閼伽、涂香、花鬘、烧香、饭食、灯明六种供养乃唐密修法中的重要内容。一方面是行者恭敬诸佛菩萨本尊的虔诚表示，另一方面六种供养也代表六波罗蜜行。六波罗蜜——布施、持戒、忍辱、精进、禅定、智慧，对于佛子可谓耳熟能详。
閼 伽——代表布施，閼伽在梵文中意为无浊清净。我们的机体70%由水分子构成，故曰 “水为养命之源”诚不为过。水有养育滋润之德，万物复苏调达，无水滋润无能茁壮；水有清洁之德，体有污垢无水难以涤除；水有流通之德，无论财施、无畏施和 法施均有益于佛法流布弘扬。閼伽水在修法中用于洗浴圣众足和漱口，乃表达我们对佛、菩萨、明王等的施舍供养。佛、我、众生平等故，洗浴佛足和漱口正是祛除 我们自己的贪嗔痴三毒。正如《胎藏界九方便》“施身方便：我净此身离诸垢，及与三世身口意，过於大海刹尘数，奉献一切诸如来”所云。众生心净即是我心净， 亦是佛之法身清净。
涂 香——代表持戒，本来在古印度用来消除身体异味的香料末。涂香有清凉芬芳之德，在密教可譬持戒无缺，即“戒香熏习”。行者戒德具备，五分法身才能圆满。所 谓五分法身即“戒、定、慧、解脱、解脱知见”也。涂香涂自体，因为行者本来具有佛性，勤修六度万行自然成就佛果；涂香供养诸佛菩萨，行者得佛菩萨慈悲加 被。修行人“以戒为师”，戒律的全息意义则使我们的人格、佛格更趋完善。操行戒德具备的法师也值得四众信赖，近代律宗大德弘一法师就是很好的典范；戒律的 另一意义是延续佛法的唯一保障。
花 鬘——代表忍辱，生忍、法忍、无生法忍。供养佛菩萨明王等本尊的时花，其芬芳馥郁柔和清新，在密法中用以象征忍辱。佛教中尤其以莲花为崇，在《除盖障菩萨 所问经》中莲花有十种功德：①离诸染污，②不与恶俱，③戒香充满，④本体清净，⑤面相熙怡，⑥柔软不涩，⑦见者皆吉，⑧开敷具足，⑨成熟清浄，⑩生已有 想。
烧 香——代表精进，在读经前我们总如此祈念“炉香乍热，法界蒙熏；诸佛海会悉遥闻，随处结祥云；诚意方殷，诸佛现全身。”如此精进必然得法界力如来力之加 持，加之佛子自己努力之功德力便三力具足，成佛不远。烧香就是佛子自己不断对佛法的信心和自身精进努力的鼓舞。香弥法界，圣众本尊闻之欢喜，更赐行者智 慧，直趣菩提。
饭食——代表禅定，食物使行者精神体能饱满。古贤云“民以食为天”，而佛子则以禅定为食，密法行者更以三密相应之瑜伽禅观为成就悉地之舟楫。普通人不可一日无食，而密法行者不可一日离三密禅观。
灯明——代表般若，佛菩萨之智慧、大慈悲如大光明照耀，使六道众生得到庇护和找到出离生死苦海之途。行者本为证阿耨多罗三藐三菩提，为救济有情，然若智慧不具则无能助益有情。
布施度悭贪，持戒度毁犯，忍辱度瞋心，精进度懈怠，禅定度散乱，智慧度愚痴（邪见）。如此密法修行中的“事相”作法就不仅仅是简单供养而能表达了。
Six Kinds of Offerings
Acarya Zhenyuan
Translated by Yuanhui
The six kinds of offerings: argha water, powder perfume, flower, incense, food and light are important in Esoteric Buddhist practices. On one hand, a practitioner show respect by offering to Buddhas; on the other hand, six offerings symbolize six paramitas: donation, precepts, patience, diligence, dhyana and prajna, which are quite familiar to many Buddhists.
