Called the ‘Mountain Smoke Offering’. Lama Dungtsho does the Puja for Riwo Sangchöd.
Riwo Sangchöd means ‘An unceasing offering to the mountain gods’, but it is much more than that. It is a ceremony, a puja or practice of generosity and offering that frees your heart and inspires generosity to others. It is a practice of prosperity that also brings confidence. It is a practice of healing through which we repay all our karmic debts and heal our relationships. Riwo Sangchöd is also a practice of purification in which all our obscurations are purified and burned away in the sweet smoke offering. We purify the outer pollution (environmental degradation, disharmony, and physical sickness). We purify the inner pollution (negative emotions, blockages in your channels and imbalances in our energy). We purify our secret pollution (fundamental ignorance). Riwo Sangchö is also and especially a practice that enhances our energy and our “lung ta” or life force, thus making our rigpa (knowing your personal original wakefulness and grounded knowledge) more vivid.
To do the Riwo Sangchöd, we made a mixture of barley flour and fresh fruit pieces in a large bucket. We gathered wood, kindling, pine cones, and pine boughs to make a fire with fragrant smoke to attract the spirits of the land. Lama D offered special prayers and chanting with bell and dorji while I added barley flour to the fire. The smoke was sweet.
The Rio Sangchoed རི་བོ་བསང་མཆོད་ brings benefit to all humans and all sentient beings. The benefit starts with the person and their family. The benefit radiates out to friends, their city, country, the earth, and the universe. Through this release of evil and obstacles, goodness is allowed to enter and heal us freely. Life comes to us with less effort, less pushing, pulling, and grasping. This is the best practice to remove obstacles and fulfill both temporary and long-term wishes. The smoke offering is made to all wisdom beings, to the Three Jewels, the Three Roots and Dharma Protectors, and the Three Kayas. Offering to the wisdom beings helps us to accumulate merit and wisdom. This brings short-term happiness and ultimate enlightenment. We also offer to all demonic beings who are actually manifestations of our karmic debt. These karmic debtors cause obstacles of all kinds, both temporary in this life and also long-term obstacles to enlightenment. Through this offering, karmic debtors are repaid, removing all of these obstacles. This is really the best technique.
Blessings to all!