Light Offering

Our Introduction to Buddhism class is held in the gompa at Tushita.  This is basically a place to meditate.  It’s a large room with high ceilings.  There is a large Buddha at the back of the room.  From the walls hang Tibetan paintings.  Some of different Buddhas (our teacher, Jimmy, keeps pointing to the Buddha of Compassion to show us this thousand armed Buddha), some of the wheel of life (with demons and Hell realms… yikes), White Tara.  They’re beautiful and extremely detailed.   In front of the large Buddha in the back of the room there are light offerings.  I’ve just arrived in the gompa after dinner and I’m the only one in here.  It’s evening and the only lights in the gompa are the light offerings.  They remind me of Christmas lights on a Christmas tree.  The light offerings are different colored lotus flowers with lights in them.  There are larger candelabra types that sit in front of the Buddha and in the display case of Tara there’s just a row of these lotus flower lights at the bottom.  They have the calmness and serenity that a Christmas tree has at night.  The peace.  I have been up a many of times after everyone has gone to bed, admiring the Christmas tree.   I love to observe the lights and how they glint against the Christmas ornaments.  At these moments looking at the tree it’s really felt like Christmas.   This beautiful sparkling tree, there’s something really sacred about it.  Maybe I’m just a Pagan who only wants to worship the tree, but there is something about the light.  The gentle glow.  The luminosity.  I can see why there are light offerings.   I’d like to think that our Christmas lights are light offerings to the trees.