Sang Burner 21

Sponsor the Sang Burner for the new temple.

In Tibet, the practice of sang predates the arrival of the Buddhist teachings. When Guru Rinpoche came to Tibet, he conducted the earth-taming practice to prepare the ground for the construction of the temple at Samyé. On that occasion, he adapted the native sang and ‘ngen’[1] practices – which are slightly different practices – and serkyem offering, to make them part of the Buddhist path.

People, as well as the gods and spirits of Tibet had been used to these practices. So Guru Rinpoche kept some of these rites. By and large, they did not need to be changed and Guru Rinpoche blessed them, and just adapted some aspects to make them Buddhist practices. In this way Guru Rinpoche was able to ensure enormous benefit both for the people and for the non-human gods and spirits of that region.

Also, he instructed how to bless the specific substances which are offered into the fire in a sang ceremony—different kinds of grains, small pieces of fine silk, various powdered gems and so forth. They are blessed as the 'wealth of the space treasury'; in other words they are transformed into an inexhaustible source of benefit and fulfilment of all one's goals from now until the end of the kalpa.