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Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Advice

Sur Offering

On July 27 2010, Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised FPMT centers and study groups to do the practice of Sur regularly.

Rinpoche strongly emphasized the importance of this practice in helping centers clear obstacles and create merit by making charity to the sentient beings of the 6 realms. Rinpoche said that this practice is very beneficial in general for sentient beings and in particular for pretas.

Once the practice is started it is important to try to do it every day. The best time to do it is in the evening. Rinpoche said centers could set up a roster system, having individuals or small groups taking responsibility to do the practice of Sur for a period of time.

Benefits of Regular Sur Offering Practice
In December 2010, Rinpoche mentioned just a few of the benefits of doing Sur practice:

"[You will have] success to be born in a pure land. Also whatever work one is doing will be successful, will not have obstacles.

So for centers this is exactly what they need, to have all success and not have obstacles.

Then, if possible, the offering can be big*.

Trijang Rinpoche once mentioned that someone who did Sur practice and didn't recite the mantra to actually make the offering to the pretas saw the pretas very close by, smelling the offering, but not able to eat it. So it is very important to recite the offering mantra, so that pretas are able to receive the offering."

*The Sur offering which is made for Rinpoche to offer is huge. Rinpoche uses about 2 kilograms [4.5 pounds] of flour each night; it may be one of the biggest Sur offerings in the world!