Argha means clear and clean in Sanskrit and symbolize donation.70% of a human body is made up from water molecules. Thus one can say “water is vital to life” without any exaggeration. Living beings cannot exist and plants cannot grow without water. Water keeps us clean and refreshes the world around us; water flows and circulates. The three ways of giving, the giving of wealth, dharma and fearlessness, all contribute to the spreading of Buddhism. In Esoteric Buddhist practice, we pay our respect to Buddha and offer argha water to cleanse the mouths and feet of the sainted. We share the same Buddha nature with Buddha and all beings, so when we offer argha water to Buddha, our three poisons, desire, hate and stupidity are cleaned. Just like what is said in Nine Ways in the Matrix World,“ I purify my mind, body and words to offer my sea-vast lives to all Buddhas in every place and time.” If our hearts are clear, then we can feel the pureness of dharmakaya, which we share with Buddha and all beings.
Powder perfume symbolizes precepts and is used to dispel the odor of one"s body in ancient India. Powder perfume sends out fragrance and gives us a cool feeling. In Esoteric Buddhist practices, we compare powder perfume to perfect precepts, “saturate oneself with the fragrance of precepts”. It is compulsory for a practitioner to complete the five parts of Dharmakaya. The five parts of Dharmakaya are precepts, samadhi, prajna, moksa and the wisdom of moksa. Since we have Buddha nature, we can attain Buddhahood by practicing diligently the six paramitas and all Buddhist teachings. We offer powder perfume to Buddha, and get positive influence from Buddha. A practitioner should learn from precepts. The total information of precepts is to improve and perfect oneself. A master with pure precepts will gain the trust of the fourfold assembly. Master Hongyi, an outstanding master of the Vinaya School in modern times, set a good example for us. Precepts are the only guarantee of passing on Buddhism.
Flowers symbolize patience, including patience in one’s life, patience out of dharma, and patience out of unborn dharma. The fresh flowers offered to Buddha smell sweet and fragrant. Lotus is worshipped in Buddhism and is regarded to have ten virtues in the Sutra asked by the Bodhisattva of Disposing Hindrances, that is, 1.taintlessness; 2.sinlessness; 3.fragrance; 4.pureness; 5.concinnity; 6.softness; 7.blessing; 8.perfectness; 9.maturity and clear; 10.expectation.
Burning incense symbolizes diligence. At the beginning of sutra recitation, we pray “Incense in the censer now is burning; all the Dharma Realm receives the fragrance. From afar the sea-vast hosts of Buddhas all inhale its sweetness. In every place auspicious clouds are appearing. Our sincere intentions thus fulfilling as all Buddhas show their perfect bodies.” Practicing diligently is sure to gain the aiding power of Buddha and the Dharma Realm. Once the two powers unite with one"s own effort, a practitioner has the three powers that lead to Buddhahood. A Buddhist strengthens his creed and inspires himself continuously by burning incense. The whole Dharma Realm is saturated with the aroma; the sainted are pleased and grant wisdom to the practitioner, helping him reach bodhi directly.
Food can refresh our mind and body and symbolizes dhyana. An ancient sage said, “food is as important as heaven to ordinary people"; a Buddhist follower takes dhyana as food while an Esoteric Buddhist takes the three-mystery yoga as the ship sailing towards siddhi. Ordinary people cannot do well without food even for a day, while an Esoteric Buddhist cannot spend a day without three-secret yoga.
Lights symbolize prajna, Buddha"s wisdom and great compassion shine light on all beings in the six realms of samsara, releasing their sufferings and guiding them out of the bitter sea of birth and death. A practitioner aims at the supreme bodhi for the benefit of sentient beings, while we cannot fulfill it without wisdom.
Giving expels greed, precepts keep us away from misdoings, patience avoids offence, diligence drives off laziness, dhyana cures attention deficit and prajna dispels stupidity (incorrect ideas). Thus the significance of Esoteric Buddhist practices cannot be understood as simple rituals of offering.
