening. I felt very uneasy, and in my mind, like a movie playing, there appeared many beings of the netherworld: some with big bellies and long thin necks with their heads bowed down, some on all fours, some leaning on crutches and holding broken bowls and broken ladles, all waiting like beggars for the water offering. I quickly took the bowl-washing water, went outside, recited the mantra, and made the offering. After the offering was done, those images disappeared, and my mind became at peace again.

The next morning, I told my fellow practitioner about what had happened the night before. She said that the night before, her body had also had a strong reaction—she felt very cold, unbearably cold. Then I knew it was caused by my forgetting to offer the water, and I felt very guilty. I vowed never again to forget to offer food, drink, and bowl-washing water. I am grateful to my master! You have taught this disciple to have compassion for sentient beings and the heart of benefiting self and benefiting others.